Robert's Blog

Island Beach State Park

WOW! Great news, after I posted a blog on NJ beaches last week I stumble across an article in today's paper about my favorite beach, Island Beach State Park.  Men's Fitness magazine named  IBSP as on of the 10 hot spots to visit in the Summer. National Recognition... There goes the neighborhood!

Did you ever think that a Beach in NJ would be named in a top 10 list?

Island beach is located just south of seaside, it is the southern most tip of the barrier Island that starts with Point Pleasant beach. What makes it so special is that it is a preserved barrier island, approximately 10 miles of shore line on both the ocean and bay side. (so over 20 Miles of water) Here is a Birdseye view:

There is almost no development in the park other than 3 bath houses on the first 3 beaches, the old governors mansion, a nature center. Other than a few outhouses, you wont see many structures on the island. The Road in the park is a straight run right up the middle, and is over 7 miles long. There are parking areas hidden through out the 7 mile stretch. On the ocean side this is one of the only places you can drive on the beach (4x4 necessary with a permit) and one of the only places in NJ that I know that allows you to have a fire on the beach. (South of the bathing beaches at least).  The park has rolling sand dunes, maritime forests, tidal marshes and of course wild life, Fox, Osprey an more. 

The Bay side is where you will find tidal marshes and many small islands on the southern end, great for Kayaking and nature watching. About half way down the Island on the bay side is "Tices Shoal" a narrow point in the island it is a popular anchorage in the summer with and easy walk across the island to the ocean beach.

There are not many places you can go and enjoy a place so Untouched by man. You can be on a beach without being crowded and enjoy a true get away, Definately worthy of a visit!

I hope you enjoyed the quick Tour!

Have a great weekend

Rob

Robert Rauf

www.RobertRaufHomeloans.com

Here are a few important 4th of July Tips

Remember:

1. Buy Beer and burgers TODAY
   
2. Light the fireworks
3. Throw
4. Run... (away from the burning stick of gunpowder!)  It is hard to blog with missing fingers.

and on an important note we shouldnt forget: SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, We would not even have any July 4th celebrations if it wasnt for our troops!

Have a great weekend

Rob

Last week's interest rate improvements were mostly driven by a flight to quality.  As money was flowing out of a weak stock market investors have to find a safe haven which typically means the Credit Markets... Which is where Bonds and Mortgages are traded. As the money flows in, the price goes up which brings the yield down. (in the credit market it is an inverse relationship between price and yield)

This week has been a pretty quiet one so far, we lost a little ground yesterday, but we are probably with in about 1/8% trading range for the whole week.

Thursday is the "biggie" of the week. With the Holiday we have the Non Farm Payroll report for the month of June coming in a day early.  It is anticipated that the economy lost 60,000 jobs, The unemployment rate to be 5.4% and that average Hourly Earnings are up 0.3%.  These are the numbers that are already "priced in" and any deviation in these numbers will move the market.  If by chance there are only 55,000 jobs lost and the UE rate is 5.3%, look for a rapid sell off in the market which will lead to higher interest rates.... Conversely if we see 65,000 jobs loss and a 5.5% UE rate we are likely to see a rally in the market, but I don't anticipate any rally to be "big" since it is a holiday shortened week and the market closes early Thursday (2pm close).

I have typically seen conservative trading just prior to the holiday weekend, Foreign markets are still open July 4th and Trading the day prior will likely be light... and my personal theory is that it is mostly the Jr traders left running the shop on July 3rd, and they don't want to get caught with their pants down and have their bosses yell at them on Monday... So a sharp sell off is more likely than a big rally.

But the market is always right, and I can only make educated guesses!  For now the market is volatile enough to warrant locking in your loan, it is the safe gamble in this environment

Have a great 4th of July Weekend!!! Support our Troops, with out them we would not have a 4th of July!

Rob

Robert Rauf

www.RobertRaufHomeLoans.com

Last week's interest rate improvements were mostly driven by a flight to quality.  As money was flowing out of a weak stock market investors have to find a safe haven which typically means the Credit Markets... Which is where Bonds and Mortgages are traded. As the money flows in, the price goes up which brings the yield down. (in the credit market it is an inverse relationship between price and yield)

This week has been a pretty quiet one so far, we lost a little ground yesterday, but we are probably with in about 1/8% trading range for the whole week.

Thursday is the "biggie" of the week. With the Holiday we have the Non Farm Payroll report for the month of June coming in a day early.  It is anticipated that the economy lost 60,000 jobs, The unemployment rate to be 5.4% and that average Hourly Earnings are up 0.3%.  These are the numbers that are already "priced in" and any deviation in these numbers will move the market.  If by chance there are only 55,000 jobs lost and the UE rate is 5.3%, look for a rapid sell off in the market which will lead to higher interest rates.... Conversely if we see 65,000 jobs loss and a 5.5% UE rate we are likely to see a rally in the market, but I don't anticipate any rally to be "big" since it is a holiday shortened week and the market closes early Thursday (2pm close).

I have typically seen conservative trading just prior to the holiday weekend, Foreign markets are still open July 4th and Trading the day prior will likely be light... and my personal theory is that it is mostly the Jr traders left running the shop on July 3rd, and they don't want to get caught with their pants down and have their bosses yell at them on Monday... So a sharp sell off is more likely than a big rally.

But the market is always right, and I can only make educated guesses! 

Have a great 4th of July Weekend!!! Support our Troops, with out them we would not have a 4th of July!

Rob

Robert Rauf

www.RobertRaufHomeLoans.com

OK, everyone always asks for more photos, I was just reading a newsletter and found another picture of sailing that I stole out of the news letter! 

this is an "A CAT" it is unique to the Barnegat Bay. 

they were very popular in the 1920's and a few of the originals were sailing up until recent years.  Now there has been a lot of growth in the fleet and I think there are about 15 of them racing on the bay.. Still traditionally made, all wood Lots of Varnish... 28' pieces of furniture that we go out and sail and beat up! The boats name is RAVEN... (thats me, third person from the left)

This is just an occasional boat that I sail on, if you look at my previous posts on sailing you will see the pictures of the J24 that I sail most.  Keep you fingers crossed for me, I am going sailing (racing) tonight for the first time in close to 2 months, I am tired of nursing an injury and miss it too much... If it hurts too much tomorrow I will only have myself to blame... Against Dr's orders!

Have a great week

Rob

Robert Rauf

www.RobertRaufHomeLoans.com

My previous posts did not include all the towns in the area, so here is a condensed list of Fourth Of July celebrations in Ocean County:

Thursday July 3rd:

• Jackson township: John F. Johnson Jr Memorial park; Cooks Bridge Road and Kierych Drive Fireworks at Dusk, Rain Date July 5 (732) 928-1200 x255
• Lacey Township: Lacey High School on Hians Street, Fireworks at Dusk Rain date July 5 (609)693-1100x2203
• Lakewood: Fireworks over Lake Carasaljo, route 9 and North Lake Drive (732)905-3405
• Point Pleasant Beach: Fireworks at dark, Jenkinsons Boardwalk www.pointpleasantbeach.com

Friday July 4th:

• Barnegat: Fireworks at dusk Barnegat Municipal Dock
• Beach Haven: Fireworks, Taylor Avenue Bay front, rain date July 5, (609) 492-2800
• Beachwood: Fireworks approx 8:45pm Launched from Beachwood's Waterfront over the Toms River
• Brick Township: Fireworks & concert at Windward Beach  on Princeton Ave (Metedeconk River)
• Lakehurst:  Fireworks at dusk at Horicon Lake Saturday Rain date. (732) 657-4141
• Pinebeach: claims fireworks at dusk, but I think they are actually piggy backing off of Beachwood's.
• Point Pleasant Beach: Wow, 2 nights in a row!
• Seaside Heights: Fireworks 9:30pm on the beach between the 2 amusement piers. Sunday rain date (800)732-7467 www.seasideheightstourism.com
• Tuckerton: Fireworks at dusk Tuckerton Seaport on west Main street (Route 9)
• Lavallette: fireworks and concert 8pm, Bay Blvd & Philadelphia Ave. Rain date 7/13 www.lavalletteboro.com
• Plumstead: Fireworks at New Eqypt High School, 117 Evergreen Road. Sunday Rain date, may be a $1 admission. (609)758-3005

There is quite a list of Patriotic activities!  most of the above have concerts as well, but it is all about the big bangs, OOOOOo's and AHHHHHHH's of a fireworks show!

Have a Happy and safe Fourth of July!

Rob

Robert Rauf

www.RobertRaufHomeLoans.com

 Why is it called a short sale?  Because, the bank takes it in the shorts!

But seriously:

I have seen numerous posts asking for short sale help. Here is a quick to-do list to help make the process easier, this is a list for the LISTING Agent, as a selling agent you can ask the listing agent if they have done this prior to making an offer:

listing agent should always ask, and double check, how many mortgages? 1, 2, 3? balances, and are they current on all payments.

• If there is a risk of being short based on the above answers, get a letter from the seller to authorize you to contact the bank on their behalf
• Contact the LOSS MITIGATION OFFICER at the lender and request the short sale package. Do NOT Try to negotiate yet.  There is nothing to negotiate with out a contract.
• The package will have: the documents list required from the seller, disclosures, forms etc.
• Get the seller to fill out the paperwork and put together the necessary documentation (typically full income and asset disclosure)

If the ducks above are lined up and you present an entire package to a bank with the offer, guess what?  much smoother sailing..Still not easy, but far from painful... A bank will probably put the 'good' one on top of the pile

• once you present the offer, it is YOUR job to negotiate, be the squeaky wheel. Do not let the attorney do it.  Get the Loss Mitigation Officers Email and follow up regularly.

Prepare the seller and the buyer for an extended closing. Managing expectations in any transaction is a big plus for everyone.

If there is more than one mortgage it will take longer, since the Second lien holder will walk away with the least amount of money, If there is PMI, the Mortgage insurance company will have to get involved to approve it. One of the biggest issues is a seller that wont work with you and fill out the paper work.

If the Seller has cash... The bank will not negotiate a short sale, why would they??? if the seller has $50,000 in a cd, why should the bank accept a short pay off ?  All of these issues will effect the speed of the transaction and are potential bumps in the road

I equate the process to a mortgage application.  Even a difficult deal will go through rather smoothly if I fill in the blanks and supply the necessary paperwork up front. That is why people refer me, and How I feed my kids. The nightmare scenarios we all hear about come from inexperienced agents and LO's that don't do it right up front.

I hope this helps

Rob

That's right, there are Dolphins in NJ... I have often seen the smaller dolphins, more of a spotted Porpoise while sailing, They like to surf the waves in the inlet.... But these are genuine cousins of Flipper! 

There has been a pod of about a twenty Bottle nose dolphins, including at least 2 calves,  swimming in the Shrewsbury River for about a week now.

There is concern that they may get hurt with heavy boat traffic on the weekends, but so far all that has not happened

And everyone thinks that NJ is not a fun place to visit!  I wish I could find the picture of the Seal that camped out on a friends dock this past winter.

Have a great Sunday!

Rob

Robert Rauf

Mirela requested this... so blame her for the redundancy!

this post is more "me"... VS the calm sunset post from this morning.  I think this will show my true passion for sailing..

here is one of my favorite boats to sail, it is a J24... this is J24 USA 4306.. "Disturbed" the boat I race

The above picture is just as we crossed the finish line,

Speed with a sail boat is all relative, at this point we were probably sailing at about 6-7 knots.  But on this boat, I can feel everything, and we will often say... "we feel fast" or "we feel slow... whats wrong" you really sail by the seat of your pants and by feel... (at least when you are racing) And you do have to control the boat, and set things up differently depending on wind conditions. halard tension, Stay tension and sail trim are just a few of the basics to make the boat go fast.. we even will adjust the mast for certain conditions.

here is a great upwind shot in a pretty stiff breeze:

You may be thinking, they look a little close... That's one of the reasons I prefer one design racing... it gets VERY close... It can be a game of inches.

Just to be sure every one understands that sailing for me is not the Calm martini sipping afternoon, the next two shots  are of a boat in our fleet wiping out.. This fun maneuver is called a "Death Roll" Lucky for us there was some one with a camera out on the course, and doubly lucky is it is not us wiping out.. (we did the same thing on that leg... you get a little to aggressive and BAM! you pay for it!)

That's step 1 in a death roll, Partially the skippers fault (its always the skippers fault!) for steering to far down wind when its blowing, and partially the guy trimming the chute... He let that clue go past the forestay and mother nature takes over.

Step 2:

At this point you can probably see the keel of the boat.. NEVER a good thing! The rudder comes out of the water and the boat spins out of control and tries to flip to windward... Hopefully everyone is still on the boat, and you did not shred a sail or do any other damage and you recover after everyone passes you!

Mirela, You had to make me do this??? now I really am missing sailing!!

here is another fun shot, Winter sailing...  on HARD water.  now we are talking about speed.. 50+mph inches from the ice.  Can you pick me out in the photo?

That's the Metedeconk River in Brick NJ ... Same place with the sunset photos from last night. We had great ice that year... unfortunately I don't have any good action shots of the Ice boats... But WOW what a rush, the fastest you will ever go with out a motor, other than jumping out of a plane...

You asked... (one of the secrets to life... Ask and ye shall receive!)

I hope you enjoyed the quick photo journey

Rob

Robert Rauf

I love my area in the Summer.  Most people pick on NJ when they really do not know what it has to offer.

If you know me at all, you know that my #1 passion is racing sailboats. Well, for a month now I have been on the DL, and have not been able to sail. Last night I decided to help out on a Thursday Night Cat boat race at my club. (Metedeconk River Yacht Club)... Not exactly the nail biting seat of your pants sailing that I love to do, (but then again I probably blew out the disc in my neck sailing!)..

So I went out to Patrol a race... Set marks, keep track of the boats and float around in a boat and at least be part of a race...

The above photo is the last boat to round the Leeward mark, they were WAY behind in a a dieing breeze.

I was wishing I had a camera all night, then rememberd in a pinch I could use my cell.

With the last boat around the mark, time to pick up the mark and the sun setting on the Metedeconk River and the Sanderlings and Sandpipers finished, it was time to head to the bar for an adult beverage.

I love NJ!

Robert Rauf