This was our first time renting with Southern Shores, after renting with another company for 18…read moreyears. I wasn't sure what to expect regarding cleanliness and the rental property being in good condition. What a pleasant surprise, all exceeded our expectations. Staff was friendly, knowledgeable and quick to answer my questions after checking in. We will definitely be renting with them again! Linda & Gary Woodruff Stokesdale, NC

I wanted to share our recent experience in hopes that it helps other families, especially those…read moretraveling with pets, make informed decisions when booking an Outer Banks vacation rental. My family has vacationed in Duck for many years, and we truly love the Outer Banks. This year we wanted to stay closer to town, so we booked Absolute Relaxation (131 Cook Dr., Bayberry Bluff) through Southern Shores Realty. We specifically chose a pet-friendly home because we were bringing our 7-month-old puppy. The listing states that the pet fee helps cover additional cleaning and flea/tick treatment because the home is also rented to guests without pets. When we arrived on June 14, we immediately noticed several cleanliness issues, including excessive white pet hair throughout the home, clumps of hair on the floors and carpeting, sandspurs embedded in the carpet, dirty dishes left in the dishwasher, coffee grounds still in the coffee maker, and even dog hair stuck to a fork in the utensil drawer. We also discovered that the dishwasher was not functioning properly, the grill was out of propane, and there were additional maintenance concerns throughout the property. We didn't immediately report these issues because, like many families on vacation, we just wanted to make the best of our trip. We cleaned up the pet hair ourselves, removed the sandspurs we found, wiped down dirty surfaces, and adapted to the maintenance issues rather than spending our vacation waiting on repairs. Two days into our stay, our dog went under a bed in one of the downstairs bedrooms and came out chewing on an unknown substance. Within minutes, he became extremely lethargic, unsteady on his feet, and began exhibiting concerning neurological symptoms. We immediately drove approximately 40 minutes to an emergency veterinary hospital, where he was evaluated and treated for suspected THC intoxication based on his clinical presentation. Thankfully, he recovered, but it was one of the most frightening experiences we've had as pet owners. We incurred an emergency veterinary bill of approximately $380 and spent the next two days providing around-the-clock care instead of enjoying our vacation. After returning home, we submitted a detailed Guest Resolution Request with photographs, veterinary records, invoices, and a complete timeline of events. Southern Shores Realty ultimately offered a $230 credit for cleaning and inconvenience but declined to reimburse the emergency veterinary expenses. We understand that others may have had positive experiences, and we recognize that unexpected issues can happen in any rental property. What has been most disappointing to us has been the handling of our concerns afterward. We never expected perfection, but we did hope for greater acknowledgment of the seriousness of our dog's medical emergency and the impact it had on our family's vacation. We are sharing our experience so that other travelers, particularly those bringing pets, can make informed decisions and thoroughly inspect their rental upon arrival. We also encourage guests to document any concerns immediately, even if you hope to simply move past them and enjoy your vacation, as we did. The Outer Banks remains one of our favorite places to vacation, and we look forward to returning. We simply hope that by sharing our experience, it may help both future guests and property managers alike.

We have dealt with several realtors in OBX. From Corolla to Frisco. Jeff Scott and his team have BY…read moreFAR been the best. Jeff is hands on, super knowledgeable and a man of great integrity. You never feel like you are being sold, just informed. Simply put, Jeff is a superb realtor and we highly recommend him to anyone serious about buying or selling a property in OBX.

From the owner: Our specialty is helping people with their real estate transactions on the Outer Banks We measure…read moreour success by your level of satisfaction.

Kathleen is amazing ! We purchased our home last year with her and she was very accommodating,…read moresweet, and knows her stuff. And whatever she did not know she found out for us or pointed us in the right direction. Every now and then we may have a question for her and she is very fast in responding as she always has been. Kathleen is super awesome and sweet. She fits into your schedule and strives to make you a happy camper! Highly Recommended. Especially to first time home owners as we purchased our first home with her.

we were very satisfied with Stephen as our agent in the home buying process…read more friendly,knowledgeable, easy to work with. very quick response to questions and always had great advice during the search process and also the negotiations.

Working with Stephen as our Buyer's agent was a pleasure. His knowledge or real estate that would…read morefit our needs was very helpful, and he was very accommodating with schedule and questions. Would recommend!

They rented me a house that the pictures showed a beautiful clean pristine house and when we…read morearrived it was dilapidated worn down poor excuse for a $4000 rental for 3 nights. As soon as I arrived and saw how bad of shape it was in I contacted them and sent pictures and was in contact the whole time of staying there. It was an embarrassment for me when my guest arrived. Beach reality didn't do ANYTHING or compensate anything. All they did was tell me that they would not delist this property after the first of the year. I would NEVER recommend or use this company again, due to them, not standing by their customers. Absolutely horrible company!! And you would think by their response to my review that they would have compensated me with something. They knew the property was at a lower standard than they were charging for yet they still will not take care of their client. Complete trash will never recommend this place ever.

Working with Beach Realty beginning last summer and a few more follow up calls during the year has…read morebeen seamless. They were able to answer my questions and the vacation app was also very beneficial. Looking forward to next summer's beach rental.

We switched our property management from a large company to Shoreline this year. We couldn't be…read morehappier! Even before we had made the decision to go with Shoreline, Jennifer had pulled our listing and at our first meeting gave us several ideas for how to improve the property. With the year being what it has been, in April we weren't sure if we'd even have renters...now we're fully booked through October...which is an experience we've never had before. All of the crew are professional and friendly, and look out for our interests as well. If you're a homeowner looking to switch, I'd definitely recommend giving them a call!

Disappointed in our recent stay due to housekeeping issues. Shoreline called us to say the property…read morewas ready and we could check in early. We thought great news....but we were sadly mistaken. Beds appeared to be made, but the sheets underneath were filthy (sand, hair, debris). My family was uncomfortable the first night...sleeping on the couch to avoid the bedding. My daughter complained of being itchy and it was very stressful. I spoke to the Shoreline and asked for a concession since the price of our vacation was over $6,500 and at that rate you'd expect at the very leastclean sheets - especially since we were told early check in was an option - which means it was intentionally rushed. Shoreline did send housekeeping but they did not arrive until late in the afternoon on the second day-- forcing my tired kids to skip nap because I was very concerned about potential bed bugs. We also had a few concerns around rusty nails/rusty hooks in the pool area, and the top rail to the bunk bed being held loosely by tape and zip ties...which were never acknowledged or addressed. I sent an email with photos and called. I missed one call from Shoreline..called back and never received a follow up after leaving a message with Dawn. Also had a maintenance man come to change the air filter which woke up my infant later in the week. All in all just not relaxing from start to finish. At the very least a call back would be appropriate. Extremely disappointed. I will note a professional came to clean the mattress that was of greatest concern. There were no bed bugs found. Instead mattress cover and sheets were just extremely dirty. The address of the rental was 7212 S Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head.

I paid $14,000 for a week at Twisted Fish K1220, a 10 bedroom ocean front house with private beach…read moreaccess. Ocean front rents for a considerable premium in OBX. Rental company failed to notify us of beach nourishment project that completely closed the beach in front of our rental for the entire week! The people renting next door said their rental company notified them ahead of time and gave them options. Additionally, The air conditioning on the second floor was broken for 5 days before it was fixed. My formal request for compensation was denied. I was only offered a $350 credit on a future rental. I will NEVER rent from this company again.

This rental organiztion has horrendous customer servious. Terrible communication and at times is…read morerude, all while cloaked in "southern sweetness". They price gouge, change prices on platforms (check booking and VRBO for cheaper rates), and increase rental fees 125% for the same week a year later. They will bounce you around from different customer service agents, when you call back they will find notes "confusing" and refer you to manager's voicemails with very slow turn around time. It is less expensive to book through VRBO. I do not recommend renting through them, they work for the property owners and not the renters. You have more support and protection booking through VRBO or BOOKING.COM. Linens not included. Fees egrigious. I have never had this much runaround at any other OBX rental agency. Oh So Sandy in particular, is a TINY flat top, with a very small shower that has exposed plumbing. It does not have a dishwasher, or laundry. There is no bathtub. The backyard is fenced in, however it is full of spikey foliage which will get in the pads of your dogs feet. The grill was dirty, the outdoor shower VERY rustic and dirty. For the amount you would spend on this place, there are far nicer places in the OBX.

Vacation rental for a week in South Nags Head. The unit owner locked the thermostat down so it…read morecould not be adjusted below 72 degrees. We were not told of this restriction nor was it in the rental agreement. Outer Banks Blue offered up box fans as a resolution. Heat rises and at night 72 was pretty miserable, The manager refused to speak to us, we had to deal with a go between In the office. It took 3 calls to get the owner to allow a lower temperature at night and even then if you touched the thermostat to raise it even a degree it locked you out. The dryer in the house must be 25 years old and a lot ad of beach towels took 3 hours to dry. Called maintenance and their resolution was to tell us to do smaller loads. Just not very renter oriented. If you're an owner they're probably fine.

Terrific rental management company. Pricing and check-in notes were clear. We had some minor…read moreissues, which they addressed right away. They stayed in touch via text and email, letting us know when the plumber was scheduled to come. Super responsive. Half way through our 3 week stay, they gave us the option of getting fresh linens delivered, which was super convenient. Someone maintained the hot tub on a regular basis without being intrusive. This company gave us the feeling that they had our back if anything went awry. We've rented beach houses (VA beach) for many years. The beach environment is very harsh. Rental homes can be in wildly different conditions depending (I think) on the owners and not the rental company. Sometimes a house is old and fraying around the edges, sometimes updated and sparkling. Sometimes renters leave the place a wreck and the cleaners barely have time to put it back in order. If an updated, newer place is important to you, let the rental company guide you to the right homes. P.S. Our house was spanking clean and in excellent condition. I believe the owners take pride in their home, which is well managed by Outer Banks Blue. Great house + great company = great vacation.

I own a home in Southern Shores and had a rather urgent roof leak. Kevin Parkhurst of Mueller was…read morethe man, coming over on off hours to review and diagnose the situation. Within two weeks, I had a signed contract, and within another week the job was done. Amazing work on a rather small but urgent situation. I couldn't be more thankful or impressed with Kevin and the Mueller team.