Want to plan a trip to the outer banks for July or August. Would like to rent a 4 bedrm house (at least), dog friendly, walking distance to beach (SHORT walk). I want to stay under $5000/week but it seems like there is a huge range. Any tips? I am totally overwhelmed by the number of real estate companies with rentals, anything to help narrow the search is appreciated.

We always spring for a oceanfront house. I forgot what they call the next closest houses - is it oceanside? Those are usually very close too, but I like to sit on the deck and see the ocean.

We've rented through many agencies, most recently Elan and Resort Quest. We prefer Duck, specifically Sanderling subdivision.

Most houses are already booked up, so if you find something you might want to grab it.

OP - thank you for the tips - I have found some and yes most of the nicer houses seem to be booked already. The tip regarding the subdivision is very helpful - thank you!

The big OBX realtors are very reputable and have searchable websites that will allow you to enter your criteria and see what's available. With pictures. I'd add Twiddy and Southern Shores to the list of realtors to check out.

High season, oceanfront, dog friendly, and under $5K is a tall order for this summer. Those house do exist but many of the OF homes are newer construction, sleep 10-20 people and will bust your budget.

A few suggestions:

Move your holiday to the latter half of August. Rates drop some as most NC schools have returned to session.

Consider leaving your dog at home. The number of choices will be greater. Depending on which town you stay in, dogs are not allowed on the beach during the big summer months.

Consider staying in Carova, the northern most beach which is only accessible via 4WD vehicles. (You can rent one). All of those homes are oceanfront but are often priced somewhat lower because of the 4WD only access. Twiddy markets a bunch of these.

I think the next tier of homes after Oceanfront is called Oceanside and the definition varies widely. Most rental website descriptions tell you how far the house is from ocean access.

Good luck! It won't be impossible to find a place but you'll have to do some searching.

We have been vacationing on the Outer Banks for years and prefer South Nags Head as it is less commercialized. We have always rented through Sun Realty or Joe Lamb Jr. Realty, both are excellent with good websites.

We love the northern end of the OBX - have stayed in Corolla, but enjoy shopping/dining in Duck as well. We have used Carolina Designs realtors and have been very happy with their service. Their website has a good searchable home database by various features (specified weeks, location, size, dogs-allowed, etc). As mentioned already, I also would suggest booking soon as many homes are already rented by this time of year for the upcoming summer. The house we normally rent is 1 block from the beach, 2nd house in - it is listed as 100 yards from beach access, which is the important thing; there is not beach access at every corner (at least not in Corolla).
Another thing to keep in mind is location of key pick up/drop off in relation to your rental home.

I agree with earlier comment as to leaving the dog at home, very few houses permit pets. Also, my recollection is that dogs must be on a leash while at the beach.

You pay a large premium for a beachfront house. For some people it's worth it but if you're a house or two back you can still see and hear the ocean. Also most of the oceanfront homes are huge (sleeping 10-12 people). There are some smaller older houses in Duck (built in the 1980's) but even these are being torn down and replaced by mansions.

Have rented thru Sun Realy and Twiddy, and received similar service from both.

Many beaches do not allow dogs at all on the beach between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

I agree you want second or third row the last two weeks of August. Prices drop by about 30% by then.

Have you tried www.VRBO.com? You may have better luck dealing with the dog issue through the owner than through a realtor.

Most realtors just say no because it is easier.

THere is an independent realtor in the OBX and all the homes he rents allow dogs. Cola Vaughan is his name. Google it.

Another vote for Sun Realty. They had a lot of options for people traveling with their pooches.

We love Duck - it is more like a village and not overly commercial. There is a great neighborhood in Duck called Schooner Ridge - it has 2 outdoor pools and an indoor pool and gym. I especially enjoyed the ocean front pool because we were able to easily move between the beach and ocean. You can easily walk to the town of Duck for dinner, shopping, the live concerts, groceries or coffee from any of the houses in Schooner Ridge, but you feel a world away from town because the neighborhood is wooded and on a hill that overlooks the sound/ocean. It is wonderful! It is really safe for children - there is a lifeguard on the beach - and of course the daily ice cream truck! We have rented houses from Twiddy and Carolina Designs. Twiddy seemed to have slightly better customer service, but both were OK. Another great neighborhood in Duck is Four Seasons - also walking distance to town, but I believe the houses in this neighborhood are really expensive to rent. Anyway, I highly recommend Duck!

I totally agree with the last poster. We have stayed many years in Duck in the Schooner Ridge neighborhood. We have rented through Twiddy and have always been pleased with the properties and their service.

Actually, a lot of the beaches WILL allow a dog during the season provided the animal is leashed. Southern Shores is one exception.

Here is a link that outlines the leash and beach driving rules

http://www.outer-banks.nc.us/newsinfo/randr.htm

I would still try to find a pet-friendly place....they exist (we know,..we rent them all the time down there).

Sun Realty probably has ther largest inventory of any one company but you should also go to www.obxconnection.com which lists realtors and that is also an excellent place to get advice on the best place to stay.

We are going to OBX for the first time mid June with our dog. We are staying in Duck - they do allow dogs on the beach. If you get the official obx guide from the tourism dept, it lists the dog/beach rules in each community.

We sacrificed oceanfront for oceanside so we could have our own pool - this was important to our kids (I would have preferred oceanfront!).

One word of warning - there are A LOT of extra fees tagged on by some of the rental companies when you actually go to book your property. We have rented homes/villas many times in several places so I have use to high taxes and some fees, but these were really out of control. We ended up renting through Twiddy.

We are staying in Ocean Dunes in Duck - if anyone is familiar w/this particular area and has any thoughts, let me know!

Most of the Outer Banks is pretty dog friendly though the laws do vary town by town. Duck and Corolla have some of the more lenient ordinances. Many property managers allow dogs and just require a fee some charge none.

Here is a link to a local vacation search that may make it easier:
http://therealouterbanks.com/index.p...alty&Itemid=87

Brindley Beach Realty has lots of dog-friendly places. We've stayed in Ocean Sands, just south of Corolla several times.

Les Sables is a very nice 4 bedroom house (one of the bedrooms has 2 sets of bunk beds) and allows dogs.

It's very close to a small lake and a 10 minute walk to the ocean.