Outer Banks Vacation Homes

Our staff at Carolina Designs Realty accommodates families gathering from all over for the Thanksgiving holiday as more than two-thirds of our vacation rental homes are reserved during this week.  These homes are inspected thoroughly far in advance of the arrival date to insure that the kitchens are well equipped and the appliances are in proper working order. 

Our Kitty Hawk Guest Services office located at Milepost 4 on Route 158, 3903 Croatan Highway, will re-open for this week to facilitate all of the folks that will be checking in to homes from Kitty Hawk to South Nags Head.  To reach our staff at this office on November 17^th or 18^th, please call 252.261.3323 locally or toll free at 800.368.3825.  We look forward to your stay with us during this special holiday.  Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving on the Outer Banks!

All of the vacation rental properties that we manage have high speed Internet access offered as an amenity.  Having the ability to offer this service is significant.  Internet access is becoming something that many cannot be without, even on vacation.

This service will become a vital part of our company’s ability to communicate.  Carolina Designs Realty is working to provide our maintenance staff and inspectors with a hand held pocket PC.  The inspector or maintenance personnel, upon completing an assignment, can immediately enter all findings regarding our vacation rental home into our information system.

The program will begin next year, and the uses for this type of effective communication will expand to other areas over time, allowing us to care for our vacation rental homes more efficiently than ever.  Coordination of information and how it is disseminated is vital in the property management business on the Outer Banks, especially when we strive to provide first rate service!

Our Duck, North Carolina vacation rental homeowners can stay in the know by simply requesting to be included in an email list that Sandy Cady, Zoning Technician/CAMA LPO in the Planning & Zoning Department of the Town of Duck keeps up-to-date information on any ordinances or ordinance amendments.

This is just an update to let you know that the Town Council for the Town of Duck adopted three (3) Zoning Ordinance amendments at its meeting on Wednesday, October 3, 2007. 

Ordinance 07-13 amends Fill Regulations as they relate to Section 43.4, Land Disturbing Activities;

Ordinance 07-14 amends the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance regarding the definition of free and clear of obstruction and;

Ordinance 07-15 amends the Zoning Ordinance regarding building height

Additional zoning text amendments regarding Pump and Haul Wastewater Systems, and requirements for the submission of site surveys in support of building and land disturbance permits are expected to be discussed at the December Council Meeting.

To place your email address with Sandy, email scady@townofduck.com or call 252.255.1234.

For years, it has been a common phenomenon for families to gather from all over the country to spend time together during the Thanksgiving holiday in a luxury vacation rental home with Carolina Designs Realty.  These guests have come to expect the hospitality that is offered as well as the well equipped kitchen facilities that are needed when accommodating a large family meal at Thanksgiving.  They enjoy the quiet, comfortable town atmosphere we all relish in the fall time here on the Outer Banks.  The weather is possibly cooler, but surely warmer than most of our neighboring states north of us.  Many homes offer gas fireplaces, all boost fully equipped kitchens and ample room for all of the guests to be seated at dinnertime.  The sunsets and sunrise are phenomenal to watch, giving beauty everywhere you look.

For all of our guests vacationing in homes from Southern Shores to South Nags Head, our Kitty Hawk guest services office will be open to accommodate them as they check in, making it a shorter drive time.  For more information, give us a call seven days a week, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at 800.368.3825.  Happy Holidays!

The communications system in place for our vacation rental guests to make long distance phone calls from our vacation rental homes, Navis Technologies, also provides a valuable service to our guests and homeowners.  With the help of our very able technical staff to program the property management system, we are able to send messages to mass quantities of residences.  This system was used to inform our guests and homeowners about our status during major hurricanes.  We are able to advise our guests of their check in location and time of arrival.  The program can send a message to notify customers having a remaining outstanding balance to be paid.  We can send a message to each vacation rental home advising when trash pick up day is scheduled.  These are but a few of the reasons why a universal message would be sent to a large number of people.  The system is available for our use via the Internet.  With a simple click of the mouse, a file containing literally hundreds of telephone numbers can be uploaded and the message can be sent in minutes.  For a vacation property management company, this kind of system has proved to be an essential communication tool.  We are pleased to have this system in place and continually find new uses for its service.  Special thanks to our technical staff for their ability to make the most of such a useful program!

Every year in November on a Sunday afternoon, usually the second or third weekend, Seagate North Shopping Center in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina (MP 5.5) provides the venue for the Outer Banks Chowder Cookoff and Oyster Roast.  For the entrance fee of $10, you can take the taste test from amateur cooks and professional chefs who compete for prizes for best seafood chowder and best nonseafood chowder.  There’s also an oyster roast and hamburgers and hot dogs. Beer, wine, soda, and water are available. All proceeds benefit local charities.

For more information, call (252) 441-6600.

This very popular outdoor event is chock full of planned programs, activities and exhibits from Tuesday, November 6^th through Sunday, November 11^th.  Each day from dawn to dusk on the hour, registered participants choose their sport from birding, kayaking, canoeing, photography, expeditions, exhibiting, and carving.  There are unlimited opportunities to see wildlife in their natural habitat.   All programs offered have a reasonably priced registration fee.

For more information, contact the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce at 252.441.8144.

Michelle Layne, our General Manager, and a Certified Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professional (CVRHP) since 2003 as well as Deborah Stone, our Housekeeping Manager, will attend the 2007 National Conference for Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals November 1^st – 4^th.  This year, the conference will be held at the five-star Beau Rivage Oceanfront Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Everyone will benefit from training on pertinent topics, a fascinating keynote speaker, blitz topics, rountable discussions, and, of course, lots of networking opportunities.

VRHP is committed to providing outstanding educational opportunities for our members so that through education and networking with colleagues, we may improve the level of service that we provide to the highest standard possible.

Jennette’s pier on the beach road at 16.5 mile post in Nags Head, North Carolina may have new hope to be rebuilt.  Built in 1939, this historic ocean landmark has weathered dozens of hurricanes and nor’easters. But, in 2003, Hurricane Isabelle wiped out 540 feet of the pier.  After various plans to rebuild never came to fruition, the North Carolina Council of State decided to accept the transfer of property from the North Carolina Aquarium Society, in partnership with the North Carolina Aquariums, and plans on successfully completing the reconstruction project.

The Aquarium Division Director, David Griffin, has submitted an architect firm recommendation that the sate construction office will present to the State Building Commission in October.  The destruction of the pier is anticipated to begin over the winter months.  By the summer of 2010, a new pier house and pier is anticipated to be completely constructed.

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.