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Real Estate Agents Blame Dip In Shore Rentals On Soggy Spring Weather

SPRING LAKE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A soggy spring may not have vacationers thinking summer just yet.

As CBS2's Meg Baker reported, rentals are down, and your perfect Jersey shore house may still be available.

The unofficial start of summer is here, and real estate agents in Monmouth and Ocean counties said there are still plenty of properties to rent.

"We haven't been getting the same amount of people coming down checking out town, and looking for summer rentals," Kiernan DeFao, Jack Green Realty said.

Agents from Jack Green realty in Spring Lake usually like to visit on spring weekends to checkout potential rentals, but wet weather may have caused a slow start to the season.

"On those days when it's 90 degrees out all of a sudden the phone is ringing, people are thinking of summer, coming down. When it's wet, rainy, and cold they aren't thinking about summer plans," Jennifer Green Grigg explained.

Paul Ward in Point Pleasant said his rentals are going strong, but more and more people are staying home and searching online first -- there's no need for an umbrella while sitting on the couch.

"We have a website search that is totally filterable, date, bedrooms, baths, other criteria. Very specific as they drill it down," Ward said.

He showed CBS2 a three bedroom, two bath just off the boardwalk that rents for $2,600 a week.

A few blocks away are smaller units that go for $1,650 a week.

Spring Lake is a little pricier with luxury homes plus pools going for $20,000 or more a month. The average three bedroom home rents for just over $3,500 a week.

Searches on sites like Air BnB and Home Away can often be overwhelming.

To find the best fit for your family, try contacting the homeowner, and take a day trip to check it out in person.

One major shift that towns down the shore have seen this season is a request for daily or weekend rentals. Families who are crunched for time have been looking for a quick getaway, but those types of listing ca be very hard to come by.

Realtors said there are also more houses on the rental market this year, as additional homes that were rebuilt following Superstorm Sandy become available for rental.

 

 

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