Inquirer

Can’t get enough of tiny Shore homes? Here are more beach bungalows from Brigantine to Wildwood.

D.Miller35 min ago
People love tiny Shore homes.

The Inquirer learned as much in September when it published a story about why homeowners were holding onto their bungalows at the Jersey Shore , despite an astronomical rise in their property values in the decades since they purchased.

Hundreds of readers chimed in on social media:

"May they be forever blessed, preserving the last of the classics."

"Don't sell. They're perfect."

"Not all heroes wear capes, some have charming, historic beach cottages. Cheers to them."

These smaller homes have become rarities down the Shore. Many bungalows have been torn down — some to be replaced with mansions for new residents, others to allow existing owners to bring properties up to code. Omnipresent new-construction homes range from 2,500 to 6,000 square feet. In some towns, it can be hard to find a single-family home for sale for less than $1 million .

"We have just recently peaked, and we're going to plateau at this point for a little bit," Ann Delaney, a real estate broker with Tim Kerr Sotheby's International Realty, said of the Shore market. "Lack of inventory has kept our prices up. ... There are just so few homes."

Some readers reached out to tell us about small homes we had missed in our original reporting. For many beach-homeowners, less than 1,000 square feet is all they need. Here's a look at more tiny homes holding out down the Shore.

Scott and Mary Peiffer's Stone Harbor home "The size is good just because it's way less to take care of. The Shore environment is brutal. It's cozy and comfortable." — Scott Peiffer

Mike & Cathy Clark's Wildwood Crest home "There's a lot of history before we got into the place. We feel like we're carrying that on by not knocking it down, by fixing it up, and having it for the next generation." — Mike Clark

Adrienne and Joe Scharnikow's Villas home "You have to maximize the space in these things. I just love what I've done with this house. It's going to be the cutest little surf shack." — Adrienne Scharnikow

Charlotte and Adam Erace's Wildwood home "We have always been drawn to quirky older homes. ... It's so funny the tug-of-war between the new construction, and then the people who vie against that with every ounce of disdain in their body." — Charlotte Erace

Joanne Petrosina & Tom Yeates' Brigantine home "When the people around me started bulldozing, I lost my sky, I lost my ocean view. ... I can't see the fireworks from Atlantic City anymore because they're all blocked by these big buildings." — Joanne Petrosina

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