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crystal coast: Relying on real local expertise for your decisions - 01/29/11 12:01 AM
I have spent a lot of time writing and talking about North Carolina’s Southern Outer Banks. 
I love to write and take pictures so I have an extensive amount of information about the area online.
My start in blogging came back in the fall of 2004 well before we moved to the area.  I made it a priority from my first post onwards to stick to what I knew and to leave the speculation to others.
The one exception was my popular Applepeels blog where I sometimes joined in on the guessing game regarding Apple’s future moves.  That is something of … (1 comments)

crystal coast: Some certainty in an uncertain market - 07/21/09 11:02 PM
Just over three years ago, we concluded four years of searching and made an offer on a home in a small subdivision on the banks of the White Oak River in Western Carteret County near the beaches of Emerald Isle, NC.
We had looked long and hard from Chincoteague to Oak Island.  There were a number of reasons that Carteret County met our needs, but the biggest was access to water.
I worked in technology for 25 years and was looking for a change.  After having a very good experience buying our home, I decided to try a new career I … (0 comments)

crystal coast: Old fashioned stand in the sun marketing - 07/05/09 10:26 AM
While I depend a lot on my Internet efforts to keep my real estate efforts going, I also try not to neglect more traditional means of marketing.
Yesterday was the Fourth of July. I spent the majority of the day, printing and distributing a flier.
The rental division of our company allows us to hand out information to people checking into their beach houses.
It is agreat opportunity to get in front of a lot of people who already love our area.
I spent a lot of time thinking about what type of flier would have some persistence.
I ended up … (3 comments)

crystal coast: Blizzards are good for business - 03/31/09 10:03 PM
Monday night I got a call from someone whose area in South Dakota was in the midst of being whacked by a blizzard.  I guess it was the last straw for him.  He was ready to start investigating a move the Southern Outer Banks or SOBX as it is locally known.  Actually the blizzard was not the real reason for wanting to move, but I covered that in a post on the Crystal Coast Living blog.
His call had come just hours after an email from a potential mountain dwelling client who is already scheduled to visit our area this summer.  … (2 comments)

crystal coast: Time to invite someone to the beach - 03/22/07 03:49 PM
Maybe I am just a crazy newcomer who has forgotten what the traffic was like during the peak season last summer.  The weekend of March 9, I was at the Emerald Isle Third Street Beach parking area.  The weather was nice for the time of the year, but the beach was deserted.  By the middle of March, the weather was even warmer with inland temperature rising over eighty degrees.  The cool coastal breeze has kept temperatures moderate along the coast, but it wouldn't hurt to see a few more souls strolling on the beach. I am sure local businesses would welcome … (3 comments)