OCEAN CITY — Those who enjoy the beach more than the boardwalk — the sound of waves gently lapping the shore, gulls squawking far off in the distance and a maximum of one child screaming per hour — should do their home shopping in the island’s Southend neighborhood.
Ocean City is one of the most popular shore resorts on the East Coast, featuring a 2.5-mile-long oceanfront boardwalk filled with hundreds of shopping, dining and entertainment venues, as well as miles and miles of pristine beaches. There also is an award-winning downtown business district centered on Asbury Avenue and a watersports district around Third Street on Bay Avenue.
The Southend neighborhood, from 34th to 59th streets, is narrow with fewer homes and businesses than the center of the island, which makes it the perfect getaway.
Everything needed for a beach vacation is located on the 34th Street business corridor or scattered throughout the neighborhood at mom-and-pop shops.
The Garden State Parkway provides access just across the bridge in Upper Township, so there is no need to schlep through downtown to get there, and all of the attractions that make Ocean City America’s Greatest Family Resort are just a couple of miles away by foot or bicycle. It also offers access to Corson’s Inlet State Park, Strathmere and Sea Isle City to the south.
The 1,532-square-foot home at 4804 Central Ave. requires just a half-block walk to get toes in the sand.
The duplex’s symmetric design and peaked cathedral porch ceiling with exposed beams makes it stand out from its neighbors.
A paver walkway splits the grassy yard. Mulched beds with evergreen and seasonal shrubs flank the steps up to the covered front porch, where there is abundant space for cushioned furniture and a dining area.
Inside, the immaculately maintained first-floor condominium is light and bright throughout. Its color scheme — light floors, beige walls with white trim and white cabinets — combines with the multiple windows, 9-foot ceiling and open floor plan to make it feel even more spacious.
Encompassing the living room, dining room and kitchen, the great room is divided down the middle. The sitting area is to the left, where a large sectional sofa is arranged around a gas fireplace with a wood mantel and large television above. There’s even room for a cushy chair in the front corner just inside a double window with plantation shutters.
The other front corner contains the dining space, where a long wood table provides seating for six to eight. Four stools at the granite-topped island provide additional seating.
Crisp and clean, the kitchen features abundant KraftMaid cabinets with self-close, soft-close doors and drawers, granite tops and a tile backsplash. Stainless-steel appliances include a two-door refrigerator with freezer drawer, five-burner range/oven with a microwave above and dishwasher to the right of the sink.
A door provides access to the garage, while wood stairs ascend to the second level where a long hallway widens at the rear.
On the right, the first bedroom has a full-size bed, wall-to-wall carpet and a full bath hidden behind a pocket door. It has a tile floor, vanity and shower tiled to the ceiling with sliding glass doors.
Next door is the second full bathroom with a vanity and porcelain tub/shower with tiled walls and a curtain.
Across the hall is the second bedroom.
The final two bedrooms split the space across the back of the home with the laundry closet between them.
On the right, the primary bedroom has a queen-size bed atop wall-to-wall carpet, a door opening onto the covered back porch and a full bathroom with a granite-topped KraftMaid vanity and shower tiled to the ceiling with sliding glass doors.
The final bedroom, on the left, has a full-size bed and sliding glass door opening onto the back porch.
Out back, there is room for one car on the concrete parking pad and another inside the oversized garage.
