Memorial Day is on the horizon, and vacationers are looking forward to a 3-day weekend filled with family events, beach time, and visits to favorite spots. The weekend is the official start of the summer vacation season, meaning restaurants and shops will be returning to their extended hours.

In addition to all of the fun things to do in Cape May, there’s a few exciting events happening during Memorial Day Weekend, including ways to celebrate the reason we are able to enjoy this extended weekend. The city will be hosting events to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in protecting our country, our freedoms, and all we tout as our national ideals.

If you’re going to be in Cape May for the 2023 Memorial Day Weekend or are just thinking about visiting, here are some MDW events to attend.

Yacht Rock Concert

Kick off your Memorial Day Weekend at the “Yacht Rock” concert which will be held on the beach behind Convention Hall. This is a free concert taking place from 6:30-8:00PM on Friday, May 26th and will feature the tribute band, AM GOLD.

Be sure to bring your beach chairs and beach towels so you’ll have a place to kick back and enjoy the show. Following the concert, the city officials will be announcing the schedule for Cape May’s summer events, so if you plan to be in Cape May beyond Memorial Day Weekend, then you might want to stick around to see what’s in store for this summer.

Memorial Day Ceremony

The biggest event of the weekend and best way to celebrate the meaning of Memorial Day is undoubtedly the city’s Memorial Day Ceremony. The ceremony will kick off at 11:00AM on Monday, May 29th and will be held at Soldiers and Sailors Park.

After the ceremony concludes, Flotilla 82 of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will be presenting a rifle salute and sending off a flower boat from Gurney Street Bridge. Following the send off, the boat will move to Cove Beach, where it will be available for the remainder of the day so that visitors can go and admire the flowers and reflect on the military members that lost their lives fighting for our country.

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If you’re looking for more things to do this summer, check out Cape May’s upcoming events on our event calendar:

 Cape May Event Calendar

If you need a place to stay for Memorial Day Weekend or for a later summer getaway, Homestead would love to host you! We offer 200+ Cape May rentals including vacation homes, condos, rentals with pools, pet friendly rentals, and more.

Happy New Year from the Homestead Team, we hope you had a wonderful 2018!

It’s cold outside and snowy, but we know you are looking forward to your summer vacation in Cape May. As John Steinbeck used to say, “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness”.  We are all looking forward to a nice swim in the warm ocean water and feeling the fine sand between our toes.

The booking season has started, and we cannot wait to be a part of your amazing 2019 vacation.

2019 has just begun but there are great things happening with our inventory already! We have hundreds of rental properties  available and we are continuously adding new amazing options. Read on to hear more about our new additions!

1112 Washington Street: it’s a beautiful 6 bedroom home located in the historic district of Cape May.  It’s perfect for 2-3 families that vacation together because this property can sleep 14 people! If you are traveling with kids, the Emlen Physick Estate is a few feet away and they offer an array of tours for all ages around the estate and around town.  The home is also just a short walk to the Washington Street Mall.

127 Myrtle Avenue: formerly the Albert Stevens Inn bed and breakfast. Now serving as a single family home, it is one of the largest rentals on the island and is in walking distance to everything! This Victorian home has 12 bedrooms, 11.5 bathrooms and can accommodate as many as 26 guests. This property is perfect for a family gathering or a corporate group. This unique rental also features a large inground heated swimming pool and hot tub.  The home is situated on quiet Myrtle Ave. which overlooks Wilbraham and is a very short walk to the Washington Street Mall and Cape May’s beautiful beaches.  Better yet, the home offers complimentary linens and the beds will be made upon arrival! Think how much time you can save by not making 12 beds! Just drop your luggage and head to the pool or beach.

719 Sunset Boulevard  – This beautiful and modern 5 bedroom house can accommodate up to 10 guests. If you are here for a friend’s getaway and don’t want to be in the center of the town, then this is the perfect spot for you!  You are in biking distance to all the best Cape May has to offer. The Willow Creek Farm and Winery is only a few steps away, often hosting live bands and always featuring Fire Pit Fridays in season! For the best sunsets around, you can bike down to Sunset Beach and attend the flag ceremony which is held daily at 7 pm starting Memorial Day weekend through August. 

If you are looking for a quiet vacation spot then 510 Ocean Avenue in Cape May Point is the place too book! This “upside-down” style property is beautifully appointed and impeccable. And of course, Cape May Point is the place to be for birding enthusiasts, where abundant bird species can be spotted.

1320 A Illinois – This immaculately maintained and beautifully manicured quad is perfect for a smaller group (up to four guests). In the morning, you can enjoy your cup of coffee and newspaper in the sun room or in the backyard at the picnic table. If you need a first-floor bedroom, this property has you covered!

Cape May is beautiful year-round. Whether you are looking to rent winter, spring, summer or fall, our fully dedicated rental department is here to help you find the perfect home. Give us a call at 609.884.1888 or check out our entire inventory HERE.

In celebration of our 20 year anniversary, we at Homestead want to show you – our loyal customers and clients, the appreciation we have for your years of business and loyalty!

We will be running a photo contest beginning now and through Memorial Day 2019 where one lucky winner will be selected and receive a gift basket of specialty items for summer fun!  Entry is easy and everyone is eligible. 

To participate, select one (1) photo reflective of a special Cape May memory you have along with a description of how Homestead made that memory possible.  Share that photo and memory on one of Homestead’s social media pages to officially enter.  See below for full contest rules and entry requirements.  Participation can be from a past sale client, rental client, rental guest, or anyone that has a Homestead memory to share.  The contest is open to all – so get to digging for your old photos or start capturing new ones for your chance to win!

CONTEST RULES AND TERMS OF ENTRY

• Eligibility: Anyone and everyone 18 years of age and older can submit their favorite memory for a chance to win!

• How to enter: Post a picture on Facebook and/or Instagram that represents your favorite memory in the Cape May area and how Homestead played a role. Use the hashtag #HomesteadCM to officially enter the contest, and don’t forget to tag us in the photo. You can tag us on Instagram @homesteadcapemay and on Facebook @homesteadcapemay. Each participant is allowed one entry. Remember your profile must be public for us to access the photo! If you wish to keep your profile private, you may send the submissions via email.

• Duration: January to May 28, 2019

Please submit all photos & accompanied memories by May 21st. On May 23rd, photos/participants will be selected and entered in a poll where staff will pick their favorite memory!

Winner will be announced on May 28th, 2019

• Contest Odds: The number of eligible entries received determine the odds of winning

• Unclaimed Prize: the prize will be available for pickup until December 2019.  If the prize is not claimed by December 2019 the first runner up will be the new Grand Prize Winner.

• Prize Description: A Homestead beach chair, a Cape May beach towel, Cape May beach tags (x2), a bottle of red wine and a bottle of white wine, a Homestead tote bag, a Homestead sweatshirt, a Homestead long-sleeve tee, a Homestead short sleeve tee, a Homestead soft cooler, Homestead bucket & shovel, Homestead notepad, Homestead pen, Homestead lip balm, Homestead bottle opener keychain, Homestead wrist bag, Homestead canteen, a pair of Homestead medium-size male flip flops, a pair of Homestead medium-size female flip flops, 20% OFF your next linen order.

• Estimated Prize Value: $300

By entering the Contest you give Homestead Real Estate the right to publicize your name, likeness, and photo submission.

No purchase is necessary

You must be 18 years of age or older to win.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the owner of this Facebook page and not to Facebook.

Dear Clients, Customers and Friends:

It is hard to believe that Homestead Real Estate is celebrating its 20^th year in business.  When I look back at the past 20 years I can not help but think of all of you.  Our loyal clients, customers, friends and employees that have made Homestead one of the leading Real Estate Companies in the industry today.  For each of you and your business we say Thank You.  We had a very humble beginning which many of you can remember.  We started on the second floor of the old Homestead building on Broadway in West Cape May.  We feel humbled and blessed to now serve you from our 4700 sq. foot state of the Art offices located in the center of Cape May City for the past four years.

We started in December of 1998, with very little money, only a generous unsolicited $20,000 loan from my father in-law who believed in me from the beginning.  I started with my previous Broker Barbara Kopp giving me her blessing and encouragement.  Barbara was a women in business that recognized my talent and encouraged me with gracious support.  We began with a hope and a prayer that God would grow our business over time.  We opened the doors with one phone and a fax machine praying the phone would simply ring.  Interest rates were near 10% and film development back then was one of our biggest expenditures.  We had the MLS books delivered bi-weekly and email was in its infant stage with Al Gore only dreaming of its existence LOL.  We had One computer that we rarely used but the electric typewriter was center stage ready with anticipation to type our first contract.  We started with three of us and now we have over 20 full time members of the Homestead Team.

Sure enough cell phones, computers and electronic signatures, instant MLS updates, paperless files and virtual/drone tours replacing the need for Kodak film investments.  I promised myself back then to always remember never forgetting where we came from through good times and bad we have seen our way through economic housing booms and disastrous market crashes.  We have experienced the mountain tops and the valleys but through it all God has honored our efforts and our hard work.  Since the very beginning in 1998 we chose to honor the Lord by declaring Sundays as a Sabbath day.  Against advice that we could “NEVER” make it if we were closed on Sundays we declared that day holy and set apart for our employees and ourselves.   In doing so we honored God and He has honored us with meeting all of our needs and we say Thank you to God and to God be the glory.

My amazing staff who have stood by us through thick and thin, prosperous times and lean times we say Thank You.  We have been able to grow as a result of each learning curve and have vowed often to “Never do that again”. LOL.  More importantly we vow to always be committed to continued growth within the industry and vow to remain committed to our client’s needs.

20 years later Homestead is blessed to have Micah Yerk, Laurie Graham and Denise Moore at the helm clearly helping me in steering the ship in the right direction.  Without them I don’t know what I would do THANK YOU!! My biggest supporter over the years has been my husband Rusty.  He believed in me from the very first day.  Rusty really had the vision first…… when we sat at the settlement table buying a duplex, our first investment in 1997.  The original deed for that property said “Phillips Farm Homestead” and Rusty said, “wouldn’t Homestead make a great Real Estate Company name”? And………….. the rest is history.

To all of you who have remained loyal and to all who have been with me along the journey; I say Thank You and look forward to what the next 20 years hold. 

Dear readers and friends, this month Homestead Real estate is celebrating 20 years in business. We want to thank you all our past and current clients for keeping us in business for two decades and we want to celebrate this success with YOU! We are creating a gift basket that includes 20 amazing items and it will be raffled off to one winner! Keep an eye out on our next post to find out how to enter.

In 20 years, we all learned so much, we had our ups and downs and we, as a team, are grateful for everything we accomplished along the way. To find out what Homestead means to our owner, Dagmer Chew, and what’s been happening in the past 20 years, keep reading the Q and A below.

Q: – Homestead: what is it to you?

A: Homestead is like another child to me I gave birth to it, I’ve nurtured it I’ve fought with it and I have loved and laughed with it.

Q: – Describe your past twenty years in one sentence.

A: Interesting and challenging filled with too many hours and lots of hard work and sacrifice.

Q: – Twenty years of a successful, prospering business is tough, let alone one in the Real Estate world. What kept you going in those dark times?

A: Good people keep me going, great employees keep me striving to do better, doing the right thing in a world that wants to cut corners and be entitled I see my cup half full not half empty.  I am thankful for each day and each decision that enables others to rise above or to be successful.  I’m never afraid of successful people, I thrive to surround myself with like minded individuals.

Q: – What is the greatest achievement of the business?

A: Being in business for 20 years with the ups and downs of this business and the market crashes we are blessed to have survived.  I equate that success to my husband’s championing me and my longtime staff making sacrifices in the lean years.

Q: – What is unique about Homestead?

A: We truly are collaborative, we have an amazingly different culture in our office.  Contrary to popular belief we have an amazing support staff with daily encouragement and pride in each other’s successes.

Q: – Does Homestead give back to the community?

A: In many ways but we tend to make all of our donations private, it’s about the cause not about our giving.  We have causes that we believe VERY strongly in and we support them with all of our time, talents and finances when possible.

Q: – Why do you think clients choose you over other competitors?

A: The have been referred to us by satisfied clients and customers.

Q: – Do you consider your employees a family

A: We at Homestead believe FAMILY FIRST and then work.  If an employee’s family is in need, then we support that family member and expect the employees to be there for them too.

Q: – What is your favorite part about being a successful business woman?

A: I LOVE the mentoring and teaching part of my life now.  I truly enjoy imparting the wisdom learned along the way.  We now have an extensive training program that I created in place and I am thoroughly enjoying the journey with our newest agents.

Q: – What in you sparked opening up Homestead? And where did you get the name from?

A: I never thought I would own my own company it happened at the closing table when I was buying the old Homestead building.  The seller gave us the old deeds and Rusty said look at this Phillips Farm Homestead “wouldn’t Homestead make a great Real Estate company name” and the rest is history.  My Grandfather was Sol Needles of Sol Needles Coldwell Banker now so it’s in my blood.  We would play Real Estate when we were kids when my Aunt Kate, my Grandfathers sister who ran the company after his death. When she went home for the night, we would sneak downstairs, my grandmother lived over the office just like I’m doing now.  We would sit in the big office chairs and play real estate little did I know all those years ago how history would repeat itself.

Q: – Where do you see the next twenty years taking Homestead?

A: Continued growth and keeping yet again our strong competitive edge.