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If the month of July was any indicator, Outer Banks foreclosures will continue to be a large percentage of sold properties. For the month of July, distress sales made up 29% of all residential properties sold in the Outer Banks. Distress properties include short sales and bank owned homes. Bank owned homes made up 20% of all sold residential homes for July. This is a large number but a positive sign if the Outer Banks real estate market is going to continue to strengthen. For the market to co... Read Full Post

The town of Duck is home to many amazing communities north to south from ocean to sound. One of the most desired communities to own a home in Duck is the Four Seasons. The Four Seasons has long been a vacationers and owners paradise due to its beautiful homes and its proximity to the center of town. Many of Duck's fine shops and restaurants are only a walk or bike ride away. The homes from ocean to sound are some of the Outer Banks finest. The amazing Four Seasons homes are highlighted by out... Read Full Post

One of the highlights of owning or buying a home in the Outer Banks is the accessability to water. From the Atlantic Ocean to the numerous sounds and lakes, if you enjoy life on the water, the Outer Banks is for you. No matter if you enjoy surfing, fishing, kiteboarding, parasailing, or just sitting on the edge of the water, life in the OBX is a water lovers dream. The proximity of the Outer Banks to the Gulf Stream allows for some excellent fishing on and off shore. For those that love to su... Read Full Post

Pine Island homes have long stood as the pinnacle of luxury on the Outer Banks. Many of the homes in Pine Island benefit from both ocean and sound views. If you are fortunate to own one of these homes, you can enjoy the sunrise over the Atlantic and the sunset over the Currituck Sound without ever having to leave your home. The beautiful homes in Pine Island will continue to stand as the pinnacle of homes in Corolla. Besides opulent homes Pine Island is also home to some amazing community ame... Read Full Post

One thing you will find when you invest in real estate is that all markets are local. While markets are definitely affected by what is happening nationally and internationally, take availability of credit and interest rates. The greatest influence is exerted by the local area. Often areas are greatly influenced by the predominant industry. Here in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, our main industry is tourism. Tourism swells the summertime population and local businesses reap the benefit. Wi... Read Full Post

There are many concerns along the New Jersey shore, especially in towns that receive most of their funds from tourism like Avalon or Sea Isle City, about what this summer will bring. A sucessful tourist season will help to keep the life in the Sea Isle City real estate market. After all tourism is New Jersey's third largest industry. That may come as a shock to some with all the industries that New Jersey has, that tourism is the third largest. One study done by the state showed that for ever... Read Full Post

If you are sour on the United States real estate market, you will be interested in the finding by the Knowledge@Wharton Real Estate in Emerging Markets Forum. The forum had good insight into countries like China, Brazil, India and Russia, to name a few. The consensus from the forum was...look for countries with strong middle-class growth -- say, China or Brazil. Stick mainly to housing and retail. Focus on the long term. And don't attempt to do it without a local partner. The consensus sounds... Read Full Post

If you have listened to the news in the last sixty days. The word bailout has dominated the news. Every week there is another group lining up at the trough for some taxpayers money. Without getting into the apparent moral hazards of these bailouts or realizing that all the money from the Treasury and government is looted from the taxpayers, the problem of how to "fix" the real estate market has been constantly debated. The latest proposal has been to achieve a fixed mortgage rate of 4.5% in o... Read Full Post

The month of September was a good month for Outer Banks real estate and it appears rather good for the rest of the country. In some good news this week, the rate of existing home sales rose in its largest monthly increase since July 2003. This is definitely some promising news. The over 5% increase from August could be an indicator of the market turning in the right direction. As minimum it is an indicator that at current prices many homes are a becomming a bargain. For many who were kept out... Read Full Post

As was written on CNN, USA Today, and countless other publications. The average 30 year fixed interest rate mortgage jumped to 6.74%. This was over a .50% jump in the rate from the Wednesday prior. This was the largest single week rise since April of 1987. This could become a cause for alarm, for the US real estate market. The higher the cost to borrow money the more expensive a house becomes. A .50% increase on a $200,000 mortgage is about $70. This is not a huge increase in a monthly paymen... Read Full Post