Author Archives: ndomonoski

Tips for Buying Your First Beach House in Margate, New Jersey

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Margate

For many people, their dream home sits on a pristine beach, somewhere just a short walk away from the water and with enough room to put two lawn chairs and an umbrella to read beneath. However, when buying a beach house, there are many things to consider that do not apply for homes further inland. With over 35 years of experience helping families purchase their dream homes, our knowledgeable agents know the most important considerations when buying near the water. Our goal at Soleil Sotheby’s is to find each client their dream home, so if your perfect house is beachside, please take into consideration these tips.

–         Sea Level

A home 30 ft from the water may sound like the most convenient option; however, high property taxes and flood damage may change your mind. Depending on your desired location, seasonal changes and flash floods should be taken into consideration when choosing your home.

–        Mudroom/ Outdoor Shower

An unavoidable occurrence when visiting the beach is that you take some of the beach back with you. If you are someone who doesn’t mind sand following you home, then a mud room or an outdoor shower is not a necessity. However, when it comes to cleaning a beach house you may find that these amenities make all the difference.

–        Extra Maintenance

Living by the ocean has plenty of pros, but saltwater can be a con when it comes to home maintenance. Salt water’s highly corrosive properties make repairing windows, outdoor furniture, and garden equipment a sometimes annual necessity. While you can take steps to protect your property from saltwater, this upkeep should be taken into account while viewing properties.

  • Location, Location, Location

Homes near public beaches can be a wonderful, less expensive option for those looking to save. But, if you are looking to relax with your family away from the crowds, private beaches are your best option. A good middle ground that is often overlooked, however, is the marina. Away from the crowds, less expensive than private beaches, a marina is a quiet spot for boat lovers and while keeping stunning ocean views.

 

Purchasing any home can be a stressful event; beach properties are not excluded from this. However, at Soleil Sotheby’s, our years of experience and specialization in beach towns such as Brigantine, Longport, and Margate, New Jersey, will give you peace of mind on your exciting journey of purchasing your dream beach house.

Our New Hobby

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Since people are spending more time at home than ever before, baking has become quite a popular hobby, with homemade bread being one of the favorites. One of our agents, Mark Seubert, has perfected his sourdough recipe, and it definitely looks delicious! 

 

IMG_1489

 

 

Ingredients:

For the levain

  • 35 grams bread flour
  • 35 grams whole wheat flour
  • 35 grams mature starter
  • 70 grams filtered water

For the dough

  • 810 grams bread flour
  • 90 grams whole wheat flour
  • 680 grams filtered water (at 90℉)
  • 18 grams fine sea salt
  1. Mix levain ingredients and rest in a warm area (70-80℉) for 5 hours.
  2. One hour before your levain is done, mix together your bread flour and whole wheat flour. Add 580g of your water to the flour mixture (keeping 100g to the side for mixing later).
  3. Mix just until your dough comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm area (same as your starter) for 1 hour.
  4. Mix your dough and levain together using a little of your separated water to help incorporate it. Rest 20 minutes.
  5. Add your sea salt and the rest of your separated water and mix until incorporated. Slap and fold for 2-4 minutes or until your dough is smooth and begins to catch some air. Rest 15 minutes in the same warm area you placed your starter.
  6. Perform 6 sets of stretch and folds spaced out by 15 minutes for the first 3, then 30 minutes for the next 3. Make sure to place your dough back in the warm area for each rest.
  7. Let your dough rest for a remainder of 1.5 hours, for a grand total of 4 hours.
  8. Dump out and divide your dough into 2 even pieces. Preshape each piece into a light boule and rest 5-10 minutes.
  9. Shape your dough into 2 batards and place it into bannetons dusted with either rice flour or all-purpose flour.
  10. Chill in the fridge overnight.
  11. Preheat a cast iron combo cooker in your oven from cold to 500℉ for 1 hour.
  12. Carefully place a dusted loaf into the hot pan, score the top, place the larger lid on top, and bake for 20 minutes.
  13. Remove the top from the combo cooker and lower the oven temperature to 450℉. Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes, or until the loaf is a deep brown.
  14. Remove and cool on a wire rack until room temperature. Repeat with the other loaf.

 

Sample Schedule for Breadmaking

9am: Mix levain

1pm: Autolyse dough

2pm: Mix dough and levain

2:15pm: Mix in salt

2:30pm: Fold #1

2:45pm: Fold #2

3:00pm: Fold #3

3:30pm: Fold #4

4:00pm: Fold #5

4:30pm: Fold #6, rest for 1.5 hours

6pm: Shape dough and place in fridge overnight

Next morning: Preheat oven as guided and bake!

Peace Ride Challenge

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Peace Ride Points Map
This weekend, Soleil Sotheby’s International Realty is hosting the Peace Ride Challenge! We invite you to bike, run or walk this course. Be sure to post pictures and tag us so we can share!
START
Point 1 (Jefferson and Atlantic)
Run Straight down and find Point 2
Point 2 (Jerome and Atlantic)
Run back to find Point 3
Point 3 (Lancaster and Atlantic)
Run up to Winchester and make a Right run to Jerome to find Point 4
Point 4 (Jerome and Winchester)
Run back to Lancaster, left to Ventnor, and left to find Point 5
Point 5 (Ventnor and Jerome)
CONGRATULATIONS YOU COMPLETED Letter E
Run back to Lancaster and down to Atlantic to begin letter C by running to Pembroke make a Right towards Winchester to find Point 6
Point 6 (Pembroke and Winchester)
Run to Mansfield to find Point 7
Point 7
CONGRATULATIONS YOU COMPLETED Letter C
Run back to Pembroke and down to Atlantic to begin letter A by running to Quincy Ave and make right up to Winchester to find Point 8
Point 8 (Quincy and Winchester)
Run towards Thurlow to find Point 9
Point 9 (Thurlow and Winchester)
Run down to Ventnor and make a left to Quincy then run back to Thurlow and make a left down to Atlantic to find Point 10
Point 10 (Thurlow and Atlantic)
CONGRATULATIONS YOU COMPLETED Letter A
Run all the way to Benson and make a right all the way to Winchester to find Point 11
Point 11(Benson and Winchester)
Run to Union and back to Benson, make a left down to Ventnor, then left on Ventnor to Vendome to find Point 12
Point 12 (Vendome and Ventnor)
CONGRATULATIONS YOU COMPLETED Letter E
Run back to Benson down to Atlantic, make a right to Jefferson then make right all the way up to Winchester to find Point 13 (Jefferson and Winchester)
Point 13 (Jefferson and Winchester)
HOME STRETCH!
Run to Decatur make Rt and run to Ventnor, make right and run to the corner of Jefferson to find Point 14
Point 14 (Jefferson and Decatur)
FINISH LINE
Run straight down Ventnor to Jefferson to complete the word PEACE

Book Suggestions for Every Type of Reader

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Fiction:

Contemporary Romance:

  • Bromance Bookclub by Lyssa Kay Adams
  • Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
  • Anything by Colleen Hoover 
  • Anything by Christina Lauren 
  • Anything by Taylor Jenkins Reid 
  • One Day in December by Josie Silver
  • Eevie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
  • The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

 

Thriller/Mystery:

  • Verity by Colleen Hoover
  • The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
  • The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
  • The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
    The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

 

5 Picks from Reese’s Bookclub:

  • Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owns
  • Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
  • Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste NG
  • The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes
  • Whisper Network by Chandler Baker

 

Non-Fiction:

  • Educated by Tara Westover
  • Becoming by Michelle Obama
  • Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff
  • I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
  • Open Book by Jessica Simpson

 

Young Adult:

Cotemporary:

  • The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas
  • The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
  • Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

 

Romance:

  • To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Trilogy by Jenny Han
  • The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy by Jenny Han
  • Hopeless Series by Colleen Hoover
  • Slammed Series by Colleen Hoover
  • Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

 

Health/Mental Health:

  • The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
  • Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott
  • Turtles All The Way Down by John Green
  • All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

 

Mystery/Thriller

  • One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus
  • One of Us Is Next by Karen McManus
  • Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus
  • A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
  • This Lie will Kill You by Chelsea Pitcher

 

 

Goodreads List of 100 Biographies You Should Read in a Lifetime:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/85102.100_Biographies_Memoirs_to_Read_in_a_Lifetime_Readers_Picks

Goodreads List of “Books that everyone should read at least once”:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/264.Books_That_Everyone_Should_Read_At_Least_Once


Goodreads blog post “The Big Books of Spring 2020”:

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1786-the-big-books-of-spring?content_type=all

 

Goodreads List of “Best YA realistic novels”:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8460.Best_Young_Adult_Realistic_Novels

 

Goodreads List of “YA Dystopian Novels”:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2216.YA_Dystopia_Novels

 

Goodreads List of “Best Young Adult Books”:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/43.Best_Young_Adult_Books

Courtesy of On Our Shelf. Follow on Instagram for more recommendations! @_onourshelf

Open Houses – September 21st & 22nd

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Open Houses - Sept 20 2019

 

Join us for some exceptional open houses this weekend. We have plenty of incredible homes to tour!

  1. 5 N. Douglas Avenue, Margate, NJ on Saturday from 9 am – 11 am & Sunday from 10 am – 1 pm
  2. 117 N. Adams Avenue, Margate, NJ on Saturday from 9:30 am – 11:30 am, 1 pm – 3 pm & Sunday from 11 am – 1 pm
  3. 3 N. Clarendon Avenue, Margate, NJ on Saturday from 10 am – 12 pm
  4. 107 N. Quincy Avenue, Margate, NJ on Saturday from 10 am – 12 pm & Sunday from 11 am – 1 pm
  5. 7600 Ventnor Avenue, Margate, NJ on Saturday 10 am – 12 pm & Sunday 10 am – 12 pm
  6. 14 S. Lafayette Avenue, Ventnor, NJ on Saturday from 11 am – 1 pm
  7. 22 S. Adams Avenue, Unit A, Margate, NJ on Saturday from 11 am – 1 pm
  8. 106 S. 16th Avenue, Longport, NJ on Saturday & Sunday from 11 am – 1 pm

Open Houses – August 3rd & 4th

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Soleil Sotheby’s International Realty has some exceptional homes to tour this weekend. Come out and see these homes and let us know what you think!

Open Houses - Aug 3rd 2019 BLOG
1. 117 N. Adams Avenue, Margate, NJ – Saturday, Aug. 3rd from 9:30 am – 1:30 pm
2. 14 S Lafayette Avenue, Ventnor, NJ – Saturday, Aug. 3rd from 11 am – 1 pm
3. 5 N. Douglas Avenue, Margate, NJ – Saturday, Aug. 3rd & Sunday, Aug. 4th from 10 am – 1 pm
4. 106 S. 16th Avenue, Longport, NJ – Saturday, Aug. 3rd & Sunday, Aug. 4th from 11 am – 1 pm
5. 17 S. Little Rock Avenue, Ventnor, NJ – Sunday, Aug. 4th from 10 am – 12 pm
6. 14 S. Fredericksburg Avenue, Margate, NJ – Sunday, Aug. 4th. from 11 am – 1 pm
7. 9200 Monmouth Avenue, Unit C, Margate NJ – Sunday, Aug. 4th from 1 pm – 3 pm

2018 Market Report

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market report cover

In our ongoing effort to become an invaluable resource to our clients and neighbors, Soleil Sotheby’s International Realty is committed to making sure you have all the information you need to make the best decision.

The 2018 Market Report is a detailed snapshot of the real estate markets of Longport, Margate, Ventnor, Atlantic City, and Brigantine, comparing single-family home and condominium statistics as well as the year to year change. The report also highlights our recent significant sales, a few of our extraordinary listings, as well as a glimpse of Sotheby’s Auction House.

To read the full report, click here.

 

When Should You Consider Hiring a New Real Estate Agent?

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Real Estate Keys

The decision to either purchase or sell a home is a pivotal one in anyone’s life. It’s why so much trust is put into a real estate agent to guide the process and help ensure your satisfaction and return on investment. We take great pride in our real estate agents building working relationships with our clients and truly putting in the time and effort to ensure complete satisfaction. We want everyone looking at real estate at the Jersey shore to find the ideal agent for their needs. It’s why we put together a list of sure-fire signs that you need to start looking at other real estate agents.

  • Lack of Communication – When you put your trust into a real estate agent, it’s important that transparency is utilized by both parties. Questions are a part of the process and it’s important that your agent is getting back to you in a timely manner. If it’s taking longer than 24 hours for your agent to respond to you, it’s more than likely time to find another agent.
  • Lack of Interest – Every successful real estate transaction is achieved by a real estate agent who understands the wants and needs of their client. If you notice that your real estate agent is struggling to grasp a lot of the details you share with them, it’s not going to end well. The best real estate agents are great communicators because they are great listeners.
  • Lack of Professionalism – Your real estate agent should never have you questioning their professionalism. Appearance matters and your real estate agent should dress the part. Beyond that, your real estate agent should be valuing your time and showing up to appointments prepared and on time.
  • Seems Desperate – The last thing you want in a real estate agent is someone who promises the world and then fails to deliver. One of the largest signs of desperation is overpromising how much money can be saved by working with them. A desperate real estate agent is even more dangerous when they are asked to sell your home as they are likely trying to get the deal done as quickly as possible. You need a great negotiator who is willing to spend the time to get the best deal.

If you think you may have hired the wrong real estate agent, it’s important to make the switch quickly. Every real estate transaction can bring about some serious levels of stress. This stress is only compounded when you don’t feel like you have the right team in your corner. At SoleilSir.com, we take great pride in making sure that every client feels completely comfortable with their agent.

 

 

How to Get your Jersey Shore Rental Ready for Next Year

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Housewife in rubber protective cleaning and polish electric cooker. Black shiny surface of kitchen top, hands, detergent.

 

It’s a New Year, which means we have a few months of winter ahead of us. If you own a vacation home down the Jersey Shore, you probably know the precautions you should take already, but it doesn’t hurt to remind you just in case. First, you should have the HVAC inspected before the temperatures get too cold and make sure to have the heat on, so the pipes don’t freeze. We also recommend having an on-call handyman available to handle any repairs and/or snow removal if you are unable to do it yourself.

 

However, we also wanted to take a second and talk about ways you can improve your vacation rental, so that it is a hot draw come the summer. Memorial Day will be here before you know it. Many of the recommendations we make shouldn’t be too expensive or time-intensive, but they can go a long way in attracting new and returning guests. Here are a few things you should consider to update your vacation rental.

 

Replace Your Old Television: People who are looking at vacation rentals in Brigantine and other parts of the Jersey Shore probably won’t be spending too much time in front of the TV during their stay, but an outdated television is a sure way to make your rental look old. A quality flat screen television won’t set you back too much, and it can be an easy way to modernize a room.

 

Schedule a Deep Cleaning of Your Home: While you can do it yourself, we recommend hiring a professional cleaning service to do a thorough and detailed cleaning of your vacation rental.

 

Replace Any Chipped Dishes and Glassware: If you have a lot of mismatched kitchenware or dishes that are chipped, it might be a good idea to take care of that. You don’t have to spend a fortune either. You can find deals on boxed sets of dishes online and in most big-box retail stores.

 

Switch Out Any Old Linens: Having soft linens that ensure quality sleep is an easy way to earn yourself a good vacation home review. Opt to replace any older linens and pillows for something higher quality that will last a long time and provide a good night’s sleep.

 

Put Life into Your Outdoor Furniture: Chances are your guests will spend a lot of time outside. You don’t have to replace your outdoor furniture to create an inviting outdoor atmosphere. However, you may have to do a thorough cleaning of the furniture and replace the cushions.

 

At Soleil Sotheby’s International Realty, we specialize in vacation rentals and homes for sale in Brigantine and other parts of the Jersey Shore. Contact our team today if you are interested in listing your vacation rental.

Warm Weather Home Staging Tips

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Nice entryway to home with carpeted staircase, and white interio

 

Although summer has come and gone, we still have many weeks of warm and beautiful weather to come. That’s why we wanted to take a moment and discuss summer staging tips for the rest of this season or for next. It’s never too early to think about staging if you are going to sell your home in the next twelve months.

 

Why Stage?

 

Staging is an important part of the process to sell your home. Staging makes the property look more like a welcoming home, and it enables prospective buyers to develop an emotional connection and start conjuring ideas about how they would decorate. If they can see themselves in your home, they are more likely to put in a competitive offer.

 

So as the days are still relatively long and the weather is warm, your NJ realtor may offer you the following suggestions to stage a home that could lead to an offer:

 

Enhance your curb appeal: Whether we are talking about the beginning of spring or the end of summer, we would highly encourage you to clean up your yard and promote outdoor living. This could mean fixing up the lawn, planting a few colorful shrubs, or finally fixing that leaning fence. Curb appeal will go a long way to show prospective buyers that you took care of your home and your home is great for the outdoors.

 

Take advantage of natural light: As the days are still long, you’ll have ample opportunities to use natural light to stage your home. Your NJ realtor may recommend you position your furniture in a way to take full advantage of the light. Natural light makes the home feel larger and more vibrant. If you can, use light-colored window treatments to accentuate it even further.

 

Serve seasonal refreshments and treats: If you are having an open house, it’s always polite to serve refreshments and treats. It might be a good idea to look into providing seasonal and local items. As it’s the end of summer, apples, pumpkins, and squash will be fresh and abundant. A little added touch, like a seasonal recipe, may actually go a long way to make your home memorable and one that buyers will consider bidding on.

 

If you thinking about selling your home or want to invest in NJ real estate, our award-winning team of realtors can help. Contact us today to learn more!