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Check Out Your Towns Beach Nourishment Schedule

 

It’s that time of year again when we will be hitting the Outer Banks Beaches and we are excited to see some new sand coming our way! The towns of Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and the village of Buxton on Hatteras Island will see the start of the beach nourishment project we have been waiting on.  See below chart for estimated start and completion dates in your area.  The website morebeachtolove.com will give you a more in-depth look at the exact beaches that will be benefiting from the project. 

What to Do on the OBX in March?

FOOD, DRINK & FUN. 

 

Check out the events calendar for our Famous “Taste of the Beach Weekend”!  

March 25 to 27th

 

One of our favorite places for “TAKE OUT” when we have a crowd in town!

 

DELICOUS, SIMPLE, QUICK & FREE DELIVERY

 

“THE COOKSHAK FRIED CHICKEN”, DUCK & NAGS HEAD

Here’s a Fun Club to belong to….

 

The OBX’s Gutsy Grain – for $35 a month, you can pick up a loaf of some of the most delicious homemade bread you have ever tasted.  It’s pick up only, every Tuesday between 3 & 5 in Kitty Hawk.  Or the Gusty Grain will take specialty, custom orders – you can reach them at:  gutsygrain@gmail.com or check out their website at:  https://www.gutsygrain.com/

Yellow line indicates the moving average of prices over time.  As you can see our prices are right about where they should be. 

Yellow & Green line represents the average of interest rates from 1972 – 2020 & 1990 – 2020.  In both cases you can see our current rates are substantially below historical performance. 

It’s been an interesting few years for all of us in the Outer Banks real estate market.  Our Sellers are asking “should we hold on until next year when I know my house will be worth more”.  Some of our Buyers are saying “I’m going to hold off for now, as I know we are going to have a market crash”.  Some of these thoughts are based off past experiences, personal feelings, or some even come from your neighbor next door, that is a “dentist”.  I’m here to give you some thoughts from a real estate professional that has navigated through the best and worst times of the real estate market:   

 

TRUTH - We can’t predicate the market; we can only make an educated guess.

 

Sellers – You are waiting to see the market go up further before you sell?  I heard sellers say the same thing back in 2006 and they missed the mark.  I had one home under contract for $1,369,000 and the contract fell through. This same home sold in 2020 for $869,000.  Conclusion, the seller should have addressed the buyer’s request for a $6,000 repair. This is just one of many of these stories.

   

Buyers – Are you waiting on prices to go down?  I’m afraid that wait could be a long one and you will end up paying more in price & interest rate or drop your dream of homeownership altogether.  Here is when a good, educated guess comes into play.  The 2006/2007 crash was a wicked one.  It was a perfect storm that led us to one of the biggest real estate crashes in our history.  The “Why’s” of that we can get into another time.  Some of us believe that we are in the correction RIGHT NOW.  Our prices have been one of the lowest you’ll find in a beach community up and down the east coast, and we are just now adjusting to where they should be.

 

Are our prices where they should be?  How about interest rates?  The above charts will give you the best insight into how our market is measuring up. 

HISTORIC FLAT TOP COTTAGE TOUR!  

 

A fun way to spend a spring day!

 

The Southern Shores Historic Flat Top Cottage Tour owner network is inviting all to “Save-the-Date” for the return of its tour in 2022 to be held on Saturday, April 30th, 2022, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.  Tickets will be available on the day of the tour beginning at 1 PM at 156 Wax Myrtle Trail, $10 tickets cover admission to all 10+ homes on the tour.  Frank Stick, (1884-1966), beloved Outer Banks artist and developer, obtained an option on the land that is now Southern Shores, and supervised the platting of lots, the installation of roads, and the design and erection of the first flat top cottages. These now quaint architectural houses were reminiscent of the cottages he had seen in Florida, and were of cement block construction, with wide overhanging soffits, propped up shutters, and flat tar and gravel roofs.  Join us for an afternoon of open houses as you tour these historic cottages that once dominated the town’s architectural landscape. We are proud to offer homes of varying sizes, locations, styles, and finishes for a self-guided open house tour. Approximately 25 examples of this original architectural style still remain as flat tops in Southern Shores.

Public Service Announcement

RIP CURRENTS – WHAT TO DO

If you happen to get trapped in a rip current, do not panic.  Don’t fight against the current, Stay calm and don’t swim directly back to shore.  Instead, swim parallel to the shoreline until you stop being pulled. Then swim back to shore.  If you are still unable to get back to shore, draw attention to yourself.  Wave your arm and yell for help.

 

Ocean Safety Tips

• Never swim alone
• Try to spot a rip current before getting in to the ocean
• Know the beach flags, RED=NO SWIMMING, YELLOW=SWIMMING HAZARD
• When in doubt, DON’T GO OUT
• Know where your lifeguards are

Do you have a rental home? 

 

😴  Check your mattresses, one of our top guest complaints is uncomfortable mattresses

 

☝  A kitchen is the number one area guests look at when booking reservations

 

🔥  Homes with Outdoor Gas Firepits rate high on the list of amenities for our guests

HOW DID OUR HOME INSPECTION GIVEAWAY GO…

 

At the end of 2021, The Argiroff Group had a Giveaway for a Free Home Inspection. We believe in keeping the mechanics of your home in good condition to avoid unforeseen costly repairs. Chris from Duck was our lucky winner!  I just caught up with Chris to hear her thoughts on her experience with the home inspection. 

 

“I have been meaning to write you for a MONTH to thank you for the free home inspection!  Ben was absolutely fabulous, and I so enjoyed spending half a day with him, I couldn’t have been more impressed by his thoroughness and knowledge of absolutely everything, especially for such a young guy! And he is an awesome human being to boot”. 

 

Are you happy you had the home inspection?  Absolutely, we have had many issues with our home since buying it in 2015 that we’ve spent GOBS of money on, so it was a huge relief to me to have someone knowledgeable go through it with a fine-toothed comb.

 

Did the inspector explain the report to you?  Yes, and offered to go through it with me on the phone as well if I had any questions. 

 

Any surprises found?  Absolutely, which I was fully expecting! Some more concerning that I had hoped, others less concerning!  It was a wash!

 

Have you proceeded to have any of the items listed in the report addressed?  A few, although I hope to get many issues taken care of before our rental season starts in June.

 

In a nutshell, Chris had a great experience and I think sounds relieved to have had a thorough inspection on her home, so she knows what she needs to do to keep it in tip-top condition.  Being pro-active is always less costly for us in the long run!  Let us know if you have any questions on home inspection or would like to schedule an inspection for your home.  We are happy to help you facilitate that and/or give you a list of names of our BEST home inspectors.

Kathleen and Alex Argiroff (The Argiroff Group) hope you enjoyed this installment of OBX Realtor.

 
As always if you, a family member or friend are thinking of buying, selling or just want to get an idea of what your property is worth in today’s market don’t hesitate to call, text or email. We always look forward to hearing from you!

*From 2005 to Present | Each office is independently owned and operated.