The busy season is well underway on the Outer Banks.  Traffic has been manageable thus far, but we expect to see big changes in the coming days.  We savor this time of year, as the return of visitors to our area signifies a healthy local economy.

If you find yourself in Duck be sure to take advantage of the upcoming events on the Duck Town Green.  Morning yoga, movies and the summer concert series are about to begin.  You can visit www.townofduck.com for a complete schedule of events.

Many of you will be relieved to know that the Town of Southern Shores postponed the closure of the Tall Pine bridge until October.  Dogwood Trail serves as a lifeline for many local residents on the weekends during the busy season.

Real Estate news is excellent this month.  Single family residential sales are up by 8%.  Average sale prices are down slightly but things are moving in the right direction overall.  Land sales remain strong and are holding with a 16% increase this year.  Residential inventory is down by 16%, and distressed sales are down by 32%.  The improving market is being fueled by low interest rates.  Both primary and 2nd home loans are in the very low 4% range for a 30 year loan, and 15 year loans are available in the low 3% range.  Investment loan rates are also outstanding with 30 year rates coming in the mid 4% and 15 year rates in the mid 3% range.  We look forward to continued improvement for our local real estate market.

As always if you have any real estate related questions please do not hesitate to contact us.  Have a great summer!  And please don’t forget to send us your email address.

The early signs of spring are abundant in Duck as the first waves of visitors have arrived for spring break!  After a record breaking cold winter we couldn’t be happier to watch the transformation around us. 

In Outer Banks news, we are pleased that the west bound lanes of the Wright Memorial Bridge should be opening in mid May.  We have enclosed an article about the bridge.  We are also enclosing an article about the strange rumblings we experienced several times over the winter.  We felt what might have been small earthquakes along the Outer Banks, and speculation has run high.  You’ll also find an article about the recent closure of Oregon Inlet to vessels that draw more than two feet of water.  This is a major concern for the area, and we hope there is a quick resolution. 

The real estate market seems to be on a continued path towards a slow and steady recovery.  The numbers for the first quarter look very promising.  Residential sales are up on the Northern Outer Banks with 94 units closing compared to only 78 during the first quarter of 2014.  Land sales are also on the rise, and foreclosures have continued to decline. 

As always, please do not hesitate to call, email, or stop by with any real estate or local-area questions we might be able to help with.

The months of January and February dashed our hopes of a mild winter on the Outer Banks.  Like many of our neighbors to the west and north we, too, experienced record breaking cold temperatures in February.  The Albemarle sound was nearly frozen over for several days.  Schools and offices were closed for several days due to icy roads and light snowfall. 
 
In real estate news, sales are starting slowly for 2015. Total volume for both Dare and Currituck Counties is down by 21%.   However, land sales are up drastically, by 41%, and foreclosures continue to decline.  Residential inventory is up by just 4%, which is typical for this time of year.  With the rental season on the horizon and spring quickly approaching, we expect the sales volume to increase over the next two months. 
 
In a continued effort to streamline our business and to save some trees, our goal for this year is to switch our monthly mailing to an email format. Please send your current email address to [email protected] so we can update or add to our records.   If you have already done so, thank you.
 
Over the last seven years we resided at 1183 Duck Road.  We have moved back to 1181 Duck Road, the main building.  As always, feel free to stop by when you are in Duck.
 
We appreciate your business and take seriously your trust and confidence in our ability to get the job done.

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are enjoying 2015 so far.

We had a very productive December and managed to stay quite busy for what is normally the slowest month of the year for OBX sales. We closed 2014 as the top producers for our Duck Office, and we are looking forward to a busy spring.

In an effort to streamline our business (and to save some trees), our goal for this year is to switch our monthly mailing to an email format.

Please send us your current email address so we can update or add to our records. You can send to [email protected].

Thanks so much! We hope to see you all in town sometime soon.

Season’s Greetings
Here’s Wishing You and Yours A Very Happy, Healthy Holiday Season.
“The Matchmakers”
Heather & Edith