Is it fall yet? September is considered by many as a reward for enduring the heat and crowds of the summer months. The pleasant weather and less traffic in the fall are two of the main reasons why many locals choose to live on the Outer Banks year-round. Unfortunately, the old adage “be careful what you wish for” is something we were quickly reminded of right around Labor Day Weekend. Just before the end of August, the weather forecasters mentioned the dreaded word “hurricane,” and our focus quickly shifted from looking forward to cooler temps to praying for the hurricane to turn out to the Atlantic. Everyone paid close attention to Hurricane Dorian which had an unusual and destructive path up the entire southeast coast. The northern parts of the Outer Banks had several areas of flooding and wind damage, but gratefully we did not endure the devastation Dorian caused in other areas. Our hearts are heavy for everyone affected by Hurricane Dorian, and they are in our thoughts and prayers. If your property had damage from the storm and you need help finding someone to repair it, please feel free to contact us for suggestions on local handyman or contractors who can help. If you are interested in helping those who were deeply affected by the storm, please see the list below provided by the Outer Banks Voice. Every little bit will go a long way with those who lost everything.
In real estate news, the market was basically on hold for a few weeks until the storm passed. Many closings were delayed and due diligence extensions were requested by lenders and future buyers so they could wait to see what happened. Prior to this storm, the statistics report from July mentioned the number of homes under contract was the highest since 2013, and then in August, the report revealed the highest number of sales since 2004. Unfortunately, there is a strong chance the closings scheduled for September might not be as high as the statistics report predicts. We hope this is not the case, but it is a likely possibility.
We’ve included the OBAR statistics for August* for your review. If you would like a more tailored report with specific figures for your neighborhood, please let us know.
If you’ve been thinking about selling, we are happy to assist you with a free market analysis of your property. If you or anyone you know is interested in buying a property, we would love to help find the perfect home on the Outer Banks.
The OBX Homes Team is making an effort to help the environment and decrease our paper output. If you’d like to help in reducing our paper use, please send us a current email so we can add you to our paperless mailing list. We will send you a notification each month to look at our website for the updated owner note and statistics report. We appreciate your effort to help with this and thank you. We will continue with owner mailings to those who wish to receive them by mail.
Please don’t hesitate to call or email us if you have any questions or should you need anything at all.
The OBX Homes Team
The Outer Banks Community Foundation is coordinating monetary donations, which are of great help to those in need. All donations are tax-deductible and 100%
of all donations will be used to directly assist individuals and families in need. Donations can be made online at obcf.org/disaster or www.obxdisaster.org.
For those wishing to assist in the recovery in hard-hit Ocracoke, Hyde County officials say you can contact the following organizations to coordinate your efforts:
Donation Management: 833-543-3248, Volunteer Management: 252-305-2685
