Tax Re-evaluation, Bridge and other news

September 26, 2012 By Ilona

Fall is officially upon us and the weather here in Duck has been phenomenal.  This is by far the best time of year to visit the Outer Banks and I hope you’ll be able to take advantage of it as well.

In fact, you may already be planning a visit over Columbus Day Weekend.  If so, you’ll notice the annual Parade of Homes happening.  This is a big event for us and is a great opportunity to see the latest trends in building.  If you can’t make it, be sure to take a look at the full tour online…

You may also remember a brief note in a previous email about the 2012 Tax Re-evaluation that is taking place now.  The latest assessments for Dare County will be available to homeowners in January 2013.  Keep in mind, tax assessment is not designed to determine market value for the property, rather for the purpose of assessing taxes equally among property owners.  If you’re interested in more information you can visit Dare County’s website on the topic here.

Now for the latest Mid-Currituck Bridge update…the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee has scheduled a meeting to give an update on this project for October 8th in Raleigh.  If you have an interest in this be sure to contact Representative Owens with your thoughts.  You’ll also notice on the Turnpike Authority website regarding this project that the completion date has been pushed once again to January 2018.

Lastly, sales continue to be very strong here.  There’s overall a 19% increase in the number of sales so far this year over last year.  However, last month we saw a huge spike in foreclosure filings for Dare County.  No one is really sure what caused the increase.  The point is we aren’t ready for any appreciation just yet.  It remains a great time to buy and for those selling a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of the increased buyer activity.  Let me know if you need any data on the market.

Filed Under: OBX Real Estate News & Data, Outer Banks Good Living Tagged With: , , ,

Currituck Fall Food & Wine Festival

September 20, 2012 By Ilona

You don’t want to miss the Currituck Fall Food & Wine Festival Saturday, September 22nd from 12:00 – 6:00 at Sanctuary Vineyards.  The event will feature wines from all through North Carolina as well as local chefs preparing fresh seafood and local cuisine.

There will be live music by L-Shape Lot, the Jesse Chong Band and more!  The whole family will enjoy hayrides, games of skill and The Great Currituck Grape Stomp–Winner takes all!

Local wines and beers will be available to sample.  Admission is $20.00 in advance (or $25.00 at the door).  To purchase in advance stop by all Cotton Gin locations or online at www.sanctuaryvineyards.com or www.cottongin.com.  Your admission will include a signature wine glass, wine tastings and entertainment.  This event will happen Rain or Shine.  Come on out and have a great time!

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Duck Jazz Festival

September 14, 2012 By Ilona

Everybody is so excited for the 6th Annual Duck Jazz Festival that will be held at Duck Town Park on October 7th! Beach Realty & Construction/Kitty Hawk Rentals is proud to be an alto sponsor for this event.   The gates open at 10:00 with the event scheduled to begin at 11:00.  The best part is this is a free, all-day community event.

Here is the lineup for the day:

11:00 a.m. – Emme St. James and Her Jazz Gentlemen

12:15 p.m. – The Fuzz Band

2:15 p.m. – Paula Atherton

4:15 p.m. – The Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman

Food and beverages will be available for sale.  Make sure you save some time to explore the boardwalk with the fantastic view plus all the great stores and restaurants.  You don’t want to miss out on this family fun day!

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Get your Pirate on!

September 5, 2012 By Ilona

Pirates were one of the realities that merchants along the Outer Banks had to deal with throughout the late 1600’s and early 1700s.  Pirates attacked and raided Spanish and British ships carrying gold, silver and other riches. They used the outer Banks as an escape and to store their loot.  Blackbeard also known as Edward Teach lived in Ocracoke until November 22, 1718 when the British Royal Navy cornered him.  Blackbeard went down fighting instead of surrendering.

In the Outer Banks we have had several famous pirates such as Anne Bonny, Calico and Pamlico Jack, Mary Read, and Stede Bonnet. 

The Outer Banks Pirate Festival will kick-off on Thursday, September 13 and carry on with festivities on Outer Banks until ending on Saturday, September 15. Discover Pirate history and everything Pirate from a Scallywag School for Young Scoundrels, how to use pirate weapons, storytelling, and pictures and more with pirates, pirates everywhere! 

The event kicks on Thursday with a treasure hunt that begins at Kitty Hawk Kites and continues with a search through the stores of Jockey’s Ridge. 

Get ready to get your Pirate on… Argh, Mateys!

For more information go to:  Outer Banks Pirate Festival

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Great Sporting Events in the Outer Banks

August 31, 2012 By Ilona
In the month of September, the Outer Banks has several great sporting events that are taking place. 

Grab a friend or a family member and head out to have a fun time!

The first weekend of September (Sept 1 – Sept 3) the Bud Light Lime Surf Series will be at Jeanette’s Pier.  This tour includes the top 32 men and 8 women from various surf genres.    Head to the beach and cheer on your favorite surfer.
September 12Th – 15Th is the Hatteras Wave Jam.  This is the American Windsurfing Tour and Hatteras should be an excellent stop.
Wave conditions in the area are likely to provide some of the best action found in the US. 
September 15Th is the All Out Pink Road Race, a 12K Bridge Run & 5K plus Garden Yoga and Pilate’s.   This event is presented by Outer Banks running Club and Outer Banks Bootcamps and hosted by the Elizabethan Gardens.  100% of the event proceeds will provide mammograms to locals that do not have access to health care.   This event has something for everyone and is a great way to spend the day with the family. 
  
ESA Eastern Surfing Championship is September 16th – 23rd at Jennette’s Pier.  This is the grand finale of surfing where the best from the national and international districts compete for who will be the overall champions for the year.  
September 22 and 23rd is the Outer Banks Triathlon an event not to be missed!  This is a whole weekend of family fun with Tri events that feature the half, Olympic and sprint distances in the beautiful Outer Banks.  If you can’t participate think about heading out to volunteer!  
The active month of September wraps up with the WRF Surfing Contest September 28– 30at Jennette’s Pier.  We know how beautiful the Outer Banks is in September.  Take some time to head outdoors with your family and support your community, join in the fun or even volunteer! 
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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!!

 

Filed Under: OBX Real Estate News & Data, Outer Banks Good Living Tagged With: ,

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!

Filed Under: Home Buyers' Tips & Advice, Home Sellers' Tips & Advice, OBX Real Estate News & Data, Outer Banks Good Living Tagged With: , , ,

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:

Filed Under: Home Buyers' Tips & Advice, Home Sellers' Tips & Advice, OBX Real Estate News & Data, Outer Banks Good Living

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!

Filed Under: Outer Banks Good Living

Exploring Corolla, NC

July 5, 2012 By Ilona

Exploring Corolla, NCCorolla, 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.

Filed Under: Outer Banks Good Living