
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — If you haven't booked a week down the shore yet, you probably missed your chance. One realtor tells KYW Newsradio just about everything is booked solid.
Shore businesses are expecting a big summer, and if the rental market is any indication, they will be happy come September.
It's good news for property owners, but bad news for procrastinators. Ocean City realtor Mike Contino says everything in the peak weeks is locked in already.
"The last week of June into the Fourth of July until the end of August — and there's nothing left," he said. It's completely booked. You might find something but you're not getting the cream of the crop."
It's a combination of increased demand and dwindling supply, Contino explained.
"Many homeowners who used to rent their place and are not traveling to Europe or wherever or going on cruises, they took their property out of the rental market," he said, "so our inventory for rental properties has shrunk."
Contino said prices vary depending on the size of the house and the proximity to the beach, but a typical three-bedroom home a block or two from the ocean rents for about $5,000 a week these days.
If you really want to get down there, Contine suggested you contact as many listing agents as possible to get your name on a waiting list and hope for the best. Websites like Airbnb or Vrbo are options as well, but there are slim pickings left at this point. Your best bet might be to wait until after Labor Day weekend.
The Jersey Shore is gearing up for a big summer. KYW Newsradio In Depth explores what that might mean for the area economy.
