While the calendar may say summer begins June 21st, locals and visitors would disagree! Memorial Day weekend has come and gone and we are in full swing here on the Outer Banks. There are just a few noteworthy items to report this month.

Mid-Currituck Bridge – Recently H817 was sent back to the NC State Senate for discussion. This bill basically removes the gap funding for the bridge among other projects. The likelihood of this bridge being built is fading more and more. If you are a supporter of the bridge you can voice your support here: http://www.buildthebridge.org

Dare County Tax Rate – The Board of Commissioners approved a 3.25% tax hike for Dare County property taxes recently. When property values declined on average 29%, the rate needed to break even at the previous budget would have been 39.75%. This change will make the new tax rate for the county at 43 cents per $100 of value.

Beach Nourishment – A $20 million beach widening project was approved in Kill Devil Hills in mid May. Duck is also looking into a project to pump sand onto nearly 2 miles of beach there. As well, Dare County is hiring a firm to design a project for Rodanthe and Buxton.

Flood Insurance Update – Your help is still needed to get some changes made to pending flood insurance rate hikes. My recent blog post breaks down new information obtained by our local Association of Realtors.

Buying or Selling – If you have any questions about the real estate market for the summer months on the Outer Banks, be sure to contact me. Having had a slightly slower spring, we are expecting higher than normal numbers for summer. We know rents are strong, and that gets buyers excited! Let me know how I can help.

Stay cool!