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My siblings and I are attempting to plan a beach vacation for our mom's 80th birthday in August, and are thinking Outer Banks, since we used to camp at Hatteras a lot when we were younger. Now that we're old farts, we're gonna do a house instead of tents (though our finances are so tight right now that a campsite is certainly more appealing from that aspect). My sister and I have been doing some looking online, but maybe some of you guys have more specific knowledge that might help.

The situation: We're going to have 11 people, consisting of 3 couples, 3 single adults, and 2 kids. Bill and I can share a room with the boys if there are enough beds or sufficient space to set up an AeroBed, and some of the singles can share, so either 5 or 6 bedrooms would be fine. We've been looking so far in Rodanthe/Waves/Salvo/Avon, since we figure those are probably more affordable than Hatteras or Ocracoke; we've never really spent much time in Kitty Hawk/KDH/Duck/Corolla, so we haven't done much looking there, though those would be fine if we found a suitable place in the right price range (<2000/wk, preferably closer to 1500). I'm seeing a lot of houses that have a bedroom with two singles and another with two bunk beds, which would put some the adults in tiny beds (and most of us are tall), which is...less than ideal. We'd like beachfront or very close to it, since we'll have two four-year-olds with us and would prefer not to have to drive or cross a lot of roads to get to the beach.

So, with all those things in mind, if any of you have any suggestions for rental agencies, areas to look in, or even specific properties or neighborhoods, that would be supremely awesome.

Look in Emerald Isle, although the larger houses may be out of your price range. It is a great family beach area. My MIL rented a large house for several years earlier this decade and we had 10 to 15 people, adults and kids of various ages, in and out during the week. And of course, you'll probably be visited by DukePA (who lives there) and CB&B, who lives up the street, during your week there.

OZZIE4DUKE wrote:Look in Emerald Isle, although the larger houses may be out of your price range. It is a great family beach area. My MIL rented a large house for several years earlier this decade and we had 10 to 15 people, adults and kids of various ages, in and out during the week. And of course, you'll probably be visited by DukePA (who lives there) and CB&B, who lives up the street, during your week there.

Ozzie is correct. The southern beaches (such as EI and Atlantic Beach) are much cheaper than the Outer Banks, and more family friendly. No ferry ride/ reservations required. There is more to keep you busy as well if it's raining. Once you are on the beach...the sand looks the same and the fish are the same. If you have golfers, the selection is more plentiful down our way as well.

Oof, where are the cheap EI rentals? The ones I've found so far are quite a bit more than the ones in mid-OBX.

That would surprise me. I would call some realtors instead of relying on ads, just to see what they don't have advertised.

It's 2009, baby. They should have a website with their properties searchable. I want to be able to see pictures.

gadzooks wrote:It's 2009, baby. They should have a website with their properties searchable. I want to be able to see pictures.

I know for a fact some of them have virtual walk-throughs. Those are cool.

gadzooks wrote:My siblings and I are attempting to plan a beach vacation for our mom's 80th birthday in August, and are thinking Outer Banks, since we used to camp at Hatteras a lot when we were younger. Now that we're old farts, we're gonna do a house instead of tents (though our finances are so tight right now that a campsite is certainly more appealing from that aspect). My sister and I have been doing some looking online, but maybe some of you guys have more specific knowledge that might help.

The situation: We're going to have 11 people, consisting of 3 couples, 3 single adults, and 2 kids. Bill and I can share a room with the boys if there are enough beds or sufficient space to set up an AeroBed, and some of the singles can share, so either 5 or 6 bedrooms would be fine. We've been looking so far in Rodanthe/Waves/Salvo/Avon, since we figure those are probably more affordable than Hatteras or Ocracoke; we've never really spent much time in Kitty Hawk/KDH/Duck/Corolla, so we haven't done much looking there, though those would be fine if we found a suitable place in the right price range (<2000/wk, preferably closer to 1500). I'm seeing a lot of houses that have a bedroom with two singles and another with two bunk beds, which would put some the adults in tiny beds (and most of us are tall), which is...less than ideal. We'd like beachfront or very close to it, since we'll have two four-year-olds with us and would prefer not to have to drive or cross a lot of roads to get to the beach.

So, with all those things in mind, if any of you have any suggestions for rental agencies, areas to look in, or even specific properties or neighborhoods, that would be supremely awesome.

Seriously, you're not going to find anything cheap in the OBX. Most of the people who vacation there live in the northeast, so they are accustomed to paying higher prices for their homes than what we pay here in NC. The realtors and property owners at the OBX charge outrageous rental fees for vacation homes on the OBX because their renters are willing to pay more $$.

Drive an hour or two south to the Crystal Coast--Morehead/Atlantic Beach/Emerald Isle, etc. The rentals are much more reasonable there. BTW, if you're interested in buying real estate at the beach, the Carteret County beaches have the most reasonable real estate prices right now. It's bargain city. I know lots of people who would like to give away their beach property if you would only take over their mortgages.

If you're still interested in renting at OBX, check out http://www.southernshores.com/. My friend, Frank Stone, owns this realty company.

CathyCA wrote:

gadzooks wrote:My siblings and I are attempting to plan a beach vacation for our mom's 80th birthday in August, and are thinking Outer Banks, since we used to camp at Hatteras a lot when we were younger. Now that we're old farts, we're gonna do a house instead of tents (though our finances are so tight right now that a campsite is certainly more appealing from that aspect). My sister and I have been doing some looking online, but maybe some of you guys have more specific knowledge that might help.

The situation: We're going to have 11 people, consisting of 3 couples, 3 single adults, and 2 kids. Bill and I can share a room with the boys if there are enough beds or sufficient space to set up an AeroBed, and some of the singles can share, so either 5 or 6 bedrooms would be fine. We've been looking so far in Rodanthe/Waves/Salvo/Avon, since we figure those are probably more affordable than Hatteras or Ocracoke; we've never really spent much time in Kitty Hawk/KDH/Duck/Corolla, so we haven't done much looking there, though those would be fine if we found a suitable place in the right price range (<2000/wk, preferably closer to 1500). I'm seeing a lot of houses that have a bedroom with two singles and another with two bunk beds, which would put some the adults in tiny beds (and most of us are tall), which is...less than ideal. We'd like beachfront or very close to it, since we'll have two four-year-olds with us and would prefer not to have to drive or cross a lot of roads to get to the beach.

So, with all those things in mind, if any of you have any suggestions for rental agencies, areas to look in, or even specific properties or neighborhoods, that would be supremely awesome.

Seriously, you're not going to find anything cheap in the OBX. Most of the people who vacation there live in the northeast, so they are accustomed to paying higher prices for their homes than what we pay here in NC. The realtors and property owners at the OBX charge outrageous rental fees for vacation homes on the OBX because their renters are willing to pay more $$.

Drive an hour or two south to the Crystal Coast--Morehead/Atlantic Beach/Emerald Isle, etc. The rentals are much more reasonable there. BTW, if you're interested in buying real estate at the beach, the Carteret County beaches have the most reasonable real estate prices right now. It's bargain city. I know lots of people who would like to give away their beach property if you would only take over their mortgages.

If you're still interested in renting at OBX, check out http://www.southernshores.com/. My friend, Frank Stone, owns this realty company.

Not so, there are tons of rentals in that price range. We're looking at the last week of August, when rates for most units have dropped, and I'm finding some that are even <1000/week (most of these are oceanview or soundside, but still). Maybe you're only familiar with Hatteras proper or something, but the middle of the island is quite reasonable.

If you have a suggestion for an agency for the southern areas, please let me know; the searches I've done have only come up with much more expensive rentals.

gadzooks wrote: We're looking at the last week of August, when rates for most units have dropped, and I'm finding some that are even <1000/week (most of these are oceanview or soundside, but still). Maybe you're only familiar with Hatteras proper or something, but the middle of the island is quite reasonable.

The end of August is well after the peak season, because all the kids here go back to school in early to mid August, now that they don't have to help with the tobacco harvest anymore. Seriously. The tourist industry has fought the legislature tooth and nail so they don't mandate earlier school starts. Three of four years ago they set it at like August 8th, and the motel industry screamed like hell. It got pushed back a week or two the next year, but it is still way earlier than I ever had to go to school in NY, which was always after Labor Day.

gadzooks wrote:

CathyCA wrote:

gadzooks wrote:My siblings and I are attempting to plan a beach vacation for our mom's 80th birthday in August, and are thinking Outer Banks, since we used to camp at Hatteras a lot when we were younger. Now that we're old farts, we're gonna do a house instead of tents (though our finances are so tight right now that a campsite is certainly more appealing from that aspect). My sister and I have been doing some looking online, but maybe some of you guys have more specific knowledge that might help.

The situation: We're going to have 11 people, consisting of 3 couples, 3 single adults, and 2 kids. Bill and I can share a room with the boys if there are enough beds or sufficient space to set up an AeroBed, and some of the singles can share, so either 5 or 6 bedrooms would be fine. We've been looking so far in Rodanthe/Waves/Salvo/Avon, since we figure those are probably more affordable than Hatteras or Ocracoke; we've never really spent much time in Kitty Hawk/KDH/Duck/Corolla, so we haven't done much looking there, though those would be fine if we found a suitable place in the right price range (<2000/wk, preferably closer to 1500). I'm seeing a lot of houses that have a bedroom with two singles and another with two bunk beds, which would put some the adults in tiny beds (and most of us are tall), which is...less than ideal. We'd like beachfront or very close to it, since we'll have two four-year-olds with us and would prefer not to have to drive or cross a lot of roads to get to the beach.

So, with all those things in mind, if any of you have any suggestions for rental agencies, areas to look in, or even specific properties or neighborhoods, that would be supremely awesome.

Seriously, you're not going to find anything cheap in the OBX. Most of the people who vacation there live in the northeast, so they are accustomed to paying higher prices for their homes than what we pay here in NC. The realtors and property owners at the OBX charge outrageous rental fees for vacation homes on the OBX because their renters are willing to pay more $$.

Drive an hour or two south to the Crystal Coast--Morehead/Atlantic Beach/Emerald Isle, etc. The rentals are much more reasonable there. BTW, if you're interested in buying real estate at the beach, the Carteret County beaches have the most reasonable real estate prices right now. It's bargain city. I know lots of people who would like to give away their beach property if you would only take over their mortgages.

If you're still interested in renting at OBX, check out http://www.southernshores.com/. My friend, Frank Stone, owns this realty company.

Not so, there are tons of rentals in that price range. We're looking at the last week of August, when rates for most units have dropped, and I'm finding some that are even <1000/week (most of these are oceanview or soundside, but still). Maybe you're only familiar with Hatteras proper or something, but the middle of the island is quite reasonable.

If you have a suggestion for an agency for the southern areas, please let me know; the searches I've done have only come up with much more expensive rentals.

Actually, I'm familiar with Corolla, Duck, Kitty Hawk, Southern Shores and Nags Head. My brother and his wife live at Kitty Hawk. That's nowhere near Hatteras.

CathyCA wrote:Actually, I'm familiar with Corolla, Duck, Kitty Hawk, Southern Shores and Nags Head. My brother and his wife live at Kitty Hawk. That's nowhere near Hatteras.

Ah, see, like I said in the OP, we're more familiar with the southern part--we used to go camping at Frisco, in the National Park. I really don't know the northernmost towns at all. I'm finding a lot of very reasonable rates in Avon and Frisco. Just gotta be willing to do a little more driving to find the bargains!

I don't know if he would go with 11 people as the house sleeps 10 but here's one in Duck:
http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p146838

Easy walk to the beach, well kept house.

DukieInKansas wrote:I don't know if he would go with 11 people as the house sleeps 10 but here's one in Duck:
http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p146838

Easy walk to the beach, well kept house.

That is the exact same living room furniture a friend had in their beach condo.

I'm a big fan of VRBO. Kelly and I have had a lot of success finding a summer vacation place and our winter place.

Miles wrote:I'm a big fan of VRBO. Kelly and I have had a lot of success finding a summer vacation place and our winter place.

Miles - this is a great site! Thanks for sharing it!

Thanks for all the suggestions, everybody. We've found some very promising ones down in Frisco, which is a great location for us; the National Park with all its kids' programs, the Ocracoke Ferry, the lighthouse, etc. This one is our front-runner right now; it's not on the beach, but looks like a nice quiet location close to all the stuff we want to do, and the price can't be beat.

gadzooks wrote:Thanks for all the suggestions, everybody. We've found some very promising ones down in Frisco, which is a great location for us; the National Park with all its kids' programs, the Ocracoke Ferry, the lighthouse, etc. This one is our front-runner right now; it's not on the beach, but looks like a nice quiet location close to all the stuff we want to do, and the price can't be beat.

gadzooks wrote:Thanks for all the suggestions, everybody. We've found some very promising ones down in Frisco, which is a great location for us; the National Park with all its kids' programs, the Ocracoke Ferry, the lighthouse, etc. This one is our front-runner right now; it's not on the beach, but looks like a nice quiet location close to all the stuff we want to do, and the price can't be beat.

Very nice Gadzooks! I know y'all will have fun! Great area and the fishing is sooo much fun! Good luck!

gadzooks wrote:Thanks for all the suggestions, everybody. We've found some very promising ones down in Frisco, which is a great location for us; the National Park with all its kids' programs, the Ocracoke Ferry, the lighthouse, etc. This one is our front-runner right now; it's not on the beach, but looks like a nice quiet location close to all the stuff we want to do, and the price can't be beat.

I like the pool table and the hot tub. Are you going to invite all of us over for a party out by the Tiki bar?