The 4th Annual Seafood Festival
Posted on October 13, 2015 in News.
It’s always great when seafood is involved!
The 4th Annual Seafood Fest is this weekend, October 17th, at the new and improved Outer Banks Event Site at milepost 16 in Nags Head. Not only with there be local seafood prepared in many different ways by local restaurants to enjoy but there will also be live music, local artisans, cooking demos, educational booths, marine life exhibits, boats, and non-profit vendors. They recently announced they will be having the Outer Bank’s Captains from Wicked Tuna to meet and give their autographs. The Captains scheduled to appear are Capt. Britt Shackelford of the Doghouse, Capt. Greg Mayer of Fishin’ Frenzy, Capt. Charlie Griffin of Reels of Fortune and Capt. Tami Gray of the Reel Deal. Captains Griffin & Gray will also be doing activities with Outer Banks Catch in their tent throughout the day. There will be something for everyone to enjoy!
This event was developed with the mission to provide a fun and educational way to promote, honor and celebrate the coastal seafood heritage and community here on the Outer Banks. So many folk’s lives here on the Outer Banks revolve around our waters and our local seafood industry. Whether they fish, shrimp, or crab; have a restaurant or seafood market; build, repair or maintain boats; or one of our roadside crab shedders, it is truly part of life on the Outer Banks. This isn’t an easy way of life and there are many challenges each and every day. It could be weather, politics, nature or personal challenges that impact their way of life, but it is a very proud part of life here on the Outer Banks. This Festival is a great way to get out to learn more about it and show appreciation for the seafood community.
The Seafood Festival is just one way to come out and enjoy our great local seafood while supporting that part of our local community. You can also make sure to support our local seafood industry by eating at restaurants that serve locally caught seafood and to purchase your seafood from a market that sells locally caught seafood. There will be many local restaurants there serving all different types of seafood as well as breweries & vineyards that will be there at the Fest so you have something to wash your seafood down. Parking is very limited at the site, but there are many locations all around town for free shuttle service to and from the event site to make sure it is convenient for everyone to be able to attend. This is an all day event from 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. Admission is $3 and children under 12 are free. All food and drink must be purchased with Sea Bucks which can be purchased online in advance or at the Festival. You can find all kinds of additional information at the official Seafood Fest website at www.outerbanksseafoodfestival.org.
Cara Muglia, REALTOR®
OBX Home Group at Outer Banks Blue Realty Services
The Outer Banks in the Fall is Awesome
Posted on September 30, 2015 in Selling Tips.
Fall is an awesome time of the year in the Outer Banks for visitors and for real estate.
During September and October, the Outer Banks transforms back to what I consider paradise. The weather is pretty much perfect, as the water is still warm and the air temperatures are too. The humidity drops off for the most part and you begin to get some of those mornings where the air is crisp. The stop and go traffic on 158 is just a thing of the past. Even left turns are possible again onto the big road. You typically don’t have to wait in long lines at the grocery stores, restaurants, or any of the other local establishments. It’s that time again for oysters, the return of tuna season, football, and long sleeves in the evenings. There is plenty to do without feeling crowded. The schools hold their annual pumpkin fairs. There are Halloween parties and the annual seafood festival, and the sound-front site in Nags Head has been recently, gorgeously transformed. Do yourself a favor and come out this October 17 for a great gathering of local restaurant owners who will be showing off their finest vittles. And don’t forget, you can still go anytime and enjoy our greatest asset – the beach!!
The Outer Banks in the fall is also a great time to be in the real estate market, whether you are buying or selling. Historically, between 15 – 20% of the total year sales of single-family homes occur in these two months, before falling into the winter market slumber. The average inventory tends to rise after the summer months and the demand seems to increase fairly proportionately to the rise in the number of homes for sale. Christmas and especially Thanksgiving are extremely popular off-season weeks for out-of-towners to spend here. And what better way to celebrate the season than in a new home?
Speaking of celebrating, I think we can all appreciate some appreciation in real estate prices. The overall Outer Banks single-family home market has continued to improve. Since 2013, the pricing has increased between 2.6 – 4.1%, based on three metrics I use. Those three metrics are: average sale price, average sale price per square foot and average sale price per bedroom. While 2.6 to 4.1% over three years doesn’t equate to a huge annual appreciation rate, it is a confidence booster to have positive price trending for several consecutive years. The average pricing has been actually been trending upward since the 2010/2011 time frame. Annual sales have been on an upward trend just about every year since 2008 and average inventory is down 11% from the year 2010. We would have to expect some upward pressure on pricing with those economics in place. The fact that the gains are modest keeps our market from getting “out of control”. Everyone can come out a winner in today’s market.
For your free market analysis or if you are interested in buying or selling real estate on the Outer Banks, feel free to contact me directly. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Please feel free to call Adam (252) 256-0086 or Shane (252) 202-1193 with OBX Island Guys of Outer Banks Blue. adam@outerbanksblue.com or shane@outerbanksblue.com.
All references to real estate statistics are sourced from OBAR MLS (01/01/04 – 08/30/15).
