About Ocean City's Gardens

BEACH NOTES ... my email newsletter for Buyers & Owners (weekly) and Rental Tenants (monthly) ... sent by Dustin A. Peters (French Real Estate) in Ocean City, New Jersey

(Phone) 888-215-9935 ... (E-Mail) Dustin@BeachNotes.net

When I was finishing out my 32 years in public education in Pennsylvania (having taught in elementary and high school - American History and electives - Psychology and Sociology) and (serving as an Assistant Junior-Senior High School Principal, Middle School Principal, and High School Principal - 17 years in the last position); I knew that I was ready for a different career.

We had owned a small 1920s cottage in Ocean City, New Jersey since 1988 having purchased it from an agent with French Real Estate. I talked with my wife, Leslie, indicating that I thought a move into real estate might be a great second career for me. She had about five years to go working in the Education Department at the state level in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania ... so we agreed that might be a good move for me.

Before leaving public education, I asked a student to work on a colored drawing for me with the heading, "BEACH NOTES" with the scene being musical notes from a trumpet sunning themselves on the beach. That would be my "brand" in my new real estate role. I used that brand in my print newsletters for about four or five years when I started in 1993 working part-time for three years. Beginning in 1996 when I started working full-time, I began collecting "email addresses" from Owners, Buyers, and Rental Tenants just about the time more and more people were moving into that direction.

I then began to move "from print-to-email" (although I still do one print newsletter in the beginning of each calendar year to Owners) writing two types of email newsletters: (1) for Buyers and Owners ... a sales edition which is emailed every Friday morning (averaging about 45 plus editions annually) and (2) a rental edition which is emailed every month (averaging about 10 plus editions annually). This long-term effort has proven to be one of my best marking products throughout my 17 year career in real estate.

My focus has always been in the Northend and Gardens, those new sections of Ocean City (NJ) from 6th Street north to the Longport Bridge (and the end of the barrier island known as Ocean City, New Jersey. Since our agency, French Real Estate, is located on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and North Street, we are at the northern most point of the Northend and the beginning of the Gardens. I have lived for about half of time since owning a property here in Ocean City in the Northend ... and I now live in the Gardens. In both locations I have been able to walk about 3-4 blocks to work, easily bike that distance in busy summer traffic, and also drive my VW Convertible finding a tiny parking location for a car of my size right in front of the office. If the car is out front, I'm around.

Just a brief update on the email newsletter process. I write a very personal and detail-oriented newsletter dealing with what is now happening with me living in Ocean City as well as what is happening to the market in the Northend and Gardens. Although I still sell property throughout Ocean City, my area of emphasis and expertise lies in these sections. As both a sales and rental agent, I have my hand on the pulse of the market in these two unique sections of Ocean City (NJ). Thanks for taking the time to read this posting. dap

A Bicycle Built for Two ... in Ocean City, New Jersey

So a realtor can accomplish a lot in a given day! Here I was wrapping up some notes from a listing meeting with an Owner who will be leaving the country for several weeks in about two weeks. We spent about an hour covering all details and getting things ready so that the Owner could leave the property and Ocean City (NJ) in peace knowing full well that everything would be all right.

As we wrapped things up, he said: "I'll be having a garage sale over the weekend."

I said: "What are the hot items?"

He responded: "A bicycle built for two."

"Hey, I'd like to see that," as we moved out toward the garage. "What are you selling it for?" I inquired.

"Twenty Bucks," he answered, "but you can have it for free."

"No ... if I want it, I'll pay you the $20.00," I answered.

Now I only live about three blocks from this Owner so I told him I would ride the bike home and come back for my car. He even put air in the tires. Now I had never been on "a bicycle built for two" as I hopped on the front seat and drove down the driveway.

"Remember to take a wide turn with the bike ... and you both must be balanced when riding."

"I shouted back ... thank you" ... and managed to make the short bike trip in one piece.

My wife, Leslie, was out of town so I managed to park it in our outdoor bike rack for her return the following day. Upon her return I'm not sure she was as happy with my purchase as I was ... storage problems I believe. But "she'll look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two ..." I hope. dap

Northend Grill ... on the beach in the Northend/Gardens on the corner of North Street & Beach Road

in Ocean City, New Jersey (a new name, new management, great food, terrific views, experienced people)

I ran into Angelo a couple of weeks ago, and he told me he has opened "the NORTHEND GRILL" on the beach at the corner of North Street and Beach Road. He and some friends operated another "Northend Grill" on the boardwalk in the Northend for quite some time. Now a teacher and coach and working with his friend from before, Jim (a college coach in basketball in the Boston area), are bringing the Northend Grill back to life. What a great idea!!!

Well, this morning we finally got over to the beach restaurant. Just as good as it always was ... a great cook (Angelo), excellent service, a beach setting and view ... breakfast and lunch ... all day. He told me that "the regulars" are returning ... and today it was my wife, Leslie, and me as well as another lady who often spent time at the old restaurant. We just ran into her as we were leaving today.

Great omlet's, pancakes ... exceptional burgers ... sodas, etc. all day long. The Northend Grill is back. I recall playing volleyball next to the grill in the summers 25 plus years ago when the beach grill was called "Richards." We'd have great pick-up games followed by the losers running down to the beach to get cool and coming back for the next game. I spent a lot of time in Richards. I expect to do the same with the return of the Northend Grill.

By the way Leslie had the feta chess omlet this morning, great home fries, rye toast, and hot tea. I had scrambled eggs, home fries, sausage, rye toast, and tea. Don't miss the "specials;" and if you are really hungry, try the 'junk omlet."

I'll be down for lunch later in the week ... maybe we can review the "lunch menu" together. You can always tell that the NORTHEND GRILL is open ... the "open" signs hang with views from Beach Road as well as from the beach ... in fact, you can see the sign from the end of the Boardwalk on St. James Place. Dap

Northend Grill ... North Street & Beach Road ... on the beach ... in Ocean City, New Jersey

Back in the days I would play beach volleyball at the Northend Beach right next to the hot dog stand that still exists there today. Of course, I wasn't down but two or three long weekends a summer; but many of the players are still around today maybe a step or two slower than those days. I liked that location, the hot dog stand, and the beach. You'd finish a few games, lose a round, and run down to the water to cool off. Once or twice some guys with extra money and a contact with the property sitting off the beach behind the volleyball area would bring a keg of beer along so losers could just jump off the beach and into private property and some cold beer.

Well the hot dog changed names three or four or more times since those days. Just recently I ran into a friend of mine, Angelo, a teacher and former owner of the Northend Grill that was once attached to Browns and later located a bit further down the boards. I spent many mornings there having breakfast with my wife, Leslie, once I had become a regular in Ocean City ... that means at minimum a property owners, maybe a summer resident, or in my case, a summer real estate agent and a weekend agent the rest of the year for my first three years.

Angelo is back ... and better than ever. You will find his new location as noted above right off North Street or Beach Road (in the Gardens) and on the beach. Stop by for breakfast ... a great location. Or an early or late lunch. They may even be open for dinner. My wife an I will be part of the 7AM crowd if you are around.

There's nothing like a good breakfast on the beach with the wind blowing, the waves coming up, the coffee being hot. Even tea. And the booths are still the same ... even with a bit of rain, you won't get wet.

When it comes to local restaurants, interesting shore property, or some good reading ... you can count on me.

Dap

Tearing Down an Old House on our block in the Gardens (Ocean City, New Jersey)

A single family on a corner lot was sold about four or five months ago, and the rumor was that the building was going to be torn down. As a real estate agent, I had been in that building while it was "for sale." The land value was probably ten times the value of the building. Now many people say that you should protect the older buildings, but the fact is that the ongoing owner has that responsibility. Too often they are neglected since the real value for that owner is the land. "Why should I do it," they say. Clearly, I certainly agree that we should preserve as many older properties as possible. But the two major parties responsible for this are the owner who just lets it go, and in some cases (not this one), the City who creates "zoning changes" that enable builders to tear it down.

So I drove home the other day and saw the large truck to carry away the remains of the house and the bulldozer that was creating those remains in the yard. When my wife got home, we both walked up and watched for several minutes. Later in the day when I returned, I saw that the building was almost wiped off the lot. Usually it takes a day or two to complete the process. It can be a sad, a happy, or a mixed feeling as one observes this.

Clearly, in this case it is probably going to be an improvement because the older building just could not be renovated properly. But I still had some mixed feelings as I saw it and thought about it later. We decided to do a somewhat similar thing ... maybe not a complete tear-down. We decided to maintain the shell of the building ... the foundation, the main first floor shell over it, and one wall where the fireplace was located. We did not change the stairway either. Obviously, we did move from a small cape cod to a new two and one-half story new construction interestingly identified as a renovation.

But once again, the older building had major defects ... a 9x27 bedroom, a series of very small rooms throughout the first floor that would have been quite difficult to change. So we preserved the original location of the house and its arrangement for entering and seeing directly into the back yard. We also saved all of the 1930s hardwood moving the first floor wood to the second floor, and the second floor (that could not be used as flooring) to the garage as wallboard. It was a creative change for a larger, attractive lot that had a value about twenty times the value of the building. It just made no sense to keep the original building.

But in many cases, it does make sense ... and we should encourage and applaud those who try to return an older building back to what it was ... and more. Dap