Click here, or on the photo to view the full report.
The Outer Banks real estate market continues to be as hot as the weather! According to the Outer Banks Association of Realtors, June was the best month for units sold since October of 2005.
2017 has proven to be another busy year with sales on the Outer Banks and especially Devonshire Place in Kill Devil Hills, and I am always available to answer your questions about buying and/or selling property on the Outer Banks!
Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty has once again sold more real estate in 2017 so far than any other firm on the Outer Banks, and I am proud and excited to be one of the Top Producing Agents in this great company.
Courtesy of Heather Sakers
4900 N Croatan Hwy
Kitty Hawk, NC 27949
252-599-6814
Come see why Devonshire Place is the fastest selling development on the Outer Banks, contact Sales Agent Heather Sakers at (252) 599-6814, click here to email Heather.
Unit #5 SOLD!
Unit #18 SOLD!
Unit #32 SOLD!
This mile-long sandbar, dubbed “Shelly Island” for its plethora of seashells and colorful pebbles, has been forming and growing since late spring. Instagram/@chadonka
The secret’s out.
A new island has appeared off the coast of North Carolina’s Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and unfortunately for locals, word is spreading — fast.
The mile-long sandbar, dubbed “Shelly Island” for its plethora of seashells and colorful pebbles, has been forming and growing since late spring. Residents and tourists alike are starting to take notice.
Reide Corbett, a professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at East Carolina University and a scientist at UNC Coastal Studies Institute, advises people to enjoy exploring the tiny island while they still can.
“The thing about the Outer Banks — they are pretty dynamic. [The island] is kind of neat and interesting and provides new piece of land for people to explore, but it is a dynamic environment,” Reide told CBS News. “I wasn’t surprised to see it, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it disappear.”
Chad Koczera was one of the first people to explore the newly-formed island on May 31.
He was traveling with his fiancée from Connecticut to Cape Point, the place where they’d gotten engaged, when he stumbled upon an unfamiliar sight.
“This was our fifth time down to Hatteras. We like to return to the Point because that’s the same spot I proposed,” Koczera told CBS News. “We were driving to the Point after a storm to collect shells when we spotted an area we couldn’t get to by car.”
Confused, Koczera pulled out his drone camera to get a better look at the narrow island. When he looked at the footage, he was met with a stunning sight.
Read more… http://www.cbshw.org/news/new-island-appears-off-coast-of-north-carolinas-outer-banks/
By TAMARA LUSH, Associated Press
SIESTA KEY, Fla. — North Carolina has one of the best beaches in the country, according to a new ranking.
Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach on the Outer Banks was ranked the third best beach in the country in a ranking by Dr. Beach. It was nudged out by Kapalua Bay Beach in Maui, Hawaii and top-ranked Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Florida.
The site uses criteria such as beach width at low tide, beach material and sand softness, among others, to rank each site.
Stephen Leatherman, aka Dr. Beach, a professor at Miami’s Florida International University, wrote of the Tar Heel site: “Ocracoke, once the home of Blackbeard the pirate, is still a special place—it is my favorite getaway beach. Here you will find some of the wildest beaches in the country. Big surf dominates in late summer so families with children may want to come earlier in the year. Don’t expect to play golf or stay at the Ritz; the main pursuits are swimming and beachcombing.”
The sand on Siesta Beach on Florida’s Gulf Coast is as fine as powdered sugar, a pure, sparkling white and soft as a kitten’s fur — all because it’s comprised of 99 percent pure crushed quartz.
For that reason, and many others, it was selected this year as the best beach in America by a professor who’s made a career ranking and studying beaches around the United States.
“The sand is outstanding,” Leatherman said. “Every time I go there, I’ve got to take a bag home with me. It’s almost sacrilegious to walk on it with shoes on.”
Top 10:
10. Beachwalker Park Kiawah Island, South Carolina
9. Coronado Beach, San Diego, California
8. Hapuna Beach State Park, Big Island, Hawaii
7. Caladesi Island State Park Dunedin/Clearwater, Florida
6. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
5. Coopers Beach, Southampton, New York
4. Grayton Beach State Park Florida panhandle
3. Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach, Outer Banks of North Carolina
2. Kapalua Bay Beach, Maui, Hawaii
1. Siesta Beach Sarasota, Florida
On a recent workday, Siesta Beach was packed with people, even though it wasn’t particularly sunny. The turquoise water was still gorgeous, the sand still fine. The beach is about 200-300 feet (60-90 meters) wide in some places, which means people can stretch out and not feel crowded. The beach was last year’s runner up and one of three in Florida on this year’s top 10 list.
“It’s nice and clean, that’s what I look for,” said Jamie Gaskin, a 59-year-old retiree from Lakeland, Florida, who was scoping out the beach for a family Memorial Day party. She especially liked the two-story pavilion, which boasts a snack bar and restrooms. It’s only two years old and even offers sweet crepes for breakfast and tapas dishes in the early evening.
“There’s plenty of tables to barbecue and to hang out. And the restrooms were nice and clean. I’d definitely recommend this,” she said.
Siesta Beach is on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico, and is located just southwest of downtown Sarasota. The water is placid on most days — Leatherman says you can measure the waves “in inches” — and is shallow and safe for swimming, with no sharp drop-offs. Added bonuses include lots of parking, a trolley service to and from the island’s adorable downtown area and plenty of lifeguards. The beach also has natural dunes, which is a bit rare for Florida, and the fine sand is excellent for building sand castles.
“I look for kind of a balance between nature and a developed environment,” said Leatherman, who lives on the other side of the state, closer to Miami Beach. “Fourteen million people go to Miami Beach every year. There’s just too many people there. I think a lot of people are looking for more of a getaway.”
Leatherman, who is director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University, uses about 50 criteria to assess and rank beaches across the country. In recent years, he has given extra points to beaches that prohibit smoking, saying cigarette butts are not only environmentally damaging, but can ruin the experience for beach-goers. Safety and environmental management are other major factors, he said.
He’s rated beaches since 1991.
The Maui beach that came in at No. 2 on the list, Kapalua Bay Beach, is smaller than Siesta Beach. It’s crescent-shaped and flanked by palm trees. Unlike lots of Hawaii beaches, there aren’t many waves at Kapalua, he said, making it perfect for safe swimming.
“The coral reefs almost go right to the beach. There are tropical fish swimming all around.”
The third beach on the list, Ocracoke, is unique in both history and location. Leatherman points out that it was once the pirate Blackbeard’s old haunt. And it’s only accessible by a state ferry.
“The only negative I have, it seems like too many cars,” he said. “I wish they would turn car ferries to pedestrian ferries.”
Leatherman says he tries to select locations that are a bit off the beaten path, yet immensely rewarding once visitors arrive. Siesta Beach, he points out, is an outstanding place to watch the sun dip below the Gulf horizon — one more reason why it made the top of this year’s list.
Source: http://www.wral.com/outer-banks-beach-named-among-best-in-us-ranking-says/16723086/
The Outer Banks was recently ranked #1 by Southern Living, read more here…
http://www.southernliving.com/souths-best/islands#souths-best-island-outer-banks-image
© FLOBX
Economic Development Forecast:
Clear and Sunny
April 2017
Spring has arrived in Currituck County. But this year, in addition to the warmer weather and longer days, the traditional season of growth includes some exciting changes for our Economic Development Department.
In the coming weeks, we look forward to announcing our new Economic Development Director. And I can tell you that the person who steps into the role will “hit the ground running” as Currituck County moves forward with several big projects including the next phase of planning for the Moyock mega-site.
You can stay connected to the latest news through our social media channels and by following our blogs at www.thinkcurrituck.com.
As always, I thank you for your continued support of Currituck County Economic Development and your interest in staying informed about our efforts to attract new business and help established businesses to grow and prosper in Currituck County.
Sincerely,
Dan Scanlon, County Manager
A seal sunbathing on North Carolina’s Outer Banks and enjoying unseasonably warm February weather has become an Internet star.
Video of the lounging seal pup was captured Saturday by Kitty Hawk-based photographer Cory Godwin, and had garnered more than 311,000 views on Godwin’s production Facebook page by Wednesday. Seals, especially young ones, typically start showing up on North Carolina beaches in January to snag some fish before heading back north to New England and Canada in spring.
They’re mostly pups that can’t yet compete with adults in their home waters up north, so they head south to forage for fish, Karen Clark, program director of the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education in Corolla, said last year. The center is operated by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article135661943.html
Highlights:
