By Lauren Wanko
Correspondent
Boats gliding on the calm water, gentle waves crashing on the soft sand. Sights and sounds that are calling vacationers to rent at the shore this summer. So they end up calling realtors.
“We have been constantly busy since January. Good busy. We’ve been busier of course before the storm, but since the storm we’ve gotten busier,” said Michael Van Sciver of Van Sciver Realtors.
Van Sciver Realtors covers southern Monmouth County down to Seaside Park. So far summer rentals are up about 5 percent over last year. Tourism Economics indicates there are more than 118,000 seasonal second homes in the Garden State. In 2013 those homes contributed to about $4.7 billion in total economic activity in the state.
“The market’s picked up and the reason for being picked up is we’re two years past the storm and I think that’s the biggest drawback we had and we have many more units right now for rent that we didn’t have years before because they were destroyed by the storm,” Van Sciver said.
“Our inventory is increasing and our demand for rentals is increasing as well,” said Theresa Alpaugh of Childers Sotheby’s International Realty.
Alpaugh says she can’t offer clients many more beachfront homes for the summer.
“The higher end oceanfronts, they’re pretty much gone. The oceanfront rentals are usually the first to go. Of course the inventory is lower than a typical off the ocean rental, however we see them being taken quickly,” she said.
Cape May County’s tourism director says so far their summer rental market is up 20 to 30 percent over last year’s record-high season.
“We were not as affected by Sandy as some of the northern beaches. We have shown steady growth over the years and last year was a 5.2 percent growth in tourism revenue,” said Diane Wieland.
In Asbury Park, real estate agent Sonja O’Brien fluffs throw pillows in anticipation for this season’s renters.
“Up until a couple of weeks ago, we had been a little bit slow, just I think due to the severe winter conditions, but now that the snow has finally melted, we are getting flooded with calls for summer rentals,” O’Brien said.
Twenty percent more calls than O’Brien received this time last year. She thinks it’s because Asbury Park’s popularity is growing.
“People that would go to Fire Island and the Hamptons or other beach communities are coming here. It’s closer to New York and Philadelphia markets,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien and her husband bought this property about 12 years ago. Initially they rented out the cottage on a year-round basis, but about four years ago, they noticed the demand for summer rentals and now they only market to seasonal vacationers.
“We’ve already had keen interest in it,” O’Brien said.
As the temperatures rise, these realtors hope that interest continues to heat up too.