Grab your coat and hat and come to Seven Mile Island for the holidays. There are events for the whole family in Avalon and Stone Harbor. Walk off the extra serving of turkey and piece of pie strolling through Seven Mile Island's shopping areas all decked out with boughs of holly and twinkling lights.
*  Click here for Avalon's event information.
*  Click here for Stone Harbor's event information.

The Temperature is Brrrr! Time to Winterize
The weather report mentioned wintry mix for the first time this season. Time to close outside showers and all water should be shut off and drained; store garden hoses. Foundation vents should be closed. If you are leaving the inside water on, set your heater thermostats to a minimum of 55 degrees to keep the pipes from freezing. Call your local plumber or HVAC contractor for help. If you need a referral, click here for the list of a few service providers.

Avalon Surfside Park
Construction is now underway for the brand new Surfside Park, next to the Avalon boardwalk and 30^th Street. The park and playground is closed to the public until the work is complete May 22^nd. Funding for the park is through a $2 million grant from Cape May County Open Space Program. The new park will have a new (ADA compliant) playground, a park, new bathroom facilities, changing rooms, rinsing stations, a small performance stage and a new ramp to access the boardwalk. New landscaping and two entrances will be ready the week before Memorial Day weekend.   Click here for borough park information.

South Jersey Gas Service Improvement Project
Phase 1 just completed and Phase 2 started last month. The company is replacing metal gas mains with more durable, high pressure gas mains to upgrade the safe delivery to homes for the future. This project will increase resiliency and reduce the number of gas leak calls during recovery from major storm events, like hurricanes. Phase 2 now working in the north end along Avalon Avenue and First Avenue providing new service to about 1,000 homes. Click here for maps of the project.

Stone Harbor Drone Regulation
The ordinance passed on November 6^th to regulate the use of unmanned aircraft within the borough. All personal and recreational use is banned. Exceptions are allowed for real estate sales photography and limited business uses. A permit is required for drone use. Penalties are a $500 fine for the first violation; $1,000 fine plus a potential 30-day jail sentence for subsequent offenses.

Market Trend Update for November
The fall season is an excellent time to come to the shore to look for the ideal summer home. Homeowners can spend the off season preparing for the next season of family summer vacation rentals, scheduling all of the contractors ahead of time to update or renovate and decide what weeks to offer for rent (if choosing to rent) to establish an income stream all fall/winter long.

We have seen many buyers make the decision to buy and invest post season. September broke all records with 55 sales, and our sales team participated in over 40% of them! The month of October continued the positive trend, with an 18% increase in units placed under contract. Two high-end sales in Avalon over $4.1 million occurred this month, one on the beach block and one on the bay. This compares to the high end sales in October 2017 of $3,250,000 for a beach block home and $2,300,000 for a bayfront home.

Single home sales soared in Stone Harbor, 267% above those in October 2017, with four of these sales on Stone Harbor's bayfront. The new change in Stone Harbor zoning restrictions for bay front pools has opened up an entirely new world of opportunity for buyers looking to own on the bay AND enjoy a pool.

Another new milestone occurred in the Avalon townhome category with a sale of new construction in the $1,450,000 range. This market segment has enjoyed a consistent healthy appreciation year over year (6% appreciation to date).

The single home bayfront market has experienced the largest increase in average sale price over this past year - Avalon and Stone Harbor bayfront values have grown by over 42% through October 31, 2018. This compares to an increase in single home sales on the beach block in Avalon growing at rate of 6% while Stone Harbor has seen a decrease in beach block value of 5%.

Inventory levels have continued to increase, albeit slowly, with sales responding. Listing now before the rush of new listings later in February has put these owners and their homes in the "catbird" seat as the demand is now and the weather and lending rates are cooperating. It's a lot nicer looking at homes for sale in the nice fall weather than the windy cold of February and March.

The Ferguson Dechert sales team continues to dominate all categories, participating in more Avalon transactions than the combined sales of the next 7 sales teams! If now is the right time for you to sell or buy, call me. I welcome the opportunity to be of assistance and share the knowledge I have gathered over the past 28 years here on Seven Mile Island working with the most knowledgeable professional team of realtors on the island.

THIS MONTH'S MARKET TRENDS

Call to make your plans to come to Seven Mile Island!
Call us today 609-967-0289.

• November 21^st - Festival of Trees, The Whitebrier, 5-9 pm
• November 21^st - Senior Fun Day, American Legion Post #331, 1 - 3 pm
• November 23^rd - Photos with Santa, Stone Harbor Fire Company, 5 - 7 pm
• November 23^rd - Stone Harbor Island Holiday - Merchants Hospitality Friday night.
• November 23^rd - Turkey Trot 5K Run and 1.5 Mile Family Walk, Community Hall, 10 am
• November 23^rd - Avalon Festive Friday, 11 am - 6 pm
• November 23^rd - Avalon Festival of Trees, The Whitebrier, 12 - 8 pm
• November 24^th - Stone Harbor Island Holiday - Pet Parade, Scavenger Hunt, Small Business Saturday, Downtown Dash
• November 24^th - Avalon Snowfest Saturday, Downtown Avalon, 11 am- 4 pm
• November 28^th - Senior Fun Day, American Legion Post #331, 1 - 3 pm
• December 1^st - Avalon Historical Society Annual Holiday Party, Avalon History Center, 4 - 7pm
• December 9^th Pearl Harbor Day, American Legion Post #331, 12- 3 pm
• December 11^th - Stone Harbor Caroling and Tree Lighting, Trolley ride at 4:45 pm, Tree lighting ceremony at Borough Hall, 6 pm, Stone Harbor Firehouse for refreshments and photos 6:30 pm.
• December 12^th - Senior Fun Day, American Legion Post #331, 1 - 3 pm