February is the month of LOVE and here on the island we see more and more couples planning to tie the knot here on the beach. Having discovered the difficulty involved in finding an officiant to perform the ceremony when my husband and I got married, I thought, "WOW, how hard must it be for people who don't live here and aren't affiliated with a church on the Outer Banks?" I made a few calls and found an officiant here on the island and another up the beach as well as county magistrates. Most of the local ministers didn't want to get involved unless the parties were members of their church. SO, I took the steps and became officially ordained January 19, 2010.

I'm very excited about my ordination and look forward to being a part of the process that joins two lives. I have numerous options and am open to suggestions to customize the experience to make dreams come true. If you're planning a wedding, please keep me in mind.

Serendipity is on the move. Expert House Movers has it jacked up and in the process of loading her up for the ride south to her new resting place. You can watch the progress at http://www.darenc.com/webcam/mirlo.php or visit http://www.obxhomes4u.com and scroll down to the webcam link. This is a historical move and one you won't want to miss!

The home featured as the Inn at Rodanthe in Nicholas Sparks' film "Nights in Rodanthe" was recently sold by Marsha M Brown & Company and is being relocated to a safer lot and restored to it's appearance in the movie. The home will be managed by our sister company Vacation Traditions owned by Bonnie Rowe. Vacation Traditions is entering it's third rental season. Bonnie had a vision that vacationers missed the personal attention and friendliness of years gone by where guests and owners of the rental properties were greeted by name instead of numbers. Although, perhaps the smallest of the rental agencies here on Hatteras Island, Bonnie has extensive property management experience having worked with some of the bigger firms. She has a good sense of what people want and has her finger on the pulse of vacationers. She sensed a need for the more basic homes many companies had kicked to the curb as not being plush enough. With the shift in the economy, many families are turning to Vacation Traditions for affordable, clean and well maintained homes so they can still have that beach vacation they might otherwise have had to forego. Vacation Traditions is aptly named as it recalls some of the best features of yesteryear when courtesy went a long way. For availability on "Serendipity", visit http://www.vacationtraditions.com.

November Nor'easter

Despite the massive damage to highway 12 at the "S" curve, the road was repaired in record time to allow for the Thanksgiving traffic to the island. The county issued an order to the owners of "Serendipity" cottage featured in the movie "Nights In Rodanthe" to demolish or relocate the home within 10 days. This home has garnered so much attention on it's own before appearing in the film. You can't go by on any given day without seeing tourists taking pictures or just stopping to see this unique home. With the pilings set 14 feet in the ground in stone, it's unlikely it will be falling in the ocean any time soon, however, it is getting impossible to reset a septic system hence the order. Many visitors to the island fail to appreciate the fragile nature of the dunes at the "S" curve and despite efforts to establish a duneline, there is no one willing to enforce a no trespass over these delicate sand barriers. For those of you who aren't familiar with the nature of the beach grass strategy, the root system of these grasses forms a network that will stabilize the sand and subsequently the dune. If given a chance to fully develop, the dunes can stabilize, however with the constant traffic over them, they break down whatever system has started to grow and first storm the dune washes away and the the road. Anyone visiting can appreciate the problem when the road is impassable so we need your help to insure the protection of these dunes, should a medical emergency arise, it could be a matter of life and death.

According to Melanie Hobson on Good Morning America, it appears the economy is improving. Although new home starts were down, existing homes are up and that's a very good sign for our area. Mortgage rates are still low, 5% for a 30-yr fixed is fantastic. Talk is, in addition to the possible extension of the first time homebuyer credit, the Senate is also considering one for repeat buyers as well in the amount of $6500. If you consider the lowest home prices in years, coupled with the low interest rate AND a credit, that is an excellent incentive for buyers to get out there and SHOP. The IRS said 1.4 million taxpayers had already taken advantage of the first-time homebuyer's credit so far. Don't let this opportunity pass you by! To see the GMA interview http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=8944659

First time homebuyers credit

Thinking of relocating to Hatteras Island? If you are a first time homebuyer there are options for you to consider and take the credit the government is offering. This credit is due to expire December 1, 2009.

There are options besides a house, you can also purchase a mobile home and land and qualify for the credit. The credit is 10% of the purchase price of the home, with a maximum available credit of $7,000 ($8000 if you purchase your home in 2009) for either a single taxpayer or a married couple filing a joint return, but only half of that amount for married persons filing separate returns. The full credit is available for homes costing $75,000 or more ($80,000 if purchased after Decc. 31, 2008, and before Dec. 1, 2009). Visit us at www.obxhomes4u.com for featured homes.

No better time to buy than TODAY on Hatteras Island

For those of you keeping your eye on the prices and waiting for them to go lower, it's not likely that's gonna happen. Prices are stabilized with the increased interest of buyers and activity in the past two months. More and more people are getting out and looking and not ashamed to make low offers. Their justification is simple.."they don't want my offer, there are plenty of others who will" and they move on. Today's buyers are savvy and do their homework visiting the County website, looking at the tax valuations and poring over MLS to look how long homes have been on the market and how many price reductions have been applied. They compare size, location along with recent sale prices to determine who is over priced before even coming to the table. Again, the rationale, if the home is over priced odds are the seller is not serious about selling and therefore more than likely won't entertain anything reasonable. By reasonable, they mean what they are willing to pay.

Additionally, shortsales are taking longer
and longer to get responses since the banks are not as inclined to "go there" due to changes in market conditions. Buyers jump on bank owneds almost as soon as they come on the market simply because they don't have to wait for months to get an answer. In order to even come to the table on a bank-owned property, buyer's must be pre-qualified to demonstrate they are able to complete the transaction if their offer is approved.

November is perhaps the most productive time to make an offer as the rental income has been depleted for the year and the seller has nothing to gain by hanging on, especially since they have to continue making the payments without the benefit of rental income until February in most cases. For You, the purchaser, your first payment may not be due until January or Febuary at which time the 2010 advanced rental deposits will begin to be distributed. So, if you've considered making a move, now is the time to seriously take a look at what's out there!