Happy 2020 everyone!! The OBX Homes Team finished 2019 with over 27 million in sales, the top producers at Twiddy & Company, in the top 5 agents on the OBX overall, and number one in residential Corolla sales!* What an awesome and fun-filled year we had! We want to give special thanks to you, our wonderful clients, for making it such a fantastic year.

Due to the storage needed with all our electronic files/documents now, we will be switching servers/emails for 2020 so we can better serve you! Our new emails will be [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected] BUT even better…just email us at [email protected], and you’ll always get the quickest response, as all three of us will monitor that address. We will still be using Twiddy emails for as long as it takes for the transition to be complete.

We are happy to announce that the OBX Homes Team will be donating a portion of all 2020 sales commissions to the Outer Banks SPCA. In 2019, Heather, Ashley, and Mandi all welcomed fur babies into their homes! We are so grateful to the organizations and people who helped care for them and find their furever homes with us, so we’d really like to give back to our local animal welfare/rescues. We’ll be adding information on our website and emails that allows you to find out about the programs the SPCA offers such as taking a shelter dog for a walk, volunteering time, donating items, and even fostering a pet while you’re here in town.

We have a favor to ask of you. If you haven’t already, we would LOVE your reviews on Zillow and Realtor.com. It’s amazing how many new clients are finding us on these sites, and your reviews help tremendously.  You can visit each site and pull up Heather’s profile (search agents) to add a client review/rating. Thank you again to those of you who have written reviews for us! We truly appreciate it.

The December 2019 Statistics as well as the 2019 Year End Statistics are included, but please let us know if you’d like more specific sales information for your neighborhood.

If you’ve been thinking of selling, are looking to purchase, or have friends/family interested, please don’t hesitate to reach out, as we can send a free market analysis for your property and also add prospective buyers to the auto-email notifications for specific types of properties here at the beach.

Thank you again for your loyalty and business over the years. We are so grateful and are looking forward to a wonderful 2020 ahead! As always, please do stop in to say hello if you’re here in Duck. Cheers!

The OBX Homes Team

Heather, Ashley, and Mandi

*Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® MLS for the period January 1 through December 31, 2019.

We hope everyone is enjoying their fall! Things have calmed down quite a bit since last month’s scare with Dorian. As of the beginning of October, schools in Ocracoke have opened back up, demonstrating how hard people will work to get back to their daily routines and show their true grit during tough times. We are grateful to live in a strong community that shows such a strong will to go above and beyond the measures of being a great neighbor. We thank all of the restaurants, local businesses, and all members of the area who quickly offered to help with donating their time, money, and their hands to help those affected by Dorian. If you didn’t have a chance and wanted to donate there are still ways to offer help. Please feel free to email or call The OBX Homes Team to find out how, and we will be glad to guide you in the right direction.

For many “Outer Bankers,” fall is the perfect time to take advantage of the weather and the after-season charm from the busy summer season. Local events such as the Duck Jazz Festival, The Parade of Homes, The Outer Banks Seafood Festival, and the entertaining BrewTag offers great opportunities to invite potential buyers/investors to the area to seal the deal before the winter and holiday season. Some of these events will be donating part of their proceeds to victims of Hurricane Dorian. What more incentive could anyone need to come enjoy a fun-filled day or weekend and help a good charitable cause?

In real estate news, the Fed cut interest rates last month, which could cause concern for the future of the economy and the confidence some might have about their own personal finances. This may impact other real estate markets unfavorably, but we often remind our clients that our area is unique, and often times we see positive returns in some unsettling news about the economy. For example, some investors might turn to real estate instead of the stock market to decrease their risks. Savvy buyers will take advantage of the lower rates and use that as a tool to increase their maximum price point. At the same time, sellers who are competing with more inventory this year could potentially notice an uptick in buyers requesting to see and offer on their property, as the rate cut makes properties more affordable. The OBX Homes Team has not noticed any red flags for concern, judging by the number of clients and other agents requesting to show properties.

We’ve included the OBAR statistics for September* 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 an email each month with a copy of our 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

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

Alas, the peak of summer is here, and so it the HEAT!  Most of the country endured record-breaking temperatures for a good portion of July.  We hope you are having a fabulous and relaxing summer while staying cool and hydrated!

In keeping up with Southern Shores’ latest proposal, the town was not able to secure enough votes to pass the proposed ordinance requiring permits to limit the number of events held by individual properties.  The community and several board members made sure to voice their opposition to the ordinance. This is a small victory for Southern Shores’ property owners who do not appreciate having limitations that prevent their property’s being used for such events.

In local news, the long-awaited flood maps for Dare County show signs of a final resolution. “The last word from the state was that the Letter of Final Determination would be issued in August which will put the effective date of the maps in February 2020,” according to Planning Director, Donna Creef. These flood maps are long overdue, and we hope they can adopt and implement them.  The new flood maps for Dare County will remove many properties from “high-risk” flood zones causing a positive impact for the homeowner’s flood insurance costs along with possibly not being required to have it.

In real estate news, the market has continued to cool off as expected.  Even the lower interest rates and higher amount of inventory cannot change the course for this seasonal decline in activity levels.  The summer market on the OBX is about as predictable as the phases of the moon; therefore, we can predict an uptick as soon as fall knocks on our door.

We’ve included the OBAR statistics for July 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 on 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

We hope everyone had an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend!  The weather along the Outer Banks for the holiday was close to perfect, and both tourists and locals were full of good spirits. The 2019 summer season has officially begun, and the OBX Homes Team would like to wish everyone a great summer season!