TheRealOBX's Blog: All Categories

As someone who follows the local Outer Banks real estate market,  I have noticed a steady decline in the value of homes. With the price of real estate falling to the same prices seen in 2004 and a meteoric rise in crude oil many are beginning to worry about the state of the US economy.  Many home owners are seeing the value of their homes tumble in certain markets.  Besides the loss in their home value, many Americans are forced to deal with fuel costs taking a larger portion of their budget. 

The price of crude oil has been constantly in the news.  It is near impossible to turn on any news program without hearing about the record price of oil.  Since oil is now hitting consumers in their wallets, the blame machine has gone into full gear.  You have both…

Before I moved to the Outer Banks, I like most people would constantly get caught up in running from one thing to the next.  When you live that way It is amazing how much can pass you by.  You never realize how unimportant many things are.  So many of the things we think are of utmost importance are merely distractions.  Since I moved to the Outer Banks I try to remind myself of the importance of everyday. 

     Now when I wake up every morning, as my dogs and I are getting ready for our morning walk I take a minute and just smell the air.  It is amazing what you smell when you take a minute to do nothing but smell.  This simple step puts my entire day in perspective.  Since I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to wake up, I have to take… Read Full Post

Working in vacation rental management I take notice that many more companies are now embracing increased use of the Internet.   This is a great thing.  Every year a larger percent of the population is using the  internet  to book their vacation.  This trend is not going to slow or stop.  It will continue to rise.  This forces many vacation property managers into uncomfortable waters.

     The Internet is now becoming the most important way you can advertise your vacation rental company.  Unfortunately, for many property management companies they have no idea how to go about effectively marketing themselves on the Internet.  This creates a large gap between small and large companies.  Many of the larger companies are fortunate to be able to absorb the…

This post is to show anyone can have their website on the first page of Google if they apply a little effort.  I started my Outer Banks website, The Real Outer Banks, just over 8 months ago.  When I started it I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  I created the initial pages using a 5th grade book.  I made my first hyperlink and was so proud.  After creating a couple pages I realized i wanted people to read what I wrote and visit my site.

     It was the desire for visitors that lead me to SEO or search engine optimization.  When people search the internet the majority of the time its through a search engine.  If your website does not show on the search engines results, no one is ever going to be able to find your site.  Actually if your not on…

Every year the media reports that direness of the Outer Banks vacation season.  The articles always convey the same general message,  this year vacationers are going to wait until the last minute to reserve their Outer Banks homes and find the best possible deals.  This invariably leads to many people waiting until the last minute and then finding there is not nearly the choice of homes they thought would be available.  This year is no different. 

     Each year the headlines are different explaining why people are not reserving and that they are waiting around for a deal.  It is often the case of the local media outlets providing misinformation to possible vacationers.  As you can imagine this year's headlines all use the issue of rising gas prices. …

     I came across a great article this morning.  It was by Robert Murphy an economist with the Instiitute for Energy Research.  After reading his article I had to find this quote he used from CNBC.  Here is the quote from CNBC, "Energy fell 0.2 pct, the largest drop since December, while food was unchanged in the month. Within the energy sector, gasoline fell 4.6 pct, the largest drop since December."  I don't know about anyone else but I have not seen the price of gas in the Outer Banks drop.  Everytime I go to the pumps I seem to pay more. 

     The article goes on to state how the government used a seasonal adjustment to determine the drop in the price of gas.  I can not speak for anyone else but when I am paying at the pump I never notice a seasonal…

     Many home owners that are on the fence about selling their home due to market conditions may want to reconsider.  Now may be just the time to correctly price your home to sell.  The main determining factor to many home owners on whether to buy or sell has to be interest rates.  For those with ARM's that are readjusting now would be the best time to plan an exit strategy.

     The Federal Reserve as reported in Reuters is looking to keep interest rates steady for the next three meetings before looking at a possible rate increase.  Rate increases adversely affect both buyers and sellers.  Sellers especially those faced with adjustable rate mortgages that are going to readjust can face hundreds if not thousands more in monthly payments.  For buyers it…

     It's that time of year.  Memorial Day is almost here.  It is time for Dr. Beach's annual list of America's top beaches.  Making this list often results in additional tourist income for the areas selected.  This is the second year in a row the Outer Banks has made the list of top beaches.  Last year's #1 beach, Ocracoke Island had a significant increase in visitors.  

     Dr. Beach is also known as Dr. Stephen Leatherman.  He uses over 50 criteria to assess the beast beach in America.  His 50 criteria include: air temperature, water temperature, wildlife, number of sunny days, and amount of rain just to name a few.  After he compiles his data his yearly list is released.  His #1 beach this year was Caladesi Island in Clearwater Florida. 

     Cape…