Outer Banks Vacation Homes

Pack a picnic lunch, grab your lawn chair and walk on over for a full day of professional jazz entertainment while enjoying the surrounds of our newly built municipal park in the center of the Village of Duck, North Carolina.  The First Annual Jazz Festival will take place this Sunday, October 7^th beginning at Noon until 5:00 p.m.  For more information, please call 252.255.1286.

12:00 p.m.:   Ruth Wyand is a local Outer Banks musician who plays folk, blues, jazz, country, swing, ragtime, and Americana music. She has played to audiences world-wide. Ruth Wyand won the 2006 Fingerstyle Guitar Competition at the Gambel Rogers Folk Festival in St. Augustine, FL; and she is the first woman ever to do so.

1:00 p.m.:     Laura Martier and The John Toomey Quartet – Laura Martier is well-known on the east coast for her jazzy vocals which draw on a rich tapestry of musical influences. When combined with the instrumentation of The John Toomey Quartet of Virginia Beach, the result is straight-ahead jazz. John Toomey is a Jazz Professor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and has served as music director and pianist for jazz trumpet legend Maynard Ferguson.

2:15 p.m.:     The Fuzz Band is an eight-piece band which fuses soul, jazz, classical music, hip hop, and rock. The Fuzz Band comes to the Duck Jazz Festival Stage from Hampton, Virginia. Comprised of classically-trained instrumentalists, as well as accomplished jazz musicians, The Fuzz Band was named the Best New Contemporary Jazz Band in 2005 at The Capital Music Festival. The Fuzz Band has performed with Grammy award winning artists such as Alicia Keys, Outkast, and Lauryn Hill.
 

3:45 p.m.:        The Jimmy Bruno Trio will headline this year’s Duck Jazz Festival. Jimmy Bruno is a world-renowned jazz guitarist playing from within the tradition of straight-ahead jazz while taking the guitar to a new technical level. Jimmy and his bandmates have been playing jazz for over two decades and hail from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jimmy Bruno is coming off the successful release of his new CD, “ Maplewood Avenue” and the launching of his on-line guitar training institute.

Come out for 7^th Annual Kitty Hawk Heritage Day Festival, fun for the whole family, on Saturday, September 29^th at the Promenade from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  There will be a free shuttle ride from Walmart that day.  Beginning the celebration, there will be a 5K race at Barrier Island Station at 9:00 a.m.  Enjoy a day of music, crafts, games such as a rock wall, face painting, kite making, beading, and even a puppet show.  There will be artist selling their wares throughout the beautiful grounds of the Promenade.  Learn from exhibits on police protection, fire departments, US Coast Guard, the National Park Service and more.  Explore the Outer Banks heritage of fishing, wildlife, boating, crabbing, and surfing.   For additional information, or to become a Heritage Day volunteer, contact Sandy Hawley at 261-3552.

Carolina Designs Realty is pleased to announce that there will be fifteen new vacation rental homes coming on board for the 2008 rental season.  These homes are located from as far as Whalehead to the southern most part of Nags Head on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  Two of the fifteen vacation rental homes are under construction with a completion date in 2008; one is an oceanfront 14 bedroom home and the other is an oceanfront 10 bedroom home.  There are six oceanfront homes ranging from as many as 14 bedrooms to four bedrooms.  This range should be able to accommodate the large family reunion on down to the small family retreat.  In addition, there are two semi-oceanfront eight bedroom homes, both located in Nags Head.  Five of these homes are oceanside with at least four bedrooms offering a private pool, hot tub, and subdivision amenities.

This event is great fun for the entire family!  The 18^th Annual Artrageous Art Extravaganza festivities begin Saturday, October 6^th at the Dare County Parks & Rec fields off Mustian Street in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.

Enjoy the various activities to participate in - kids activity centers, artist booths selling their wares, and musicians to entertain.  There will be a special children’s auction hosted by Steve “The Dream.”  Vendors will be selling dishes from many of your favorite Outer Banks restaurants.

The next night is adult art auction at Kelly’s Outer Banks Restaurant and Tavern with food, drink, music and art to take home! Advance tickets to the live auction are available at the KDH Cooperative Gallery and Sea & Sounds Gallery in Manteo. Proceeds go to the Dare County Arts Council to benefit arts in education programming in Dare County Schools and cultural arts programs in Dare County.  Please call 252-473-5558 for more information.

Soundfront vacation rental homes have some very serious advantages.  The picture above is proof of the kind of settings debuting every evening around 8:00 p.m. these days.  It is quite a sight to see.  The sky here at all times of day and night have such beauty to behold.  Sit back and let the colors shower over you as you take it all in.  This is truely a paradise here on the Outer Banks.  Whether you vacation here or live here year round, every day brings so many opportunities to find beauty in nature.

The Outer Banks Home Builders Association’s (OBHBA) will sponsor the 15th Annual Parade of Homes presented by 24 of their builder members.  Beginning Thursday, October 4^th through Sunday, October 7^th 26 exquisitely constructed homes situated from Corolla to Hatteras Island covering 90 miles of our beautiful coastline will showcase the skills and craftsmanship of our local builders.  Builder members as well as many vendors and local Realtors® will be on-site each day until 6pm to assist you with any questions you may have regarding new products, practices, designs and furnishings.

Purchase a $10.00 ticket, valid for all four days of the event, in advance at any of the homes or at select ticket outlets.  A portion of all ticket proceeds will go to support the OBHBA Charitable Fund and other local charities. For additional information, call the OBHBA at 252-449-8232.

The real estate sales department of Carolina Designs Realty continues to offer Outer Banks homebuyer seminars every Wednesday beginning at 9:00 a.m.  These informal chats focus on making property investments on the Outer Banks a positive experience and an uncomplicated process.  If you are interested in learning about Outer Banks Vacation rentals, income, expenses, market trends or the differences between Corolla, Nags Head, Duck and Kill Devil Hills, then this discussion will be helpful for you.

Investing in an Outer Banks home is often a 2 year process for many investors.  This seminar could be your first step.  Learn about your options for Outer Banks vacation rental homes, oceanfront homes, living and retiring on the Outer Banks, and the best spots to enjoy the beach by coming in on Wednesday morning at 9:00 am at our office in Duck, which is right across the street from the soundfront park in Duck.  Flip Flops Required!

It’s not all doom and gloom on the Outer Banks real estate market these days.  When comparing 2006 sales data to 2007 year-to-date sold volume, we see a definite increase in units sold, as well as a marked decline in the median sold price of homes.  The success of our weekly Home Buyer’s Chat is another clear indication that buyers and investors are back on the Outer Banks.  The attendance is strong and these prospective buyers are asking intelligent questions, meeting with lenders and scheduling appointments to pre-view our listed homes.

Carolina Designs Realty is pleased to be on the forefront of this new wave of activity, positioned as one of the top 10 companies for 2007 sales volume, and with a modest four agent staff, this is a proud accomplishment!  Congratulations to Fran Kapinos for ranking # 6 of all OBX agents for her closing sales volume year-to-date in 2007.  Gray Berryman is also moving into prime position with three listings sold in July and August and six properties currently under contract.  We attribute this success to the hard work and synergy between our rental and sales departments to position our listings as strong investment properties.

The Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA) will hold its 23^rd Annual Conference and Showcase in New Orleans, LA, on October 13-17, 2007.  Carolina Designs Realty will send a few staff members from each department so that they may benefit from the promotional, educational and networking opportunities that this conference brings to our industry.  Focus will be placed on the issues and challenges that impact our field of service.  A highlighted feature of this event will be a large Showcase of products and services that are available.  Expert-let educational sessions offer the latest information and strategies available in today’s market.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the association, VRMA has over 600 member firms in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean representing approximately 125,000 rental homes. VRMA members represent the leading short term property management firms in North America.  Fifteen property management companies on the Northern Outer Banks alone are members of this organization.

Kitty Hawk 5K Run

The fun begins with a 5K race starting at 9:00am on Saturday, September 29^th to celebrate the festivities for Kitty Hawk Heritage Day.  The race starts at Barrier Island Fitness Center behind Walmart.  For more information, contact Sandy Hawley at Town Hall, 252-261-3552.

Kitty Hawk Heritage Day

At The Promenade located at the foot of the Wright Memorial Bridge in Kitty Hawk, Kitty Hawk Heritage Day will be celebrated from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm.  There will be music, food vendors, games and entertainment for all ages, artist booths and exhibits galore.  There is free admission for the whole family.  Buses run continuously from the Walmart parking lot to the Promenade for public convenience.  Please call 252-261-3552 for more information.