Dustin Peters

It's the 1st Day of September, 2009

The resort community of Ocean City has six more days to go ... that's until Labor Day. So we have a fairly slow week of rentals with quite a big shore party this weekend. They start to return on Friday (all day long). The second home owners, friends, their children (school and college types), and others complete the-end-of-the-summer ritual,"Labor Day Weekend."

Before I was living full time here in Ocean City (NJ), and still working in the "real world;" I was one of those second home owners wrapping up the end of the summer here in Ocean City. But it's quite a difference now for me. September and October are the months that I enjoy going to the beach. I like the warmer weather that arrives in August and continues for a time. I like the uncrowded beaches that one finds on a quiet mid-week afternoon. I enjoy a 4:00 walk with my wife, Leslie, from the Longport Bridge around to Morningside Road. I like biking at any time of the day or night on the boardwalk which begins in mid-September. I even like the young couples with pre-school children or the older couples with children all grown-up who tend to discover the joys of September and October here in Ocean City.

As my Broker's father always told him, "You can shoot a cannon off in the middle of the street on the day after Labor Day ... and no one will hear it." Well, it's not quite like that anymore; but it still is quite different from the rest of the summer.

So what is our before and after Labor Day activities? Well, we close the Ocean City Yacht Club's regular season this weekend on Saturday evening with a closing social hour and a dinner and dance ... always a great end-of-the-season affair. On Sunday, we relax a bit with the lack of a great many rental tenants in town. On Monday we often have a Labor Day party or attend one some place in town. And in the evening, Leslie and I take a bike ride checking the street in the Northend and Gardens to see how many parking places are now available. We also tend to stop at 4th and Atlantic Avenue for a milk shake which has become a tradition for us ... my only milk shake of the calendar year ... but it is a great one. And I sit on the bench and tell my stories of "Labor Day Pasts" here in Ocean City, New Jersey!!! dap

Hurricane Bill passes by the South Jersey Shore in Ocean City, New Jersey

When you live along the coast on the Atlantic Ocean, and on a barrier island as well; one learns to watch the weather reports very carefully. We, here in New Jersey in general, and South Jersey as well, but in Ocean City (NJ) in particular, have been quite fortunate in not having had direct hits with hurricanes traveling up the coast in the south-to-north tracking (knock-on-wood!). But we have had just as many problems with nor'easters hitting the shore line, er roding the beach, and causing flooding throughout the bay side of town and beyond. Often the flooding after a heavy storm can do quite a bit of damage in our community.

So I'm thinking of this as Hurricane Bill passes by our area "right about now" heading north. We're not getting any rain, the weather is quite hot, and you wouldn't know "Bill" was out there unless you ventured up to the beach to check on much higher than normal wave action and tide knocking the heck out of our narrow beaches. Although people can get up to the beach, in some locations no one is allowed on because of the tide covering the beach area. Obviously, swimming is not happening much at all. But we have the surf guys and gals checking things out right now.

But the point that my posting is trying to make would be that in an island community, one surrounded by the ocean and the bay, you are always aware of the potential for issues here. You track the up-and-coming tropical storms, watch its direction, etc. The importance of being aware, alert, helpful, and prepared are simply factors that make sense in our present location.

This is another changeover day ... and the rental tenants are arriving as usual. It's fairly clear and calm here at the office. And as that film goes: "after all, tomorrow is another day." Dap

The Summer & Blog Posting in Ocean City, New Jersey

It's my first summer of "blog posting" here in our resort community of Ocean City, New Jersey. I've been working on a regular basis with my blog postings for the past seven or eight months ... but with the arrival of May and June, and later July and August, I have found less and less time for this activity. Why?

The main reason is that this is a difficult time to "take the necessary writing time" to do a decent job with blog posting. I'm both a sales and rental agent which means the major summer activity is handling "rental issues" for tenants and owners in the many rental properties throughout the Northend and Gardens. It is also a time for more "open houses" so this occupies a good bit of time too. Finally, the entire community in Ocean City (NJ) changes during the summer months which means much more traffic, an eight-to-ten times population increase here, plus a lot of personal visitors to our own home here at the Jersey Shore.

When you add all of this up, it is simply a busy time. I tend to miss the occasional morning or afternoon during summer months to play some tennis, take a bike ride, walk on the beach, or do a home-related project along with the many real estate related tasks that I mentioned above. So when we record the ongoing posting of my blogs for historical purposes, we will find a noticeable gap in the process this summer. Now why write this in a posting.

Because I think it is important to maintain an ongoing blog ... which means regular postings. So I'm planning to reorganize my efforts in the coming weeks to try to maintain my rhythm. Obviously, different seasons mean different kinds of conversation, ideas, recommendations, real estate topics, etc. So for those reading this one, I am open to any recommendations or follow-up as usual.

Let's wrap this one up by saying it is the eighth week of the rental season ... another interesting one, each being different in some way as I wrap up my 17th summer season as a resort real estate agent. I'll talk more about that in another blog posting. Dap

The Ebb & Flow of the island ... that's Ocean City, New Jersey

So we reach the mid-term of the summer, maybe even a bit further than that. The 2009 summer moves along at it own pace ... each of us has a type of pace. The "ebb and flow" of the island can be felt by walking on the boardwalk, driving through town, waiting for the opening or closing of the bridge, and much more. It's not only how much is happening, but it is how you are adjusting to it all.

I spent the morning at an open house on Morningside Road in the Gardens. I had a sign on the corner of Beach Road and Morningside Road to attract the bikers riding by on their way to and from the boardwalk. I had another sign on the property catching the early walkers to the beach. The idea is to get them on the way "TO" the beach, not on their way "BACK" from the beach. So the "ebb and flow" can be felt by the numbers of people driving, biking, and walking by my open house, as well as by those who stop to say hello or ask questions.

So now I'm in the office for changeovers ... those coming in and going out of town. That too is an ebb and flow. Those heading out often talk about their week wishing they might stay another before heading back to the real world. Those arriving from that real world are excited to be here ... especially when the sun is shining and a beach day appears likely.

I get a break tomorrow ... Sunday ... I usually work a few hours that day, but tomorrow I will spend the day deciding what I would like to do. Maybe my wife and I will bike the boards or the bike path down to 34th Street. Maybe we'll stay home and read in the air conditioning. Or we my make an appearance at the beach ... not something we do very much. That's the individual ebb and flow for a couple spending the weekend alone after or weekday company has left.

Finally, Sunday is always an interesting day as well because in our area (the Gardens) many owners (second home types) pack up and head off the island to their weekday jobs in the real world. Some leave very early; others hang on until the end of the day. Another ebb and flow on this interesting island we call Ocean City, New Jersey. Dap

The Most Rented Week of the Summer ... in Ocean City, New Jersey

The ocean water is warmer ... that was the talk on the tennis courts this morning ... I play each Thursday just to keep "my game" in some state of repair and repeat." My lob was working today. There are few things in life more satisfying then lobbing the ball over the end of a tall opponent at the net in a doubles match. But alas, we are talking about the most rented week of the summer ... it has arrived: this Saturday with the change-over ... August 1 to 8, 2009.

For almost the past 17 years the first full week of August has been the stand-alone winner in being the #1 rental week in Ocean City, at least in our part of town in the Northend and Gardens ... that section of Ocean City from 6th Street north to the end of the island ... that area identified as the Northend and Gardens.

We have actually been in two of the major weeks of the summer already with the next two in August being the next two big weeks. Although they are all very close to one another, the 1st through the 8th this year is the winner. This means much more traffic, more activity downtown, on the Boards, everywhere. The lines will be long coming in and going out of town. The lines will be longer for restaurants. Even mi nature golf events. Yes, it will be a hot time in the olde town all week long!

Why does August tend to always win out? Perhaps because the water gets warmer in the ocean. Maybe it is because for many it is "the last hurrah" before the return to the ways things were before you got here. Yes, there is some fear about "the real world," the return to normal activity ... schools, colleges, work, whatever. Sure, we locals tell you we understand this ... but clearly we don't. We have lost ongoing contact with the real world. We are not in it, nor do we understand it anymore.

But our understanding about the first two weeks of August are quite clear. So "keep your cool" during these hot times in Ocean City. There is still a lot more to go of summer ... but it is important to keep having fun. Dap