Tag: Monmouth County
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.
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.
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.
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.
![oceanfront lb hotel](https://bhgmoves.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/oceanfront-lb-hotel.jpg?w=840)
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.
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.
TV personalities Jon Stewart from the Daily Show has a home in Red Bank, NJ.
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.
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.
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
Wishing you a Happy Holiday Season
The Monmouth County area has always been blessed by the generosity of the people who have the ability to give back to their community like those who participated in this Holiday Concert for Charity (Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny, Nicole Atkins and many other talented musicians from the area that call Monmouth County home). We are also fortunate to have great local venues like the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ featured in this concert and currently under-going a major renovation. Although we have many successful and wealthy people in our area, we also have families that need assistance, especially during the holiday season. During this recent recession, many more families are in need of help from their neighbors. Even if you are not in a position to assist financially, there are always charities and non-profit organizations seeking people willing to donate their time to help others. In Red Bank, NJ there is a great organization known as Lunch Break which provides meals daily to the less fortunate. There is also an organization known as The Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties based in Neptune, NJ that provides meals as well. At Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties we are participating in the Toys for Tots program with United States Marine Corps Reserve.
Home Buying Opportunities
Now is the best time to purchase a home. Housing Affordability is near a record high. This is due to the historically low interest rates and home price levels prior to the “Boom Years” of real estate in our area. The mortgage rates and home prices in our area really cannot go much lower than they already have. The person who purchases when others do not, stands the greatest chance of obtaining a fantastic buying opportunity. Home sales generally decline during the holidays, so the smart buyer would commit to buying a home at that time rather than wait for the new year or Spring market when the majority of homes are sold for the year. Buying when everyone else buys is what causes spikes in home prices due to multiple buyers trying to purchase the same home. The median price of a home or condo in our area has begun to rise according to the National Association of Realtors report for the third quarter of 2010.
In our area less than 2% of all properties are in a distress situation. This means that more than 98% of property owners in our area are meeting their financing obligations. It also means that Monmouth County, NJ is one of the stronger and most desireable real estate markets in the country. The reason for this is our beautiful shore location and commuting distance to New York City. Even people like Bruce Springsteen believe in purchasing real estate in our area as his song above describes possibly his mansion on a hill in Rumson, NJ.
Many people are led to believe that financing is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain which is not true. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) provides financing for owner occupied homes up to $729,000 with 3.5% down. They also allow for less than perfect credit borrows. FICO credit scores can be as low as 620 to obtain an FHA loan. They also allow family members to assist the home buyer. The FHA 203k loan is perfect for buyers looking to purchase a home that needs repairs or remodeling. This loan is a very good choice for people who can afford the home but do not have the funds to renovate the home. Using this type of loan can build instant equity in a home by taking a home that was otherwise unihabitable, like a foreclosure or damaged house, and creating a newer inviting home.
FHA Loans are also assumable which allows the seller to offer their buyer possibly better mortgage terms than they could obtain at a bank. Most people move every 5 to 10 years. Buying a home today with an FHA loan at roughly 4.5% will help sell this home for a better price in 5 to 10 years. There are basically two reasons for this. One, in all likelyhood interest rates will be higher than 4.5% at that time (interest rates have not been this low in most of our life times). Two, assumable mortgages allow the new buyer to pick up the payments of the seller which means that selling a home with a 30 year mortgage in 5 to 10 years leaves 20 to 25 years of payments remaining. This also lets the new buyer build equity faster because the first 5 years of a loan are generally interest. They would also save 5 to 10 years of mortgage payments which if you were to use a payment of principal and interest of $1500 would equate to a savings of $18,000 per year times the number of years shortened from the 30 year loan. Based on using 5 years, it would save the buyer $90,000 in mortgage payments in addition to the difference in mortgage rates 5 years from now vs interest today’s rates.
For those intersted in learning more about home purchases and financing, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties is offering a Free Home Buyer Seminar on December 1, 2010 at their office located at 105 East River Road Rumson, NJ 07760. Please call 732-224-9200 x 102 for reservations.
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.