... comfortable, affordable, and quiet - great places to bring your family or to come for a peaceful (or romantic!) getaway for one or several couples or friends...just minutes from Nags Head on the Outer Banks of North Carolina

How can you afford to charge less than other rentals?

I'm in the process of planning for retirement. My rentals are parts of my home. While real estate costs are extremely high on the Outer Banks, my vacation rentals don't "each" have a mortgage. I use the income to supplement my mortgage payment. I don't expect to live for free - so my income covers a portion of the mortgage, as well.

Plus, I handle all the associated work myself- I do the booking, the cleaning, etc. If I had to hire folks to help out, the cost of the rentals would have to be higher.

Why would you rent parts of your home?

I love people, and I'm preparing for retirement. Growing a vacation rentals business will help me to live more comfortably during retirement. And, it's completely flexible. I can block out dates when I don't want renters here whether I have relatives visiting and need the space or just want some quiet time without close neighbors.

Also, I can't stand to see anything wasted, and I have a ton space that I don't need most of the time. It just seemed like a reasonable idea!

It's been such fun sharing what I have with visitors to the Outer Banks. It helps me count my blessings!

Can you accommodate larger groups of people?

Altogether, I have room for 14 in the two rentals at my house. 129A is a spacious one-bedroom apartment that sleeps 6 and has cooking facilities. 129B offers more sleeping quarters and two bathrooms. While 129B has beds to handle 12, I only allow 8 people. So, the folks who rent it have a great selection of places to sleep! (For folks who rent both, I wouldn't care how many of the total sleep in which place...)

Between the two, several families could be comfortable, have plenty of spaces to sleep, put the kids down early, etc.

There's plenty of outdoor gear to keep everyone busy and happy!

Do you consider yourself to be "pet-friendly" and/or "child friendly"?

Yes- both! But, in both cases, it's important tht the pet-owners and parents are responsible and don't allow their pets or children to disturb other occupants. If there are no other renters, and if persistent barking, crying, etc. occurs during the daytime, it's more tolerble. But, at bedtime, folks who want to sleep deserve the conditions under which they can sleep! In most cases, as long as everyone else is happy, I'm happy!

Why won't you allow booking on just week-ends?

If I rented the units for Friday and Saturday nights (especially during the summer), they would sit empty the rest of the week... and since turnover is on Saturday, that would eliminate two full weeks of weekly rental income.... I just can't afford to do it. If, however, either unit is not rented, I'll take last minute (seven days out) rentals for any amount of time.

If I just rent for 6 nights, can I get it pro-rated on the weekly rate?

Unfortunately, it can't work that way. The "break point" in cost is between 4 and 5 days. In other words, if you rent the unit for 4 days, your cost will be very close to what it would cost for a week. For people who rent 5 nights, I give the cheaper of the two costs, UNLESS the rental spans two weeks. Then, it's the normal nightly rate.

If a short rental falls within one Sat-Sat week, and if I can rent the other days within the same week, I'll give both groups a reduced rate. The chances of having this happen are greater if you book beginning on Saturday or ending on Friday- since it leaves 2 or more consecutive days available for others.