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     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…

     With Memorial Day just around the corner I was sitting thinking about the official start of summer 2008.   Summer brings a boom atmosphere to many resort communities.   Here on the Outer Banks it is no different.  A beautiful day today had me day dreaming.   My thoughts drifted not to this summer but future summers.  As an Outer Banks property manager it is sometimes hard not to think about future seasons.  Sitting thinking about this got me thinking about enviromentally friendly tourism.

     I believe it is the duty of the entire Outer Banks community to work towards sustainable tourism.  The future effects of global warming could have disastrous effects on the East Coast's barrier islands.  Sustainable or 'Eco' tourism definitely needs to be…

Well it was bound to happen.  More franchises are gaining a foothold in the Outer Banks.  New for this summer are Dunkin Donuts, Rita's Water Ice and Starbucks Coffee.  All these chains are bound to put much pressure on local businesses.  Local companies like Duck Donuts and many of the local coffee and breakfast shops will now be in competition with the national giant.  It will be interesting to see how Dunlin Donuts will affect tocal business.  The impact of Rita's and Starbucks will most likely be less due to their locations in Southern Shores.  Dunkin Donuts has two locations on US-158 that will offer them maximum exposure. 

     Trying to operate against a behemoth like Dunkin Donuts will be a major challenge.  Being part of a franchise network…

Since my last blog was, Why create a website for your vacation home...Use a Blog.  Today i am going to show you how to set-up a free vacation home blog using Google's Blogger.   This is a free blog platform provided by Google. 

• The first step is to create an account with Google is you don't already have one.  You will need an existing email address for this.  If you don't have an email address.  You can try Gmail.  The account set-up screen is about 6 areas to fill in.
• Then you move to name of your blog:  This is important:  Name of your blog is one of the keys to achieving good search engine optimization.  For this test mine is:  High Cotton Oceanfont Home Nags Head.  The elements I wanted to include in the title are: Name of the Home,…

Today it is commonplace for vacation home owners to purchase or build a website after  buying a rental home.  Most likely this money is going to be wasted.  Though the intent may be very well placed often the website will never be seen by potential renters.  Though most home owners find this unlikely it is the cold truth.  Even very specific searches using your vacation home's rental name will often not place your website on the first page.  It is simple many companies spend large amounts of money making sure their homes are in front of people searching for homes.  This simple truth makes money spent on a simple website worthless other than showing friends.  Short of home owners who are well versed in search engine optimization it is entirely possible for…

The Frisco Native American Museum is holding its Annual Inter-Tribal Powwow this weekend.  The event celebrates the Native American way of life.  You will find Native American vendors set up throughout the weekend that will be offering traditional Indian wares.  Saturday's events will be highlighted by a traditional Indian dance circle.  

If you have a chance to visit the Outer Banks this weekend be sure to stop in Hatteras and check out the Powwow.  It is something you will not forget.  Take a minute out of your bust day and get back to life as it once was.  For more information visit their website.