How will gas prices affect the Outer Banks in 2008?

A very serious concern of many Outer Banks residents and business owners has been the rising price of gasoline. With the majority of the Outer Banks businesses reliant on tourism, a major move in gasoline prices are always a concern.

With Memorial Day just passing, it seems the rise in fuel prices will have very little negative effect.  If Memorial Day weekend was any indicator for the entire summer, it actually appears as if the 2008 season will reflect the strong 2007 season.

Several local business owners and managers I spoke with early in the week reported having strong Memorial Day sales. A couple even hinted that this was one of the strongest Memorial Day weekends in recent years. Some rumors floated about some of the businesses having higher sales than any day of last summer.

My personal thought is that most Americans are looking at vacation destinations that are closer to home. The declining value of the US dollar abroad will force many Americans to vacation in the states. Besides the decline in purchasing power of the dollar abroad, airline prices have increased in response to the increase in fuel costs. Both of these factors normally lead to increase tourism for US destinations. How this all affects us here in the Outer Banks remains to be seen.

Follow-Up:

After spending the last couple days talking to vacationers, it seems as if the gas prices are not affecting their decisions to visit the Outer Banks. I have to believe that without a dramatic price increase, tourism along the Outer Banks will remain strong.

Should we save the beach?  Thoughts on Outer Banks Beach Nourishment

 

     This issue is one that is close to many vacation home owners.  This issue has many on both sides of the fence.  I, like many, have an opinion on beach nourishment.  I will save my opinions for another time.  Right now, I am looking to present some facts about beach nourishment.  

     Both sides of the argument have very valid points.  I always try to look into both sides of an issue before making a decision.  Below you will find some articles for and against Outer Banks beach nourishment.  If you have an opinion, feel free to leave a comment.  Let me know where you stand. 

 

Outer Banks Beach Nourishment Articles:

NOAA Beach Nourishment

NOAA Beach Nourishment II

Outer Banks BeachHuggers

ScienceBlog

NCGS on the Outer Banks

Dr. Beach on North Carolina

 

Beach Nourishment Questions:

Many wonder if beach nourishment is possible with the prospect of sea levels rising? 

Is beach nourishment a viable long term solution?

What are the long term costs associated with nourishing the beaches of the Outer Banks?

Will beach nourishment work on the Outer Banks?

Where will the revenue to pay for beach restoration come from?

 

 

     Well, Dr. Steven Leatherman has done it again.  For those unfamiliar with Dr. Leatherman, he is also known as Dr. Beach.  His yearly rankings can mean a windfall of additional tourist dollars for the beaches that make his list.  Last year, Ocracoke Island was rated as the #1 beach in America.  Ocracoke was the first beach not in Hawaii or Florida to make the ranking. 

     Dr. Beach’s list for 2008 was just released.  The Outer Banks again made the top 10.  Cape Hatteras was recognized as the #8 beach on his list.    While we did not reach #1 again, it is still great for the beaches here to be named. 

     If you take the time to visit Dr. Beach’s site, you will see his personal preference for the Outer Banks.  He says, “North Carolina has over 300 miles of beach to choose from, but my favorite is the Outer Banks.”  He goes on to say, “This is the most impressive chain of barrier islands in the world.”  This truly says something about this beautiful chain of barrier islands. 

     For Outer Banks home owners he goes on to say, “The Carolina coast is family oriented, and the best way to enjoy it is to rent one of the many seaside cottages or share a bigger house with friends and family. The emphasis is on family beach activities and backyard barbecues.”  You can’t get a better recommendation for renting a beach house then from the man called Dr. Beach. 

     I may be a little biased but I completely agree with him.  The Outer Banks is one of the most amazing coasts in the entire world.   For those that have never been here, they truly are missing out.

 

If you would like to see the complete list: Dr. Beach 2008 list

Here is another article from an Outer Banks Blog on Hatteras being named by Dr. Beach. 

 

The easiest way to reduce your vacation home’s electric bill

If you want to know where I stand on sustainable tourism, you can read this article. I definitely think a push must be made towards making the Outer Banks more environmentally friendly. The easiest way for individuals to do their part is to change the light bulbs in their vacation homes.

For many home owners, this simple step would save them large amounts of money over time. Many first time vacation home owners can receive ’sticker shock’ when they receive their first in-season electric bill. Home owners have to realize some vacationers are going to leave every light in the house on for their entire stay. This type of guest are definitely the minority, but this does happen. The easiest way to lessen the amount of electric used is to switch your light bulbs.

Making the Switch

Need more proof on switching your  light bulbs? You can use this simple calculator.

What if a CFL lightbulb breaks?

The EPA has some guidelines for, What to do if a CFL light bulb breaks?

The cleanup is not as bad as everyone imagines when the hear the word Mercury.  The benefits of using these bulbs definitely outweigh the additional cleanup.

CFL Bulb Warranty

Most CFL bulbs come with a warranty.  As long as you have a receipt, you can go and exchange the light bulb for a new one.  Recently, I switched my home to all energy efficient lighting.  One of the bulbs did not work and with a receipt I was easily able to pick up a replacement at Home Depot  thenext time I was in there.

How vacationers are finding their information on the Outer Banks

In March, the Department of Travel & Tourism for Currituck County released a 13 month report on tourism in Currituck County. The 38 page report provides much insight into tourism in Currituck and the Outer Banks.   The state of tourism in the Outer Banks directly affects the amount of vacation home rentals.  The county has definitely improved its visibility in the last 13 months. The greatest strides have definitely been done through their improved use of Internet marketing.

Currituck Visitor Guide Request:

March of 2007 to March 2008 requests were up 10%

Currituck also now offers a trail guide. There was an additional 251 trail guides this year in March compared to none last year.

One request that fell off dramatically though was the request for Wedding Guides. Wedding guides request were off over 2,000 guides. One could make the argument that the economy is decreasing the number of destination weddings.

Visitor Information by State:

The top five states with potential vacationers requesting information.

1. North Carolina
2. Pennsylvania
3. New York
4. Florida
5. New Jersey

A trend is definitely developing with the Outer Banks as a vacation destination for travelers from the Northeast. This seems to confirm a trend that the Outer Banks is becoming more of a destination. Vacationers are now coming from further away to enjoy the unspoiled beauty.

Currituck County on the Web:

There are a number of places Currituck County has ad’s placed in traditional print outlets. The list is quite extensive. Since the Internet is becoming more vital to advertising the Outer Banks as a destination, we will focus on their efforts in web advertising.

County Banner Ads:

The county is using a number of banner ads.

1. Washington Post
2. AARP online magazine
3. VacationFun.com
4. VirginiaBeach.com
5. CoastalLiving.com
6. ModernBride.com
7. NaturalHistoryMag.com
8. SouthernLivingVacations.com
9. VisitSouth.com
10. Preservationonline.org

Internet Directory Listings:

Directories provide two ways to help the counties websites. Visitors that find the county through the directory and increasing the county’s visibility on search engines. Since long term effective use of the Internet is crucial to promoting tourism and directories are much more effective long term than banner ads, all the directories are listed.

Currituck’s Directory Listings:

1. Weddingchannel.com
2. DirectoryOutdoor.com
3. Directoryrecreation.com
4. SafeABC.com
5. Funrecreation.com
6. DirectoryFriendly.com
7. DirectoryFamily.com
8. FamilyTarget.com
9. DirectoryB2B.com
10. Shopping5.com
11. LookDirectory.com
12. Outdoors-411.com
13. JoeAnt.com
14. Best of the Web
15. AvivaDirectory.com
16. Sevenseen.com
17. uncoverthenet.com
18. GoGuides.org
19. Yahoo Directory
20. GoOutside.com
21. NCGuide

Articles on the Web:

Having articles written and distributed through article submission websites is a great way to introduce the Outer Banks in a non-traditional outlet. The second benefit of having articles on the web is the articles create backlinks improving the visibility of the County’s websites.

1. ezinearticles.com
2. Trifter.com
3. Helium.com
4. GoArticles.com
5. amazings.com
6. articlecity.com
7. buzzle.com
8. IdeaMarketers.com

The statistics show that every year more travelers learn about their next vacation through information found on the web. Currituck County appears to be making significant headway into Internet advertising. This is a great thing for vacation home owners. The more they are on the web, the more visitors are attracted to the area.

One of their top traffic generators is: www.visitcurrituck.com.

Significant stats from VisitCurrituck.com for March 2008:

1. Average time on site increased to: 1 minute 36 seconds
2. Unique Visitors: 9,454
3. Overall Hits: 260,236

Disclaimer: Without researching the traffic of each website or directory used it is impossible to give a true gauge of how effective each website is or is not. It is going to be assumed that any advertising done on the Internet is productive and will assist in showcasing the Outer Banks.

The Mid Currituck bridge.  Boom or bust for the Outer Banks?

 

The Mid Currituck bridge proposal has been a polarizing issue along the Outer Banks.  The bridge is becoming more of a reality everyday.  Since the bridge is going to happen, what must be examined is the potential impact the bridge will have on the Northern Outer Banks.  The areas that will be most greatly impacted will be Duck and Corolla and the 4wd beaches.  If you are unfamiliar with the bridge proposal, below you will find some general information.

 

Proposed Mid Currituck bridge Information:

 

Description of Bridge:
New location roadway, including a proposed bridge over the Currituck Sound, from near Coinjock to the Currituck County Outer Banks.

Proposed Length:
Approximately 7 miles

Planned Estimated Costs:
Preliminary cost is estimated between $335 million to $720 million (February 2008 dollars). Final costs will be determined during design.

Free (current) or alternate route:
Existing use is US 158 across the Wright Memorial Bridge.

 

Owning a vacation home can be a totally rewarding experience.  How many of us have not dreamed about relaxing in our second home?  With how busy everyone’s life has become, it is not hard to see why owning a vacation home is so important to so many. 

     For many, owning a vacation home requires them to rent the home to secure the mortgage each month.  It is often in the rental process that some home owners find dissatisfaction.  Most home owners are absentee owners of their vacation rental homes.  Depending on the distance from your home to your vacation home, simple repairs can be impossible.  Often, this is why most home owners elect to use a professional property manager. 

     If you do decide to rent your home, you must realize the simple difference between a home and a house.  If you want to know the difference, you can check some people’s thoughts on Yahoo Answers.  The main difference is perception.  When you are looking to buy a property, it is a house.  Once you have moved into what you bought and add your possessions to it, the house becomes a home.  Your second property becomes a home when you fill it with your possessions.

     Though your vacation home is a home to you, it is a house to your guests.  Think about people’s mindset when they look for a vacation “house”. They are looking for a “house” to vacation in.  What they receive is someone’s home.  The difference in both groups perceptions can cause some problems for new vacation home owners. 

     If you can learn to embrace the differences, you will definitely receive the benefit of renting your vacation home and learn to ignore the additional wear and tear placed on your home from renting it to groups of people looking for a “vacation house.”  

Do you need to increase your weeks rented?  Allow dogs

Is your vacation home not booking as many weeks as you would like?  Simply changing it to a pet-friendly home can increase your home’s weeks booked.  Many home owners are instantly against allowing pets.  Most of their fears center around the damage a dog or pet could do to their home.  While this certainly is a possibility, it definitely is not the norm.

A dog left unattended could definitely cause damage to your home.  There is no mistaking that.  The positive lies in the fact that most guests take extraordinarily good care of their dogs and other pets.  Most house trained dogs will not soil your home.  The simple fact of increasing rental income can outweigh the additional expense of allowing dogs.

In a 2004 study done by the American Animal Hospital Association, over two thirds of Americans travel with their pets.  Let’s take a minute and look at that statistic.  Two thirds travel with their pets.  That means your non pet-friendly home is only marketable to one third of all travelers.  There is a large market that your home is not even an option for.  It can be that the extra weeks easily outweigh any extra damage your home incurs.

Vacation home owners use of guest reviews

One thing that often worries many vacation home owners is allowing guest reviews.  Many home owners often have the same fear, a bad review.  While one scathing review can really seem to hurt, it is definitely outweighed by the benefits of positive reviews.  Today’s travelers often vacation in places they have never been to.  As the availability of GPS and today’s mobile society increases, your vacationers could well be traveling over 1000 miles.  Many potential vacationers want assurance that what you’re presenting on the Internet is really present in your home.  The easiest way to alleviate this fear is by providing a forum where guests can comment about your home.  One simple way to accomplish this would be to create a vacation home blog.  If you are looking for something simpler, you can always try TripAdvisor.  Whatever method you choose, be sure to offer guests an incentive to comment.

Location’s impact on buying an Outer Banks vacation rental home

We have all heard that famous real estate saying: Location, location, location. It holds very true for those looking for an Outer Banks vacation rental home. If you are like most vacation rental home owners, you will purchase the home to use when it’s not being rented. Depending on how often you rent the home, it can be from a few days to most of the year that is available for your use.

The more time you spend in your home, the more important the location will be to you. Location is definitely the biggest factor determining price. Anything on the water will cost you the most. The ocean will be more expensive than the sound, which is pricier than lake front. For homes not located on the water, generally prices run from East to West. The closer you are to the ocean, the more it’s going to cost.

Location of your vacation rental will also play a large part in how well it will rent. Generally Outer Banks vacation homes fill up from East to West. Oceanfront’s go first, then working westward until you reach homes located west of US-158. This is a pretty broad generalization, as many factors will determine for how much or how often your home will rent. If you are looking to have a home that generates higher rental income and not looking to spend too much time in, definitely consider oceanfront.

The difference in total weeks rented between an oceanfront home and any other location on the island can be staggering. Many travelers, especially in the off-season, only want to stay in a home that offers ocean views. This can generate lots of extra rental income from home owners who attempt to capitalize on it.

If your home is primarily for you to enjoy with the renting of it being primarily to keep the expenses down, you may want to consider homes that are sound front, semi-oceanfront, or located on the east side of US-158. Many of the homes are priced considerably lower than oceanfront, and if needed, can rent well in the off-season.

If you are currently in the market for an Outer Banks vacation rental, it is a great time to buy. Prices are down and rentals are up. If you have any questions about the Outer Banks Rental Market, I would be glad to answer them, Contact.