Duck Blind Villas MLS#81023- Affordable oceanfront condominium in Duck Village NC

Duck Replenishment Article in Outer Banks Voice

Duck given legal tool for access during beach nourishment

By Sam Walker on July 30, 2014

Erosion was evident today from the Corps of Engineers pier.

The Town of Duck can now use eminent domain powers during its future beach nourishment project to allow work on areas considered private property.

A bill finally passed the General Assembly last week allowing Duck to join other towns with the legal alternative if a property owner fails to give written permission to pump sand onto the beach.

Generally, private property extends to mean high water, or the wet sand beach. When Nags Head widened its beach, it received easements from most owners.

Duck is joining Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills in planning a beach nourishment project.

Town leaders are considering a plan for a 20-foot-high and 20-foot wide dune line with a berm width of 60 to 80 feet along 2.5 miles of beach.

That plan would need about 1,050,000 cubic yards of sand.

Coastal Planning and Engineering is leading the project, which is scheduled to start in 2016 in conjunction with those planned in Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills.

The Duck project would cost $14.4 million, Kitty Hawk’s, $16.5 million, and Kill Devil Hill’s, $10.9 million, according to early estimates.

Dare County’s Shoreline Management Fund would provide much of the funding with the rest coming from property taxes and municipal service levies in each of the towns.

Mirlo beach nourishment

Bid awarded; Mirlo Beach widening set to start next week

By Rob Morris on July 9, 2014

The ocean can easily wash over N.C. 12 in storms. (NCDOT)

The company that finished Nags Head’s 10-mile beach widening project ahead of schedule has won a contract to pump sand onto the shoreline at the troublesome S-curve on N.C. 12 just north of Rodanthe.

Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. of Oak Brook, Ill. bid $20.3 million for the Hatteras Island job.

Great Lakes will use two dredges to pump 1.26 million cubic yards sand from offshore onto 2 miles of beach — the equivalent of 60,000 dump-truck loads — by September, if the weather cooperates.

The first dredge is expected to arrive July 16 — next week — as the pipeline from offshore is being installed.

A second dredge will arrive in August, a North Carolina Department of Transportation statement said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is coordinating the project for NCDOT, which will next look at the possibility of building up the shoreline to protect areas of N.C. 12 farther south in Rodanthe, in southern Hatteras Island and on Ocracoke.

Great Lakes raced to finish pumping 4.6 million cubic yards of sand onto Nags Head’s Beach in August of 2011 just before Hurricane Irene swept through the Outer Banks.

N.C. 12 has become increasingly vulnerable to storms and has been shut down by sand, ocean over wash and breaches numerous times. The most serious damage in recent years came from Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Hurricane Irene in 2011.

Last week’s Hurricane Arthur sent sand and water onto the road and buckled some asphalt near the temporary bridge on Pea Island, but it was reopened within a day.

The widening project north of Rodanthe at Mirlo Beach is intended to protect the road while planning for a permanent bridge is completed.

It took two tries to get a contractor. Only one bid was received in January because so many companies were doing work in the northeast after Sandy.

See a a graphic detailing the project »

What should be included in your home listing

Did you know that what you say and how you say it can have a big impact on how effective your home listing is? The results can be selling your home more quickly and for a better price.

By the same token, using the wrong words and phrases can turn a buyer off as quickly as the right one can motivate a buyer to learn more. Here are some tips to improve your listing:

Be specific

Give as many details or facts about a property as you can. Include updates such as a new roof or driveway and items that differentiate your home from competitive properties. If your kitchen is a draw, don’t be afraid to drop brand names.

Use good grammar

Bad spelling and grammar, and using abbreviations that aren’t easily understood can be a big deterrent to potential buyers.

A photo’s worth

In a buyer’s market there may be more properties available than buyers to purchase them. With that much competition, sometimes the photo can draw the attention of a buyer or agent. Make sure you’re putting your home’s best foot forward with great photos.

Mention amenities

A great view or privacy won’t be apparent in photos or property details. Use the description to talk about features that aren't obvious.

Avoid exaggeration

Be realistic in your listing. Building a buyer’s expectations with a fluff-filled description only to have it fall far short in reality can turn a buyer off.

Use the right adjectives

The words you use can make a difference. Use descriptive opinion words if they are appropriate. Also use descriptions of the property within the copy. Using property descriptors and opinion words were found to increase the sale price by just under 1% for each instance. However, there is a limit. Don’t overdo it and turn off prospective buyers.

Motivate the buyer

In advertising, sometimes saying something is enough to make a large number of people believe it. That goes for pronouncements on pricing. Telling them it’s a good deal is enough to motivate them without being dishonest, even if it priced competitively with other homes in the area.

Remember that you have a very short time to attract a buyer’s attention. Make sure to deliver the biggest selling features in the first couple of lines.

The dual agency role in real estate

One of the things those who work in real estate can’t seem to agree on is that of “dual agent” on a home sale. While it’s legal – in some form, anyway – in all 50 states, getting people on both sides of the sale to come to a consensus is difficult at best.

What is a dual agent?

Many, if not most, REALTORS® can represent sellers as the listing agent. Their responsibility is to sell the home as quickly as they can and at as close to the listing price as possible. They act with the seller’s best interest in mind. For their efforts, they receive a commission.

When someone is ready to buy a home, they can employ a buyer’s agent to help them find their dream home. The agent acts on their behalf to negotiate the price, arrange for inspections, closing and all other things associated with buying a home. For their efforts, they receive a commission.

It may be called “transaction brokerage” by some states, or “designated agency” by others. Simply put, double-ending occurs when the same agency represents both sides of the sale of the home – the buyer and the seller. While it is legal, there are many who find the practice questionable.

The good news is, whether you’re buying or selling, if an agency hopes to represent both sides of a home sale transaction, they have to notify the parties involved.

The advantage is that with fewer people involved, the sale can be done quicker and more efficiently. The advantage to the agent or agency is that the commission is not split.

And thus arises the conflict because a single agent cannot represent the seller’s best interest while representing the buyer’s best interest. They could try to convince the seller to sell at a lower price, or oversell the attributes of the home to the buyer, in order to make the sale.

When you are hiring an agent, make sure to ask if he or she could possibly take you into a dual agent sale. If you feel comfortable, then proceed. However, if you feel that you may have remorse at the end of the transaction, it’s best to avoid the situation.

Tips to make the mortgage process go faster

Mortgage lending is a very competitive industry. Lenders will sometimes promise home buyers that they can speed up the process. While they can cut a few days off of the process, it generally takes 30-45 days to close. To expedite the process somewhat, they can speed it up by scheduling appraisers, home inspectors and underwriters. There are some things you can do on your end to help cut down on the time is takes to close.
Get a handle on your credit

Having good credit is beneficial for so many reasons. Obviously, you'll need to meet a lender's credit benchmark in order to even qualify for financing. You're more likely to qualify for a more competitive rate and term if you have higher credit scores. It also saves time because you'll spend less time producing documentation and explaining some of the bad things that may appear. It's important to pull your credit reports and credit scores so you’ll know what’s there and what you can clean up.

Respond quickly to requests

You'll be asked to supply things such as tax returns and documentation from your employer. Ask your REALTOR® what your mortgage lender will need.

Buy a house that meets requirements

Federal Housing Administration and VA loans have standards and requirements that must be met in order to qualify for a loan. Make sure to ask your REALTOR® if your home meets those standards.

Don't add any new credit

Don't buy a car, boat, or make any other large purchase that can change your credit score. Don't even apply for a new credit card at a department store.

Find the right lender

Specialized products like government-backed Veteran Affairs and United States Department of Agriculture home loans require different knowledge. Make sure to ask about their turnaround times on loan files and the average number of days from contract to close.

Be sure to talk to your real estate agent about what you should and shouldn’t do to speed up the mortgage process.

Save the Roanoke Island Marshes Light Bridge -Town Meeting tonight at 6:30 pm