Opinion: 2017 Summer Season Forecast: All Signs Point To Record Summer

So much for the economic slump. With the stock market Dow hitting 21,000 for the first time ever, perhaps happy days are here again, if you own a business or rental home on the East End.

Locals, brace yourself, because the forecast is for new records of busyness this 2017 season. In a casual conversation with real estate agent Diane Shifman of Rosehipparners.com, she mentioned that rentals are at a level she has never seen.

"It's not the old Memorial Day to Labor Day situation, but blocks of time in each of the summer months," she said.

In recent times, folks who rented homes for the whole summer actually left the homes empty perhaps 70 percent of the time, whereas block renters are in the rental homes perhaps as high as 85 percent of the time.

What does that mean? Perhaps more weekday traffic on the roads and at the beaches, not to mention busier restaurants and small businesses.

Up until this year, many rental homeowners held out for the whole season renter for convenience, but have now realized there is more money to be made by breaking up the season.

As it was explained, instead of paying $75,000-plus for a house with a pool for the whole season, but being there only 14 -21 days, folks are paying $30,000-plus for two to three weeks.

As Montauk has become the destination for those on a reduced budget, motel and hotel reservations are already at a premium. Montauk is still the best value for folks looking for just a bed and shower near an ocean beach.

However, now that registry laws are old news, renting homes is becoming more flexible and affordable. Having $15,000 in hand can land you a week in a home, and with motels priced at $400 to $1,000 a night, if you have more than four in your group, its do-able.

Finally, the shenanigans going on in Europe are making the desire to run around Europe as an American feel less safe or desirable. Families are staying local, where they can drive, or take a bus or train, without long security lines. After all, where is it as nice as the East End in summer anywhere else in the world?

Fishing charters and fishing tournaments will get a positive bump from the Wall Street spike and summer tee times on golf courses will be busier than ever. The only unknown factor will be the weather. Rainy days change the math on everything.

As a daily sailor of a small sailboat in Gardiners Bay, I am hoping for lots of sunny days with breezes around seven to 10 knots, along with gentle seas. My surfing buddies, of course, want those big sets of perfect waves that also come around the East End every summer.

So start washing/hosing down the beach chairs, and looking for those beach towels. Make sure the bathing suits still fit and are neither too faded nor worn out. The season is not that far away. The next big weekend is Easter/Passover, then, folks, it's Memorial Day.

Time flies that fast these days.

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