Check out these waterfront Jersey Shore homes that are priced under $1 million

You can get a waterfront home in New Jersey for under $1 million.

That might be surprising given the runaway prices the housing market has seen the past few years.

But you need to keep your wishlist in check.

You’re not going to get something oceanfront. It won’t be new construction. And it might need to be raised, agents say.

“Those are all things people pay extra for,” said Trudy Jeffries of Keller Williams Realty Preferred Properties.

Like most houses on the market these days, affordable waterfront homes tend to sell quickly.

Rosa Mazzei of Re/Max at Barnegat Bay had a listing for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom in Forked River for $750,000.

“We sold that in one day,” she said. “We had five showings and the first person put in a full-price-plus cash bid.”

Low inventory is keeping the market and prices competitive.

“Things you wouldn’t think would sell, they’re even selling,” said Robert White, the branch vice president and broker manager at Coldwell Banker in Spring Lake.

A total fixer-upper in North Wildwood that also needs new pilings and to be raised was listed for $129,971. It needs a massive renovation or to be torn down. But it’s under contract.

Homes within a mile of it are valued at $700,000.

“There’s something for everybody and the right person is going to look at it and see what it can be,” said Charles Dahmer of Century 21 Alliance, the listing agent.

Jessica Difrancia of Keller Williams Atlantic Shore recently listed a three bedroom, two bathroom in Little Egg Harbor for $595,000. It has 110 feet of waterfrontage, a boat lift and the home has been updated in the past 10 years.

“As far as affordability goes, there are not a lot of houses that are move-in ready at that price,” she said.

Prices are affected by basic things, such as the size and age of the home, but also by environmental things when it comes to these waterfront homes.

For example, is the water its on deep enough for a boat, how far is it from open water and what is the flood risk?

Where Jeffries lives on Dock Road in West Creek, a full moon tide and an east wind flood her street about four times a year.

“An hour after, you can get out,” she said, adding that flooding in parts of Long Beach Island can be up to the curb and the water takes longer to recede.

The peak season for shopping for a house at the Jersey Shore is March through May, agents say.

“People want to get in before Memorial Day weekend,” Jeffries said.

Since COVID, there hasn’t really been an off-season, White said.

“There could be snow on the ground and they’re coming,” he said. “But it will pick up as the weather breaks.”

Here are five waterfront New Jersey homes that were recently listed for under $1 million:

28 Atlantis Boulevard, Little Egg Harbor - $595,000

A three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,500-square-foot ranch with 110 feet of water frontage. It has a boat lift and a dock with water and electric. It’s listed for $595,000.

“It’s not in a cookie-cutter neighborhood,” said Jessica Difrancia of Keller Williams-Atlantic Shore. “It has a nice, open, bright kitchen ... a lot of windows. It doesn’t feel like a shore house. It feels like a standard primary residence. The backyard is so large, there is so much space for entertaining and it has nice views.”

819 Windward Drive, Forked River - $749,000

This three-bedroom, two-bathroom ranch home is 1,300-square-feet. It has 125 feet of vinyl bulkhead and a two-level deck. It had an accepted offer above its $749,000 list price after one day of showings and is under contract.

“The inventory was really low and the location was a lot better than the competition,” said Rosa Mazzei of Re/Max at Barnegat Bay. “It’s a big property. It has a boat lift and a direct channel to the open bay, a hot tub. It had a lot of things people would want.”

79 Channel Drive, Brick - $825,000

This home, built in 1935, has been in the same family for three generations. An addition was put on in the 1990s expanding it from a two-bedroom, one-bathroom to a three-bedroom, two-bathroom. It is 1,778-square-feet and is located in the Shore Acres community.

The house was dismantled, raised and put back together after Superstorm Sandy. It’s priced at $825,000.

“All the other houses around it are worth probably between $1.2 and $2 million,“ said Steven Churgin of Weichert, Realtors in Brick. ”If you’re just going to buy a lot in the area it would be $400,000 to $600,000. Since this house is on a lagoon and only eight houses to the open bay, it’s in a prime location.

“And it’s across from preserved marshland so no one can build across from you.”

488 Dock Road, West Creek - $889,999

This three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,600-square-foot open-concept home was built in 2009. It’s listed for $889,999. It has unobstructed views of the Westecunk Creek and views of Barnegat Bay and Atlantic City.

It’s seconds to the open bay but it does not have a dock.

“Dock Road is a hidden gem,” said Trudy Jeffries, of Keller Williams Realty Preferred Properties. “People don’t know about it as much as Beach Haven West.”

One couple moved from Long Beach Island to Dock Road because they “didn’t like how the houses were on top of each other. Here on Dock Road, you don’t have that. It’s extremely unique.”

121 Pattie Joe Lane, Stafford Township - $999,900

This three-story home is on a double lot at the end of a cul-de-sac. It has four bedrooms, three full- and one half-bathroom. It’s priced at $999,900. The kitchen has four-year-old appliances and the living room has a pellet stove. The property has a 150-foot bulkhead.

“That’s the draw to that house,” said Jason Failla of Century 21 The Crossing. “It’s just unheard of over there.” It also has a dock and a jet ski dock and an “old school tunnel slide inspired by the famous Action Park,” he said.

Are you an agent, buyer or seller who is active in this changing market? Do you have tips about New Jersey’s real estate market? Unusual listings? Let us know.

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Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com.