What’s Going On On The Island

One of the biggest highlights coming up is Long Beach Island Restaurant Week, running from January 30th through February 7th. This is one of the best opportunities of the year to try some of the island’s top restaurants at a great value, with many offering three-course prix fixe menus for under $50 per person.

Participating favorites include Tucker’s Tavern, Daddy O, Black Eyed Susan, Azzurri, Old Causeway, Wally’s, Dune 18, Flour Child and more — giving both locals and visitors plenty of options to explore everything from upscale dining to island staples.

Another winter tradition returning soon is the Annual LBI Polar Plunge on February 8th, hosted by the St. Francis Community Center. This cold-weather favorite raises funds for local community programs and the Southern Regional swim teams, and continues to be one of the island’s most well-supported off-season events.

We do our best to highlight major island updates and events each week in this report, but in case you missed it, we recently shared a post breaking down some of the biggest off-season developments on LBI. If you want a quick snapshot of what’s been happening behind the scenes this winter, it’s worth checking out below.

What’s Going On In Real Estate

This past week was relatively quiet from both a listings and activity standpoint, with only 5 new homes hitting the market and 5 properties going under contract across Long Beach Island. Weather clearly played a role, keeping many buyers off the island and reducing open house traffic.

Despite the slowdown, buyer demand remains very real. Of the 5 homes that went under contract, 4 were on the market for less than 21 days, reinforcing how quickly desirable, well-priced properties continue to move.

Inventory remains extremely tight. As of today, there are just 90 active homes currently available for sale across the entire island.

For as quiet as the week was on the transaction side, there was still major news with long-term implications for LBI homeowners and buyers.

The biggest development is the newly finalized regulation requiring many properties to be built or substantially improved at four feet above base flood elevation. This will directly impact construction costs, renovation planning, redevelopment feasibility, and long-term property values across flood zones.

Important Read: We published a full breakdown explaining exactly how the new 4-foot flood elevation rule impacts LBI homeowners, buyers, builders, and investors — including who is affected, compliance timelines, cost considerations, and redevelopment implications.

Read the full LBI 4-Foot Flood Elevation Rule Guide