As a lot of my readers may know, I own and operate a vacation home cleaning business. In all of the years (approximately six years now), this is the first luncheon that I have been invited to. A few generous home owners honor the property management company that take such wonderful care of their beach homes. I'm not complaining, in fact I don't work directly for the management company, I am an independent contractor.

Being an independent contractor has it's advantages, I essentially work for myself, and choose to be on everybody's side. I love living on the Crystal Coast more than anywhere else in the Continental, United States of America. I represent my community as a whole, and have appointed myself an unofficial Emerald Isle Ambassador.

The homeowners of this lovely three bedroom condo in Indian Beach, NC were adamant that I attend. That astounds me, but I am very honored that I was able to meet them for the first time and attend such a lavish lunch. Mrs. H. really knows how to entertain. She provided several dishes (homemade no less) that I've not had in a gathering of so many people! Including a fresh fruit dessert tray accompanied by a fondue pot filled with delicious dark chocolate! My other favorites were the artichoke dip, smoked salmon, and the cream cheese / wasabi dip.

Thank you Major and Mrs. H for a lovely afternoon, and for the wonderful bottle of wine that I have yet to share with my husband, and thank you for the Virgina peanuts for my crew members. They are already enjoying them!

It is the busy time of year here in Emerald Isle as thousands of families come to our beautiful town for weekly vacations. There are hundreds of properties in town available for vacation rentals, and several rental agencies you can choose from.

We would encourage you to consider Bluewater GMAC for your Emerald Isle vacation rentals. Other rental agencies are professional as well, but Bluewater's rental house inventory is the best in our opinion. Note that many of the properties will already be rented, but there are still numerous weeks available for vacation rentals right now, so have a look.

They offer several pet-friendly homes, oceanfront and soundfront locations, and all sorts of styles and varieties to fit your vacation rental needs. Check them out at bluewatergmac.com. Note that if you are in the market to buy houses in Emerald Isle, you can use the Real Estate Sales tab to search through the houses for sale.

We hope to see you in Emerald Isle soon!

Tiff and I have gotten excited over our home search, looking at this house to the right (among others) along Highway 24 (not in Emerald Isle).

But, we've decided to temper ourselves a bit and wait until the winter for two reasons.

First, since we are both self-employed, it is important to save a 20% downpayment to get the best rates on a stated income loan. We have enough to probably get a loan now, but we'd expect to pay a higher rate. Also, with the higher downpayment, we can move our price range higher as well, which might even include some of the lower end homes on the island.

Second, housing demand in this area is much higher in the summer months (as it is many places), which means demand for loans is also higher, and the increased average loan rates have gone up significantly over the past few weeks, just as they did last summer. Despite not being sure if these rates are going to stay high all winter, we'll still take our chances that we won't see significantly higher rates then, and they could be much lower.

We've been very thrifty since Tiff and I have been together, and we're hoping that thrift will pay off soon with a new home. We'd absolutely love to stay in Emerald Isle, but the home prices here are premium as you might imagine in a beach town. If we wait six months, we believe a poor seller's market combined with greater down payment from us might give us a chance to find a good home here in EI.

My wife and I have been passively looking to buy a home in our area of the Crystal Coast for about six months now. We're in no hurry, trying to find a really good value in just the right spot. Naturally, we'd love to stay in Emerald Isle, but as you might guess, home prices here in this beautiful location are at a premium, even in this poor sellers market.

The land here is the key often times, as you are paying for the shifting sand that supports your structure. Take this home for example:

Almost $300,000 for a very run down mobile home. This lot is on the West end of town, down Coast Guard Rd.

For stick-built houses, you're going to pay even more.

$460,000 for a moderate-sized 1400 square foot house is pretty normal in this area for homes with little or (usually) no water view.

Of course, if money is no object, there are always the luxury palaces available to buy in the $2 million to $5 million range, like this one coming in at $3.5 million:

Visit Bluewater GMAC to search real estate listings for Emerald Isle and the surrounding areas.

You can choose from several different Emerald Isle vacation rental agencies. By far, the two biggest in town are Bluewater and Emerald Isle Realty, which offer over 1200 properties between them.

Also consider looking at Prudential Sun-Surf Realty and Shorewood. Most any Emerald Isle vacation rental that you are seeking will be available from one of these agencies, though keep in mind that June through September is high season and you may not be able to rent the vacation property you want at the time you wish to arrive, so book early if you can.

You can find Oceanfront, Oceanside (including second row and third row, usually have a nice ocean view), Ocean View, Soundside, and Sound View units. You can also choose from vacation rental homes, duplexes, condos, and apartments. Emerald Isle is a great place for a relaxed family vacation, so choose your price point and your location on the island, and you can't go wrong by spending a week or more in Emerald Isle North Carolina!

There are several companies offering weekly beach house rentals in Emerald Isle. With over 1000 vacation rentals in Emerald Isle, there are certainly several to meet your needs. The high season from June to September will often see 50000 visitors to Emerald Isle, but because the town is mostly low-density, high-end beach homes, you never feel crowded, worry about loud neighbors, or concerned over traffic (aside from the Sat/Sun check in times!). Here are some agencies that can handle your Emerald Isle Vacation Rental needs:

Bluewater GMAC
Emerald Isle Realty
Sun-Surf Realty
Shorewood Real Estate

Realtors Ed and Mac Nelson over at Connect to the Coast report that interest rates of 5.5% are being offered in the Emerald Isle real estate market. They also suggest that the once over-the-top buyers market on the Crystal Coast is now well into a sellers market for Emerald Isle and the surround area:

OK, Interest Rates are low, inventory is plentiful, prices are reasonable, if you are in the market for purchasing property in Emerald Isle or the Coastal Mainland of NC, now could be the right time to start looking in earnest.

Carolyn Booth Properties has a nice long-term, off-season rental house available at 100 Periwinkle in Emerald Isle. From the listing:

Wonderful, traditional beach cottage with great views. Remodeled in '04 including new roof, siding, hardwood floors, and new decking. Inground heated pool, hot tub. Ground level covered giant sandbox and table tennis area. Beach access across the street. One of the nicest areas in Emerald Isle - no thru traffic. Available for off-season monthly rental.