IMPORTANT NEWS FOR FISHERMAN !

December 10th, 2006
According to a report in the Virginan-Pilot newspaper, effective January 1, 2007 anglers fishing in public waters will have to purchase a coastal recreational fishing license. The annual fishing license will cost $15 for residents and $30 for non-residents. A 10-day license will cost $5 and $10 respectively. Licenses can be purchased at tackle shops, hunting supply stores, through the Internet, and at some retail stores. The requirement for a coastal recreational fishing license means that residents and visitors will no longer be able to just go out to the beach and throw their lines in the water without first obtaining the necessary permit. Reportedly, North Carolina is the last state between Maryland and Texas to require a saltwater recreational fishing license.
 
While details about how the revenue from the new license will be used are still being developed, laws require that the money can only be spent to protect, conserve and enhance marine resources.
 
For more detailed information concerning the new coastal recreational fishing license, please visit the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries web site at: http://www.ncfisheries.net/recreational/NCCRFL.htm
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THE THANKSGIVING NOR’EASTER OF 2006

November 24th, 2006
We hope that you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration!
 
The Thanksgiving holiday on Hatteras Island was interesting to say the least. As you probably heard on the news or read about in the paper, we had one of our famous nor’easters come in starting on Tuesday morning. After blowing all day, the storm really cranked up after dark on Tuesday. According to the Virginian-Pilot, our local newspaper, a wind gust of 115 mph was reported at the Dare County airport in Manteo. The National Weather Service recorded a high wind gust of 82 mph at the Alligator River bridge west of Manteo. Winds over 60 mph and lots of rain affected the island. Standing water could be seen on many spots along Highway 12 and on some of the side streets.
 
The strongest part of the storm seemed to occur between midnight and 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Electric power to the entire Outer Banks was out for a few hours, and here on Hatteras Island, it was out for about 17 hours. The greatest dislocation, however, was the closing of Highway 12 due to ocean overwash north of Rodanthe. Some ocean overwash also occurred just north of the motels in Buxton and outside Hatteras Village. It is our understanding that the road was closed early Wednesday morning, and it did not reopen until about 3:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. As we like to say, “Just another day in paradise!”
 
All things considered, there appeared to be relatively little property damage on most of the island. The exception was in areas north and south of the Rodanthe pier where ocean overwash damaged some oceanfront homes and covered streets with sand. These areas have experienced ocean overwash in the past.
 
The strong storms that we occasionally experience are a fascinating part of the island’s history. In some ways, it is quite extraordinary to experience the island the way it used to be for a few hours when everything is totally quiet except for the sounds of the ocean and the wind, and the only lights are candles flickering through cottage windows. At special times like these, we come to realize how cluttered our lives have become with the constant noise from television sets and automobiles, and we come to appreciate the truly unique opportunities that Hatteras Island offers us to enjoy peace and quiet, a very simple lifestyle, and the time to do what we want. We really do have a lot to be thankful for, don’t we?
 
While we are talking about giving thanks, let’s not forget our service men and women whose sacrifices allow us to enjoy the freedoms that we have. We recently became aware of a project sponsored by Xerox that is designed to let our men and women in uniform know how much their efforts are appreciated. If you will go to http://www.letssaythanks.com , you will find cards and messages that you can send by e-mail to our men and women in the military. It is hard being away from home anytime, but especially during the holidays. We encourage you to visit this web site and to send a message of support to our troops, many of whom are our relatives and neighbors.
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Ownership Demographics, Rising Sea Level, & Recipes

October 8th, 2006
Did you ever wonder about which states our property owners come from? Currently, there are about 9,000 real estate parcels on Hatteras Island, excluding government owned properties, utilities, cemeteries and lots that are classified as being overwashed by the ocean. Here are the approximate ownership statistics:
-     32 percent are owned by individuals with Hatteras Island ZIP codes
-     68 percent are owned by individuals with off-island ZIP codes
 
The mailing addresses by state for the majority of off-island owners are:
-    Virginia – 23.0 %     
-    North Carolina – 15.8 %
-    Maryland – 6.1%
-    Pennsylvania – 4.8%
-    New Jersey – 4.8%
-    New York – 2.1%
-    Ohio – 1.6%
-    Florida – 1.4%
-   All other states – 8.0%
 
In the future, we would expect to see the number of property owners from North Carolina increase. The construction of new four-lane roads from the Raleigh area has made it much easier to get to the Outer Banks from mainland North Carolina than it has been in the past.
                       
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A recent article in The Virginian-Pilot. our local newspaper, reported that rising sea level is adversely affecting the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge that is located across the sound from Manteo. The rise in sea level is apparently turning areas that are currently forest into marsh with potentially negative effects on the wildlife habitat. Rising sea level is a fascinating issue. It is a lot like high blood pressure. It occurs so slowly that we don’t see the effects on a daily basis, but its implications are dramatic and far-reaching. A recent book by Stanley Riggs and Dorothea Ames, Drowning The North Carolina Coast: Sea-Level Rise and Estuarine Dynamics, (North Carolina Sea Grant, December 2003) forecasts an increase in the rate of sea level rise over the next century with the dramatic effect of potentially transforming Hatteras Island into an archipelago vs its present configuration. Scientists had estimated that sea level along the North Carolina coast was rising at the rate of about one foot per century. According to Dr. Stan Riggs and Dorothea Ames, data accumulated from tide gauges at the Army Corps of Engineers site in Duck suggest that sea level in the state may actually be rising at a faster pace of 1.5 feet per century. If you would like more information about rising seal level, request a copy of our free report on this subject at hranicka@hatterasisland.com.
 
On a related topic, the Alligator River Wild Life Refuge has some very interesting nature programs such as "howling up" the red wolves in the evening.  The next time you are on the island, check the refuge’s program schedule for an Outer Banks experience that will provide memories for a lifetime.  The refuge’s schedule may be viewed at http://www.fws.gov/alligatorriver/spec.html.
 
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If you would like to enjoy at home the seafood that you eat while you are on Hatteras Island, check out our new page on Outer Banks recipes. The first recipe is for Hatteras clam chowder from Steve and Beth Bailey at Risky Business Seafood.
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WELCOME TO THE HATTERAS ISLAND REAL ESTATE BLOG!!!

September 28th, 2006
Welcome to the Hatteras Island Real Estate Blog! Our goal in creating the blog is to establish an interactive online forum for the discussion of issues related to Hatteras Island and its real estate market. We hope that you will feel comfortable adding your comments and observations to the blog, and we invite you to participate on a frequent basis as a vehicle for all of us to gain a better understanding of the island and the changes that it is facing on a variety of fronts. We also intend to use the blog as a means to communicate important information on a timely basis, so be sure to sign up for our e-mail notification service.  
 
Perhaps the most noticeable change on the island over the past year has been the dramatic shift in the real estate market from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market. With August sales results just finalized, there is virtually no change in the state of the real estate market on Hatteras Island from what we have seen over the past eleven months. The inventory of property for sale is about 60 percent higher than it was a year ago, and both the number of sales and the volume of sales are down approximately 50 percent. While the average selling price of residential properties is 2.4 percent lower for the first eight months of the year compared to the same period in 2005, the average selling price of unimproved lots is up over 28 percent on a very limited number of sales. The Hatteras Island Pending Home Sales Index, a leading indicator of sales 45 to 60 days in the future, has remained essentially flat since last November, suggesting that current market conditions will continue for the next few months.
 
There are any number of opinions concerning the reasons for this state of the market. Our personal opinion is that the withdrawal of investors from the market , rising interest rates, price appreciation that outpaced income growth, and a soft rental market have caused property sales to languish.
 
Fortunately, there are some signs on the horizon that the market may be stabilizing.
– For those homes that have sold, prices have held up well, although price declines are starting to appear.
– The Fed appears to be at or near the end of its interest rate increases.
– Nationally, second home sales now account for about 40 percent of all residential transactions.
– Over half of all baby boomers are still under 50 years of age, suggesting strong pent-up demand.
 
New flood insurance rate maps for Dare County became effective on Wednesday, September 20, 2006. All new construction projects and additions will be based on flood elevations noted on the new maps. Any proposed project must include an up-to-date survey with the base flood information established using the new flood maps. Apparently, a new datum is being used to establish elevations – thus, the need for new surveys.
 
Autumn is a spectacular season on the island with warm days, cool nights, good fishing, warm ocean temperatures and a reduced number of visitors. We hope that you will have the opportunity to visit during this very special time of the year.
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