With a January birthday, I always wish for a day with a high temperature at least matching my age.Â
Needless to say, this “game” is getting more difficult each year 😉
Last year, I was on a beach in Hawaii for my birthday. An excellent way to cope, and frankly, I didn’t care about the temperature here.Â
This year, I’m sure I will be walking on a beach, but my attire will be suitable for January at the Jersey shore!Â
Only 130 days until Memorial Day weekend, by the way…
Just Listed!Â
2148 Harbor Avenue, Avalon, NJ.Â
This custom townhouse style unit lives like a single family home.
The floor plan is different than the typical side by side units.  4 bedroooms, 3 full baths, hardwood floors, 3 zone gas heat and central air, and a spacious kitchen with granite countertops.Â
3 decks total- including the large 2nd floor deck with awning for additional living space.
An added bonus: a real back yard!
New on the market today. Attractively decorated and ready for immediate enjoyment.
$719,000 furnished. http://capemay.fnismls.com/publink/default.aspx?GUID=56be9666-7077-4df4-879a-efd9c09541ce&Report=Yes
For more information, please contact me: ann@anndelaney.com
Thank you for your interest!
20 degrees as I set off on my morning walk. Posted a quick picture on Twitter, and continued on a fast pace to stay warm. Today is one of those calm days I mentioned in my last post- thankful not to battle the wind!
I was cautious as I walked close to the water’s edge- slippery frozen sand 😉
Stay warm…
Those of us who live at the shore like to think of ourselves as rugged pioneers…well, with flat screen TV’s and heated homes.Â
The locals agree that so far, it’s been a mild winter. One life long Avalon resident mentioned yesterday that he was surfing earlier in the week- feeling warm in his winter wet suit.  And then he expressed dislike for our common enemy: the WIND!
While we can’t imagine life without our comfortable summer breeze, in the winter months, we prefer the rare calm day.
Maybe it’s the sound of the wind that drives us crazy? It roars through like a freight train, causing our homes to shake and crackle. We hear our neighbor’s trash cans rolling down the street, or their outside shower door bang repetitively through the night.Â
But then we wake to a colorful morning sky. We bundle up and walk to the beach in time for sunrise. The wind isn’t so bad if we stay close to the dunes. And the sun is starting to warm us up a bit. The “winter warriors” are ready to face another day 😉
Although I’ve heard the phrase “Manhattan Island”,  I wouldn’t think there are similarities between New York City and our seven mile island. Until I remember that they faced evacuation orders for Hurricane Irene, too.
My sister and I talked about this yesterday on a day trip to the city. And, here we thought it was a monumental task to evacuate all of Cape May County!
The main purpose of the day was to see “How to Succeed in Business” staring Darren Criss (from Glee). The audience was FILLED with teenage girls and their mothers (and aunts!). As a bonus,  Beau Bridges is the other lead in the show- plenty of adorable charm for all generations ;) The show was great!
Prior to the show, we walked through the 9/11 Memorial. My first thought- do the families of the victims see this as a grave? That’s how I interpreted the pools as they run deep into the ground. A co-worker (her cousin died in one of the towers) said she viewed the rushing water as a symbol of the towers collapsing.Â
And of course, you see the names. We used the kiosk to look up a Wildwood Catholic High School alum, Andrew Alameno. My sisters and I went to school with his siblings. He was a “beach kid” who grew up to work for Cantor Fitzgerald…and was just 37 years old.
I noticed several women’s names followed by “and her unborn child”. Heartbreaking. And as you walk through the park, you look up at the construction of the mega high rise next door, and feel sick as you imagine that day.
New York City deserves credit for protecting this space. The memorial shows respect for both the victims and the event. I was impressed.
Have you noticed all of the building on the island? Almost every street has a project underway; either an extensive renovation (as pictured here on 29th Street in Avalon), or new construction.
A surprising number are builder spec homes- a resurgence of market confidence that we haven’t seen in a few years. The rest are private builds for the current property owner.
It makes sense that “new” continues to dominate our shore real estate market. Buyers of summer homes want easy living and low maintenance. Plus the new homes offer top of the line amenities…and plenty of bathrooms!
The current inventory of new homes for sale range from $1,349,000 for a compact home on 83rd Street in Stone Harbor (undersized lot) to $6,995,000 for 6,000 square foot home directly on the inlet in Avalon. The median asking price is $2,497,000. If you eliminate the more expensive land locations (bay and beach side) from the list, the median asking price is $1,895,000.
Always a BIG question this time of year.Â
For breakfast:Â Maggie’s, Brian’s, and Uncle Bill’s in Avalon (the Stone Harbor Uncle Bill’s is closed until spring).Â
Lunch: same as above, plus Circle Tavern in Avalon and Fred’s in Stone Harbor. Also Nemo’s in Stone Harbor, Stone Harbor Pizza, Circle Pizza, and Tonio’s in Avalon. For take-out (lunch/dinner) Grand Moon Chinese and 7 Mile Island Deli in Avalon.
Dinner: Circle Tavern, Fred’s (yes, serving real dinners, along with typical bar sandwiches), and the Sea Grill. Nemo’s, Stone Harbor Pizza, and Tonio’s all offer simple Italian dinners in addition to pizza/sandwiches.  On weekends, add Avalon Rose (on 8th Street) and Via Mare. Harbor Pub has bar snacks, too.
OR:Â there’s always Wawa 😉
It hasn’t really felt like January yet…and I’m okay with that. This was the view from the beach last night. I posted a few more pictures on Twitter- including one with 3 surfers!
Damp and a bit colder today. We may even see some snow over night ??
Realistically, I know we have at least 2 tough months ahead. An occasional break of sunshine and mild temperatures will help. Oh, and the ocean views 😉
Afternoon Update- light snow flurries on the island as of 2pm.  Over cast and very “raw”. Okay- THIS feels like January!
Market stats for the past 30 days- Avalon and Stone Harbor, NJ:
There were a total of 22 transactions- a solid number considering the holidays. The overall median selling price was $815,000.
Condominium/townhouse units- 10 sold (8 in Avalon; 2 in Stone Harbor) ranging from a low of $160,000 for a one bedroom condo/hotel at the Beachcomber; to a high of $1,112,500 for a large side by side unit on bay. The median selling price was $520,000.
There were 10 single family home sales (6 in Avalon; 4 in Stone Harbor), ranging from $430,000 for a cottage located over the 21st Street bridge; to $3,875,000 for an older ocean front home situated on a large lot on 99th Street. The median selling price was $1,466,000.
In addition, one sale was classified as a “lot” – sold for $850,000.  A 70′ parcel on 106th Street with an existing home to be torn down. 1/12/12 UPDATE: the rancher on 106th Street was moved today (rather than torn down).  Saw it being towed down the street!  And one commercial sale for $853,000- the structure that houses the Jay’s on Third restaurant (real estate only).
There are 30 properties posted as sale pending, with settlement scheduled to occur within the next few months.  The median list price of those sale pending is $1,274,500.
Please let me know if you would like additional information. I appreciate your interest and the opportunity to help! ann@anndelaney.com
What’s Selling?
7 are condo/townhouse units-  with a listing price ranging from $369,000 for a 2 bedroom condo in Stone Harbor, to $1,350,000 for a bay front townhouse style in Avalon ( final selling prices are not published until settlement).
10 single family homes are sale pending- ranging from $749,000 for a two story home in Stone Harbor, to $3,595,000 for a newer home on the bay, also in Stone Harbor. The median list price is $1,722,500.
1 commercial parcel, too- The Avalon Anchorage Marina located over the 21st Street bridge. Will remain a marina.
Any trends? The bay front properties are in demand (including the large waterfront parcel included with the marina). 5 of the 18 sales are situated on the back bay.  New or newer homes continue to be the desired summer home- with as many bedrooms/baths as possible!
If you would like sale information for the area, I am here to help: ann@anndelaney.com
Thank you for your continued interest!