Outer Banks Vacation Homes

Carolina Designs Realty is pleased to announce Kip McDonald was recently inducted as REALTOR® at the OUTER BANKS ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS Induction Ceremony in Avon, North Carolina.  Monica Thibodeau, Principal Broker/Owner of Carolina Designs Realty, accompanied Mr. McDonald. 

As a member of the National Association of Realtors, every realtor is also a member of one of 54 state or territory associations and one or more of over 1600 local membership associations.  Every realtor pledges adherence to a strict code of ethics. REALTOR® is a registered membership mark of the National Association of Realtors. 

I bet they were the coolest agents at the luncheon, and what a great day for a ride!

Carolina Designs Realty is proud to announce Barry A. Breit, Realtor® and Broker, has joined our Sales Department as our Sales Manager.

A long time resident and broker on the Outer Banks, Barry’s inspiration and expertise in real estate will be invaluable to us.

With Barry’s academic and long history of sales achievements, he is a proven leader in our industry and we are very fortunate to have him as a part of our team!  Welcome to our company, Barry.

Our annual Housekeeper Appreciation Day was held at our Housekeeping Services building in Harbinger on Saturday, August 7th.  Monica Thibodeau, Randy Gilbreath, Michelle Layne and Ryan Thibodeau upheld our tradition of showing our gratitude to our housekeepers  in the field, the backbone of our organization, by serving as the cooks/servers/hosts for the day, catering a fine feast for the dedicated field staff that work so hard to provide superior service. It was a group effort, as Deborah Stone and many key members of the housekeeping staff did all the preparations.  We all enjoyed the  day.  Thank you Housekeeping!

In an article in TheOuterBanksVoice.com, our very own Gray Berryman is quoted, “The prime is back, as numbers for his company and others show vacation rental bookings for the first three weeks in August at nearly 100 percent.  Prime refers to the weeks that coincide with the time when most East Coast schools are out for the summer, generally mid-June through the third week in August.  The numbers suggests that a long economic cycle in which prospective renters could hold out until the last minute for bargains might be winding down.  Berryman said that his company, Carolina Designs Realty, saw July rentals running at 96 percent and reservations for oceanfront and non-oceanfront properties between 96 percent and 100 percent through Aug. 22.  Carolina Designs Realty and other rental management companies subscribe to a survey that calculates rental bookings based on website inquiries that look for vacancies. The numbers applied not just to Carolina Designs Realty, but to most other rental companies serving the Currituck and Dare Outer Banks.”

Samantha Chappell, Cyndi Downing, Monica Thibodeau, Jean Sherwood, Helen Cook, and Evelyn McDonald of Carolina Designs Realty in Duck have received their RED NOSES as part of The Outer Banks Relief Foundation’s “Christmas in July” fundraiser. 

Stop by July 9, 10 or 11th to pick up your RED NOSE for a donation to benefit the Outer Banks Relief Foundation (OBRF), whose mission is to assist our community when health crises arise.

     We are pleased to announce our new website which was launched June 11th. 

     Our new website, while maintaining all capabilities of our original site, incorporates new functionality such as real time availability based on selected search criteria, saved searches and a more dynamic interface - generally making it both easier and faster to find that perfect home. 

     Our inventory of homes may be found by name, property number, area, amenities, location and available week. 

     New guests are now required to create an account to reserve a home or make payments.  Once registered, guests can set up their personal account pages with saved searches and lease history.    Recently viewed properties appear on the home page after logging in.  Property descriptions have been enhanced to give all users easy access to amenities, locations and interactive maps.  

     The website was designed for maximum effectiveness with respect to all of the major search engines, such as Google and Bing.  Our marketing departments efforts, coupled with our search engine optimization, assist in bringing Outer Banks vacation seekers to our booking pages. 

     Please join us in extending BIG kudos to our Technical Staff for designing and engineering our custom site.  As always, we welcome your feedback.

“Dear Staff at Carolina Designs Realty, Well here we are again, back home and already dreaming about next year in the Outer Banks!  

As it has been for the last 6 years (4 at #589 Ocean Star) the time spent in your beautiful part of the world was wonderful – peaceful and exhilarating at the same time.  Thank you for all that you do, from the moment we make our first reservation, to when we walk up the steps to our lovely home for the week.  The house was immaculate.  Everything we needed was where it was supposed to be.  Outside, the grounds were beautiful.  Your entire staff – office, housekeeping, and maintenance are a joy to work with.  You should all be very proud.  Thank you so much for your care and concern that our vacation would be perfect.  It was, and we think Carolina Designs Realty is perfect too!  You really are A+ Southern Hospitality at its best – Bless you all! “

Sincerely, Don & Marie, Bellmore, NY

Every year, our guests can submit their favorite photo to enter Carolina Designs Realty’s 2010 Photo Contest.  In October, we have a drawing for a chance to win a cash prize of $250.  Please submit your high resolution photos by email in JPG or GIF format to photo@CarolinaDesigns.com  or drop them off at our office or mail to:

Carolina Designs Realty

1197 Duck Road, Duck, NC 27949

Please include your name, address, phone number and email.  Your personal information will be kept confidential.  Drawing will be held on September 30th. All photos will be considered to be featured in our 2011 Vacation Rental Catalog.

To commemorate our beloved Mary O’Neill, the “Heart” of Carolina Designs Realty who passed away in 2006, we gathered for a potluck lunch with a “purple” theme. May was her month and purple was her favorite color.  

Mary was an inspiration to us all.  Since the ‘80’s, Mary’s enthusiasm and zest was instrumental in molding our company into becoming a top competitor in the management of elite vacation homes offered on the Outer Banks today. Anyone who was fortunate to know Mary recognized that she was special. 

Mary’s dedication and hard work helped the company become the success it is today.  We honor Mary for all she brought to Carolina Designs Realty and all she meant to each of us.  We love you, Mary!

Once again, a handful of Carolina Designs Realty employees will take their best shots at the 21st Annual Outer Banks Association of Realtors’ Golf Scholarship Tournament on Friday, June 4^th, beginning with a Shotgun Start at 12:30 p.m.  The event will be held at the Kilmarlic Golf Club, renowned as one of the top courses in North Carolina. Designed by award winning course architect Tom Steele, Kilmarlic sits among 605 acres of maritime forest and sprawling wetlands. 

Carolina Designs Realty and its Realtor® Brokers are proud members of the Annual Outer Banks Association of Realtors whose mission is to continuously enhance the professionalism of its members by providing the resources for education and information, political advocacy for real estate issues and private property rights and the enforcement of The REALTOR® Code of Ethics.  Proceeds from the tournament will fund college scholarships for local students.