Do you have to be a millionaire to live close to the beach? (Toms River: real estate)

[W-B proud]

I live in northeast Pa. We go down the shore every year for vacation (sometimes A.C. sometimes The Wildwoods). I've always wanted to move somewhere close to the ocean. I'm a blue collar guy, and my question is can an "average joe" live close to the ocean without being a millionaire? Is there any jobs down that way? Are the taxes insane ect.? Any info would help.

[NJ Chutzpah]

You can live in Seaside heights if you are an average person, and Asbury park too

[njmike]

I grew up "down the shore" and my father was a blue collar worker.

[Newarkbomb]

Not at all. There's plenty of shore cities and towns that are affordable for the average person. (I mean it's not cheap, but it's not expensive)

[clevedark]

Toms River comes to mind.

[frankgn87]

in Wildwood right now(its our vacation spot too) you can make a heck of a deal on nice single homes or a townhouse you can deal even more.. a quick check tells me there are $300k homes in Wildwood right now and they ain't selling. You may be able to grab one for $250k.

[tpajewski]

We just bought a house in Beach Haven West about a year and a half ago. If you are not familiar that is on the other side of the bay from LBI. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. We paid less well less than $400k for it. It is also on a canal that we have a dock on the access from there to drive a boat into the bay and subsequently into the ocean. Taxes are less than they are on our house up here. We love it.

[hrjersey]

I live in Toms River (Ocean County) - a little north of where you're used to. I live on a lagoon that leads to the open bay. I have the best of both worlds because I'm 10 minutes from the beach but I still have great water views and a place to dock a boat or jet skis. 3 years ago you would have had to shell out at least $500K for a small house on a lagoon. Today you can get under $400K and maybe even lower than that - since nothing has sold in my neighborhood in at least 6 months.

Toms River just went through re-assessments. My taxes were $4900. They assessed my house for the amount I could have sold it for 3 years ago which would have put my taxes at $6500. I'm currently waiting for my new assessment because they had info wrong on my tax card and I brought in comps so I'm expecting my taxes to drop.

The shore areas tend to be a lot of blue collar because there isn't much business and industry. Jobs are scarce all over so although it may be a good time to buy, it's not a good time to look for a job.

Toms River and Brick are large cities. I personally think the taxes are more reasonable here then in a lot of NJ and the services are pretty good.

[VeradoDan]

Originally Posted by hrjersey

I live in Toms River (Ocean County) - a little north of where you're used to. I live on a lagoon that leads to the open bay. I have the best of both worlds because I'm 10 minutes from the beach but I still have great water views and a place to dock a boat or jet skis.

Me too! T.R. is a great place to live, and you can get a waterfront home for a decent (not cheap, but good for waterfront) price. I can't wait 'til spring when I can get my boat in and begin fishing!

As far as jobs... Well, Ft. Monmouth was a big employer in the area, and thanks to the inaction of our elected leaders, it's going the way of the dodo. The Asbury Park Press was a big employer, but we all know what's happening with newspapers. Meridian Health and St. Barnabas Health System are two huge employers, though they have shed some jobs too. Of course, there are enough seniors around to keep those companies afloat, most likely.

Most people around here are self-employed. I wouldn't say it's mainly blue collar - there are tons of white collar businesses around (insurance companies, financial services, lawyers, real estate, etc.) to make things pretty diverse. Personally, I was laid off last fall and have spent the past several months getting a seasonal business together and (luckily) the stars have aligned where it looks like things are going to work out alright.

If you are creative and work hard, you can make it happen!

[billb7581]

How close do you have to be? Lots of average Joes buy in that Villas/Lower Twp area