If you google for information about a specific Outer Banks house, it’s highly likely that you'll end up at a zillow or realtor.com web site. These national web sites have the resources and the know how to get their web site to the top of the first page. An Outer Banks zillow search has limited information. Some of it also may be inaccurate. This article will help you understand why local Realtor's web sites are an important part of your OBX real estate searches. First, Not Best Just because … Continue reading...
Outer Banks Beach Nourishment
Recently a client who is thinking about moving to the beach asked me some questions about Outer Banks beach nourishment. This common question deserves some explanation since beach nourishment and erosion has been an issue for so long. Old timers here will tell you about the long walk to the ocean from their Kitty Hawk ocean front cottage. In some parts of Kitty Hawk those cottages were lost to erosion close to thirty years ago. Frank Stick also addresses the movement of the shoreline in his 1958 … Continue reading...
Outer Banks Real Estate Auctions
Over the years, the trend of Outer Banks real estate auctions has come and gone. Lately this trend and marketing tool is making a comeback. Perhaps one reason is that most auctions are on-line. On-line auctions cost sellers less money. Recent Outer Banks homes offered in on-line auctions were first marketed at well below fair market value. This marketing tactic helped to create a buzz about these properties. Here are a few things to keep in mind when considering a bid: Cost: Auction … Continue reading...
OBX Home Sales Improve
The summer of 2018 was relatively busy compared to recent years. The number of OBX home sales over the last few months has been fairly similar to 2017. Last year was our best year since the boom years of the last decade. Poor weather hampered sales earlier in the year but brisk summer/fall sales are helping us catch up. According to the Outer Banks Association of Realtors’ August report, the number of residential sales for the year is now off just 3% compared to last year. See our full fall … Continue reading...
Realtor Client Relationships
A Realtor to client relationships are an important thing you want when dealing with selling or buying your home. You want a realtor with connections to make the process go as smoothly as possible. How it can help On my way to work late last week my truck started overheating. I made it to work and called John The Automan to see if he could help. We've been taking our cars to John for a couple years now and I hoped he could take care of me because of a trip I had to take over the weekend. The … Continue reading...
Negotiating OBX Home Inspection to a Win-Win
We found their OBX forever home. Love the location! Love the layout and lot size! The house obviously needed TLC and updating (paint, flooring, and a new kitchen) but still satisfied almost all of Mr. & Mrs. Buyer’s check boxes. After considering recent sale comps, my clients and I negotiated a fair sales price plus some closing costs. This kept this home within these buyers’ budget. (Did I mention that my clients love this house?) Due Diligence The fun part is over, now the … Continue reading...
What does sold “as-is” mean”?
“As-is” can mean numerous things in an Outer Banks real estate transaction. It could relate to the condition of the home but also it could relate to an encomberance or an encroachment. Most commonly means that the seller will not make any repairs. This frequency of this type of sale waxes and wanes with Outer Banks market conditions. Almost all distressed sales are sold this way. Banks rarely want to make repairs to a property and sellers of short sales don’t have the cash to make any repairs. … Continue reading...
Maintenance Issues in OBX Homes
OK you’ve narrowed down your list of wants and needs for an Outer Banks property and you have found some homes that meet the key criteria of location and size. It is time to go view homes! Below I will provide a list of things to check when viewing OBX homes. What to do before viewing a property Prior to viewing Outer Banks property it is a good idea to make a list of those items you want to check while in the property. The more time and money spent after the purchase getting the house right, … Continue reading...
Simplify your OBX Home Search
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...
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...