19 Athletes from North Carolina are Competing in the 2012 Summper Olympics!!
July 26, 2012 By Ilona
The Olympics
The Olympics starts this Friday! Love the summer Olympics and the opening ceremony. Here is the link – http://www.london2012.com/ if you want to keep up to date with all that is going on with the Olympics for the next few weeks.
I tried to discover if there were any competing athletes with ties to the Outer Banks and was not successful. I did find that out of 600 competing American athletes we do have 19 athletes representing North Carolina. Most of these athletes we may or may not see, but it will be fun to cheer for someone from our state.
Ricky Berens – Is a swimmer that competed in Beijing and was part of the winning 800 meter relay team. He swam the third leg of the 800m freestyle relay final at the Water Cube, where the U.S. won by more than five seconds over second-place Russia and third-place Australia. The time of 6 minutes, 58.56 seconds also set a world record.
Marko Blazevski – Is also a swimmer and will be competing in the 400-meter individual medley. He is a rising Junior at Wingate University in Wingate, NC.
Cullen Jones – He won a gold medal in Beijing for a 4×100 relay. He will be swimming in the same relay but will also race in the 50 and 100 meter freestyle.
Nick McCrory – is one of the best divers in America. He grew up in Chapel Hill, NC and went to Duke University. He is 20 and this is the first time he has made the Olympic team, he will be competing in the 10 meter platform individual even and synchronized diving.
Shalane Flanagan – is long-distance runner that currently holds the American record times in the 3000 m, 5000 m, and 10,000 m. She is also the Bronze Medalist from Beijing in the 3k, 5k and the 10k. Shalane is a graduate of University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. She will be competing in the marathon.
Hunter Kemper – will be competing in the triathlon. He competed in 2000, 2004 and 2008 as Triathlete in the Olympics. He was born in Charlotte and attended Wake Forest University. He is the only American male that is ranked as the number one triathlete in the world and will be the first triathlete featured on a Wheaties Box.
Other Notable Athletes with North Carolina Ties are:
Dremiel Byers – Wrestling
Casey Eichfeld – Canoe/Kayak
Eric Hurd – Canoe/Kayak
Caroline Queen – Canoe/Kayak
Nick Thoman – Swimming
Rachel Dawson – Field Hockey
Katelyn Falgowski – Field Hockey
Tobin Heath – Soccer
Heather O’Reilly – Soccer
Caroline Lind – Rowing
John Isner – Tennis
Charlie Houchin – Swimming
Chris Paul – Basketball Lauren Perdue – Track & Field
GO USA!!
Outer Banks Update July 24, 2012
July 24, 2012 By Ilona
Sales activity continues to be higher than last year. June finished with a 19% increase of sold properties over June 2011. Properties going under contract are still on the rise as well. Typically the summer months see a bit of a slow-down in activity, which we have, yet still maintained the increase. I suspect the Fall Market will be very strong indeed.
Pricing seems to be stabilizing. Some towns are still declining while others are holding steady. For specific information on your location send me an email and I’ll get you a report.
The study on erosion in Duck is underway and the results of Phase I of this study will be presented to the public on August 15th at 1 pm. For more information click here.
There is no new news on the Mid-Currituck Bridge. We’re not expecting any updates until the end of this quarter.
As you can tell, I have a brand new website launched! This site is very user friendly and should provide you with all the searching tools needed to find out what’s for sale on the Outer Banks. I encourage you to check it out and take a look at my blog. If you haven’t done so already – follow me on Facebook, Twitter & / or Linkedin!
Doing a short sale in North Carolina is about to change. The NC Association of Realtors recently made several revisions to the Short Sale Addendum. For a quick video on the most impactful changes click here.
That’s all for this month. As always if I can answer your real estate questions please contact me!
Best Buys on the Outer Banks for the week of July 23rd, 2012
July 24, 2012 By Ilona
Contact Me About Any of These Properties!
Short Sales are about to change on the Outer Banks
July 24, 2012 By Ilona
Doing a short sale in North Carolina is about to change. The NC Association of Realtors recently made several revisions to the Short Sale Addendum.
For a quick video on the most impactful changes watch this:
Remembering Andy Griffith
July 10, 2012 By Ilona
Andy Griffith passed away from a heart attack July 3, 2012. He was 86 years old and a longtime resident of North Carolina.
He is best known for his role on “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Matlock”. In the Outer Banks he was known for starting his career in the 1940’s with “The Lost Colony” before moving on to movies and television.
Andy Griffith was one of the founding members of The Outer Banks Community Foundation which was “organized in October 1982 as a public charity to meet local needs in the Outer Banks area not ordinarily within the province of other charitable organizations, religious institutions, or government.”
With the passing of Andy Griffith we have had Brad Paisley’s music video “Waitin on a Woman” resurface.
The video was filmed in the Outer Banks and contains scenery from Cape Hatteras and Nags Head as well as the Outlet Mall.
From an article in the LA Times Brad Paisley reminisces about how he reached out to him for the music video. Paisley wrote a letter that said, “This song epitomizes your character as well as the values and things you celebrate, and I wonder if you wanted to be in a music video.
Before they filmed the video the Paisley family came to spend the day with him and a friendship was formed. While shooting the video Brad Paisley remembers the part when he goes to sit on the bench he said “Here comes this legendary actor and he sits down and says, ‘You waitin’ on a woman?’ I look over at him and I never in my life had a more surreal moment than that first take.”
They became friends and one time while Brad Paisley was putting on a concert in Virginia Beach he was able to brighten Andy’s day by setting up a jam session at Andy’s home for an afternoon since Andy had been sick.
Andy Griffith had a love of music throughout his life and even was a high school music teacher in Goldsboro, NC and the president of the University of North Carolina’s Men’s Glee Club. Through the years he sang in different roles and produced southern gospel albums as well as a Christmas album.
Later in life Andy kept to himself and valued his privacy. He had a strong love for this area and was laid to rest on his beloved Roanoke Island. We will miss you Andy!
It’s a Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda Market!
July 9, 2012 By Ilona
July 2012 Outer Banks, NC Market Report – Video by Ilona Matteson
Exploring Corolla, NC
July 5, 2012 By Ilona
Corolla, NC is located on the northernmost reaches of North Carolina’s Outer Banks and is located in Currituck County. Corolla is a great place for a family vacation, weekend getaway or even year round living. Getting to Corolla can be a challenge in the summer but well worth the drive.
Corolla has beautiful beach homes and condos, restaurants, golf courses, a variety of shopping destinations and something for everyone to enjoy. For people looking for a more remote home and experience you can rent a home on the 4wd beaches.
While visiting Corolla you need to plan time to visit the Whalehead Club, Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, and the Currituck Beach Lighthouse.
No trip is complete without seeing the Corolla wild horses. These Spanish wild mustangs roam free and survive in a coastal environment that used to be remote. These horses are thought to have arrived approximately 500 years ago. The only way to see the horses are in a 4wd vehicle and it is best to take a tour from one of the local companies as they know where to find the horses.
There are a variety of restaurants located in Corolla, from Seafood, Italian to barbecue. Most restaurants you can eat in or even bring it back to your house to eat. Corolla has two grocery stores and an ABC store so you can even prepare your own food if you don’t want to eat out. Be warned if you travel off season you will find a lot of these restaurants are closed for the season and the grocery store has limited supplies.
During the season Corolla has a movie theater and The Currituck Club hosts a comedy show and outdoor family movie night. The Whalehead club offers daily events such as Wild Horse Days, 4th of July Fireworks, and a concert series. New this year will be a weekly Lighthouse 5k series starting July 11th and going through August 1st.
Whatever you discover while visiting Corolla, you will make memories that last a lifetime which will have you returning year after year or looking for a place you can call home in Corolla, NC.
4131 W. Drifting Sands Court – Nags Head, NC
July 5, 2012 By Ilona
4131 W. Drifting Sands Court, Nags Head, NC 27959. Enjoyment all year round with this great 4 bedroom / 3 bathroom single family home.
