“Three years ago, my daughter and I were on a search for a property in Stone Harbor, trying to convince my husband that this would be a good idea.

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“We’ve been coming down to Stone Harbor for the last twelve years, and for all those twelve years, we’ve been renting a vacation home from Hugh Merkle.

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“One of the major joys you have coming to an island like Stone Harbor is just the peace and quiet that you feel coming across the bridge knowing that you’re away from all those people and the hustle-and-bustle life on the mainland.

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“My family’s been in Stone Harbor for over fifty years, so I’ve spent all my summers here growing up, and as an adult, I’ve brought my family here.

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“Dear Hugh Merkle Team, “We just returned from our very first vacation in Stone Harbor, and it was amazing, just as you said it would be.

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“We were spending our summers in Long Beach Island, which we loved Barnegat Light, and when it came time to buy a house, we were concerned because it was a little bit too remote, and the kids were getting older and were very bored.

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“Growing up we’d always come to Stone Harbor for two weeks every summer, and they were the best two weeks of the entire year, and we always wanted our own house in Stone Harbor.

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“We purchased our home 15 years ago through the Hugh Merkle team, in Stone Harbor.

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“Welcome to Stone Harbor, the seashore at its best! This is our Blues and Barbecue: our first event here for this particular venue.

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“Three years ago, my daughter and I were on a search for a property in Stone Harbor, trying to convince my husband that this would be a good idea. And we caught Hugh Merkle by chance. He showed us a condominium originally, and decided that that probably wasn’t going to work for us, because the reason I wanted to make a move was that my daughter and grandchildren would spend the summers with me in Stone Harbor, and our husbands would come on the weekend. And it’s been a dream of mine and my husband’s for a long time. Hugh directed us to look at lots that were over-sized, probably not quite as close to the beach as we would have liked, because we had a budget and we were very concerned about it, and he was very gracious and very helpful in trying to have us stay on budget. But he found us a place, suggested we come see it, and we came down in the fall, and it was perfect. The house had already been removed, so all we had to do was go ahead and develop plans and build the home.

“He was great at finding the lot in Stone Harbor, great at pointing out the advantages of this particular lot, and also was wonderful to work with while we were building our Stone Harbor home. He was a great resource, constantly available to us, and continues to be available to us even today when we have questions or concerns or want to know things about the Stone Harbor community. He’s just a pleasure to work with.”

“We’ve been coming down to Stone Harbor for the last twelve years, and for all those twelve years, we’ve been renting a vacation home from Hugh Merkle. Hugh and his team have been great. Whatever we’ve needed, they’ve listened and taken care of us. Most recently, I guess about seven years ago, we decided we wanted to buy a house in Stone Harbor, and we probably looked at almost every house on the island, But our search was definitive, and we had a problem finding what we wanted. It took us a while, but a couple years ago, when the economy turned, we got more serious about it, and last year we found the house we liked. Of course, it had to be a short sale, which is probably one of the most difficult transactions to do in real estate. And Hugh warned us against it, but we did it.

“We put in our offer last August, and we didn’t close until the end of March. It was a very, very tough situation, and we really couldn’t have done it without The Hugh Merkle Team. We went back and forth with banks and lenders about the foreclosure of the previous owner, lawyers, I mean, it was just ongoing. And we weren’t down here in Stone Harbor. But no matter what it was, whether it was all day or night, Hugh was always there for us. In today’s world, you’ve got to appreciate somebody that’s there, looks you in the eye, and when he gives you his word, he keeps it. And it’s a pleasure to do business with people like that. And I’m really happy to say you’re looking at this picture right now, and we’re sitting in our Stone Harbor home right now that we just bought, renovated, and love. And it was the perfect location and the perfect house for us.

“And even through the construction period, Hugh recommended a great local contractor which enabled us to be at home, and not have to run back and forth to Stone Harbor every weekend. He looked at it for us, and he went that extra mile, that extra step, to make sure we were taken care of, and that we got a great house, and at the end of the day, we really did. We’re happy, and we could not have done it without Hugh. Stone Harbor’s a beautiful island, we love it down here, and Hugh is a great broker, and his team is great. It makes a great combination for a beautiful home. And we’re thrilled. My hat’s off to them, and I can recommend them all day long, and feel good about it.”

“One of the major joys you have coming to an island like Stone Harbor is just the peace and quiet that you feel coming across the bridge knowing that you’re away from all those people and the hustle-and-bustle life on the mainland. You’ve got a smell that’s in the air that is part of that peaceful feeling.

“And as you get here, even though there may be crowds at times, you can find peace in the house that you bought, peace with your family surrounding you, and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish; surround ourselves with family and friends and... Running an inn here on the barrier islands - that really brings us a lot of joy and contentment.”

“My family’s been in Stone Harbor for over fifty years, so I’ve spent all my summers here growing up, and as an adult, I’ve brought my family here. And recreation activities, beach activities, it’s just been a great time, and... Love - it’s part of our family life.

“And we bought the house in Stone Harbor, two years ago from Hugh Merkle and the team, and it was just a very positive experience. If you read their corporate mission statement, they followed that to the letter with our transaction. Very professional, just a very, very good solid experience.

“And as you all know, we had a severe winter this in Stone Harbor. Almost two years after purchasing the property, Hugh and the Team sent us an email out after the second blizzard, telling us ‘Hey, there’s no power down here, make sure your water’s turned off so the pipes don’t freeze.’ So I think that’s a testament to the service and follow-up that he has with his organization to his costumers, and after all this time, he’s letting us know there’s an issue down here. All in all, to live where I grew up here in Stone Harbor, it’s very good.

“Yeah, he treats us like family; he’s taken care of us. He’s a good man, with a great team, and you feel very comfortable with him.”

“It’s been a very positive experience, I highly recommend folks that are looking for a Stone Harbor property, whether to rent or purchase, to talk to The Hugh Merkle Team. It’s been a very, very good experience.”

“Dear Hugh Merkle Team,

“We just returned from our very first vacation in Stone Harbor, and it was amazing, just as you said it would be. Our one-year-old daughter had a blast, and ate, slept, and played like we were home. Here are some pictures of our Stone Harbor vacation and our daughter enjoying the week.

“From helping us find a Stone Harbor vacation home, to sending us all sorts of literature a few days before our arrival, to the toilet paper and paper towels to kick off the week, and the many friendly, smiling faces as we picked up our keys. You are top notch. We had a wonderful time on our vacation in Stone Harbor, and will certainly return, and spread the word of your business.

“Many blessings, Bethany S. and Family.”

“We were spending our summers in Long Beach Island, which we loved Barnegat Light, and when it came time to buy a house, we were concerned because it was a little bit too remote, and the kids were getting older and were very bored. We were visiting friends in Stone Harbor about eight years ago, the same time Peter Max was here, and we just fell in love with Stone Harbor, and very spontaneously and emotionally we found Hugh Merkle, and that weekend we bought this house.”

“That’s right, we stayed here -- we rented, it turns out, down the street from a house we own now -- and I knew when I came to Stone Harbor, I thought if I could ever afford a house as a summer home, this is where I would want to move, and I felt really lucky when we were able to get a house here in Stone Harbor. I felt especially lucky to be able to work with Hugh Merkle. I run a small business, and when I look at other businesses and the way I run mine, I looked at people like Hugh, because I could tell he wasn’t somebody who was in for a one-off sale; he knew the market really well, you could tell he wanted us as a lifetime customer, and he loved Stone Harbor and he shared that with us. I think that made a big difference for me when we found our house.

“We have also -- two of the seven summers, rented our Stone Harbor home. They found us wonderful clients to rent our home. We didn’t purchase it to be a rental property but The Hugh Merkle Team found us repeat families the same two summers who treated our home like their home. If we decided to rent out our Stone Harbor home again, we would definitely list it through Hugh and Lynn Merkle. They took care of everything.”

“And again, with a small business, I work a lot of hours, so when I can get here from our home in Radnor within a couple of hours, as soon as I hit the bridge to come over to Stone Harbor, I immediately start to relax, I feel like I’m a lot further away than I am. It’s a very mellow, beach feel, and we have access to a lot of great restaurants here in Stone Harbor, and it’s great because we can walk to the beach, we can walk to the bay and kayak, so we just really love it here, and it feels like we’re going a lot further away than we are, for the kind of relaxation we can enjoy.”

“Growing up we’d always come to Stone Harbor for two weeks every summer, and they were the best two weeks of the entire year, and we always wanted our own house in Stone Harbor. And I remember begging my father and trying to convince him that he should buy a place, and he would hem and haw, but I always knew he wanted one because he grew up coming down and visiting his Uncle here in Stone Harbor, who had a place on 111th Street.

“So, one summer, I think I was 12 or 13 years old, I found a found a phone number for real estate company in Stone Harbor, and Mr. Merkle answered the phone, and took the appointment to take me and my father to see a couple of houses. And eventually - I’m not sure how long it took, maybe a year or so - we found one and here we are, twenty-something years later, and it has been the best place ever. We come down all year round, and I think that’s been more New Year’s Eves here in Stone Harbor than anywhere else, and I had my Sweet Sixteen party here, and now I get to share it with my grandkids who love coming to Grammy and Ted’s as often as they can.”

“We purchased our home 15 years ago through the Hugh Merkle team, in Stone Harbor. We have come to Stone Harbor for many years before, visiting friends, and were thrilled when we had the opportunity to buy our home through Hugh Merkle. It’s a duplex, which for our family as has worked really well. Hugh Merkle team has helped us rent it each year, so it’s been an income-producing property. On top of that, I’m able to stay here all summer and enjoy myself. Plus I’m able to offset some of my expenses, which is a help. I have four children the youngest was here when she was in high school, and she worked at Springer’s, which is a highlight in Stone Harbor. Everyone goes to Springer’s for ice cream at least once during their stay.

“And now I have seven grandchildren who love to come as much as my kids do. There are all kinds of nice activities in the town for kids, and for young adults. We also have a farmer’s market, which is very special, and the beaches in Stone Harbor have been wonderful, the whole experience, and the whole town of Stone Harbor is special. We love to come and we’re really sad to leave after the summer is over, although Stone Harbor has continued to be more and more an all-year-round town, which is great. Their Thanksgiving parade and activities have been a highlight for a lot of people. I’m not able to come for Thanksgiving, but I have been here for New Year’s - that was special - so, I feel there are only a few months that for me don’t work, but the rest of the year is wonderful. So I appreciate the work of the Hugh Merkle team, and I look forward to a long association with them.”

“Welcome to Stone Harbor, the seashore at its best! This is our Blues and Barbecue: our first event here for this particular venue. We’re having an opera in the park in October, with Italian restaurants offering you the best food available in Stone Harbor. People here are friendly; we’d love to have you! This is just one example of the best in Stone Harbor. Family, fun and entertainment -- and in addition to events like this, we’ve got food, beaches, the beautiful bay, we have our bird sanctuary, so many things to offer the family.”

“We have a beautiful downtown here in Stone Harbor with over 200 unique boutiques and stores ready to serve you. We welcome you to Stone Harbor where we have beautiful homes, beautiful gardens, lots to see and do.

“Thank you, and please come and visit us.”