Explore the Moonlight Legend, Lore and  Ghosts of the Whalehead Club in Corolla, NC on  Saturday, February 6, 2010 beginning at 7:00pm.  This guided tour is the most fun you can  have for $14!  Maybe you have  toured the colorful rooms in  the daylight and been curious  about what it would feel like to be in the 21,000 sq. ft residence after dark.  Our docents have  accumulated a treasure trove of legend and lore and invite the brave to come out and hear real  ghost stories about previous owners of the Whalehead Club and distinguished visitors to the  northern banks of the Currituck Sound.  Come dressed for the weather and carry a flashlight.   To get there take Rt. 12 N to Corolla. Currituck Heritage Park is just past milepost 11 by the  Currituck Beach Lighthouse.  Advance res... 01/12/2010

  I went through & researched every house listed in Carova and compiled a new top 10. I will update them on my blog monthly, and anyone in the area can pick up a print out of them at my Carova office (2254 Teal Rd.).   The Top 10 House Best Buys In Carova   MLS #46496     2 Bed 1/0 Bath     23980 Ocean Sands Rd. 2 Bedroom with privacy $199,000   MLS #53533     4 Bed 2/0 Bath     2379 Ocean Sands Rd. Wooded Lot on 1/3 Acre $241,000   MLS #61948     3 Bed 2/0 Bath     2019 Sea Gull Rd. New Construction & LOMA on file $275,000   MLS #61565     3 Bed 2/1 Bath     2319 Carova Rd. 5th Row Short Sale in an X flood zone! $289,900   MLS #61836     3 Bed 2/1 Bath     2360 Sandpiper Rd. 4th Row with a FEMA Policy! $299,900    MLS #63825     3 Bed 3/0 Bath     1681 Midland Rd. Ocean Views & X flood... 01/06/2010

ust because its winter does not mean that there is nothing going on in the quaint little town of Corolla, NC.Currituck Heritage Park has events & classes being held 12 months a year. To start the New Year off they will be giving the second in a three part series on Corolla in Retrospect. Experience life in the past from a panel of local experts explaining what life used to be like here. Admission is free to all and there will be audience participation, so if you are in the area, stop on by. 01/06/2010

  I was playing catch-up on my emails from being busy visiting family and friends, when I came across one from my sister who cam to visit the other month from Belfast Ireland. Included in the email were some of the pictures that she took while she was here. Included with all the shots of family, she also had some of the Corolla Wild Horses. She has always been artistic in her work but when I cam across this shot I had to chuckle (and share). When we grew up in the northern states it was always funny to give someone the advice of "Don't eat the yellow snow". Here at the beach, we don't have that problem. However, maybe we should point out to all the little ones (horse & people alike) "don't smell the brown rocks".     01/03/2010

  Have you ever wondered where all those Christmas trees go after Christmas? Think of all the trees that were cut down to be put on display in people’s living rooms for 3-4 weeks and then tossed on the curb for the trash collector. I never really gave it much thought, probably because when growing up we would get a tree that still had roots and dad would replant it along the property line. This is a GREAT way to give yourself a privacy fence although it may take a few years. :) When I got married and moved into my own house, we bought an artificial tree because my wife was worried about our cats & she felt that cutting down a live tree was wasteful.  But to get back to the original question, what does happen to all those once live trees after Christmas?  Well believe it or not, some com... 01/03/2010

  As I look back at the past year, I realize what all I have accomplished in my first full year living on the Outer Banks. Much of this I owe to the loyal support of my wife. I would like to thank all of my friends and clients that have helped me achieve what is possibly my best year in real estate yet. I: -      perfected my license to become a full broker -      been asked to chair a committee on our local REALTOR association -      earned my NAR Green designation -     was involved in 18% of all the 4-Wheel drive sales for 2009 -      helped more sellers sell their 4-Wheel Drive properties than any other agent living there -      helped more buyers purchase 4-Wheel Drive properties than any other agent living there -      am starting 2010 with more 4-Wheel Drive listings than any ot... 01/02/2010

This is a question that I would often get asked when I had a call about acreage for sale. In the past my answer would usually be "Maybe". Currituck County would normally let you keep horses depending on how many with a minimum lot size of 3 acres. But this month things have changes. The Board of Commissioners have created a new ordinance that forbids any & all domestic horses from entering the are between the end of the pavement and the NC/VA state line. Section 10-55 has been amended to read, “It shall be unlawful for any person to keep, harbor, maintain, possess, ride, walk or bring a horse into or upon that area of the county on the Outer Banks from the terminus of the paved portion of N.C. State Highway 12 to the Virginia state line. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a horse may be us... 12/14/2009

  A question was brought up to me this past week about weather North Carolina power companies allow for “Net Metering”   Net Metering is defined by Wikipedia as ”an electricity policy for consumers who own (generally small) renewable energy facilities, such as wind, solar power or home fuel cells. "Net", in this context, is used in the sense of meaning "what remains after deductions" — in this case, the deduction of any energy outflows from metered energy inflows. Under net metering, a system owner receives retail credit for at least a portion of the electricity they generate. Most electricity meters accurately record in both directions, allowing a no-cost method of effectively banking excess electricity production for future credit.”   I looked and found this posting from the Database ... 12/13/2009

As the warning comes in of another storm coming late tonight and into tomorrow with potential severe weather, coastal flooding, heavy rainfall and gusty winds (get the Power Point here http://ow.ly/HSfW). I thought it might be wise to some tips on how to safely navigate through the high waters that are sometimes found along the Outer Banks.       On The Pavement 1)    Go Slow!   This should be a no brainer, but it never hurts to be reminded of the dangers hydroplaning, losing visibility from water on the windshield, and causing oncoming cars to lose visibility from water on the windshield.         2)    Be Cautious Some sections of our roads are curvy. You might know a puddle exists until you are right in front of it.     3)    Stay High You may not be able to tell just how deep that p... 12/02/2009

December is here, and one wonderful way to welcome the Christmas season is to go to the Whalehead Club at the Currituck Heritage Park in Corolla, NC. Enjoy the beautiful lights, wonderful music & take a tour of the Historic Whaleehad Club as it would have been decorated in it's day.   11/30/2009

  Carova makes #2 on Sherman’s Travel Magazine’s Top 10 most secluded U.S. beaches. Here’s the full list. How many have you been to? 1)     Bowman’s Beach, FL 2)     Carova Beach, NC 3)     Cumberland Island,GA 4)     Dry Tortugas,FL 5)     Enders Beach,CA 6)     Kaihalulu, HI 7)     Orient Beach State Park, NY 8)     Point Bennett, CA 9)     Rogue Bluffs, ME 10)   Sandbridge Beach, VA     11/28/2009

  I had more than a few comments about my tide charts stopping at November. I really did not think there would be that much interest in the winter months but apparently I was wrong. So at the request of the people, I now have the Carova Tide Charts: 2009-2010 Winter Edition. As usual, they will be available at the Carova Beach Volunteer Fire Department, theSun Realty Office in Corolla, and the Currituck County Visitors center in Corolla.  You may also have one mailed straight to your home. Just e-mail me atTideCharts@EscapeThePavement.com and I will get one sent right out to you.     11/22/2009

  Don't miss this rare opportunity to tour one of the oldest homes on the Currituck Outer Banks at night. The Whalehead Club, once the home of Edward Knight, is now part of the Currituck Heritage Park. They have many events held here throughout the year but one of the newest & most interesting is the Moonlight Ghost Tour.   Dress for the weather and bring a flashlight as part of the tour is on the grounds.   11/21/2009

Outer Banks NC Real Estate Sales - the Corolla Market Outer Banks NC real estate sales - the Corolla Market information as of 11/14/09 For additional information including all homes, condos, town homes, and land for sale in Corolla NC, please visit Corolla Real Estate for Sale. Current homes for sale in Corolla     Number of homes for sale - 328     Average asking price - $992,292     Average days on market - 282 Homes under contract in Corolla     Number of homes under contract - 24 Sold homes in Corolla since 1/1/09     Number of homes sold - 88     Average sold price - $653,585     Sale price/asking price - 83%     Average days on market - 224 Do you have questions about specific properties, neighborhoods, or areas?Do you want additional facts about asking price to sold price ratios?... 11/14/2009

  Here is a little history behind the Corolla Wild horses from Karen McCalpin the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.   Colonial Spanish horses (Spanish Mustangs) have been an integral part of the history and heritage of the Currituck Outer Banks for over five centuries. Spanish explorations and colonization began in the early 1500’s around Cape Fear, NC. (A History of North Carolina, UNC Press) Spanish Barb and Arabian horses were left behind when colonization failed or arrived incidentally as a result of shipwrecks. They were also thrown overboard in an effort to refloat ships that had run aground on sand bars. Because the Outer Banks of North Carolina remained isolated for centuries and have been one of the last areas of the state to become populated to saturation, there was little opportunity ... 11/04/2009

Another Mid-Currituck County Bridge Update for Outer Banks Traffic was posted in the October 19 Virginian-Pilot by Jeff Hampton. Our local residences easily get any news, but our out-of-state owners and visitors often don't have access to this information. After all, our out-of-state owners and visitors are much affected by traffic delays and extra time added to their journey. The information below contains quotes from the article in The Virginian-Pilot for a quick read. To see the in depth story go to the Virginian-Pilot article. "A draft environmental impact statement is due out before the end of the year. By February or March, construction could begin on the bridge, with completion expected in 2013." Another MId-Currituck County Bridge Update for Outer Banks Trafficissue is a new opt... 10/30/2009

  Yesterday on my way into town to meet some clients I had the strangest site. First I passed a group of about 6 jeeps all parked and the people doing something that I could quite make out. another 1/4 mile down I passed 3 more Jeeps and people walking aling the dune line with trash bags. another mile and another group. finally as I neared the end of the beach I saw what looked like a sign-in booth set up so I stopped to ask. They turned out to be from KMA Off Road in Virgina. Each year they organize an event to help keep an area that they like to visit clean. This year they were joined by Middle Peninsula Jeepers, and Virgina Beach Jeeps. There are a lot of locals that are of the opinion that the "Day Trippers" that come here show no respect for our beaches & communities, and It is goo... 10/24/2009

   A while back I did a post about how often I get asked if I have make sure it's not high tide when driving on the beach. You can check it out here. My usual response it  I have never been in a situation where I couldn't get down the beach, although I have probably been in a couple of situations where I should have tried. This week we have seen some of those tides. So I thought I would take some video footage to give you a sample of what the beach can be like on those rare occasions. I hope that you enjoy.   10/19/2009

The Virginia Pilot reported today that construction on the Mid-County Currituck Bridge is scheduled to begin in February or March next year. While there are still many details to work out it is seems that after 20 years the bridge will finally get built. Once completed, scheduled for 2013, the bridge will help ease the summer traffic coming onto the Outer Banks for everyone. Those tourists traveling to Corolla will save at least an hour of travel time if not more by using the bridge. For many it will be a huge sigh of relief when this bridge is finally done. To read the article go to "Shortcut To Paradise"  About the author of this blog: Matt Huband is Broker/Owner of Hometown Realty in Kitty Hawk, NC. Working with buyers and sellers from Corolla to Hatteras interested in foreclosures, ... 10/19/2009

10/18/2009