Just ask Joe and Jane Santo, who last year purchased a $132,000 - TopicsExpress

Just ask Joe and Jane Santo, who last year purchased a $132,000 second home in the Villas, Cape May County. In a decade or so, they may move there full time and make the house their retirement retreat. It helps that its situated on Spruce Avenue, on the bay side and three blocks from the beach. These days, forecasts of rising sea levels, in addition to the higher prices, taxes, and maintenance costs, are making oceanfront Shore properties less a draw than they might once have been. More coverage •Nonprofit developer pushing for more affordable housing •In Fishtown: A century-old home, a DIY job Once again luring budget-minded beach house hunters are communities that are more affordable than Cape May, Stone Harbor, and Avalon - Rio Grande, North and West Cape May, and Cape May Court House, to name a few. These locales are not without their own charm: Erma and the Villas, for example, are part of Lower Township, home to the Cape May Lighthouse and the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal. With broker Debbie Colubiale of Apex Realty, the Santos looked at 20 houses in Town Bank and the Villas because of the more reasonable prices there. We like the area because its away from everything, but only a 10-minute drive to Cape May and Wildwood, said Joe Santo, a bartender at Philadelphia International Airport. In the Villas, there is no pretense. Its relaxed, no ones putting on airs, said Jane Santo, a psychologist for a New Jersey school district. Once a fishing village, it has become a year-round community offering affordable homes for first-time buyers and second-home investors, brokers said. Best of all, the Santos said, their three-bedroom house is big enough for their five grown children and grandchildren and is outside the flood zone, where many, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, have been looking to buy. Our elevation is 22 feet above sea level. Talking with a neighbor whos lived there 40 years, he has never seen the bay breach the streets, Joe Santo said. That means they dont have to buy flood insurance, a big savings for a homeowner. Mary Harris, a social worker who owns a house in Whitesboro, calls her town the 99 percents Jersey Shore. My little house was so cheap, I was able to buy it outright, and Im stunned by how many working-class people somehow managed to acquire a second home, Harris said. When I was growing up, regular working people, albeit with better, skilled jobs like tool-and-die makers, cops, firemen, plumbers and electricians and such, somehow got these somewhat run-down Millman Cottages in the Villas and Rio Grande and renovated them gradually and enjoyed years of summers with their kids and even went down in the off-seas. Earlier this year, local real estate broker Nancy Sittineri completed a deal for buyers in Cape May Courthouse. This family was relocating out of New York City and were cash buyers. They spent $250,000 for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home, Sittineri said. For a second home, the buyers called the seashore house very affordable. Now that theyve bought here, the Santos are discovering a lot of their friends in the inland Shore towns far away from the million-dollar beachfront manors. And that suits them just fine. You can go to the bay, sit and relax, and there are no crowds. Bring your beach chair, your cooler with your lunch, and a fishing pole, Joe Santo said. Jane Santo likes to frequent local restaurants such as Jakes and the Back Bay Bistro, and the couple also visit the half-dozen wineries within 10 miles of their house. People who live in the Villas are very genuine and down to earth, she said. Its a hidden gem.