10 Ways to Make Your House in Bradley Beach NJ More Saleable

1. Get rid of clutter.  Throw out or file stacks of newspapers and magazines.  Pack away most of your small decorative items.  Store out-of-season clothing to make closets seem roomier.  Clean out the garage.
2. Wash your windows and screens to let more light into the interior.
3. Keep everything extra clean.  Wash fingerprints from light switch plates.  Mop and wax floors.  Clean the stove and refrigerator.  A clean house makes a better first impression and convinces buyers that the home has been well cared for.
4. Get rid of smells!  Even if you think you house does not have smells, spring for a good carpet and drape cleaning to eliminate any possible cooking odors, smoke, and pet smells.  Keep the windows open when possible (if road noise is not an issue).
5. Put higher wattage bulbs in light sockets to make rooms seem brighter, especially basements and other dark rooms.  Replace any burnt-out bulbs.
6. Make minor repairs that can create a bad impression.  Small problems, such as sticky doors, torn screens, cracked caulking, or a dripping faucet, may seem trivial, but they’ll give buyers the impression that the house isn’t well maintained.
7. Tidy your yard.  Cut the grass, rake the leaves, trim the bushes, and edge the walks.  Put a pot or two of bright flowers near the entryway.
8. Patch holes in your driveway and reapply sealant, if applicable.
9. Clean your gutters.  Remove any debris such as pine straw that has accumulated on the roof.
10. Polish your front doorknob and door numbers.  Remember, the door is the first part of the home potential buyers see!

To learn more about buying or selling a home on the Jersey Shore, please call me at 732-775-2774 or visit my Web site www.patrickparkerhomes.com.  I would love to help make your home more saleable!

Summer Fun on the Jersey Shore

Summer is in full swing and as the novelty of being out of school begins to wear off, most parents are bracing themselves for the inevitable “I’m booooored” that is just bound to come out of their children’s mouths soon.  Here are some ways to get your children outside and enjoying the natural surroundings of Bradley Beach, NJ and the Jersey Shore:

1. Go on a Bug Hunt Equip your child with a baby food jar or bug jar and encourage them to look for natural life around them. Look under leaves & stumps (be sure to turn them back over), on tree trunks & leaves and in flowers. Handle the bugs gently and let them go when you are done. Name your favorite bug according to its colors, the way it moves or something different about it.
2. Listen to the World Around You Have your child sit and listen to the sounds of nature by closing their eyes, and counting on their fingers the different sounds they hear. Compare natural vs. unnatural sounds. Try this in several different habitats such as in a field, near a pond and in a forest and compare the kinds and numbers of sounds heard.
3. Look at Nature Before a visit to a park, have your child decorate two toilet paper rolls. Staple them together to make mini-binoculars. Take them outside for a game of “I Spy” looking for items from nature. Look for things near by, in middle range and far away.
4. Get a New Perspective Have your child lie face upward under a large tree. Have them look into the branches. Can they see the top branch? What patterns can they see. What other things are present? They can pretend to be the roots of the tree in the soil. What do they feel like? What animals can they see moving around in the tree?
5. Use Imagination Choose an area with natural ground coverings such as leaves, cones, wild grass etc. and sit down. Give your child 6 short pieces of straw or toothpicks. Have them pretend to shrink down to the size of an ant with you. Their job is to lead a nature walk for creatures the size of an ant by choosing 6 interesting things along a one meter stretch of ground. Encourage them to use their imagination!
6. Wet Noses Wet the underside of your child’s nose with a small wet sponge. This improves their sense of smell just as it does for deer and rabbits.. Find familiar smells such as flowers to try, then go on to other things like rubbing a leaf between your fingers and smelling or scratching a pine needle. Also try moss, bark, pitch or grabbing an handful of leafy soil etc.
7. Discover Color in Nature Get 10 old paint swatches of various natural colors from a paint store. Cut them into individual squares and take these and your child to a natural area. One at a time, have your child look for each color in nature. You will be amazed at what colors you can find if you really look!
8. Touching Nature Blindfold your child and lead them to a tree to get to know it by feeling the bark texture, finding branches and any other way to recognize a specific tree without looking at it. Still blind-folded, lead your child back to where you started. Now take off the blindfold and have them try to find their tree using their sense of touch to confirm it. What other senses helped them to locate their tree? (sounds, sense of balance, smells, warmth etc.)
9. A Night time Experience Go with your child to a safe natural place at night. Cover your flashlight with red plastic so you won’t startle the animals. Try out some of the ideas above to learn about plants & animals of the night. It takes about 20 minutes for your eyes to fully adjust from bright light to darkness.
10. A Rainy Day Experience Dress to stay dry but with your hands free (no umbrellas) and go out on a rainy day with your child. Peek into puddles. Listen for bird & frog calls. How many kinds of raindrops can you see? Can you find plants with a drip tip? Try to find out where animals go when it is raining.

Please call me at 732-775-2774 or visit my website www.PatrickParkerHomes.com to learn more about making the beautiful Jersey Shore your family’s home town.

Support “Clean Ocean Zone” Bill in Bradley Beach, NJ

The beach season is officially in full swing!  Here is an article I found interesting regarding the recent conference that was held for legislators to discuss the Clean Ocean Zone Bill for Bradley Beach, NJ. In an effort to keep our beaches clean and visitor-friendly for generations to come, I wanted to share with you these ten tips for respecting our beaches: 

1.  Put trash in its place.  Use garbage receptacles or bring home what you bring to the beach (carry in, carry out).  Leave only footprints in the sand.  Bring a bucket to the beach to use for play all day and litter at the end of the day.  Lead by example.  

2.  Follow the beach’s recycling rules.  Recycling reduces solid waste and saves resources.  If your beach doesn’t have a recycling program, take your items home to recycle.  

3.  Litter is lethal to marine life.  Avoid bringing disposable plastics to the beach, they do not biodegrade and can kill animals through entanglement and ingestion.  Some plastics take over 400 years to break down in the marine environment, so dispose of them properly.   

4.  Use an ashtray.  Cigarette filters are not biodegradable and can be lethal when eaten by birds and fish that mistake the butts for food.  Look for free disposable ashtrays at beaches.  See COA’s “No Butts About It” tip card.  

5.  Never leave fishing line on the beach.  Fishing line can entangle birds, fish, turtles, and other animals.  Plastic fishing line takes 600 years to break down in the marine environment.  Recycle old line at tackle shops.   

6.  Conduct local beach clean-up.  Call COA for details on how to organize these events.  

7.  Report pollution.  If you see any unusual beach conditions (garbage slicks, brown or red tides, fish-kills, or others) report it to the appropriate agencies.  Call or see COA’s “If You See It, Report It” tip card.  

8.  See the Sea for yourself.  Bring a snorkel and goggles – take a swim and see how many critters you and your friends and family can see.  

9.  Look, listen, and learn.  Go shell combing, look for birds and plants – your beach is home to many – can you identify them all?  Use COA’s Eco-guide.   

10.    Pass these tips along to other beachgoers.  Together, we can all do our part to become the solution to ocean pollution. 

Please call me at 732 775-2774 or visit my Web site www.patrickparkerhomes.com to learn more about making the beautiful Jersey Shore YOUR home!

76-322 Whitefield Ave, Ocean Grove NJ 07756

Renovated Jersey Shore Condo for Sale

Drastic Price Reduction!

Beautifully upgraded23 bedroom, 1 bath condo in historic Ocean Grove. Every detail has been cared for in this unit. Features include solid maple floors, crown molding, newer windows, A/C units,and custom closets. Brand new kitchen and appliances with a double oven and granite counter-tops. The bath has ceramic tile floors and shower, european style toilet and custom glass doors. Two spacious bedrooms with double closets. Also newer H/W heater and closet doors. You will not be disappointed in this unit. It shows wonderfully!! $339,900

For more information on this condo or other Ocean Grove real estate, visit PatrickParkerHomes.com.  For more personal service, give ma a call, 201-788-6182.

518 Ocean Park Ave, Bradley Beach NJ 07720

Bradley Beach NJ Real Estate For Sale

Enjoy Jersey Shore Living! You”ll love this charming home that combines old with new. Everything has been updated other than the original detail. Beautiful gardens in the front and rear yard. The backyard is fenced in, perfect for kids. Home has hardwood floors, new windows, light and bright open floor plan and a full basement. The home is complete move-in condition! Walk to the beach, restaurants or transportation.

For more information on this home or other Bradley Beach NJ homes for sale, visit PatrickParkerHomes.com or give me a call for more personal service, 201-788-6182