Monmouth Park Racetrack Oceanport, NJ

Monmouth Park Racetrack is one of the oldest thoroughbred horse race tracks in the country. It was started in 1870 on what is now part of the Fort Monmouth base. It was then moved to its present location in 1946. Although the racing season has changed numerous times it has always occurred during the warmer months of the year. It is one of the major attractions for the Jersey Shore during the summer. The race track is a major source of revenue for the local restaurants and businesses.

Tour of Monmouth Park Racetrack

The race track has offered free behind the scenes tours called Dawn Patrol in the early morning on weekends. They take you to the stable area, jockey lounge and on the track to watch the horses do warm ups. They have always tried to create a family atmosphere and hold special events during the season. On Sunday’s the have family fun days with pony rides and clowns. There are also various festivals held during the year. Below is a video of the Crab Cake Festival held at the track.

Picking a horse is like seeing through the fog. Just guess.

Some people handicap horses, some pick numbers, some pick colors, some pick jockeys, and some pick trainers. None of the choices is ever a sure thing. As the track announcer calls this race above he just guesses until they get closer to the finish line due to thick  fog covering the track. The track is a 1 mile oval and the back stretch is fairly far away from the grand stand area.

Haskell Invitational 2010

The Haskel Invitational is the biggest racing event of the year at Monmouth Park. It is always televised on either ABC or ESPN. It generally attracts the top horses in the country. Most of the horses that race had just competed in the  Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes.  Many times the horses entered in the race have won some of the triple crown races. The purse for the race is 1 million dollars.

Breeders Cup Classic 2007

In 2007 Monmouth Park Racetrack gained international attention by hosting the Breeders Cup which is considered the premier racing event each year. Numerous top horses participated in the race. In the video above, Curlin won the classic which is considered the top race during the Breeders Cup event. The track was updated and expanded to accomadate the large crowd that attended the event.

Behind the scenes with Larry Collmus calling a race

In the video above, Larry Collmus explains and takes you behind the scenes to see him calling a race. It really is amazing to watch him memorize all of the horses and call the race just using binoculars. You  would assume he would have been watching on a monitor that are found throughout the race track to get close up views of the race.

Celebrities visit Monmouth Park

Because of its proximity to New York City and Philadelphia, the race track has always attracted famous people to view the races. There are several nice boutique hotels in the area as well as vacation rental homes for people to stay. The night life areas of down town Red Bank, Pier Village in Long Branch, and the Asbury Park shopping and boardwalk area makes the area a destination point for out of towners.

Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts in The Pope of Greenwich Village Movie scene at Monmouth Park Race Track

Because of the beautiful appearance of the track, many movies and television shows have used Monmouth Park as the backdrop for scenes. Above is a scene with Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts in the classic film The Pope of Greenwich Village. Many years later Mickey Rourke would film most of his film The Wrestler in Monmouth County. The film’s title song was written and recorded by Monmouth County’s own Bruce Springsteen and appears on the album Working on a Dream. Below a movie starring Jennifer Aniston called the Bounty Hunter was filmed in the grand stand area of the race track as well as in the parking lot area.

Jennifer Aniston in the Bounty Hunter at Monmouth Park

Due to the budget issues facing the State of New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie has plans to lease the race track this year to a private racing entity. There has been a lot of interest from the top horse racing organizations in the world. The leasing agreements should be in place prior to the start of the 2011 meet which usually begins around Memorial Day.

With all that Monmouth County has to offer, it makes selling real estate an easy job in promoting the benefits of this great area. If you would be interested in a career in real estate with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, please email us at info@bhgmoves.com

A Real Estate Career with Better Homes and Gardens

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate offers outstanding marketing materials to assist agents with their real estate career. Through its affiliation with the Meredith Corporation (owners of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine ), Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate agents have access to an 85 million person database. The database is divided into many sectors which allow the agents to create target mailings using a product called Pinpoint Marketing. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is part of the Realogy Corporation leading real estate brands and Cartus Relocation the largest relocation company in the world.
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has embraced Social Media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Linkedin to stay in contact with the agent’s sphere of influence to build relationships for life. In the Better Homes and Gardens Real  Estate  intranet site known as The Greenhouse, agents are able to obtain training modules on various topics including the use of social media sites.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate agents are able to stay in touch with their sphere of influence by sending out an annual subscription of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine with their contact information attached to the cover of the magazine at less than $15 per year for 12 issues.
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate also has an I-Phone App which gives buyers information on homes, community, and schools.

Sherry Chris, the President and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate was named the Inman News Innovator of the Year for 2010 for her leadership in directing the company to develop ways to use technology in the real estate business.

Besides all of the great marketing and training provided to our agents, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties is located in one of the most desireable areas of the country. The following is a video promoting New Jersey and the Rumson area by Mo Rocca of CBS This Morning.

Better Homes and Gardens offers a real estate business plan to help agents stay on track with their goals. Click here for the complimentary business plan.  If you are wondering whether the real estate business would be the right career choice for you, please click on the Real Estate Simulator to learn more about the business.

If you would be interested in a career with Better Homes and Gardens Preferred Properties, please contact George Coffenberg at 732-224-9200 or email at info@bhgmoves.com

Living in Ocean Twp, NJ

Ocean Township consists of several sections in the town.  West Allenhurst, Colonial Terrace, West Deal and Wanamassa are located in the southeastern part of the town. The Oakhurst section and Elberon Park  are located in the Northeastern section of town and the Wayside section is located west of Route 35. There are also many zip codes in town (07712, 07755, 07711, 07723, and 07740). The town is approximately 11 square miles.

Television talk show host, Wendy Williams, graduated from Ocean Twp High School. She was nice enough to return home and celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday with the children from the schools in town at the relatively new Ocean Twp Public Library on Deal Road which is part of the Monmounth  County Library System.  The library is located in a historic building that was preserved and renovated just a few years ago. The Ocean Township School System has always been rated as one of the top public school systems in the area (#3 behind only Holmdel and Rumson-Fair Haven). Recently Ocean Twp High School was listed as one of the top  High Schools in New Jersey as well as number 1484  in the Country by Newsweek Magazine.

Bamm Bamm Bigelow at one time lived in the Wayside section of Ocean Twp and his children  attended the schools here.

Former Oakland Raider Linebacker,Phil Villapiano, also lived in Ocean Twp and attended Ocean Twp High School. Here is a video where he returned to Oakland to cheer the team on with other former great Oakland Raiders from the 70’s.

Ashley Tisdale grew up in the West Deal section of Ocean Twp and went on to become one of the Disney Channel stars as well as a star in Disney’s  High School Musical movie series. Here is an interview with her promoting her first cd called Headstrong  

Bruce Springsteen lived and recorded in the Wanamassa section of Ocean Twp in the late 60’s and early 70’s at Eastern Challenger Surf Board Factory.

00/03/69 – CHALLENGER EASTERN SURFBOARDS, WANAMASSA, NJ

Complete set details are not known. CHILD conducts it first rehearsal at new manager Carl “Tinker” West’s surfboard factory. Tinker, a legendary surfboard designer/shaper with San Diego-based Challenger West Surfboards, had come to the Jersey shore in 1966 to set up a Challenger East business. Tinker (a guitarist and skilled harp player in his own right) had recently set up a concert promotion business called “Blah Productions”. Tinker was interested in new artists who performed their own songs. It was Vini Lopez who knew Tinker and brought Bruce to meet him – resulting in Tinker agreeing to manage the group. Vini Lopez has mentioned the Springsteen composition “Jennifer” as one of the songs played at this Challenger rehearsal.

“As it looked like in the late 60’s – the legendary Challenger East factory, the major Springsteen rehearsal center and band hangout from 1969 thru mid 1971. That’s Tinker West second from the left, with several members of Challenger’s Pro Surfing Team”.

There is a home in the Colonial Section of Ocean Twp that has had it’s fair share of celebrities visiting or living there. Prior to Billy Howerdel becoming a guitarist with A Perfect Circle and Ashes Divide he would stop by to play pool. A few years later, film maker, Kevin Smith, would rent the home for actors Ben Affleck and Jason Lee during the filming of Chasing Amy.

Shortly after that,  record producer, Ron Frangipane called this house, home. He played keyboards in the real band for the cartoon characters The Archies. He also produced numerous songs for artists such as John Lennon. 

Helping maintain the Jersey Shore as one of the premier music spots in the world is Ocean Twp based Petillo Guitars. They are considered one of  the best guitar craftsman in the country. Besides all of the Jersey Shore tallent that they serve (Nicole Atkins, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Stone Temple Pilots); they have also provided service to some of the top performers in the world  including Tom Petty, James Taylor, Elvis Presley, and Jonny Cash. Here Bruce Springsteen acknowledges how great Phil Petillo was.  

Eric Nies from Mtv’s The Real World Season 1 is also from Ocean Twp. His father Jack Nies was a long time NBA referee.

Ocean Township is a very convenient location for commuters. Route 18, Route 35,  and Route 66 all run through the town and provide easy access to Garden State Parkway exits 102 and 105. The North Jersey Coast Line runs along the eastern boundary of the town with train Stations in Elberon and Allenhurst. There are also a lot of national retail stores in the town in the various shopping centers located along Route 35. Some of the larger retailers include Wegman’s, Kohl’s, Target, Sears, Staples, Panera Bread, and Starbuck’s. There is also a Clearview Cinema with 10 screens.

The beach area is easily accessible between Asbury Park and Long Branch for the residents of Ocean Twp. There are  private and semi-private beach clubs in Loch Arbour, Allenhurst, Deal, and Long Branch along with the public beaches in Long Branch and Asbury Park.  The Southeastern part of Ocean Twp borders Deal Lake.

Ocean Twp has several municipal parks. Joe Palaia Park on the corner of Deal Road and Whalepond Road is host to several popular events each year including the 4th of July Fireworks Display and the Italian Festival that attracts tens of thousands of people each August. The town also has a swim club and lighted tennis courts on West Park Avenue for the residents of town. The town recently purchased the Colonial Terrace Golf Course to create a public course. There are also two prestigous private golf clubs in town. Deal Country Club and Hollywood Country Club. Hollywood’s golf course is rated as one of the best golf courses in New Jersey.

If you would be interested in living in the Ocean Township area, please call Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties at 732-224-9200 or email us at info@bhgmoves.com . You can also down the I-phone BHG App to locate shops and restaurants as well as other features. 

If you would be interested in a career in real estate, you can try the Real Estate Simulator.

New Wave of Jersey Shore Musicians

 

The Quincy Mumford Band is one of several bands from the Jersey Shore that are hoping to reshape the local music scene and attract national attention.

Almost there is another Jersey Shore band based out of Ocean Twp,  NJ. They recently won the Myspace.com New Artist contest and here is a video of their recording experience out in LA.



Carl Chesna and Company is another band in the area that plays at Various venues in Asbury Park such as the Stone Pony , the Wonder Bar,and the Saint as seen in this video. Better Homes and Gardens Preferred Properties’s Andrea Harbison is a singer in the band (right side of the stage)

Joe Rapolla and Joe D’Urso have created a popular show called Songwriters by the Sea. Joe D’Urso also organizes the annual Light of Day Benefit concerts. Here Joe Rapolla is performing his song at one of the songwriter events that featured Nicole Atkins as well.

 

Another long time Jersey Shore bar band is Brian Kirk and the Jirks. In the video they are performing on the beach in Sea Bright, NJ at Donovan’s Reef with Bruce Springsteen. If you would like to purchase a little bit of history, we currently have Donovan’s listed for sale. Please contact George Coffenberg for details at 732-224-0900.

Although Nicole Atkins has already become a national figure, she is still part of the new group of musicians that will hopefully have long and successful careers like Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi who began their careers in the same clubs that the young musicians are currently playing. Here Nicole appears on the David Letterman show.

Most of the musicians mentioned have a common bond with one very talented behind the scenes family based in Ocean, Twp NJ. That is the Petillo family masterpiece guitars. Started by the late Phil Petillo and now carried on by his son  David, they have made and repaired guitars for most Jersey Shore musicians as well as artists such as Johnny Cash, James Taylor,Tom Petty, and Elvis. Here is a video interview with Phil Petillo.

 If you enjoy talented-down to earth people, then you would enjoy living here. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties in Rumson, NJ can help find the perfect place to call home. Our phone number is 732-224-9200 or email us at info@bhgmoves.com If you have an I-Phone you can try the free Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate app by clicking here. It will allow you to locate the various places mentioned in this article with mapping features as well as local businesses.

Jersey Shore Beaches

It’s been pretty cold outside lately but here are some videos to remind you of summer time at the Jersey Shore.  The summer season along the beach area is the primary reason why people choose to live in the Eastern Monmouth County area.  Several times a year due to either nor’easter or Hurricanes passing along the coast, the waves can get extremely high and make the area perfect for surfing. Although not the norm, waves can exceed 10 to 12 feet a few times a year and some hurricanes in the past have created 18 to 20 foot waves along the coast. Normal waves are usually in the 4 to 6 foot range. You can check out the daily surf report to see the current ocean and beach conditions.

Pier Village in Long Branch, NJ is a newly created oceanfront development of stores, bars, restaurants and housing. It is one of the few Oceanfront shopping districts in New Jersey and the most popular oceanfront destinations in the Monmouth County area.  The complex was created using eminent domain. Long Branch has agreed not to use eminent domain any longer as a way of redeveloping the city. They lost a court battle last year with some of the residents just north of the Pier Village development. The Ocean Place Hotel at Pier Village was recently acquired by United Capital Corp.

Ocean Place Hotel Long Branch, NJ

Asbury Park is also creating a new Oceanfront commercial and residential area through redevelopment. The boardwalk area now has many popular restaurants mixed in with their well-known entertainment venues such as the Stone Pony located along the oceanfront area.  Asbury Park recently was voted as one of the top beach areas in New Jersey for 2010. During the off-season such as yesterday (Dec 7, 2010) Bruce Springsteen filmed an up-coming show at the boardwalk in Asbury Park.

The real Jersey Shore is not the one depicted in the popular Mtv reality show although visitors from a neighboring state may act that way while vacationing here as identified by Governor Christie in the video above. The video below is a spoof of the Mtv show from Saturday Night Live. The show is filmed at Seaside Heights in Ocean County. Most of the Monmouth County beachfront areas have become family friendly areas and have moved away from the night club atmosphere shown on the reality show.

The job of  selling real estate at the Jersey Shore is not a difficult one. Most realtors  here would agree that they truly believe in their service of locating housing for people in one of the nicest areas of the country. If you would be interested in a real estate career at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties, please contact George Coffenberg at gcoffenberg@bhgmoves.com or visit our website at www.bhgmoves.com

Famous Residents of Monmouth County

Since  the birth of our nation, Monmouth County has been home to some of the most well-known people of the last several centuries. One of the earliest well-known figures was Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley known as “Molly Pitcher”  who helped George Washington’s soldiers at the Battle of Monmouth in Freehold, NJ  on June 28, 1778.

Notable authors Stephen Crane and Mary Higgins Clark spent time at the Jersey Shore as well. Stephen Crane (1871-1900) is known for his book “The Red Badge of Courage” . He spent part of his short life with his family in Asbury Park, NJ. Mary Higgins Clark  has a summer home in Spring Lake, NJ. She has written 42 best-selling suspense novels which have sold over 80 million copies. She is also an owner of the NBA  NJ Nets.              

There are numerous professional sports figures with ties to Monmouth County, NJ. Miles Austin, a current Dallas Cowboys wide receiver, played his college games at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ. Other notable current and past professional football players from Monmouth County include current Indianapolis Colts running back Donald Brown from Red Bank Catholic High School, Rob Petitti from Rumson-Fair Haven High School who has played  offensive line for several teams including the  Dallas Cowboys whose current head coach, Jason Garrett, is from Monmouth Beach, NJ.  Bill Parcells who has won several Superbowl trophy as a head coach with teams like the New York Giants called  Sea Girt, NJ home for several years.  

Sam Mills, who became an All-Pro linebacker for the New Orleans Saints, graduated from Long Branch High School. Phil Villapiano an All-Pro receiver for the Oakland Raiders  graduated from Ocean Township High School and lived in Rumson, NJ after ending his football career. Greg Montgomery and Danny Stubbs both graduated from Red Bank Regional High School together and went on to have successful NFL careers. Greg Montgomery, originally from Shrewsbury, NJ became an All-Pro punter for the Houston Oilers and Danny Stubbs originally from Red Bank, NJ  was a member of the Superbowl Champion San Francisco 49ers.  Pete Carroll, the current head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, summered in Sea Girt, NJ. Former New York Jets players Joe Klecko and Wayne Chrebet reside in Colts Neck, NJ. Joe Klecko was an All-Pro defensive lineman and Wayne Chrebet was a wide receiver with the team. Joe’s son Dan played for several teams including the Atlanta Falcons football team. Knowshon Rockwell Moreno is a current member of the Denver Broncos football team. He grew up in Middletown, NJ where he attended Middletown South High School.  Former Dallas Cowboy defensive lineman Jim Jeffcoat graduated from Matawan Regional High School. And finally the most famous football coach of all times, Vince Lombardi, is buried in Middletown, NJ.  In addition to football players, Monmouth County has also developed professional Baseball players Ryan Kalish from Shrewsbury, NJ who graduated from Red Bank Catholic High School and currently plays for the Boston Red Sox. Manalapan’s David DeJesus currently plays for the Oakland A’s. Former professional baseball player Jeff Kunkel is from Middletown, NJ and Bobby Ojeda who played for the New York Mets resides in Rumson, NJ.

Former NBA player Lloyd Daniels resides in Colts Neck, NJ while Tim Perry is from Freehold, NJ and Darryl “Chocolate Thunder” Dawkins resides in Tinton Falls, NJ.

In addition to professional sports and writing, Monmouth County, NJ also has many residents involved in television and movies. News and Sports reporters include NBC News Anchor Brian Williams who grew up in Middletown, NJ.

Connie Chung and Maury Povich are also from Middletown, NJ and at one time Geraldo Riveria lived on the Navesink River in  Middletown, NJ. Alisyn Camerota of Fox News grew up in Shrewsbury, NJ and graduated from Red Bank Catholic High School. Jim Nantz of CBS Sports resides in Colts Neck, NJ and fellow sportscaster Melissa Stark lives in Rumson, NJ. News Anchor Jack Ford, who became well-known during the OJ Simpson trial resides in Spring Lake, NJ.

TV personalities Jon Stewart from the Daily Show has a home in Red Bank, NJ.

Danny Devito, who is currently on the show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, grew up in Asbury Park, NJ. Jersey Shore cast members Mike “The Situation” Sorentino is from Manalapan, NJ  and Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola is from Hazlet, NJ.  Talk show host, Wendy Williams, graduated from Ocean Township High School. Steve Van Zandt of the Sopranos as well as a member of the E Street Band is from Middletown, NJ. Many scenes from the Sopranos  were filmed in parts of Monmouth County, NJ including Long Branch, Sea Bright, Oceanport, and Monmouth Beach.

Movie creators and stars have also either moved to or grown up in Monmouth County. Actor Jack Nicholson graduated from Manasquan High School. Film Maker Kevin Smith grew up in Highlands, NJ and graduated from Henry Hudson High School. His film, Clerks, was filmed entirely in the Middletown and Highlands area. Another of his movies, Chasing Amy, was primarily filmed in Red Bank, Rumson, and Asbury Park, NJ. Here is a video of Kevin protesting his movie Dogma at the Monmouth Mall in Eatontown, NJ. 

Monmouth Park Race Track in Oceanport, NJ has been the backdrop of many films including 2010’s Jennifer Aniston movie The Bounty Hunter.

  Adrienne Barbeau, who is also Steve Van Zandt’s sister-in-law has a home  in Middletown, NJ.  Queen Latifah has a home in Rumson, NJ as did fellow actresses at one time Heather Locklear and Cher call Rumson, home. Ashley Tisdale of  Disney’s  High School Musical fame grew up in Ocean Township, NJ. Bud Abbott of Abbott and Costello was from Asbury Park, NJ. Kal Penn best known for Harold and Kumar go to White Castle graduated from Freehold Township High School.

But what the Monmouth County area is best known for is the great musicians that either were raised  here or moved here. Those that grew up here include Bruce Springsteen (Freehold) and the East Street Band (Max Weinberg, Middletown, NJ; Steve Van Zandt, Middletown, NJ; Gary Tallent Long Branch, NJ; Clarence Clemmons, Sea Bright,NJ Patti Scialfa from Deal, NJ). Southside Johnny is  from Ocean Grove, NJ and Count Basie was from Red Bank, NJ. The following video features Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt and Southside Johnny along with members of Bon Jovi, The Asbury Jukes and E Street Band.

Billy Howerdel of A Perfect Circle is  from Long Branch, NJ and  singer/song writer Nicole Atkins graduated from Neptune High School. Fred Schneider  is the singer for The B52’s and graduated from Shore Regional High School. Members of Monster Magnet are from Red Bank, NJ. Country singer Clint Black was born in Long Branch, NJ.   There are also those that discovered Monmouth County once they became famous. Jon Bon Jovi of Middletown, NJ and band mate Richie Sambora resided in Rumson, NJ.  Deborah Harry of Blondie lives in Middletown, NJ along with Sabastian Bach of Skid Row. Jim Babjak of the Smithereens is from Manalapan, NJ and John Eddie is from Highlands, NJ.

I am sure we have left off some other successful celebrities from our area as well.  Whether you like history, sports, literature, movies, or television you are bound to discover what the rich and famous already have, which is  that Monmouth County, NJ is a Great place to call home. If you are interested in relocating to this great area, please contact Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties at 732-224-9200 or visit us on the web at www.bhgmoves.com

Visit New York City from Monmouth County, NJ

Recently Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey has received a lot of attention over his decision to eliminate an additional train tunnel to New York City. In the video above is Jimmy Fallon’s joke about how New Yorker’s find New Jersey. Governor Christie then appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s show to confront him on the joke.  

Now the federal government is suing the taxpayers of New Jersey for money already spent on the project as this video demonstrates.

Whether you decide to travel by auto, train, or ferry, it is relatively easy to get to New York City from Monmouth County, NJ. Many Monmouth County residents commute daily to New York City using mass transportation. The train line is electrified from Long Branch to New York City which eliminates the need to switch trains before entering New York City. Diesel trains cannot enter the train tunnels leading to Penn Station in mid-town Manhattan which is located in the same building as Madison Square Garden. NJ Transit operates the train line known as the Northern Jersey Coast line which runs from Bayhead in Northern Ocean County to New York City. There is also connecting service via the PATH train line from Newark, NJ to the Wall Street area in lower Manhattan. 

Everyone’s favorite transportation from the northern Jersey Shore area to New York City is the high-speed ferry service located at Highlands, Atlantic Highlands and Belford, NJ. Service is provided by Sea Streak in  Highlands and Atlantic Highlands and NY Waterway in the Belford terminal to the Wall Street/South Street Seaport as well as mid-town on the eastside of Manhattan.  Within the next few years there will be an Oceanfront ferry terminal at Pier Village in Long Branch, NJ with Service to New York City  as depicted in the rendering above.  The current routes to New York City take you past the Statue of Liberty and under the Verrazano Bridge.  

For Automobiles to New York City you can take the Lincoln Tunnel to the mid-town area of Manhattan or the Holland Tunnel to the lower Manhattan area. There are also commuter bus terminals at various points throughout Monmouth County to bring riders to points in Manhattan including the Port Authority bus terminal in mid-town just outside of the Lincoln Tunnel.

If you would be interested in relocating to Monmouth County, NJ; please call Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties in Rumson, NJ at 732-224-9200.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is the Better Brand

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is a partnership between the  Realogy Corportation and the Meredith Corporation. Realogy Corporation is the largest real estate and relocation company in the world and Meredith Corporation is one of the leading marketing and media companies best known for Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.  Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is currently the fastest growing real estate brand with plans to become a global real estate company.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties  has agents and staff with over 350 years of combined real estate business experience.  The company’s origins date back to 1978 and it is located in Rumson, NJ serving the Northern Jersey Shore  in an area where many residents commute to New York City via Ferry Boat, Train, and Bus. Commuting times vary from a little under an hour to a little over an hour depending upon location and means of transportation to the City.

The agents at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties are provided numerous marketing tools to better serve their clients. Some of the tools include the Enhanced Realtor.com package, Toolkitcma, and digital and print marketing through www.mybhggreenhouse.com .  Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate also has a luxury property division known as Elegant Properties which will be launched shortly. There is also a commercial real estate divison which will be known as BHGRE Commercial. The Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand is a little over 2 years old and the company is always adding new marketing products to better serve the needs of our clients as well as our agents.  The brand is heavily involved in web based marketing to promote “Green Living”. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has embraced the use of Social Media for marketing as well as staying in contact with their sphere of influence.

At Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties we also try to help our agents save for the future and protect their families. Our agents are encouraged to take advantage of our retirement plan as well as participate in the company health insurance and dental plans.  If you would be interested in a real estate career with a brand that is leading the industry with state of the art marketing tools as well as providing the best service possible  for their agents and clients, please contact us.

Monmouth County, NJ Waterfront Living

Numerous people relocate to our area due to the many benefits that Monmouth County offers them.  The eastern part of the county has beautiful beachfront areas as well as rivers and bays that connect with the Atlantic Ocean. Those Rivers include the Navesink River, Shrewsbury River, Shark River and Manasquan River. We also have the Sandy Hook Bay and Raritan Bay which connect to the New York Harbor. Many people who reside in our area commute to New York City. There is ferry boat service located along the Sandy Hook and Raritan Bay with a proposed Oceanfront Ferry Terminal at Pier Village in Long Branch which should be ready in a couple of years.  There is also Bus and Train service along the coast for those who would prefer to travel by land to New York City. 

In addition to the benefits of commuting from our area, there are numerous cultural and entertainment venues located here. Oceanport NJ is home to the Monmouth Park Race Track which has been featured in movies as well as televised horse races featuring the finest thoroughbred horses and jockeys in the country. Red Bank, Asbury Park and Holmdel are the locations for venues offering music and performances. In Holmdel the PNC Arts Center offers live music during the warmer months of some of the most famous musical  acts in the world.  Red Bank is home to the Count Basie Theater and Two River Theater for music and plays provided by local, regional as well as national acts. Asbury Park is home to the world famous Stone Pony, Convention Hall, and the Saint for live music. As most people know Asbury Park launched the careers of most of the musicians from NJ to make their way to the world stage. Those groups include Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Southside Johnny and Asbury Jukes, Bon Jovi, Nicole Atkins, Monster Magnet and a host of other current and former talent.  After 9/11 many New York Restauranteurs discovered the Jersey Shore and brought with them their great dishes. A lot of these restaurants are located in Red Bank, Long Branch, and Asbury Park. For terrific shopping experiences most people visit the Grove in Shrewsbury, downtown Red Bank, Spring Lake, Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park and Pier Village in Long Branch. 

Ultimately it is the diverse population and friendly people who have decided to call Monmouth County their home. There are many well known celebrities that either were raised here or currently live here. Unlike other areas of the country, we do not disrupt the lives of our well known figures nor have the press constantly following them.  They are treated with respect to privacy just like the rest of us like to enjoy. If this is the type of lifestyle that you look forward to enjoying you can purchase  homes in our area anywhere from  around $100,000 to $10,000,000+ all within just a few miles or even blocks of one another along this beautiful coastal area.