Unique Homes Blog

From the Outer Banks to Bald Head Island, North Carolina’s
300 miles of Atlantic coastline provide affordable luxury.

A father from Rhode Island wanted to watch his children swim from the front porch of his oceanfront house. Mary Munroe and her husband were looking for a family atmosphere. And one buyer needed a deep-water dock at the door. They all found themselves on the North Carolina coast.

In the early ’90s, Munroe, of Mary Munroe Realty: Bald Head Vacations and Rentals, left her car on the mainland and began using a golf cart as her means of transportation. As she roamed the gorgeous, sandy island she thought, “Some day this place is really going to take off.”

Today, Bald Head Island hosts 1,100 homes with single-family houses starting at $500,000. According to Munroe, you don’t need to purchase an oceanfront house to enjoy Bald Head; just look both ways for passing golf carts and cross the street to the secluded beaches (cars are not allowed).

Most people on Bald Head Island are second-home buyers. For that demographic, the biggest expense is a home’s upkeep, explains Munroe. That is why partial-share ownership has become popular. Munroe sells quarter shares starting at $200,000.

In the Southern Outer Banks of N.C. — also known as the Crystal Coast — it’s all about the sunshine-filled days on numerous bodies of water. “We’re the only area on the North Carolina coast where our water runs east and west, so you get sunshine all day,” says Linda Rike of Linda Rike Real Estate.

According to Rike, luxury homes in this area of North Carolina range from $850,000 to $1.2 or $1.3 million and could include wide-body water views, sound views and/or deep-water boat slips.

“For some people, the most important feature is the view,” says Rike. “Some people want to be on the sound where you can keep a boat right in front of the house.” The Southern Outer Banks boasts numerous water sources. “We have creeks, oceans and canals,” says Rike. “We have it all.”

Realtors/Brokers Margaret Haynes and Jo Whalen of Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty have been working with buyers who wish to “fulfill a dream of luxury living and water views.”

According to Haynes, buyers in the Wrightsville and Figure Eight Island markets — which are separated by the Mason Inlet — are generally between 45 and 65 years in age and are “looking for high-end properties with all the bells and whistles.” And as of recently, buyers have been paying cash for their homes, with “an understanding that this type of large real estate investment usually appreciates over time,” Haynes explains.

For those looking to “just add water” to their lifestyles, as Rike puts it, there are still opportunities on the North Carolina coast. Haynes and Whalen agree that Wrightsville Beach is a prime example of a waterfront community yet to be discovered by those outside of North Carolina.

A barrier island made up of cottages and pristine beaches, Wrightsville Beach is considered “an undiscovered jewel along the Atlantic coastline,” says Whalen.

Whether one buys for direct oceanfront, the fabulous view or the atmosphere along the coast of North Carolina, each purchase is “an investment that you can live in and enjoy,” says Whalen.
 

Add this to your social network: