Pitfalls to avoid and money-saving tips when choosing an Outer Banks Vacation Rental

With so many obx rentals to choose from, how do you choose one? First, use a company that specializes in Outer Banks vacation rentals only. Most have several hundred (or more) vacation homes in their inventory and should be able to meet your needs and wants. So do pepper the staff with all your questions, whether you want a rental in Southern Shores, Duck, Corolla, Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, or Ocracoke. All the good companies will be happy to spend time with you to make sure your stay is a memorable one (in a good way).

When talking to these outer banks vacation rental companies, here are some things to ask that are not obvious if you don't know the area. So, we won't tell you about decisions you have to make such as the number of bedrooms, your budget, when you want to go, pool vs. no pool, whether you want an elevator, etc...

However, we will tell you about some tips to avoid potential pitfalls.

Nothing is as spectacular as an oceanfront house. However, do ask whether the oceanfront you want has a private access to the beach, and how far it takes to walk to the beach. Do not simply ask for the distance to the beach: a house that is 100 ft. from the beach may in fact require more than that to walk.
For any rentals other than an oceanfront, do ask how far it is to the nearest PUBLIC beach access. While you may see a nice photo of the ocean on the brochure, you may end up walking several hundreds yards!
When renting a semi-oceanfront, do ask whether you need to cross a road to get to the beach.
Some days the ocean is too rough to swim in. So do think about a house with a pool.
If renting a house with a pool, ask about the pool size. It is sometimes hard to tell how big a pool really is from brochure or web photos.
For big savings do check out the SPECIALS pages from rental companies. You may just find a good deal.
Do go during the off-season to save beaucoup bucks. An oceanfront that rents for $7495/week in the height of summer can easily drop to $1495 during the off-season.
Do ask whether the property backs to the main road.
If you are flexible and can wait 2-3 weeks prior to travel, then do ask for a discount. Most owners would much rather rent their house at a reduced rate rather than have an empty house for a week.
Do ask where you need to pick up and drop off the house key. The last thing you want to do after a long trip is to find out that you need to head North, and then backtrack South to get to the rental. A delay of say 20 miles will feel like a lot more after a long road trip. Worse, during the busy season, this can easily add an extra 30 mns! Ideally, you will pick up the key somewhere on the way to the rental. So be sure to ask the rental company whether the key pick-up point is on the way, or at least not too far from the house.

We hope that you find these tips useful.
Enjoy your vacation!