Duck Real Estate
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Prior to the 1970’s Duck was more or less a small village where many residents made a living from hunting and fishing. Duck real estate was not considered a good investment. Things have really changed over the last fifty plus years. The town of Duck has only been incorporated since 2001. When the Food Lion grocery store chain purchased the largest tract of land left in Duck, a large portion of the registered Duck voters decided they wanted to have more control of local development and government services. Shortly thereafter in 2001, the North Carolina state government passed a bill allowing Duck to leave the jurisdiction of Dare County and became an incorporated town.
Desirability
Duck is one of the most desirable vacation rental areas in Dare County. People like Duck for various reasons. One reason is the terrain. Duck is blessed with large sand dunes over most of the town. Water views of the sound or ocean are very common in this town. Unlike the towns to the south, the main road through Duck runs closer to the sound than the ocean. Crossing a busy road to get to the beach is not an issue for most of the homes in Duck.
The quaint, beach town feel of Duck is not found in every Outer Banks locality. Most commercial enterprises are small and family owned. Now that the boardwalk along the sound is completed this walk is scenic as well as convenient. From many subdivisions the main shopping area is just a short walk or bike ride away. There is something wonderful about parking the car at the beginning of your vacation and not having to drive again until you leave. Duck also has a wide pedestrian path through much of the town that folks use for exercise and/or getting to goods and services. The restaurants in town are also famous for good food. Probably top of the list for Duck dining experiences is the Blue Point Restaurant. Here you can have a gourmet meal and watch the sunset.
Subdivisions
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uck also is home to a few of the Outer Banks most prestigious subdivisions. Sanderling at the north end of town has a completely different feel than most other areas of the Outer Banks. Large Live Oaks are the predominant vegetation in most of this subdivision. This subdivision also has a hotel, a couple fine restaurants and a large exercise facility. Private pools here are not allowed which helps keep the noise down for the relatively large, retired Sanderling population.
Schooner Ridge is located in the heart of Duck. This subdivision has very nice amenities as well including an ocean front pool and an indoor pool and a racquetball court. At the end of the 1980’s it was considered the top subdivision in Duck. Duck Landing and Four Seasons were built by the same developers in the late 1990’s. Because these subdivisions were developed later than most of Duck, they have newer homes in them. All three of these subdivisions has outstanding amenities and are just what the doctor ordered for people with active lifestyles.
As a result of Duck’s fine qualities sales prices are higher here than average. Buyers see value in what Duck has to offer and are willing to pay for it. Fortunately, it also remains a favorite of vacationers so the rental income helps offset these higher prices.
Because most Duck lots already have homes on them, future growth in Duck will be limited mostly to renovating existing homes and tearing down older homes. Duck is known throughout the building community for its strict development regulations. It is the only municipality on the Outer Banks that requires a landscape plan for residential development. These regulations will insure that future homes built in Duck will be limited in size.
Vacationing
The rental season in Duck runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day but off-season rentals in this area are growing especially in the fall. Most stores and restaurants remain open into October and some are staying open much longer than that. Off season visitors are also encouraged to come to Duck for with events like an art festival and jazz festival. The new town park along the sound on the old Food Lion property is large enough to easily handle these events and should also help increase visitors during the shoulder seasons. In the future Duck’s charm should continue to keep the area as a favorite vacation spot for Outer Banks visitors and buyers.
