Southern New Jersey Overlook

The quality and amount of online and TV coverage continues to expand and improve with each Olympics as the technology allows.

This year, if you can't get enough Olympics with your regular local NBC TV station coverage, you can access one of the other NBC channels, including HD quality broadcasts, plus have access to live and recorded streaming video on the Internet.  

In addition many major news and sports sites have extended coverage and results tracking.  Then there is also the official Beijing 2008 and related Olympics sites.

Click here for links to major Olympics information, results and viewing resources.

Copyright 2008 by Lawrence Yerkes. All Rights Reserved.

Medford Lakes enjoyed another successful Canoe Carnival for 2008 this past weekend.  As always it was a great time for the community, families and friends to celebrate the uniqueness that's Medford Lakes.

There had originally been weather reports calling for showers in the evening, but the historical trend in Medford Lakes of no rain on the first Saturday in August was once again upheld.  The the festivities went off without any rain, dispite threatening clouds during the day, and even providing a beautiful sunset of the lake. 

Around 9 pm the signal was sounded for the Canoe Floats to dismbark from their dock moorings.  As always, it's amazing to see the ingenuity and creativity that displayed by local individuals and groups and on display for the thousands of appreciative spectators surrounding Lower Aetna Lake.

Here are some pictures taken that evening curing the Canoe Carnival...


Spectators getting ready to watch the event from Beach One:

Views from from another location of lake, just prior to parade of Canoe Floats:







Here are some (not all) of the the great Floats we experienced (without the sounds, activity and performances that you would enjoy if seeing it live):


Kickin' Around The Lake (by The Dry Docks):




"Re-Cycle of Life" (by Girl Scouts of America):




Rie On the Magid School Bus (by Jr. Friends of Medford UMC):




An Incovenient Float (by the Unlikely's):




Sea Cruise (by Friends of Medford UMC):




Horton Hears The Who (by A Group Named Sioux):




Neeta School Musical  (by the Next Generation):




Welcome Back (by Ladies of the Lakes):




Splish Splash - We're Takin' A Bath  (by The Hardwick Family):




Still The One (by On The Rocks):




The Boys Are Back In Town (by The Scrub Pines):




It's Cool To Bee Green  (by Medford Lakes Up-N Comers)




Iron Man  (by Barely Afloat):



(Note: Two red lights were on the flat bottom of a large moving Steam Iron.)

If you missed it these year, be sure to mark your calendars for next year's Canoe Carnival (remember, it's always the first Saturday in August).

Copyright 2008 by Lawrence Yerkes. All Rights Reserved.

When looking at the year-to-month actual statistics (using the most recently completed month of July vs. June, May, April, March and January) for Burlington County, the results for residential homes on the market, sold, average price and days for sale before close is charted as follows:

See previous article for prior year 01/200X year-to-date comparisons.

This shows that the trend is still slowly downward, but hopefully will soon begin levelling.

The current inventory is 4259, with an average monthly Sold of 355, yielding a backlog of 11 months to sell off the inventory at current rates of sale.

When looking at the year-to-month actual statistics (using the most recently completed month of July vs. June, May, April, March and January) for Camden County, the results for residential homes on the market, sold, average price and days for sale before close is charted as follows:

See previous article for prior year 01/200X year-to-date comparison.

This shows that while the trend is now slightly downward, it appears that it is attempting to level and hopefully will soon begin to reverse direction.

The current inventory is 4516, with an average monthly Sold of 372, yielding a backlog of 12 months to sell off the inventory at current rates of sale.

When looking at the year-to-month actual statistics (using the most recently completed month of July vs. June, May, April, March and January) for Gloucester County, the results for residential homes on the market, sold, average price and days for sale before close is charted as follows:

See previous article for prior year 01/200X year-to-date comparison.

This shows that the trend is continuing to show a downward tendency, it appears to be slow, and hopefully will start to level and even reverse direction.

The current inventory is 2610, with an average monthly Sold of 208, yielding a backlog of 12 months to sell off the inventory at current rates of sale.

When looking at the year-to-month actual statistics (using the most recently completed month of July vs. June, May, April, March and January) for Salem County, the results for residential homes on the market, sold, average price and days for sale before close is charted as follows:

This shows that the trend is still slightly downward and hopefully may be attempting to level and even soon begin to reverse direction.

The current inventory is 622, with an average monthly Sold of 41, yielding a backlog of 15 months to sell off the inventory at current rates of sale.

When looking at the year-to-month actual statistics (using the most recently completed month of  July vs. June, May, April, March and January) for for Mercer County, the results for residential homes on the market, sold, average price and days for sale before close is charted as follows:

This shows that the trend is leveling and possibly beginning to reverse direction.

The current inventory is 2579, with an average monthly Sold of 251, yielding a backlog of 10 months to sell off the inventory at current rates of sale.

Here are some of the Realty Reality blog articles that appeared during the past month of July:

Dreamtowns Offer Refuge From Big Cities
Many homeowner's surveyed, said that they would prefer to live in a smaller towns. This knowledge is important to buyer's agents because they may service the special needs of buyers moving from a metropolitan area to rural regions...

Economic Outlook for Real Estate: No Recession In Sight
The National Association of Business Economics (NABE) is "an association of professionals who have an interest in business economics and who want to use the latest economic data and trends to enhance their ability ability to make sound business decisions"...

The Custom "McMansion"
Mass market builders are moving towards building custom homes to gain the attraction of home buyers who want one of-a-kind-homes. This offers buyers the option to build their dream home without the typical high prices. Pass this article along to your buyers, especially if you have buyers that are looking to custom build their home...

Federal Reserve Beige Book July 2008 Report
Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts suggest that the pace of economic activity slowed somewhat since the last report...

Interactive Tool Helps Families Stay Safer In and Around The Pool
Home Safety Council (HSC) research shows that drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional injury-related death across all age groups, yet a recent study commissioned by the national, nonprofit organization found that only six percent of respondents have taken any action to prevent drowning incidents at home...

Sleepover "Test Drive" By Buyers
Though buyers can visit a home many times during the day, some sellers are now offering, and some buyers are requesting, the chance for the buyers to stay overnight at a home for sale. Buyers are able to get a complete feel of the home by staying there for an extended period...

How To Avoid Foreclosure On Your Home
...You can stop foreclosure on your home and save your credit, but you have to act quickly and learn what options are available for your situation...

T. Boone's Plan For Energy Independence
The oil tycoon, T. Boone Pickens, has developed a plan to reduce America's independence on foreign oil though the alternate use of natural gas and expanding the harnessing of our greatest natural resource: wind, along with solar energy...

World Energy Usage Will Grow 50% Before 2030
World marketed energy consumption is projected to grow by 50 percent between 2005 and 2030, driven by robust economic growth and expanding populations in the world's developing countries, according to the reference case projection from the International Energy Outlook 2008 (IEO2008) released recently by the Energy Information Administration (EIA)...

Real American Stories by Fox News
Fox News has started a web site called, "Real American Stories". It is designed to share American stories to "appreciate who we are and how truly fortunate we are to be part of the American experience."...

Celebrate Independence Day 2008 With Fireworks
Delaware Valley has many opportunities to enjoy fireworks.  If you live in or near South Jersey, you have many opportunities to enjoy fireworks displays put on by local communities...

Is Now A Good Time to Buy or Sell Real Estate?
Many of us, who are contemplating buying or selling real estate, are trying to predict the market and reduce our risk of making a bad financial decision.  A question is usually asked, "Is now a good time to buy or sell real estate, especially a residence?"...




For real estate resources, help and support services in acquiring or selling properties in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Visit my web site: LawrenceYerkes.com
    
and visit Besthomes-NJ.com to shop for the latest New Jersey Real Estate property listings (Residential, Commercial, Multi-Family, Farm, Land).   

Copyright 2008 by Lawrence Yerkes. All Rights Reserved.  

The Church of the Holy Eucharist, located in Tabernacle, NJ, is celebrating their 20th annual Pine Barrens Festival held on the grounds of the church, starting August 4th (Monday) through August 9th (Saturday), 2008.

Festivities include food, beverages, rides and entertainment nightly and all day Saturday.  See the official Pine Barrens Festival web site for details, including event schedules and directions, plus festival photos from the previous year.  

A highlight each day with be "Focus On Our Town" in which one of the surrounding municipalities of Tabernacle, Medford, Medford Lakes, Southampton, Shamong and Woodland (Chatsworth) will each be honoring a community member who has contributed outstanding service to their respective community.

According to the official web site, "If you have never attended the festival, here is what you can expect: delicious foods, exciting games, fabulous rides, live entertainment, prizes, cultural information just great fun for family and friends. Admission and parking are free! There is something for everyone."


Pine Barrens Festival

Copyright 2008 by Lawrence Yerkes. All Rights Reserved.

One of the highlights of the Medford Lakes experience is the annual Canoe Carnival held on the first Saturday in August.    Everyone looks forward to this time where the community comes together to celebrate the uniqueness of Medford Lakes and enjoy the fellowship of family and friends in a Mardi Gras type of atmosphere, culminating in a parade of canoe floats on the water.  (That description doesn't do it justice, you have to experience it!) 

There are a lot of preparations and planning leading up to this event, including the campaigning and voting on the King and Queen of the Canoe Carnival and the Court.  They were announced yesterday, and will be appearing on one of the procession of floats that will embark from their docks at dark, when the signal to begin is given.   Kids and people of all ages are always fascinated by the creativity and ingenuity that goes into the making of the floats.

Starting at 7pm, on Beach One, there will be a Master of Ceremonies, who will introduce the live entertainment and featured participants prior to the parade of canoe floats, and will then introduce each float as it goes by. 

See the Colony Club website for more details about the Canoe Carnival.


See my previous articles about the Medford Lakes Canoe Carnival that describe it in more detail and provide some historical background.


Wider view of above photo:


Another view of lake showing some of the preparations for tonights Canoe Carnival:

Copyright 2008 by Lawrence Yerkes. All Rights Reserved.