What's Happening on LBI
With the unofficial start of summer behind us, the island's event season is officially kicking into gear, and it's doing so with a bang. This week and weekend bring two of the biggest happenings on the entire LBI calendar back to back: the HopSauce Festival and the Lighthouse International Film Festival. If you've been waiting for summer on the island to really feel like summer, this is the week it arrives.
11th Annual HopSauce Festival
LBI's first big summer event returns to the Beach Haven bayfront for a full day of craft beer, fiery hot sauce, live music, and food right on the water. This year brings roughly 25 to 30 hot sauce vendors and 50+ craft beers, ciders, and canned cocktails. Jersey favorite Hank Sauce is back as always, and 2026 adds Casey Webb's Louisiana-style Inferno Hot Sauce (yes, the Casey Webb of Man v. Food). It's more family-friendly than ever too, with kids 12 and under getting in free and this year's youth area adding classic carnival games. All proceeds benefit the Jetty Rock Foundation.
View vendors & tickets →Lighthouse International Film Festival
The island's beloved film festival is back for its 18th year, with screenings happening all across LBI all week long. That includes a packed slate at Bird & Betty's on their brand new screen, where over 16 showings are scheduled this week alone. This year's guest of honor is Tony Shalhoub (Monk), with a special masterclass from Jason Alexander, plus narratives, documentaries, surf films, and shorts handpicked from Sundance, SXSW, and TIFF.
Buy Tickets →And the moment a lot of you have been waiting for: the Best of LBI 2026 winners are almost here. After more than 5,000 ballots, we'll be rolling out the winners across all 21 categories over the next week. Make sure you're following along on Instagram @lbi_locals.
The island keeps adding to its lineup. Get Roasted is now open in Ship Bottom, bringing another coffee option to that stretch of the Boulevard. Up in Barnegat Light, Pixie LBI is a whimsical new children's boutique next to Poppy's Ice Cream. I got a sneak peek yesterday, and it feels like the kind of shop parents and kids will both love.
Some news I'm particularly happy to share, and something the island has badly needed: a modern gym is on the way. Riptide Fitness is moving into the old scooter building in Ship Bottom, with a two-story space, a top deck overlooking the bay, and outdoor classes planned upstairs. You can join their waitlist here.
Another newcomer that has my attention is Bóhdy, opening in the Walter's building right across from Ron Jon as you exit the island. It's built around whole, seed-oil-free food, with clean cooking, real ingredients, and meals focused on fueling you. Casual, all to-go, and exactly the kind of option LBI has been missing.
We'll have preview videos of some of these new spots coming soon, so stay tuned.
For this weekend's events, music, and everything else going on around the island, keep an eye out for our Friday newsletter.
With the spring market behind us, we want to walk through the single most useful framework we can give buyers right now. Almost everyone is shopping for the same handful of things in a home, and where you land on them depends almost entirely on your budget. If you're buying under $3 million on LBI, understanding this is everything.
All spring, the same dynamic kept playing out. Nearly every buyer is chasing the same four things in a home, and at this point in the market, checking all four of them typically means getting north of $3 million. Below that line, something has to give, and how much you give depends heavily on your price band.
When we talk about "the boxes," here are the four:
What Every Buyer Wants
The Four Essentials
Location
Proximity to the beach, the bay, and town.
Lot Size
Room to build, expand, or add a pool down the line.
Condition & Functionality
Size, layout, and how much life the house has left.
Outdoor Space
One of the biggest rental income drivers: a pool, decks, and usable outdoor living.
Right now, checking all four typically means going over $3 million.
Here's roughly how it breaks down by price at this point in the market:
Boxes You Can Typically Check
By Price Band · Today's Market
Solid = typically attainable · Light = sometimes, with the right property
Plenty of the buyers we worked with under $3 million came away discouraged by their options this spring, and it's easy to see why. New construction is available, but it usually comes as a side-by-side, or it sits on a less desirable lot or location. On the flip side, you can still secure a great lot in a great location for this money, but the home itself is typically near or at the end of its lifecycle.
That said, the home runs are still out there. When a property hits the market and checks enough of the boxes, it goes immediately. The last home we featured is a perfect example.
24 E 21st Street, Spray Beach
This one checked three of the four boxes. It has the location, it sits on a full 60×100 lot, and it already has a pool with plenty of life left in the house. The only real compromise was size, since it's a smaller home. Three of four in this price range is a strong buy, and it's exactly why it went under contract in under eight days.
If you're buying under $3 million right now, the most important thing is to just understand the current market dynamics. Get clear on your short-term and long-term goals, and decide which boxes you're willing to give up.
At the very top of the market, things have clearly cooled. This past week, not a single home over $3 million went under contract on LBI.
That said, the high end is still producing headline numbers. The most expensive six-bedroom home in LBI history is set to close on June 12th: 917 S Atlantic Ave. A record like that closing in the same stretch is a reminder that demand at the top remains very real, even when week-to-week activity quiets down.
We also saw one of our most expensive listings, 1123-C Long Beach Blvd in North Beach, withdraw and come back on at a reduced price of $7,999,999, down from $8,195,000. Even at that adjusted number, it works out to nearly $2,000 per square foot, which would make it one of the most expensive homes per square foot to sell on LBI in recent history.
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Ship Bottom · Long Beach Island
Like-New Coastal Contemporary, Three Houses from the Sand
120 E 30th Street, Ship Bottom
Offered at $2,699,000, this 2020-built coastal contemporary sits just three houses off the beach in Ship Bottom — close enough that there are no streets to cross to reach the wide, lifeguarded sand. Inside are 2,380 sq ft of Coastal Living-esque interior design: 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a flexible family room/office/5th bedroom, and a lower-level rec room. The showpiece is a full-size rooftop deck with a fire pit and a rooftop hot tub — a rarity on LBI and a true game changer — framing ocean and bay views and some of the best sunrises and sunsets on the island. It's offered fully furnished and move-in ready, with a proven rental track record of $9,500/week in-season.
Property Highlights
Newer construction this close to the beach is one of the hardest things to find on LBI. A 2020 build sitting three houses off the sand means a buyer skips the years of permitting, REAL-era cost increases, and construction headaches that come with building new today — and walks into a home that already lives the way modern buyers want it to.
The rooftop is the difference-maker. A hot tub up top — not on a ground-level patio, but on the roof with panoramic ocean and bay views — is something you rarwly see on LBI, and it's a genuine game changer. Pair it with a fire pit and the kind of sunrises and sunsets you only get from that vantage point, and it becomes the part of the house everyone remembers. Add a proven $9,500/week rental history, a fully furnished move-in-ready interior, and elevator-ready bones for the long haul, and you have a property that works as a summer home, an income producer, or both at once.
Quick Snapshot
| Price | $2,699,000 |
| Bedrooms / Bathrooms | 4 beds · 2 full / 1 half bath |
| Square Footage | 2,380 sq ft |
| Year Built | 2020 |
| Location | Ship Bottom · Ocean Block |
| Views | Ocean · Bay · Panoramic |
| Property Type | Single-Family · Coastal Contemporary |
| Outdoor | Full rooftop deck · Fire pit · Hot tub · Outside shower |
| In-Season Rent | $9,500 / week · Furnished |
| Parking | 1-car garage · Paver driveway |
Courtesy of BHHS Zack Shore REALTORS
The Guarino Team
The Island's Fastest-Growing Real Estate Team
We're not just here to open doors — we're here to make sure you walk through the right one.
We don't just know the Long Beach Island market. We live it, invest in it, and study it every single day.
From accurate pricing guidance and rental ROI projections to strategic offer structures that win in competitive situations, we help buyers approach the market with clarity and confidence.
With deep local roots, modern valuation technology, and a relentless work ethic, we're redefining what a real estate advisor should be.
NJ 4-Foot Flood Rule — What It Means for LBI
