Previous month:
December 2012
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February 2013

January 2013

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE   

1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!

 

First, we survived being born to
mothers   

Who smoked and/or drank while they were 

Pregnant.

 

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese
dressing, 

Tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.

 

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep
on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.

 

We had no childproof lids on medicine
bottles, 

Locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode 

Our bikes, we had baseball caps  not helmets on our heads.

 

As infants & children, 

We would ride in cars with no car seats, 

No booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no
brakes.

 

Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm  day 

Was always a special treat.

 

We drank water 

From the garden hose and not from a bottle.

 

We shared one soft drink with four friends,   

From one bottle and no one actually died from this.

 

We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon.. 

We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. 

And, we weren't overweight. 

WHY?

 

Because we were 

Always outside playing...that's why!

 

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, 

As long as we were back when the 

Streetlights came on.

 

No one was able 

To reach us all day. And, we were O.K.

 

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps 

And then ride them down the hill, only to find out 

We forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes   

a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

 

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's and X-boxes.   

There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable,   

No video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, 

No cell phones,   No personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.

 

WE HAD FRIENDS 

And we went outside and found them!

 

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth   

And there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

 

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, 

And the worms did not live in us

Forever.

 

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, 

Made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, 

Although we were told it would happen, 

We did not put out  very many eyes.

 

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and 

Knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just 

Walked in and talked to them.

 

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. 

Those who didn't had to learn to deal 

With disappointment.   

Imagine that!!

 

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law 

Was unheard of. 

They actually sided with the law!

 

These generations have produced some of the best 

Risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.

 

The past 50 years 

Have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.   

We  had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, 

and we learned how to deal with it all.

 

If YOU are one of them? 

CONGRATULATIONS! 

You might want to share this with others 

who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the 

lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives   

for our own good .

 

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know   

how brave and lucky their parents were

 

Kind of makes you want to run through the house 

with scissors, doesn't it ? 
 

 

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:   

"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,   

mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms 

tearing up the country from one end to another,   

and with  the threat of swine flu 

and terrorist attacks.   

Are we sure this is a good time 

to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

 

For those that prefer to think that God is
not watching over us.. ..go ahead and delete this.

For the rest of us...pass this on.   

A Small Prayer!

 

God determines who walks into your life....it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.

 

When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need.

Take 60 seconds and give this a shot!
All you do is simply say the following small prayer for the person who sent you
this.

 

Father,   

God bless my friend in whatever it is that You know they may need this day! 

And may their life be full of your peace, prosperity, and power 

as he/she seeks to have a closer relationship with you. 

Amen.

 

IN GOD WE TRUST 




Long Branch raises height requirements to rebuild, increasing repair costs for homeowners

LONG BRANCH — City officials amended their flood damage prevention ordinance Tuesday to raise the height requirements in the flood zones for new construction and substantially damaged structures.

The new plan will call for homeowners to build two feet above their advisory base flood elevations. It’s an approach that will cost them thousands now, but one officials believe can save homeowners as much as 66 percent on flood insurance down the road.

“If we didn’t require it, people’s flood insurance ... is going to be so catastrophically expensive, ([they’re) not going to be able to afford it,” said Mayor Adam Schneider.

Full Story


good year for the Rumson and Fair Haven real estate market

2012 was a good year for the Rumson and Fair Haven real estate market, both for home buyers and for home sellers.

There were more home sales, fewer listings, the median selling price was higher, and the real estate absorption rate was lower. More sales and fewer homes on the market normally result in higher sales prices, and that’s exactly what we saw. The median price (the price at which 50% of the homes sold for more money and 50% for less) was up 8% compared to 2011, by comparison Fair Haven pricing was up 3%. 

So far it sounds like good news for home sellers, but what about home buyers? Home buyers are happy because there’s still a relatively large inventory of homes for sale, keeping prices at reasonable levels and interest rates are still at their lowest.

However there is a new factor that now has to be considered. No one knows what effect “Super Storm” Sandy will have on the real estate market over the next 6 – 9 months.

One possibility is that home prices in flood-prone areas will decline as demand slips, and home prices will rise for homes in areas that weren’t affected by Sandy. Despite the fact that most of Rumson is not in a flood zone, some very nice waterfront homes did have significant water damage.

It will be interesting to see what happens in 2013, especially during the first half of the year.
Stay Tuned.


OCEAN Township 2012 REAL ESTATE REPORT

OCEAN Township 2012 REAL ESTATE REPORT

January 1 - December 31, 2012

 
   

Total Number of closed sales

165

Average days on market

120

Ratio of sale price to list price

94%

Lowest closed price

$125,000

Highest closed price

$1,050,000

Median closed price

$350,000

   

Distribution of Closed Sales

 

# under $400,000

103

# $400,001 - $700,000

45

# above $700,000

7

   

Total under contract as of 1/22/13

36

Total homes available as of 1/22/13

97

Median price of available homes

$399,000

 

 

Source: Monmouth/Ocean MLS. Information deemed reliable but not
  guaranteed.

 


MONMOUTH BEACH 2012 REAL ESTATE REPORT

MONMOUTH BEACH 2012 REAL ESTATE REPORT

January 1 - December 31, 2012

 
   

Total Number of closed sales

46

Average days on market

150

Ratio of sale price to list price

91%

Lowest closed price

$200,000

Highest closed price

$1,620,000

Median closed price

$802,500

   

Distribution of Closed Sales

 

# under $400,000

4

# $400,001 - $700,000

15

# above $700,001

27

   

Total under contract as of 1/22/13

2

Total homes available as of 1/22/13

34

Median price of available homes

$1,360,000

 

 

Source: Monmouth/Ocean MLS. Information deemed reliable but not
  guaranteed.

 

 

It may be freezing outside the but real estate market is getting
hot!


ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS 2012 REAL ESTATE REPORT

ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS 2012 REAL ESTATE REPORT

January 1 - December 31, 2012

 
   

Total Number of closed sales

45

Average days on market

116

Ratio of sale price to list price

93%

Lowest closed price

$157,000

Highest closed price

$1,650,000

Median closed price

$330,000

   

Distribution of Closed Sales

 

# under $400,000

29

# $400,001 - $700,000

9

# above $700,000

7

   

Total under contract as of 1/22/13

6

Total homes available as of 1/22/13

24

Median price of available homes

$642,500

 

 

Source: Monmouth/Ocean MLS. Information deemed reliable but not
  guaranteed.

 

 

It may be freezing outside the but real estate market is getting
hot!


TINTON FALLS 2012 REAL ESTATE REPORT

TINTON FALLS 2012 REAL ESTATE REPORT

January 1 - December 31, 2012

 
   

Total Number of closed sales

97

Average days on market

96

Ratio of sale price to list price

95%

Lowest closed price

$97,000

Highest closed price

$1,145,000

Median closed price

$345,000

   

Distribution of Closed Sales

 

# under $400,000

67

# between $400,001-$700,000

26

# above $700,001

4

   

Total under contract as of 1/22/13

16

Total homes available as of 1/22/13

41

Median price of available homes

$379,990

 

 

Source: Monmouth/Ocean MLS. Information deemed reliable but not
  guaranteed.

 


MIDDLETOWN 2012 REAL ESTATE REPORT

MIDDLETOWN 2012 REAL ESTATE REPORT

January 1 - December 31, 2012

 
   

Total Number of closed sales

525

Average days on market

86

Ratio of sale price to list price

95%

Lowest closed price

$69,000

Highest closed price

$7,300,000

Median closed price

$380,000

   

Distribution of Closed Sales

 

# under $400,000

288

# $400,001 - $700,000

185

# above $700,001

52

   

Total under contract as of 1/22/13

92

Total homes available as of 1/22/13

278

Median price of available homes

$429,450

 

 

Source: Monmouth/Ocean MLS. Information deemed reliable but not
  guaranteed.


OCEANPORT 2012 REAL ESTATE REPORT

OCEANPORT 2012 REAL ESTATE REPORT

January 1 - December 31, 2012

 
   

Total Number of closed sales

58

Average days on market

116

Ratio of sale price to list price

94%

Lowest closed price

$120,000

Highest closed price

$1,200,000

Median closed price

$394,500

   

Distribution of Closed Sales

 

# under $400,000

31

# between $400,001-$700,000

20

# above $700,001

7

   

Total under contract as of 1/22/13

7

Total homes available as of 1/22/13

25

Median price of available homes

$479,000

 

 

Source: Monmouth/Ocean MLS. Information deemed reliable but not
  guaranteed.

 

 

It may be freezing outside the but real estate market is getting
hot!