My experience in showing people Outer Banks real estate is that finding ways to simplify your OBX home search is a huge help and makes the process much smoother. Most times buyers don’t find a house that is in perfect condition and meets every last one of their wants and needs. Buying a home is like buying a car. You may find one that gets great gas mileage but it may not be strong enough to tow a boat or big enough for your entire family.When looking to purchase an Outer Banks … Continue reading...
9228 South Old Oregon Inlet Road
Situated adjacent to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and just one lot off the Atlantic Ocean, this house is a great vacation rental or primary residential home. Each of the three bedrooms on the top floor have their own private bath. There is also a game room, a family room and a formal dining room. Renters love this one! It alread has generated $37,000 in income this year! This is our listing and is priced at $399,000 … Continue reading...
What should I expect when negotiating on a vacation home in the fall?
It's common sense that sellers should be more anxious to sell their house in the fall than in the middle of the busy summer season. Negotiating on a vacation home during the spring or summer eliminates a seller's summer rental income. They also will miss out on using the property during those great summer beach days. With winter around the corner it makes sense that sellers would not be interested in paying the bills for a house they are not using very much. Trying to quantify what would seem to … Continue reading...
When is the best season to buy a rental home?
Conventional wisdom is that the best time to purchase a vacation rental home on the Outer Banks is in the spring or summer. However there are other factors to consider when making a buying decision. Here are some pros and cons of purchasing in the different seasons. Spring: Besides getting instant rental income purchasing in the spring also allows you to use it in good weather. Usually the Outer Banks has great weather in May and June. Also, you may be able to reserve it a week or two by … Continue reading...
Choosing an Outer Banks Home Inspector
Choosing the right Outer Banks home inspector is critical to the success of your home purchase here. Since the Outer Banks is surrounded by water, wind, rain and humidity affect Outer Banks homes more than inland. Therefore, hiring a local home inspector who is familiar with the effects of this environment could save you thousands of dollars. North Carolina has a good brochure available that will help you set expectations. Here are three things to look for in a local home inspector. Licensed … Continue reading...
Why is the OBX Tax Assessment not near the asking price?
Over the last 20 years, more often than not OBX tax assessment values of properties were not equal to their market value. When properties were reassessed in 2013 many tax assessment values went down over 20%. In some cases even more. That’s a huge change in value from one assessment to another! Why is that? Did local property values dropped that much over that onet year? The simple answer is no. The reason for the large change in OBX tax assessment is that neither Dare County nor Currituck … Continue reading...
Why should I use an Outer Banks Lender?
Getting a loan today usually requires a little more time and effort. If you have refinanced or purchased property elsewhere over the last few years then you are familiar with this process. You may want to use your home town lender because they already have your paperwork or they are a friend. The unique aspects of getting a loan on OBX property may be worth reconsidering your decision. Here are some reasons why you should use an Outer Banks lender. Flood Zones Outer Banks lenders are … Continue reading...
How do vacation rentals work for an owner?
How do vacation rentals work? Renting your second home makes affordability much easier. Thousands of dollars each year can be earned to offset the mortgage or other vacation home expenses. Here’s some information about vacation rentals that will help you when thinking about buying a vacation home on the OBX.When a property is a vacation rental the listing agent has a few additional fields they can complete showing rental income. Many of the national real estate web sites do not carry these … Continue reading...
Top Five things to know about Outer Banks Short Sales
Knowing a few key facts about short sales may help you decide if you want to include these types of properties in your Outer Banks real estate search. Here are the top five facts about Outer Banks Short Sales:Under contract continue to show:Often they already have at least one contract on them. The local Multiple Listing Service has listing agents put their under contract short sales in an under contract continue to show status. Properties with this status are included in the data feeds … Continue reading...
Is it time for an Outer Banks Purchase?
In just about any market you can find an article about why now is a good time to buy. It’s easy to be cynical when you hear calls to action today after what has occurred in the real estate market over the last five or six years. What makes this particular fall unique compared to just about any of the other times you’ve been told to purchase Outer Banks real estate? Rarely do so many market variables favor buyers. Here’s some information on a few of these variables. Historically low interest … Continue reading...
