Take Time, Look Around (Wordless Wednesday)      The Flowers of Ocean Acres in Manahawkin, NJ “Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.” May Sarton (1912 -1995)     08/08/2012

Annual Elks Lodge Clam Bake in Manahawkin; SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012 OVER 7000 CLAMS SERVED LAST YEARCLAMS FRESH AND STEAMED • CLAM CHOWDERCHICKEN • CORN • BURGERS • HOT DOGSBEER • SODA Music ByJOHN REED Cost of Ticket in Advance: $25.00 • At the Gate: $30.00Young Adults 12-20: $20.00 • UNDER 12 FREEFor ticket information please contact:Manahawkin Elks Lodge at (609) 597-1107 Tickets may be purchased at the bar.Advanced ticket purchase recommended. ALL WELCOME The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) Lodge #2340 proudly provides community service and charitable events that include programs for our youth, care of the needy, Veterans Services, furtherance of Americanism and other Benevolent activities. They have over 600 members, are located in southern New Jersey, known as the he... 07/19/2012

  I Love the Smell of Sawdust at Dawn…It Smells Like Victory! I’m a carpenter’s daughter, so the smell of wood and sawdust brings back memories of childhood.  I used to love visiting my Dad’s construction site. But, I’m a big kid now and a REALTOR®.  So when I see or smell new construction…After what the housing market has been through…It Smells Like Victory (one lot at a time)! If you'd like information on new construction in Manahwakin, Barnegat or Little Egg Harbor contact REALTOR® Laura Giannotta at 609-384-6121. (This home is being built by a lovely young couple, right down the street from my house.)  05/25/2012

Bad Medicine Day in New Jersey & It Has Nothing To Do with Bon Jovi! Police Departments throughout southern Ocean County will be hosting an Operation Take Back New Jersey this Saturday, April 28th.  It’s bad medicine disposal day.  The event will take place between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, 2012.  This initiative encourages residents to properly dispose of their unused, unwanted and outdated bad medicine. This statewide effort, with the majority of New Jersey police departments participating, is being spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Jersey Division, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, the NY/NJ HIDTA, and the New Jersey National Guard.  Southern Ocean County resid... 04/24/2012

Paramount Escapes Ocean Breeze is a newer active adult community offering small town charm with convenient access to big city amenities. Located in Manahawkin, New Jersey, this gated community is approximately 90 minutes from either New York City or Philadelphia. Closer to home, just outside the community gates, residents enjoy dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor recreation and more, all just minutes from home. The popular Long Beach Island is also nearby, just 20 minutes away. Paramount Homes opened this 55+ New Jersey community in 2006 with plans to complete 460 homes. Today interested home buyers can select from new construction or resale homes priced from the mid $300’s to the mid $400’s. The single-family homes appeal to the discerning home buyer with high-end features such as... 03/31/2012

The mild winter weather here at the Jersey Shore might be credited for the record number of Manahawkin home sales in January, getting the 2012 Jersey Shore real estate market off to a great start! Manahawkin Housing Market Activity January, 2012   New Listings   Under Contract   Expired   Sold   Days on Market Median Sold Price   80   31   53   34   147 $223,750 Thirty four homes sold in Manahawkin in January, 2012.  That’s a welcome sign…in 2011 only two months saw more homes sold.  In May last year, 32 Manahawkin homes sold and there were 40 home sold in June, 2011. Another good sign is the number of Manahawkin homes under contract.  Compare this to the Manahawkin housing market just one year ago.  Manahawkin Housing Market Activity January, 2011   New Listings Under Contract   Expire... 02/27/2012

Home for Sale By Owner in Manahawkin, NJ 08050 - Flat Fee MLS Listing $395 1210 Jennifer Ln Manahawkin, NJ 08050 - Realtors welcome, buyer agent commission paid at MLS#21207101 4 Beds 3 Baths IT CAN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS...Incredible location on the most desired street in Beach Haven West. Less than a mile from Rt 72 to this beautiful CUSTOM BUILT home by LBI builder, Jeff Seddon has ENDLESS VIEWS of Barnegat Bay to Atlantic City. This BAYFRONT home is 12 years yg & has all amenities to enjoy jersey shore living at its best! VINYL BULKHEAD, DOCK is 88' long, BOAT LIFT & JETSKI LIFT waiting for your water vehicles, DAVIT LIFT too. Dine on 1 of the 3 DECKS overlooking the Bay. If you are interested in this Home for Sale By Owner in Manahawkin, NJ 08050- Flat Fee MLS Listing $395, ple... 02/25/2012

A Basement in Your Ocean Acres Home...Can You Live With Out It? Three bedroom 2 bath single family homes in Manahawkin's Ocean Acres are listed anywhere between $150,000 and $299,000. There are 28 homes listed for sale in this section of Stafford Township within that range, only 8 have basements.   Three bedroom 2 bath homes seem to be a popular home size for first time home buyers at the Jersey Shore.  But, first time home buyers in Manahawkin should take note of the savings realized in homes without a basement. The $150,000 to $299,000 price range is what homes are listed for.  Savvy buyers realize what counts is not what the Ocean Acres home is listed for, but what it sells for. That's what matters to buyers (and their appraisers) and sellers in Manahawkin. Sale price tells it all! F... 02/12/2012

12/18/2011

The days are getting shorter, and the nights cooler here at the Jersey Shore.  While we are not treated to the dazzling autumn colors that our neighbors to the north experience; the oak, maple and birch trees scattered among the scrub pines usually put on a colorful display. But this year, according to the atmospheric experts/prognosticators, we don't have the usual color due to high humidity.  So I've noticed other things... I don't know what bush this is, but I took notice of the unusual color...looks more like spring than fall!  10/22/2011

Although World Animal Day isn't until October 4th, most churches celebrate World Animal Day on the Sunday closest to that date with a Blessing of the Pets.    So early this afternoon we gathered under the bells at Saint Mary's of the Pines in Manahawkin at the Jersey Shore.  It wasn't your usual chatting groups after 11:30 mass. Let the Blessings Begin My Dad & Diego October 4th was originally chosen for World Animal Day because it is the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.  Numerous churches throughout the world observe the Sunday closest to October 4th with a Blessing for the Animals.    10/02/2011

It's October 1st, we all know that.  Dogs at the Jersey Shore are particularly aware of the date (October First...A Big Day at the Jersey Shore).  But is it really October 1st.  At Manahawkin's Holiday Lake, in the Country Club section of Ocean Acres it's really September 31st! I guess that sign painter never learned the rhyme or any part of it. You know the one '30 days hath September'! If you want information on homes for sale in Manahwakin's Ocean Acres section, or anywhere at the Jersey Shore, contact Manahawkin REALTOR® Laura Giannotta 609-384-6121.       10/01/2011

There's no doubt about it.  This has been one of the wettest summer's in recent memory at the Jersey Shore.  While many home owners at the Jersey Shore have low maintenance stone yards, my Ocean Acres neighborhood is a grassy wonderland.   Well, this is the New Jersey Pinelands so when you have a grassy area, that's been treated with clippings and recycled leaves you get mushrooms! Ocean Acres Mushrooms Some can grow to be huge! They're everywhere & quite interesting! 09/24/2011

I'm sure some fared much worse...and we can't really say that it's done.   But for the most part, the mainland Jersey Shore experienced winds and bands of heavy rain. (I think that's Weather Channel talk!) It's been heaven for little Diego...He loves sticks and acorns! And this morning they're everywhere! We only lost power for about three hours...thank you Atlantic Electric!  And thanks for all the well wishes...I now send them out to my neighbors to the north!   Hey check the Long Beach Island live webcam! 08/28/2011

Evey year about this time I'm reminded of a great Guy Clark song.. Just a little longer, they're almost ready...This waiting is a bummer! While I wait for my Jersey Shore tomatoes, I'll be singing one of my favorite Guy Clark tunes....Homegrown Tomatoes!   And if you've never heard Homegrown Tomatoes, check it out here. "If I's to change this life I lead, You could call me Johnny Tomatoseed...Cause I know what this country needs... It's homegrown tomatoes in every yard you see." Guy Clark, 1983 Laura GiannottaLittle Egg Harbor REALTOR® July 17, 2011   07/17/2011

With scorching heat and humidity predicted at the Jersey Shore, humans aren’t the only ones who need to take care.  Pets are highly susceptible to heat and should be given a lot of consideration as temperatures rise. Whenever temperatures climb, provide extra drinking water. Dogs pant to cool themselves by releasing body heat, but this process also can dehydrate his body. To encourage a hot dog to drink on hot days, resupply cold water. Some people fill a dog bowl or bucket and freeze it overnight. As it melts during the day, it provides a steady supply of refreshing, cold water (check to make sure it melts quickly enough to provide as much water as he might wish to drink). Change your dog’s water more often during hot weather and add ice cubes to your dog’s bowl. Many hot dogs enjoy cu... 07/12/2011

WHYY, Philadelphia,  will begin operating five New Jersey radio stations July 1. WHYY-FM programming will be heard on the stations as part of an agreement to provide continued public media service to Garden State residents after the closing of the New Jersey Network, due to budget cuts. WHYY's radio signal also extends into Delaware The agreement enables WHYY to expand its signal from the Jersey Shore's southern tip all the way to Ocean County. WHYY serves a substantial part of New Jersey with television and radio signals, and the additional transmitters provide more thorough broadcast coverage. WHYY will  begin broadcasting July 1 on WNJZ-FM (90.3, Cape May Court House), WNJM-FM (89.9, Manahawkin), WNJN-FM (89.7, Atlantic City), WNJB-FM (89.3, Bridgeton) and WNJS-FM (88.1, Berlin). "W... 07/02/2011

By: Curtis LeeThe Murphy-Lee TeamPrudential Zack Shore Properties              If William Shakespeare financed a home today he'd probably ask on the subject of mortgage points: "To pay or not to pay? That is the question."             Homebuyers direct the same question to their real estate agents. Here are some perspectives:             In its simplest definition, a point is an additional loan fee that is paid to the lender in exchange for a lower interest rate. It's called "buying down," and it allows you to reduce your rate for the life of the loan.             Let's say you secured a mortgage loan for $500,000 without points, at 4.6% on a 30-year mortgage, your payment would be approximately $2,560 a month. If you paid two points ($10,000), the interest rate in this example would go... 06/26/2011

Attention home buyers in Manahawkin & Barnegat Attention home buyers in Manahawkin & Barnegat...Lower Prices on the Way!  There's serious competition. If you're looking for a 3 bedroom 2 bath home there are plenty to choose from in Barnegat and Manahawkin at the Jersey Shore. But the competition just got serious.   You can expect price reductions on most 3 bedroom 2 bath Barnegat and Manhawkin homes for sale if they're not competitive already.  I'm giving you the whole story, just call me (609-384-6121), I love to talk!  No the banks have NOT listed all their foreclosures for discounted prices nor have all the big bad REALTORS® 'conspired' to reduce prices. It's because Ocean Acres builder, Walters Homes, has unveiled a ranch style home with 3 bedrooms/2 baths and a basement, did I ment... 06/12/2011

Kitchen Remodeling at the Jersey Shore - Go Local or Big Box? Many home owners at the Jersey Shore are choosing to renovate rather than move.  A new kitchen can not only add to the value of your home, but make life more enjoyable. The question of where to go for that Jersey Shore kitchen remodel depends largely on your experience and budget.  If you know what you want, and the kitchen remodel is basic you might think the best deal is at a big box store like Home Depot or Lowes. That may be the case, but not for me. My Jersey Shore kitchen remodel is basic.  I've priced it out at both big box stores and with the locals.  I don't have experience in kitchen remodeling, but I can call on my Dad's years of experience as a carpenter and general contractor. After determining exactly what I wan... 06/01/2011