As you may or may not be aware, the real estate market in Sea Isle City, New Jersey has changed over the past several months. What have been many good years of double digit appreciation, has now slowed down significantly. For over half of a decade, sellers have been able to cash in on their properties with profits that were unheard of. Everything was wonderful for anyone who owned a property in Sea Isle.

The situation is still good for property owners, if you take the right steps and keep the right frame of mind. If you are considering selling your Sea Isle property and have owned it for more than a few years, you can still cash in and make a large profit. The key is to educate yourself on the current set of properties for sale in Sea Isle City and what has sold recently. You should keep an eye out on all similar properties that have recently been sold, or put on the market for sale. By doing this, you will stay familiar with what the real estate market is doing so when you are ready to sell, your awareness will help you pick a realistic price to sell your home for.

Right now there are approximately three hundred properties listed for sale in Sea Isle. The inventory is high. The prices have risen over the past years to an all time high, which is great for everyone but the buyers. Because of the escalating prices, our margin of qualified buyers has lessened, therefore creating more properties available for sale than there are buyers.

It is only human nature for owners to expect their properties to be worth more each and every year. I own a property myself, and that is what I want and expect. The properties have been on a steady increase since 1994, and have skyrocketed for the past seven years. If you purchased a property in 1998 and it was on a full size lot, the chances are that your property has at least doubled, if not tripled in the past seven years. That is a fantastic return on your investment.

If you are ready to sell your Sea Isle property, the thing to remember is not to be concerned about what it would have sold for six months or a year ago, but what you purchased the property for and what you can sell it for right now. Figure out your profit and you will be very pleased with the outcome.

Joe Prato

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in Accounting and Business Administration, I became a comptroller for a small business in Southern N.J. and spent all of my free time at the Jersey Shore. In 1994, my wife and I purchased our first investment property in Sea Isle City, and two years later we moved to Sea Isle full time. I started selling real estate in Sea Isle in 1996, and have since purchased two investment properties and owned and operated a successful business in town. My love for the Jersey Shore has gone on since my childhood days, which were spent on the Sea Isle City beach.