baylor

.Which Outer Banks town's oceanfront houses are in view of & truly close to the ocean? Our family has vacationed on Outer Banks a dozen times, staying in S. Nags Head or Duck. I am eager to choose Hatteras Island this time to escape the intensive development in those places. We go last week of Sept '15. One of our party is 83 & is in fairly good health but walks with a moderate amount of difficulty (her knee bruise has mostly healed so she is off the walker & cane). We'd like an oceanfront house for which the ocean is in view of the house (not obstructed by dunes etc). And it might be better if the beach itself is not too wide so her walk from cottage to beach is not so far & demanding. This last desire is not imperative.

So here's the heart of my question: is it possible to find out which towns have dunes that obstruct the views from Oceanfront homes. Is it possible to find out which particular houses have obstructed views? We seek a house with a view of both the beach & the ocean & ** the point where the waves break.** How can we find houses that fit this bill? (I fear I will find the obstructing dunes to be pervasive throughout Outer Banks).

Also, I heard that the towns on Hatteras Island have much wider beaches, whereas those in Nags Head & northward have narrower beaches. I would also ask if you think a wide beach is a big impediment to an aged person with diminished balance & strength. (Seems to me it would be. I know the difficulty of walking on the loose hot sands. Personally, I prefer a wide beach). Any other concerns for an aged person-especially to be staying on Hatteras Island vs. Nags Head & North. is it possible to find out which towns have dunes that obstruct the views from Oceanfront homes.

Any other pros & cons to staying on Hatteras Isle vs. points north? I stayed in Avon on Sand Fiddler a few times in the 80s & loved it.(Dreamkeeper Cottage a few spaces back from the ocean) I see that town has grown much since then, but it SEEMS to have retained its great natural appeal compared with say even S. Nags Head. One thing I don't like about South Nags Head/Whalebone is that the fairly busy beach road is a bit too close to the cottages, and I like to be far away from the bustle of cars going by. The cottages in Avon are much more removed from the busy road and the access roads are so much more leisurely. And on Hatteras Island I simply feel I am truly out there in nature: Sky, Sand & Sea! Also, the more thunderous the surf, the happier I am & the better I sleep. Just the sound alone, never mind the body surfing. [being there with a Hurricane not too far away would for me be heaven on earth] Alas, there are other concerns to plan our trip by.....

So perhaps you can recommend a 2 or 3 Bedroom Oceanfront house. (Or 4 BR if not too expensive). I will even encourage you to recommend houses in Nags Head & north (since we may end up there after all I have said). If you are recommending specific properties, please state the town, too. I've looked a bit on Sun Realty , Joe Lamb, Midgett & Outer Banks Realty websites. I did not see there the answer to my questions.

Apologies for the long post, Thanks for your time. Happy Summer. - Baylor

Ackislander

"Also, the more thunderous the surf, the happier I am & the better I sleep. Just the sound alone, never mind the body surfing. [being there with a Hurricane not too far away would for me be heaven on earth] Alas, there are other concerns to plan our trip by....."

Someone I know broke his neck body surfing at Nag's Head last September and is permanently paralyzed from the neck down. He had a wonderful morning body surfing with his family, but all it took was one wave. Not to be a downer, but . . . .

baylor

Thanks for the warning. I suppose I am getting too old for body surfing, anyway. Oh well.......

goddesstogo

We've spent many wonderful vacations at the OB, mostly in South Nags Head. And yes, we've seen people do such dangerous things there, like heading out to the beach to see what it's like to swim in a lightening storm. I was always antsy seeing barely able to walk toddlers playing in the shallows because I know how easily a wave can pull a small child in.

OK, enough of that. We rented our very nice, oceanfront, 4 bedroom house from Joe Lamb. I've tried to find it for you on their website but I don't see it.

My suggestion (and you may have already done this) is that you email the real estate offices with your specific questions. They generally know their properties well and can probably answer them. Also, you could try google mapping a few cottage addresses and see if they give you a photographic beach view.

Good luck.

baylor

Thank you, Goddesstogo. I will call those offices. I must add that some of the rental firm websites do post pictures of the specific ocean views from each house, which does help me immensely. How far & how diificult is the walk from house to beach - that is still an open question I hope to get info on.

obxgirl

There are a dozen or more realty companies so I suggest you explore all of their inventories, not just the 3 you mentioned. All of them normally include detailed images of the home and the views they offer. You can try VRBO if you haven't already. If all that yields nothing of interest to you, you might be out of luck. And you're likely already aware that the inventory of homes is smaller in that part of the OBX as most people coming from the north will trade a busier area for a shorter drive. Finally, other than condo's, 2-3 bedroom homes tend to be much older properties. I doubt anyone has built an OF house with < 5 bedrooms in 35 years. You've seen that yourself in Duck and So. Nags Head.

Good luck though on your search. When are you visiting? The beaches can be nearly empty during fall weeks. Lots of wide beaches further north of Duck. You may have to make a trade off to get something that meets most of your needs.

obxgirl

How far & how diificult is the walk from house to beach - that is still an open question I hope to get info on.

How far is an answerable question but how difficult the walk is a subjective thing. Presumably this is in reference to your older visitor with mobility issues? Many OF homes have dune decks with stairs that go down to the beach. That should be listed and possibly pictured on the websites. Are two steps okay but 4 aren't? What if they are steep steps? Will that person be able to navigate the soft and uneven beach sand? (I wasn't when I was recovering from a sprained ankle a couple of years ago -- I was told to stay off the beach until it was fully healed b/c of the possibility of re-injuring).

Gretchen

OBX girl brought up something we had often at Ocean Isle--the possibility of a gazebo out from the house where we could sit and enjoy the ocean. Might look for that.