BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

A roller coaster that now sits in the Atlantic Ocean has become the image of the Jersey Shore to a lot of tourists considering renting homes this summer.

The time of year when people are generally booking their vacation homes has been slow to this point. State officials would like to ease any concerns.

Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno said, according to 6abc.com,"What we'd like people to know is that the Jersey shore is open for business now. And certainly in five months when the season starts, they'll be ready for them to come to the Jersey shore."

People have been calling realtors to find out whether their former rental is still standing. Blocks of the shore were destroyed, yet much of the area survived Sandy in good shape. There are some concerns about losing regular tourists to other beach areas such as Virginia and Maryland.

According to NJ.com, Lee Childers, the owner of Childers Sotheby’s International Realty, expected his rental business in Ocean County to be down by about one-third from last year due to damages. But Frank Shoemaker of Berger Realty in Ocean City said that community suffered less damage from Sandy than northern beaches, and most realtors remained hopeful about the summer.

Long Beach Island realtors have predicted that at least 85 percent of rentals properties will be ready to occupy by Memorial Day. Cape May County has nearly 19,000 units and rooms available for tourists.

Director of the Cape May County Department of Tourism Diane Wieland noted that it was a critical time for the summer rental market. “They may not be ready to sign on the dotted line right now, but they are formulating their plans,” Wieland said, according to The Asbury Park Press. “If we lose the tourists now, they could be gone for good.“