OBR NEWS OUTER BEACHES REALTY HATTERAS ISLAND, NC A VIEW FROM THE TOP Alex Risser, CEO APRIL 2017 April showers have already begun as we look toward the start of the 2017 rental season. March went out like a lion instead of a lamb, with intense storms on the 31 st producing a tornado or two in the Chesapeake area. But, April 1 st returned to the unusual weather of the past winter with highs in the 70s once again. 2017 has Easter about as late as possible, so the traditional start of the season is a bit delayed until the 16th. A little trivia for you: Easter Sunday is determined as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox (aka the first day of spring). Spring began on March 20 th, followed by the next full moon on April 11 th, hence Easter on the 16 th! VRMA Last month a group of us attended the Spring Seminar of the Vacation Rental Management Association in Savannah, GA. This two-day seminar was filled with multiple classes expanding our team s knowledge base in housekeeping, maintenance, marketing, team building, hiring practices, reservation practices, and overall customer service. We always bring back ideas from these conferences that we can implement at OBR to improve our overall services to Owners and Guests. This trip we had eight employees from different departments, so we had all our bases covered. It s also a good time to recognize individual employees by taking them along to these events where we learn a lot and also have fun together as a team. One of this trip s highlights was our tour on the Bicycle Trolley powered by the 15 people on board. It was great to have an inside tour of the historic area of Savanah, get quite a workout, stop at a few watering holes, and have lots of laughs. OBR team at VRMA Spring Conference continued on page 2 INSIDE THIS ISSUE A VIEW FROM THE TOP - ALEX RISSER OBR DIRECTV: AN ALTERNATIVE TO CHARTER/SPECTRUM - DEBBIE MARTIN CHANGE ON HATTERAS ISLAND - TOM HRANICKA HIDC INVENTORY CLEARANCE! - DIANA HAMSHER COMPANY DIRECTORY 1 3 5 7 8
APRIL 2017 OBR News NORFOLK TIDES On March 31st, we also had the occasion to take a group of employees as well as some local Homeowners to an exhibition baseball game between the local Norfolk Tides and Baltimore Orioles (see photo p. 8). It was a great afternoon of fun sandwiched in between downpours of rain that resumed within 5 seconds after the last pitch of the game. The teams were not up for extra innings, especially in light of the imminent rain, so the game ended in a 3-3 tie after nine innings, which was a good ending. BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION The Hatteras Island bridges continue under full construction (see photo below). It really is quite the sight to see at Oregon Inlet with seven or eight towering cranes at both ends and in between in full operation. They are moving quickly, so we wouldn t be surprised to see a completion ahead of schedule in 2019. The New Inlet Bridge is also racing toward completion by the end of this month. Most of the pilings are installed and much of the roadway as well. These are great sights to see for all of us with investments in the Hatteras Island marketplace. OBR OPTIONAL SERVICES Each year we publish the OBR Optional Services Price List, as promised by our Property Management Agreement. You ll find this year s sheet accompanying this month s letter for your reference and knowledge of what and how we charge for optional services and products. Each year some prices go up, and yes, really, some go down. This list is for the most common products and services encountered as we provide services to our homes. Just stick this in your Hatteras file to refer to from time to time throughout the year. That s it for this month. We hope you re enjoying the early blooms of the season and getting out to welcome spring in your own way. We can t wait to see you soon at the beach. Construction progressing on the south end of the new Oregon Inlet bridge. 2 OUTER BEACHES REALTY -Alex Risser
OBR News APRIL 2017 OBR DIRECTV THE ALTERNATIVE FOR CHARTER/SPECTRUM Debbie Martin, Maintenance Manager Most of you will recall that over the years I have been very outspoken about Charter Communications and the need to have some competition in the cable industry on Hatteras Island. Now there is a reliable alternative for our cottages: OBR DirecTV. Last fall, Outer Beaches introduced a new service program, OBR DirecTV, and we are happy to report that it has been received with open arms by many of our Owners. With the 2017 rental season approaching, we are hoping more of you will come on board. The savings and exceptional customer service and tech support should be an incentive to check it out. The package includes 220 channels (XTRA package), four HD receivers including one DVR device, and free service calls, all for $84.50 per month. Additional receivers are $7.00 each, billed through DirecTV. This is a standard charge by DirecTV and also Charter and Spectrum for receivers. For Owners who currently have an account with DirecTV with a one- or two-year introductory contract, you are eligible to switch over to OBR DTV. We are confident that you will realize a savings since the first year is an introductory offer which increases significantly for year two with DirecTV. I would be happy to review your monthly bill and show you the difference. For Owners who have been long time customers of DirecTV, I would be interested in reviewing your monthly statement as well to provide a savings figure. Owners who are currently with Charter or Spectrum, I encourage you to send me a copy of your monthly invoice. I am confident you can save by switching over to OBR DTV, and I will happily provide that to you. In addition to a monetary savings, technical support is at your fingertips since OBR techs are able to troubleshoot the problems and, in most cases, fix them while talking with a DirecTV tech over the phone. This is certainly an improvement from having to wait days for a Charter/Spectrum tech to arrive and then having to sit with them while they do the repair. If you are interested in seeing the difference, email your monthly invoice to Debbie.Martin@OuterBeaches.com and I will work the numbers for you. Happy Easter! -Debbie Martin OUTER BEACHES REALTY 3
APRIL 2017 OBR News Photo by OBR photographer Dan Murphy OWNER EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS REMINDER It is critical that we have your most up-to-date email address on file and that you remain subscribed to our communications list so we can send you important information and updates. If you have previously unsubscribed from our emails or would like to provide a new email address, please visit bit.ly/obrowners 4 OUTER BEACHES REALTY
OBR News APRIL 2017 CHANGE ON HATTERAS ISLAND Tom Hranicka, Sales Manager While change is always with us, it usually happens in such gradual increments that we don t often recognize it until after it occurs. I thought it might be interesting to take a brief look at some of the changes that have taken place on the Island and some that are going on right now. REAL ESTATE MARKET The Hatteras Island real estate market is in the early stages of recovery from a prolonged buyer s market. Over the past three years, home sales have increased, housing sales prices have risen, and there has been growth in the total dollar value of sales. FINANCING Funding for loans is plentiful and available for qualified buyers. After an extended period of very low rates, interest rates have started to rise. Currently for 30-year fixed-rate loans, interest rates are in the 4.25% range - still near historically low levels. DISTRESSED PROPERTIES Several years ago foreclosures and short sales represented a significant segment of the real estate market on the Island. This temporary phenomenon appears to have run its course. Today, there are no bank-owned residential properties for sale and only four undeveloped lot foreclosures. In addition, there are just three residential short sales in the inventory of properties available for purchase and no lots. CONSTRUCTION The number of new residential single family building permits are slowly starting to increase. Renovations and repairs continue to be the mainstays of the construction business on the Island. COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT The biggest change in commercial development that we have seen over the past few years has been the appearance of chain retail variety stores in over half of the villages. In some cases the new stores have been rather large in size while others have been somewhat smaller. A new adventure-themed facility in Rodanthe appears to be nearing completion. ISLAND ACCESS Perhaps the changes that are most noticeable and the ones that may have the greatest longterm impact are the efforts to stabilize access to the Island via Highway 12. New bridges are under construction to replace the Bonner Bridge over Oregon InIet and the interim metal bridge over the Pea Island Inlet. Plans are also moving forward to construct a bridge in the Pamlico Sound that will circumvent the S-Curves ocean overwash hot spot north of Rodanthe. The Pea Island Bridge is scheduled to open to traffic this summer. The new bridge over Oregon Inlet has a target date of 2019, and the Rodanthe Bridge construction is estimated to be completed in 2020. NATURAL FORCES By definition, barrier islands are characterized by a constantly changing landscape. Beach erosion and inlet shoaling are two of the most common examples of this type of change. A beach nourishment project was completed in Rodanthe several years ago. Another nourishment project is scheduled for the Buxton beach this summer, and very preliminary discussions are taking place to address more recent concerns south of the Avon Pier. Shoaling around Hatteras Inlet has had a very serious impact on the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry channel as well as charter fishing boat access to the ocean from Hatteras Village. Some dredging in the area of Hatteras Inlet has already taken place and additional clearing efforts are planned for the future. OFF ROAD BEACH ACCESS Off road vehicle beach access and beach driving restrictions have been a contentious issue for the past few years. Under the refreshing leadership of Cape Hatteras National Seashore Superintendent, David Hallac, an easing of restrictions on many aspects of beach access are taking place and an open dialogue on other Park Service issues is ongoing. Despite all of the changes that we have seen, one thing remains the same: there is no place like Hatteras Island where we can all find peace and quiet, the time to enjoy the wind and the waves and the sea, and a very simple lifestyle uncomplicated by the stresses and strains of the world that exists outside this little piece of paradise. -Tom Hranicka OUTER BEACHES REALTY 5
APRIL 2017 OBR News Vintage photo of the Bodie Island Lighthouse submitted by Leah Loar-Mays on Facebook. My daughters, who are spelling out L-O-V-E on the beach in Avon, summer of 2016. - Photo submitted by Rebecca Cutchins on Facebook 6 OUTER BEACHES REALTY
OBR News APRIL 2017 HIDC INVENTORY CLEARANCE! Diana Hamsher OUTER BEACHES REALTY 7
APRIL 2017 OBR NEWS OBR staff outing to the Norfolk Tides v. Baltimore Orioles exhibition game APRIL STAFF ANNIVERSARIES We re wishing a Happy Anniversary to CAROL BARLEY 22 YEARS MIKE CLINE 13 YEARS DAN MURPHY 6 YEARS MIKE HIGGINS 5 YEARS SAMANTHA STEVENS 4 YEARS CINDY O NEAL WILL RIGGS KIM STARK EVAN ROGERS 2 YEARS 2 YEARS 2 YEARS 1 YEAR OUTER BEACHES REALTY Company Directory ALEX RISSER CEO 252-995-7342 KELLY WILSON President 252-995-7350 ORVILLE SCARBOROUGH Waves Office Manager 252-995-7385 DIANA HAMSHER Design Consultant 252-995-3321 DEBBIE MARTIN Maintenance Manager 252-995-7348 ANDREW PRINTZ Environmental Services Manager 252-995-7343 SAMANTHA STEVENS Information Technology Manager 252-995-7346 ROXANNE STAYLOR Avon Office Manager 252-995-7347 TRACY BURNS Accounting Manager 252-995-7351 TOM HRANICKA Sales Manager 800-627-3150 ext. 7395 P.O. Box 280 40227 Tigrone Boulevard Avon, NC 27915 BILL STAYLOR Hatteras Office Manager 252-995-7379 HEATHER NICHOLSON Luxury Home Manager 252-995-7397 ALEXA NOTA Marketing Manager 252-995-7355 LINDA WALTON Guest Services Manager 252-995-7372 MIKE CLINE Support Services Manager 8 OUTER BEACHES REALTY