“Had I known, I would have bought two.”
A client said that to me about a home he bought here before the run-up, and he's said it more than once since. Most people who buy at the Shore don't regret buying. They regret waiting.
Free two-page guide · Second-home buyers at the South Jersey Shore
Thinking About Buying a Second Home at the South Jersey Shore?
6 Things to Know Before You Start Looking
The questions, costs and location decisions I'd talk through with you at my kitchen table before you looked at a single house. From a Realtor who is four generations deep here.
Free. Instant download. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
27 years selling the Shore
Four generations local
eXp Realty · Ocean City
The question I get most
“Is there anything under a million?” Or, “what does $2 million actually get me?”
Different budgets, same question: what does my money get me at the Shore? And the listing sites won't tell you the part that matters, which is everything that happens after you fall in love with a house.
- A town that quietly limits the weekly rentals you were counting on.
- A flood-zone question nobody answered until the insurance quote arrived.
- A three-day attorney review that feels like the deal is falling apart.
- A “mansion tax” you assumed you'd be paying. You won't.
None of it is complicated. It's just local. Six things, two pages, and you walk in knowing what to ask.
What's inside
Six things. Two pages. No fluff.
- 💰What your money actually gets you, town by townReal median numbers for Ocean City, Margate, Longport, Ventnor, Somers Point and Egg Harbor Township, side by side.
- 🔑If you plan to rent it out, why the town matters as much as the houseOcean City runs on weekly rentals. Three towns next door do not. Know which before you write an offer.
- 🌊Flood insurance is a house-by-house questionThe three things to ask before you're emotionally attached, not after.
- 📝The three-day attorney reviewWhat it is, why it's normal, and why it rattles out-of-state buyers who weren't warned.
- 🪪The “mansion tax,” and who pays it nowSince July 2025 it's the seller's. One less closing cost on your side, and a line for your math if you ever sell.
- 🏠“Had I known, I would have bought two.”The one regret I hear more than any other, and what the people who don't have it did differently.
Plus a before-you-offer checklist you can screenshot and keep.
Your headshot goes hereWho's writing this
Four generations deep. 27 years strong.
I'm JoAnn Donahue, a Realtor with eXp Realty in Ocean City. My family has been on this Shore for four generations, and I've been helping people buy and sell here for 27 years. I don't sugarcoat anything. I put the cards on the table, and I care enough to care.
“Real estate isn't rocket science. But it is serious business, and I take it seriously.”
Here's how it usually goes:
- An honest conversation about your numbers and what actually matters to you. You don't need everything figured out. You do need to be honest about the numbers.
- Island or mainland? We find the fit, and I introduce you to a local lender who does Shore properties every week.
- Showings, the offer, attorney review, inspection, closing. Explained in plain language, with the right professional at every step.
A quick hello from JoAnn
Why work with JoAnn
The guide, the connector, and the constant.
Most agents hand you a number and a lockbox code. Here's what actually comes with me.
Before you look
An honest fit, first
Your numbers, your priorities, how you'll really use the place and how often. We settle that before we settle on a town, so you never fall for a house that doesn't fit the life.
The local process
Translated, not assumed
The three-day attorney review. Whether flood insurance is actually required for that property. What a seller does and doesn't owe you after an inspection. The things out-of-area buyers get wrong here, explained before they cost you.
Island vs. mainland
A straight read
Ocean City and Absecon Island for the address; Somers Point, Northfield and Egg Harbor Township for the same Shore life at a friendlier number. I'll tell you which fits, even if it's the less expensive answer.
The whole team
My lender, my attorney, my inspector
I'll introduce you to all of them, plus a local appraiser who knows Shore properties and contractors who show up. You're never stuck figuring it out alone.
No pressure. I bring the questions and the honest options. The decision is always yours.
Your Shore towns
Same Shore. Very different numbers.
The six towns in the guide, with the honest one-liner I'd give you in the car.
Barrier island · Cape May County
Ocean City
~$1.05M median
The island everyone pictures first, and a rental town, always has been. Property taxes run a fraction of the typical New Jersey rate.
Absecon Island
Margate
~$1.4M median
Selling faster than a year ago. Rental rules here are strict and specific; verify the ordinance before you write an offer.
Absecon Island
Longport
~$2M median
The quiet, big-ticket end of the island. If renting it out is part of the plan, know the rules before you fall in love.
Absecon Island
Ventnor
mid-$600s median
An island address at a friendlier number, and up sharply year over year. Same story on rental rules: check first.
Mainland · 15 minutes from the sand
Somers Point
just under $500K median
The smart option people overlook. More homes changed hands this August than last, and the water is right there.
Mainland · about 15 minutes from the beach
Egg Harbor Township
~$400K median
The mainland's most in-demand township right now. The Shore life without the island price tag.
Median sale prices: Redfin and Movoto, researched September 2026. Ocean City property tax: 2025 Cape May County tax-rate table, effective rate 0.640. Figures move; treat them as a starting point, not a quote.
What clients tell me
Not a hard sell. Not a lecture. Steady support.
After 27 years the feedback is consistent, and it comes down to three things.
- She works hard and goes out of her way for us.
- When she doesn't know the answer, she finds it.
- She connected us with the right people, so we were never stuck figuring it out alone.
27years selling here
4generations local
6Shore towns, one guide
Closing days, Shore homes, and the view from here
Follow along for more straight talk about the Shore:
Instagram · @joanndonahuerealtor
Facebook · JoAnn Donahue, Realtor
Grab your free guide
Two pages. Six things. Yours in ten seconds.
Thinking About Buying a Second Home at the South Jersey Shore? The six things I'd want my own family to know before they looked at a single house.
- What your money actually gets you, town by town
- The rental rules, flood question and attorney review, before they surprise you
- A before-you-offer checklist you can screenshot and keep
Is this a sales pitch?No. It's the guide. I'll reach out once to make sure you got it, and if you say “not yet,” I'll leave you be.
Will I get spammed?No. Instant download, one human follow-up, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
I'm a year or more out. Is this for me?Early is exactly when it helps. The people who end up with regrets are the ones who waited to ask.
Send me the guide
Two pages, six things, instant download. First name, email, and a phone number so I can text you the link.
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