It seems that The Pointe at Moore’s Inlet advertising didn’t live up to the billing.  When the 25th unit sold for $346,500, the 26th condo was pulled from the sale.  The sellers weren’t going to let another go so cheap.  That 25th unit was the only one under $400,000.  The 24th went for $412,500.

The unique bid format began with the highest bid, which in turn allowed the purchaser to pick from the 26 condos the one he wanted.  That high bid was $786,500 for a premium unit originally priced at $1,249,000.  The second round bid was $770,000 on a unit originally being sold for $1,049,000.

The total price for the 25 units was $14,459,500, or an average of $578,380.  There are 18 units that were held back from the auction, with most being more square footage than those offered at the auction.  It’s probably safe to say that those 18 units, plus the one pulled from the auction, will fetch another $12 million or more.  Another 17 units were sold by the developer before going the auction route.  The most expensive went for over $1 million, and four others broke the $800,000 plateau.  So let’s conservatively say they collectively reaped another $10 million.

Adding the numbers, we’re looking at $36 million in total sales, probably more.  While it’s not near as much as the developer originally hoped to tally, it should keep the project out of the red ink.

As for the buyers, they didn’t steal the units.  But they got a pretty decent deal! 

One drawback to the complex is that it is located in the heart of North Wildwood’s bar district.  That means loud, raucous crowds on summer nights until 3am, when the bars close.  Weekends find assorted festivals, with revelers on the streets practically until dawn. 

If you’re like most of us 50-something and 60-something year olds, that’s way past our 10 o’clock bedtime.  But if you like to party all night, or want to rent the unit to party-types, this might fit the bill.

- Mountain Man

The CAFRA permit, which stands for Coastal Area Facilities Review Act, is necessary for any new project which proposes 24 or more units, 49 or more parking spaces, or is located near water.  It normally takes a minimum of two years - sometimes much longer - to satisfy NJDEP that their stringent conditions will be met.

The Starlight Resort Hotel became the first to gain the nod from NJDEP.  That project is located between Juniper and Glenwood Avenues on the east side of Ocean Avenue and would offer spectacular views of the ocean, beaches, and island.  BMF Investments, which is now expected to sell the property to a developer with big bucks and building experience, received approval for a 23-story, 255-foot tall building consisting of 264 residential units (about half sold as condos but all available for hotel rental), a 200-seat restaurant, 654 parking spaces, a spa/swimming pool/fitmess club, and some upscale retail shops.

One condition of the CAFRA permit was that the City of Wildwood create a parking authority and BMF contributes $442,000 to that authority.  The city is already in the process of creating that authority.  The city previously placated NJDEP by implementing a comprehensive municipal plan, which designated which areas of the city’s eastside could accommodate high-rise construction.

Many interested observers expected the Nouveau Wave, a 25-story high-rise to be located between Rio Grande and Andrews Avenues at Ocean Avenue, to be the first to receive the coveted CAFRA permit.  They were turned down over a year ago and needed to make a few changes to their application before gaining approval.  Reportedly, they’ve made a few project alterations by adding more hotel units so their application had to be redrawn prior to being resubmitted.

As the high-rises come on line, which should begin by 2011, the convention center should boom and the island will ascend into the next level of its renaissance.

- Mountain Man

Then on Saturday afternoon there is a Street Fair with free live entertainment featuring “TRU” and The Mahoney Brothers, contests galore, all kinds of street  vendors, the Classic Car Show, a Doo Wop Back to the ’50s Tour and so much more.  How can you resist?

Saturday night is the Sensational ’60s Concert featuring The Temptation Review, The Miracles, The Family Stone Xperience, and “Tru”.  I’ve been to the show every year, and it keeps getting better and better!

The festivites wrap up on Sunday with free entertainment in North Wildwood.  For more information, visit www.GWCOC.com or call 609-729-4000.

You won’t want to miss out on this great fun-filled weekend.

Jewell Real Estate Agency will be showcasing the following properties.  For more information, feel free to call or email anytime.  Contact Joyce Jewell at 609-729-8505 or cell # 609-780-7131.  Check out our website for more details and all our featured listings and the entire MLS.  http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com

 Wildwood Crest - 119 East Morning Glory Road - Saturday,  April 26 and Sunday, April 27 - 1:30pm to 3:30pm.

         2600 SF. 4 bedrms, 4 baths, 2 master suites , fireplace, sunroom,  garage, $569,000

Wildwood Crest - 7601 Atlantic Avenue, Unit 203 - Saturday,  April 26 and Sunday,  April 27   1:30pm to 3:30pm   

     3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1600 SF , ocean views, fully furnished, Pool $465,000

Wildwood Crest - 401 East Miami, Unit 401 -Penthouse - Saturday,  April 26 and Sunday,  April 27 11am to 1pm 

      Entire top floor - 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, fully furnished  Oceanviews - $845,000

Wildwood Crest - 135 East Wisteria Road - Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27 1:30pm to 3:30pm

     4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths.   Fireplace, garage, outside shower, fully furnished.  $875,000

 North Wildwood - 507 East 14th Avenue, Unit 101 - Saturday April 26 and Sunday April 27  11am to 1pm

     3 Bedrooms, 3 baths, 2-story condo. Beach block.   Fully furnished.   $685,000

North Wildwood - The Tuscany - 1900 Surf Avenue - Saturday, April 26, 11am to 1pm

     Several units available starting at $179,000.  Pool. On-site property management.  Laundry facilities.

Wildwood - 204 West Pine Avenue - Sunday, April 27 - 11am to 1pm

     Single Family Home or Duplex - 9 bedrooms, 2 baths, furnished $329,000

West Wildwood - 7 Venice - Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27 11am to 1pm

     2-story condo - 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, BOATSLIP - $389,900

West Wildwood - 757 W. Glenwood Avenue - Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27  - 1:30pm to 3:30pm

     New Townhome - 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, garage, wet bar  water views - $395,000

This morning, I saw two newspaper pieces that kindled such thoughts.  The first was about two candidates challenging the others to “be nice”.  The other is a suggestion by the county that they’ll recycle wastewater.  Both are the type of thinking that you wish more would adopt.

The two candidates are running for township council in one of Cape May County’s 16 municipalities.  Both are Republicans, but running as independents.  They’ll face a three-way race against the Dems and GOP.  With elections still seven months away, the pair asked their opponents to follow some “fair play” rules.  Civility in civil service, so to speak.  A novel idea!

They asked for no lawn signs.  They asked that the names or photos of opponents not to be disclosed in any campaign mailings.  They also pledged to not accept contributions from anyone doing business with the county, including engineers, architects, attorneys, etc. 

The question is whether the opponents will agree to these terms.  Certainly, the two who laid out the gameplan will abide by it.  But it takes two to dance - actually three in this case.  While the outcome is still in doubt, you have to like the way this pair have challenged the rest to not dish the dirt.

The other piece of encouraging news is that the county will be irrigating the County Park and Zoo, the ACCC campus, and the nearby municipal playing fields complex with treated wastewater.  That is a concept used effectively in areas in California and Florida, amongst others, and it will become a natural part of our lives in the future.

Once these three local places have the infrastructure in place to handle treated wastewater pumped from the municipal utilities authority (MUA) treatment plant, the public will see the benefits.  This process not only saves on using precious water from our dwindling aquifers, but it allows irrigation water to percolate through the ground and eventually find its way back down to help replenish the aquifer.

This wastewater recycling has been advocated by local environmentalists, like myself, since the ’90s.  Hopefully, next on the agenda would be golf courses.  On a hot summer day, the typical 18-hole Cape May County golf course uses 400,000 to 600,000 gallons of potable water to irrigate the grass.  With a dozen courses, that’s a lot of water everyday.  At the same time, the MUA is pumping billions of gallons of treated wastewater into the ocean to get rid of it.

So let’s see.  A couple of experienced politicians want to act like gentlemen and the county is pursuing water reuse.  Do I see a faint light at the end of the tunnel?

- Mountain Man

I could only hope she would share.  There was plenty for her group - Ruthie, another three year old or more (and probably Dolly’s sister), plus their two yearlings Alfalfa and Darla.  I was quite optimistic considering that 50 pounds of corn was consumed from Monday night to Thursday morning.  I had watched the four deer for nearly a year and knew they could never eat that much in 60 hours.

Hopefully that meant that bossy Dolly was allowing the other five to feed.  She was tolerating it, though somewhat reluctantly no doubt. 

No chance.  Dream on.

Thursday evening, I returned home around 6:30, just an hour or so before dark.  Six deer startled as I pulled up the 300-foot gravel driveway, but they didn’t scamper right off.  They stood and stared me down, as if wondering whether I meant them any harm.  They sent me a message, “We’re hanging out.” 

I walked from my truck to the new pole barn under construction, never lifting my head to look the transfixed deer in the eye.  I checked out the progress on the barn, sneaking peeks now and then to see if the deer were still standing and looking at me.  They were.  This only happened once in a while in the past year - when they weren’t going to leave the feeder area for others to pillage.

I got into the log cabin and within 10 minutes the hill above the feeder proved to be a battleground for warring deer.  On two separate occasions, large does attempted to approach the trough full of corn.  Both times Dolly raised her front hoofs and made an aggressive display.  They backed off.  Two outlaw yearlings, in all their innocence, also made the mistake of approaching the feeder to eat.  They were easily and summarily rebuffed.

Dolly allowed Ruthie, Alfalfa, and Darla to eat as much as they wanted while she stood guard, her head held proudly and defiantly in the air.  I almost think she was forcing them to linger at the feeder and keep chowing down, just to show the other deer her contempt for them.  Several times the foursome appeared to be leaving the feeder area, only to suddenly turn and head back, led by you-know-who.

My hope is that the other five whitetail deer will sneak back from time to time throughout the night to feed.  Over the course of the next week, Dolly will begin to accept that she can’t defend the feeder 24 hours a day.  Let the others feed.  Have compassion for those three pregnant does, who, like you and Ruthie, will be giving birth in a month.  You’re all deer.  You’re all in this thing together.

Well, we’ll see if Dolly mellows out.  My fingers are crossed.

- Mountain Man

I arrived in Green Bank this past Sunday, with a construction crew due Monday to build a 24′ x 32′ pole barn with metal sides.  They were scheduled to be finished by Friday.  It’s one of those companies I found on the internet that does everything but the concrete floor, which gets poured after they’re done and gone.  The barn-building folks are located just 88 miles from here, so it’s just about as local as it gets.

I was there to “supervise” and make sure that critical first-day decisions were made by me, since I tend to be somewhat of a perfectionist (some say “anal”).  And supervise I did on Monday, making sure everything was done to my satisfaction.  I had to locate bags of concrete for the crew by calling around to various supply stores, then helped pick them up.  But after that it’s pretty straight forward.  I wasn’t really needed, and I wasn’t just gonna stand there and watch them work.

To make effective use of my time, I had two local guys - my own “crew” - work with me on a tree clearing project.  I would run the chainsaw and they’d haul the cut firewood and brush.  We’d all done it together several times in the past year, so it was kinda routine now.  We knew our roles, and how hard we’d have to work to accomplish our task.  I could check in on the pole barn guys - foreman Duane, Norman and Clint - every once in a while and still run my own gig.  All five guys - my crew and theirs - are good guys and decent human beings.  What more can you ask?

We’re located in the Allegheny Mountains at an elevation of about 2,700 feet, or roughly a half mile.  So there is very little flat land - it’s all up and down and sidehill.  Cutting and hauling trees, mostly oaks, is a challenge.  The goal of this clearing was to open a view of the mountain to the east while also benefiting from more sun in the cold months.

Lew and Clinton - my guys - started work on Monday by covering a bed of shrubs with mulch, a leftover task from October.  Then they dragged all the brush I had created on my last visit in February to the burn pile.  Tuesday found us cutting and hauling for six hours.  The view was beginning to open up, but a few remaining strategic oaks still blocked the million dollar vista.

This morning, Wednesday, we tackled the last dozen trees.  Knowing it was due to start raining by noon and then rain the rest of the day and night, we hurried along.  By 11 o’clock, we were done.  Just as we walked into the cabin to get the guys their pay, the sky opened up.  We smiled a collective smile.

Meanwhile, the pole barn trio had a much less productive day.  Their usual late start combined with the rainout made the 88-mile trip over four mountain ranges almost not worthwhile.  But still, after three days, the barn is all framed out.  Tomorrow the roof will go on and the five windows will be installed.  I can’t wait to see the cupola and weathervane.  Friday the insulation and walls go up and they are finished.  A separate contractor comes one day next week to install the two garage-style doors.

Saturday, my crew, plus my main contractor Rich and sidekick Frank - will prepare the garage floor for concrete.  That entails leveling off the gravel and dirt floor, then tying rebar in a checkerboard pattern for extra strength.  We had planned on pouring the concrete on Monday or Tuesday, but with low temperatures expected to be about 20 degrees each morning that was out of the question.

By the time I head back to New Jersey on Sunday, the barn will be standing and lacking only the two cement trucks worth of concrete which we’ll tackle in two weeks when I return.  The breathtaking view of Sunrise Mountain, so named by me due to the sun rising over its peak on winter mornings, is ready for City Girl to admire and enjoy on her next visit.  All in all, my seven days in Green Bank will be remembered as satisfyingly productive.  As usual!

- Mountain Man

This is a story about the local white-tail deer that share our 19 acres.  Since moving into the cabin a year ago, we have come to recognize the individual deer.  The first regulars to the corn feeder we dubbed “Our Gang”.  There were two fawns, now yearlings, and two adult mothers.  We nicknamed the youngsters Darla and Alfalfa, and the mature mothers Dolly and Ruthie, for our own two mothers. 

We watched them interact, and quickly knew the pecking order.  It was Dolly, Ruthie, Alfalfa, then lastly, Darla.  After a few months, another mother and six-month old showed up.  They stood off 30 feet, waiting for Our Gang, the dominate group, to feed first.  When the two groups got real close to one another, it got tense.  Dolly would occasionally assert her authority with slashing hoofs.  Sometimes we’d see this new aloof pair around the feeder, and sometimes not for a while.  But it did bring the resident count to six deer.

Yesterday afternoon, the two work crews left around 4:30 after a good accomplishment day.  Ten minutes later I walked past the kitchen window and noticed three deer partway up the hill, guessing them to be from “Our Gang”.  Moments later, I looked up and saw another group coming in from a different direction.  My pulse jumped.

Discreetly, I peered out the windows and finally settled on there being nine deer.  The trough that holds the feed corn is six feet long, with accessibility from both sides.  As many as six deer at a time were munching on corn or licking the new apple-flavored salt block located in the trough at one end.  I was grinning ear to ear.  I couldn’t wait to tell City Girl.

I stood and studied this menagerie of white-tail deer.  There were four yearlings, three two-year olds, and two that were three years old or more - Dolly and Ruthie.  The two year olds have a more immature face, with the snout still not extended like the older deer.  I pondered these three two-year olds who would each be giving birth for the first time in about a month.  They wouldn’t be teenagers anymore!

Then I saw the big picture.  Dolly and Ruthie will each have a fawn, as will the three first-time mothers.  That means pretty soon there will be five new fawns - learning, exploring, and bonding.  That brings the local population to 13 deer.  How exciting!

But then I wonder - will they all stick around?  Will bossy Dolly share her domain or drive off the others?  There’s a mountain behind our property with a few hundred acres.  Surely, they share the mountain.  Can’t they share coming to the feeder?

My attention turns back to the five pregnant does.  Oh boy, new fawns are coming.  I’m as ready as an expectant father!

- Mountain Man

Cape May County has a lot going for it to attract families with the financial ability to afford a vacation home.  There’s the beaches, the boardwalks, fishing and boating, 12 golf courses, a great free zoo, bird-watching, restaurants, state parks, museums, and shopping.  Eco-tourism alone accounts for $522 million per year.  With low crime, no industry, and tolerable traffic, it’s the recipe for an inviting vacation destination.

While much of the country still suffers from a stagnant real estate market, here at the shore the market is back on the rise.  Perhaps analyzing a few numbers will help us understand not only why we are doing okay, but also why we’ll flourish in the future.

There are 6 million households in the United States that own a second home.  Numbers released from a 2007 poll indicate that 22.8 million American households (out of 105 million total US households) expect to purchase a second home in the next 10 years.  Wow, that’s a staggering number.  Let’s postulate, being very conservative, that two-thirds of those families will not realize that dream.  That still leaves 7.6 million families that will purchase a second home, more than doubling the number of vacation homes nationwide.

What do people look for in a vacation home?  Good question.  The answer is either water - an ocean, lake, or river - or mountains.  Not too many families want their getaway to be in rural Iowa or downtown Cleveland.  Naturally, Cape May County has the Atlantic Ocean, along with wide, sandy beaches, moderate temperatures, and it’s easily accessible by car from anywhere in the middle Atlantic states.  We’re not Maine, we’re not Florida, in weather extremes or distance.  Thank heavens!

Obviously, affluence has a lot to do with where second home families originate.  The highest median home price is in California, so that would be the best market.  Hawaii and Washington, DC are second and third, but they’re too small for the home prices to mean much.  The next “real” market is Massachusetts in fourth place, then New Jersey is fifth. 

Metropolitan New York City with 18.7 million people, Philadelphia and its suburbs with 5.8 million people, along with all of New Jersey, are the primary sources for folks interested in buying second homes at the South Jersey seashore.  All are within a two and a half hour drive, the accepted norm.  That is a tremendous pool of families from which to draw potential vacation home owners.

The demographics are a strong argument why Cape May County’s real estate market will continue to grow and prosper.  One figure still sticks in my mind - 22.8 million households expect there’s a good chance they’ll buy a second home in the next 10 years.  Kinda gives me goosebumps.

- Mountain Man

The problem is that the state of New Jersey is carrying a $32 billion debt.  That is equivalent to $3,700 for every man, woman and child in the state.  The interest on the debt is $2.7 billion per year.  Having to pay that interest every year keeps the state from upgrading bridges and highways, and expanding and maintaining programs.  The state debt was about $15 billion in 2000, but it has increased on average about $2.5 billion per year since then.

 The Gov’s proposed 2008 budget is $33 billion, which came about after his staff trimmed $2.7 billion from what the different departments of state bureaucracy had asked for.  Notable amongst his cuts were disbanding three state departments - agriculture, personnel, and commerce.  Two are good moves, but not the Agriculture Department.  Axing it would not save much money, plus its responsibilities would shift to the NJ Dept of Environmental Protection.  They already mess up everything they touch, so why give them the farmers?

The budget would also cut state police patrols from 77 municipalities that exclusively depend on the state police.  Hurray!  In Cape May County, that’s Upper Twp, Dennis Twp, and Woodbine.  Let them hire their own police department.  Why should all state taxpayers fund their policing?  Pay for it yourselves.

The budget proposal would also trim roughly in half the state aid to towns under 10,000 population.  In Cape May County, that’s the 12 municipalities other than Ocean City, Upper Twp, Dennis Twp, and Middle Twp.  Good.  Maybe this will force consolidation, or at least more scrutiny towards their own budgets.  All these towns want to be their own fiefdom with their own patronage jobs, so pay for it yourselves.

The Gov also wants to eliminate 3,000 state jobs.  Considering the state has 83,000 employees, maybe they should cut 5,000 or so.  Have you ever had to deal with the state hierarchy, or better yet gone to Trenton to transact business.  Whether by phone or in person, you’ll find that too many employees are on vacation, out sick, or took a personal day off.  It’s a joke.

The plan would also reduce aid to colleges and hospitals.  It would eliminate earned income rebates to those families making over $150,000 a year, and cut in half the rebate to those in the $100,000 to $150,000 bracket. Okay, no problem.

The last part of the Gov’s scheme, announced a month ago, was to boost highway tolls.  On the Garden State Parkway, they’ve been 35 cents just about forever.  So, make ‘em a buck apiece, I say.  But Corzine wants to double the toll every four years.  Yikes!  That would make a trip on the Atlantic City Expressway go from $2 now to $17 by 2022.  That’s a good way to cripple the casino industry.

The biggest overall complaint local government officials have with the Corzine budget is that it shifts more financial responsibility to their towns.  “We can’t afford it,” they cry.  I think that passing the buck to the municipalities is the right way to solve this problem.  Let the counties and towns economize.  Cape May County has an annual operating budget of $135 million.  You gotta be kidding me.  The county where we have a home in West Virginia spends $2.5 million a year.  The county needs to roll up its sleeves and get it under $100 million, for Pete’s sake!

The town I live in here in NJ has an annual budget of $21 million, not counting schools.  Of that, an incredible and unconscionable $8.5 million was for salaries.  C’mon, this is a little town of 17,000.  Do we really need 50 police officers and 40 police cars?  When the state reduces its aid, maybe the town will finally sit down and make some much needed budget cuts of it own.  Big cuts.

Residents of the state of New Jersey are being asked by the Governor to share the burden.  Pay for what you get, and get rid of what you don’t really need.  Sounds reasonable to me.

- Mountain Man