Bella Beach Box Avon NC…read moreWe love this ranch house. The size is perfect for our small family with dogs. The addition of the cargo lift is Enormously helpful! The house is very clean & the hot tub is immaculate! We love to cook. The kitchen is seriously lacking though. No liquid measuring cups, no measuring spoons. No skillets larger than 8 inches. No non stick pans. No sharp un serrated knives for dicing & mincing. No mixing bowls. No pitchers. No vegetable peeler. We brought our own chefs & paring knife and went out and bought an inexpensive 12 in non stick skillet. We also had to buy a broom to be able to sweep the floors. I give this a 4 star review because I think we're not the norm coming on vacation and cooking. Brandon at Surf or Sound has been wonderfully helpful. I will rent this house again.

We rented a house for a week and the maintenance was absolutely abysmal…read more - doors that did not work. - 2 bedrooms with no a/c. - no lights in the back yard. - uneven front stairs. - laundry that was never picked up from the last guest. - the most disgusting kitchen sink i have ever seen and I've seen many - in a contractor. Dark brown bottom that was very cracked. We bought a plastic dish pan so we could use the dishes. - wicker couches. There's other stuff, but you probably get the picture. This place gives rental companies a bad name.

Dolphin Realty runs the Hatteras Cabanas, a group of 40 privately owned one-room cabanas only steps…read moreaway from the beach. Everything from the process of selecting a cabana and checking on availability to arriving, staying, and checking out was smooth, simple as pie, and budget-friendly. We had our vacation dates picked out first and checked the website to see what would be available during the September 17-24 (Saturday to Saturday) week. There were plenty of options when we booked in July, but by September there were no vacancies listed on the website (though there was a sign at the cabanas themselves that said "Vacancy," so something might have opened up). The first half of the fee was due immediately, and the second half was due a month before arrival. The rates vary widely depending on the season. Ours came to about $570 for a week's stay after tax, fees, and trip insurance were all figured in, but "off season" begins in early September, thanks to potential hurricane threats. Prime season is listed in the brochure as $820.37 per week and may be more after fees. The cabanas are a mix of uniform and highly individualized. They're single-room affairs (plus a bathroom with a door, of course) on stilts -- you park underneath. They have no fewer than three decks: both front and back decks on the living floor and a third one at roof level. They all have air conditioning, a TV, and kitchen areas including a fridge and oven. They're all built of the gray, salt-blown wood that is popular all over the island. The best way to visualize the size is to think of a medium-sized dorm room with a kitchen. Beyond these details, they all have their separate personalities. The one we stayed in, Ocean's Door East (#27), had a rare two-bed setup, one of them loft-style. Most others appear to have one bed, some of them full-size and some of them queen. It was decorated with a beautiful array of beach-inspired wall knickknacks, many of which said "Welcome" on them -- and welcome we felt! The kitchen had lots of dishes and pots (but not all of the cabanas necessarily will, so come prepared!), and we were pleased to find beach chairs we could borrow. There were also a lot of children's beach toys, but again, that will vary from cabana to cabana, so don't count on it. This one allows pets, both dogs and cats, but not all of them do. We chose our cabana based on its proximity to the beach -- it was the closest one available when we booked. There is a wooden walkway that takes you over the dune, and there you are! There was always a smattering -- but not a crowd -- of people lounging, reading, fishing, beachcombing, or throwing balls for their dog. The waves were medium-height while we were there, but of course that can be variable. A convenient hose is located at the cabana end of the walkway for cleaning off sandy feet. About halfway through the week, we realized there was a hose under our cabana, too. Additional tips: Be aware that weather in this area is volatile. We had the pleasure of partly cloudy 88-degree days and rainy nights during our week, but it could just as easily storm, or a hurricane might blow through. Hatteras Island gets completely evacuated at such times, so get trip insurance. Also note that you will need to bring your own sheets, towels, and paper goods. This isn't a hotel, it's someone's beach home, so there will be imperfections in the accommodations, and you're cleaning up after yourself, ESPECIALLY right before you leave. Also, bring bug spray. Even though the cabana has an owner, it's through Dolphin Realty that you'll be paying your fee and signing your lease agreement. I did this all by email with them. They responded within a business day or so of any inquiry I made. It was all so easy and reasonably priced that we'll consider coming back to Hatteras Cabanas for future trips here!

Unit 27 - Ocean's Door East. Fall 2020. Maggots in the refrigerator that migrated into…read moredining/living/sleeping area. Dangerous wiring and extension cords hanging off of TV. Stale, rotting food and exposed wiring under stove burners that didn't work. Filthy, thread-bare curtains that partially covered non-functioning windows and sliding door. Urine and miscellaneous stains on sofa upholstery and bedding. Doors hanging off of rusty hinges. Broken and leaking hose outside for rinsing off after the beach. ZERO Covid-19 protocol or cleaning. Disrespectful and rude Dolphin Realty employee named Suzanne. Protect the health and safety - not to mention your "relaxing" vacation and search for accommodations elsewhere.

We were guests in Flight of Fansea this month. Our leaseholder were my parents. We, ourselves,…read moreusually rent up in Corolla every year and we spent one week there before joining my parents in Frisco. I have to say, never renting a property through Midgett before, I was pleasantly surprised. The house was VERY clean and so well stocked with anything we could possibly need. The pool was definitely a HUGE plus of this house as well. We spent hot mornings at the beach and came back and spent a lot of time at the pool. We loved our stay at Flight of Fansea and I know my parents have already booked again for 2022!

We stayed at Southern Cross in Hatteras - prior to booking, we did our homework - all reviews on…read moreMidgett's website were 4-5 Stars - We even drove by and saw the outside which look clean and well cared for... We booked 2 weeks - Below are the conditions we walked into- Southern Cross 58901 South Beach Dr Hatteras, NC 27943 United States Checked in today (8/23) - pungent odor of mold/mildew throughout the house- first floor kitchen cabinets above the stove were filled with mold - rental agency immediately came and cleaned. There is mold on the all sliders to decks, , "soft wall" with obvious water damage in bedrooms on the 2nd floor. Prominent odor on lowest level - Lower level bedroom (closest to the pool) the slider is nailed shut. 3 lounge broken lounge chairs at the pool. Outdoor shower filled with inflatables. Upper level, esp kitchen was not clean- floors with crumbs & countertops dirty- the renters cleaned upon arrival. Very disappointing entrance to the house - it needs assessed for water damage, mold & mildew! WiFi is slow & spotty - requires rebooting - and 3 visitors have WFH obligations Toaster is filled with rust and the drip Coffee pot - coffee pot has a rusty warmer as well as the spring under the basket is malfunctioning and kicks off when brewing Both of these are "everyday" comforts and advertised for the home in "amenities" that we would appreciate replacements for Rain concerns- Thursday- Sat the forecast calls for rain, the all sliding glass doors on the top & second floor will require some type of mats to catch the leaking. We used beach towels yesterday (8/24) during the rain to control the river of water that was produced as it rained but will expect an alternative method now that you are aware of the problem - Photos- I am including a few photos of the top floor mold & water damage as described - All sliding doors are leaking when it rains and have water damage Sliding (all) doors have mold at the base The front sliding door (facing the sound) when raining leaks profusely into the house Master bath (2nd floor to the right facing ocean) sink to the right drains extremely slow Shower head need cleaned to open the spouts Master bath (to the left) bath jets are moldy (we cleaned) Microwave was rusty and unusable Coffee machine (drip pot) was broken - unusable Pool lights do not function Pool table felt is unusable Game room fridge is rusted inside and out General cleaning - walls are dirty, kitchen & bathrooms require a "deep clean" TV in bunk bed room was cracked and unusable Electricity in half the kitchen blew - and was fixed when called in We contacted Midgett and they stated "we have told the owner, but she doesn't do anything" I find this less than satisfactory, as Midgett employees housekeepers, inspectors and even made a comment " I knew it was empty last week so I went over and turned the fans on to help eliminate the mildew order" but yet - the house has 4-5 star rating? This is false advertising! And unacceptable to push all ownership on the owner when Midgett is renting - Very disappointing This house is a health hazard- If I could give "0" stars I would -

Renting "breakers" We were told to expect a 5pm check in due to "enhanced cleaning". Well that's…read morehysterical that they consider this enhanced cleaning. Have called multiple times about the crappy cleaning job in the rental and they've done nothing. Dead bugs, human hair, rings from glasses on Unwiped granite. Absolutely disgusting and I had to clean it. There were also dozens of flies in the house, flying around in the kitchen and bedrooms. Also our door code was wrong. We had to call and get bounced around "after hours" (it was 5:45) to get in the house. They have no information about the advertised pool that's "a few streets away" but actually a mile away. No hours or opening times. I called about this and the woman gave me the address to the pool. Unhelpful. And the photos on the website are photoshopped. They make the queen bed look like a king so they can make that bedrooms larger bath look like the master. The actual master bathroom is tiny. Huge rips in the screen doors so we can't have the patio door open.

We rented a house (Sky Box) through Outer Beaches Realty last summer - August 2020 - in Rodanthe,…read moreNC. It was by far the absolute worst vacation experience that I and my family have ever had. I have contemplated writing this review for awhile now, and receiving promotional emails from OBR has prompted me to follow through in the hope that it might save someone else from making the same mistake we did by renting from this company We were a group of 5 - my husband, my elderly parents, my 5 year old and myself. We live in western NC, and the trip to get to Rodanthe is about 9-10 hour drive. We decided to break long drive up by leaving on Friday and spending the night halfway at a hotel, since we were concerned about my elderly father (84 years old and with Parkinson's and cancer) sitting too long in the car. While we were already on the road, we received a call from OBR (a day before check-in) that the AC in our rental house was not working - but parts had been ordered and the AC would be repaired early in our stay. They said they had placed window units in the house. When we arrived at our check-in time, we found that the house was indeed without AC and window units were running. However, these units did almost nothing to change the temperature in the house. There were a total of 3 units - one in the living room, one in two of the four bedrooms in the house. The temperature in the house stayed between 79-85 degrees the entire length of our stay! My son had to sleep with my husband and I because the kids bedroom with the bunk beds was unusable due to the heat. He was extremely disappointed (as were we!) as he'd been looking forward to using the bunk beds. The other bedroom that was unusable was one that my sister was planning to use - as she was going to join us a few days into our trip. She cancelled her plans due to the lack of AC. The temperatures outside in late August were in the 90's. So we paid for a 4 bedroom house where only half the bedrooms were usable. We had many conversations with people at OBR over the course of our stay. They sent a repair person out to check on the status of the repair, and he informed us that no parts had been ordered for the AC units and in fact they had not been working for several months!!! He said other people had stayed at this house before us in the weeks prior and had complained also. So, it became clear to us that OBR had totally LIED to us about the house. We had purchased travel insurance and could have cancelled our trip if they had let us know before we started driving there. They knew far in advance about the status of the AC. They only offered us a 20 percent refund. The entire trip was totally miserable because we could not relax at all in the house or sleep well while we were constantly sweating. My dad has mobility issues which is why we chose a house right on the water, so he could see the ocean without having to walk anywhere. The best times during the trip were when we got in the car to go somewhere else like a restaurant with AC. At the house we were constantly having to empty the water out of the AC units, and the drain on the electrical caused the breakers in the house to trip about every 15 minutes.... so we had to constantly turn the power back on and we could not watch tv because of this. The washer and drier was also not functional, so we could not wash out sweaty clothes. This is not what a vacation is supposed to be about!! One should not spend over 4,000.00 to be extremely stressed out!! We will NEVER rent a vacation property from Outer Beaches Realty again, and I encourage anyone reading this review not to either.

Feat in the Sand #975 - Avon, NC…read more We will start with the good: Great location! Very nice home with a lots of bedrooms, bathrooms, two refrigerators, a nice washer and driver, a nice hot tub and a large pool. We loved the gates for the steps, the high chair, games/puzzles, and a large selection of books. Lots of silverware, dishes, and pots and pans. The arcade games were also a big hit. Now the bad: COCKROACHES! Dirty upon arrival. Screened in porch had cans and cigarette butts left behind. The home looked like it had been tidied but not cleaned. It smelled bad. We spent the first hour of our vacation cleaning. We bought febreeze and Lysol spray/wipes. We swept and vacuumed. (We had to clean the vacuum as there was something nasty and sticky in it.) Ceiling fans were dirty and there was mold in multiple areas of the home. Screws sticking up out of the deck. One chair was broken and whoever had placed it like it was fine until someone sat in it. Grass at volleyball court wasn't mowed until Thursday so we didn't get to use it. Beds (all of them) were terribly uncomfortable. Sheets were cheap and felt like a paper towel from a gas station. Comforters were dirty, food stuck to them. Couch was disgusting with crumbs all over. The Keurig was broken and we were told that it would be replaced the following day. That day came and went. After asking, we were told that the owners did not want to pay to replace it. I would NOT recommend Surf or Sound. The house itself overall has a lot of amenities but would not stay again because of the cockroaches and terrible beds.

Completely unacceptable condition for an $8,000/ "week" vacation rental…read more I am a licensed home inspector and home builder and I can tell you that the condition of Feat in the sand #975 was completely unacceptable. We paid approximately $8,000 for this rental and expected a clean, properly maintained home. Instead, we arrived to sand in the bedding, body hair and dust from previous guests, extremely overgrown grass, and numerous maintenance issues. That level of cleanliness is unacceptable at any price, let alone an $8,000 rental. More concerning is the visible mold/microbial growth around the HVAC register and on the ceilings, along with apparent condensation/moisture at the vent. As someone who works in construction and understands building conditions, this is not something I would expect to see in a professionally managed vacation property. We also reported the overgrown grass, which was approximately a foot and a half tall, and it remained that way three days later. With young children staying at the property, leaving the grounds in that condition was unacceptable. The biggest issue isn't that a rental property can have an occasional maintenance problem. Problems happen. The problem is that this property was turned over to paying guests in this condition in the first place, and the response after we reported the issues was inadequate. For $8,000, I expect the house to be clean, inspected, maintained, and ready for guests when we arrive. Sand, body hair, dust from previous guests, overgrown grounds, and visible moisture/microbial growth around an HVAC system are nowhere near that standard. I would strongly recommend that anyone considering renting through Surf or Sound Realty inspect the property carefully upon arrival and thoroughly document any problems immediately. Based on our experience, we did not receive the quality or value we paid $8,000 for, and I would not rent from this company again. The pictures below are a small sample of what our home's condition was

Cove Realty is the 3rd property management company that I have had in OBX. I signed up with them as…read moretheir fees were low and I was putting my home up for sale. Promises were made before signing the contract that weren't kept. For example, I have a Guest Book in my home. I was told that Guest reviews could be posted on my Cove home website. This never happened in the 6 months that I was with the company even though I pointed out to them twice that they had reneged on an agreement. My home is a luxury home much larger than any that Cove Realty manages. Cove set rental rates too high - I had Iower income than with the previous 2 property management companies. This resulted in receiving a much lower offer price for my home (according to my RE Agent). I had to adjust prices by running a "sale" and reducing the price back to prices 2 years ago. (Cove will tell you that they only "suggest" prices - that the owner has the final say. I agree with this; however, home owners rely on the experience of the property management company to set fees. Cove obviously did not have this experience). In addition, cosmetic work needed to be done on my home at the request of my RE Agent (fence and rusted "nail pops" needed to be painted). Cove took my home (without my permission) off the rental market for January and February so this could be done. I did not notice this until February (?) when the damage was done (lost rent plus Cove did not take into consideration that this outdoor work could not be done during the winter). (Cove will tell you that sections of my home did not have electricity - due most likely to a lighting strike - which happened later in the year, but not in January and February. Cove Realty removed my homes from their rental site for 2 months for cosmetic repair that could not be done during the winter months without my permission or knowledge.) I could go on about the disrespectful behavior of one of the employees (my "property manager"), but I think that I have written enough. My experience is for your consideration if you are currently with Cove or are considering them as your property management company for your OBX home, especially if you have a luxury home. Not only are they not familiar with this market, they will make unilateral decisions that make no sense. They are a property management company that will only give you frustration and headaches plus much lower rental income and an offer price.

Booking for 2025 and now 2026 - Corolla, NC. Their team was excellent, professional, house was…read morespectacular! Clean, linen package. Great house value. #grandfather 11 of us for our May 2025 trip for 3 nights. Booked 2026 for an entire week of Bike Week.

My experience is this. Promises were made in the beginning that UNSAFE conditions were to be fixed…read moreIN THE SPRING (Be careful of clause 32 in the lease...it states that if something is promised, but you did not get it written down in this lease...then you are screwed, LOL A lawyer pointed this out to me when I asked about promises made by Ms. Head). This did not happen and we complained numerous times. Our rent was on time always and many times early. Every inspection was EXCELLENT. We had no stereo and zero visitors. We were ignored the first two times we asked about repairs and then were given a snide, smartass response designed to make us feel bad for asking the third time we asked. A week after asking the 4th time, the 20 year old living below us called the police saying he smelled marijuana (a Friday evening). On Monday morning, Colony Realty terminated our lease for this minor misdemeanor. THE JUDGE IN THE CASE THOUGHT I DESERVED A $25 FINE. THE COURT OF COLONY REALTY, ie. JULIA HEAD, THOUGHT WE SHOULD LOSE OUR DREAM RETIREMENT HOME, SPEND HUNDREDs ON MOTEL ROOMS and moving expenses as we were afraid to go home because of this young man below us and were given 15 days to vacate the property. That is our experience with this Head woman. WE FEEL WE WERE TERMINATED IN RETALIATION FOR COMPLAINING THAT WE COULD NOT USE THIS PROPERTY AS ADVERTISED BECAUSE OF UNSAFE CONDITIONS. WE EVEN COULD SAFELY USE WHAT WAS SUPOSED TO BE OUR FRONT DOOR.

From the owner: The best selection of long-term rental homes on Hatteras Island!read more