Grande Villas April 2008 Newsletter

The quintessential resource for community news, local events, and future developments of the Grande Villas Oceanfront Condominiums.

Presenting Grande Villas Model Suite

Book your calendars and plan your visit to North Carolina! Grande Villas will be opening the Model Suite in late May! The suite will feature one of the three designer turn-key packages offered and created by the international hospitality design team of Chapman Enterprises. Contact a Project Coordinator to assist you with your plans to visit and schedule your personal tour of the model at (877) 845-4438 or sales@gvcondos.com. Don’t wait too long – we might just sell your dream home today!

North Carolina Tourism Industry Remains Strong

Tourism is strong in North Carolina. "Last year, North Carolina was the recipient of $16.5 billion in traveler-related spending," said state Commerce Secretary Jim Fain. Fain was attending the Governor's Conference on Tourism that was being held at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem on Monday. He says the industry was up 7.2 percent from 2006. Keeping those numbers up in an industry that employs some 190,000 state residents is the goal of around 500 state tourism officials who attended the meeting. They think the economy plays in their favor.  "I think when economic times are good and gas prices are lower, people are willing to travel further distances, but as that changes, they want to stay closer to home," said Lynn Minges with the N.C. Division of Tourism. So they'll target North Carolina's nine-million residents. Officials say the state's diverse attractions help and also draw folks from other nearby states. North  Carolina beaches are touted as a year-round destination "We always feel that people are going to want to spend some time together no matter how bad things get, and we're just a short drive away," said  Carol Lohr, with the Crystal Coast Tourism Authority. Some think attractions like the restored Moravian village of Old Salem feed the intellect and the need to travel. And that folks will always take vacations, regardless of economic facts. "It's not only needed, but it's an entitlement that people think they can't do without," said Bob McCoy, with Visit Winston-Salem. The upcoming Easter weekend may be one barometer of how the state's tourism industry will fare this year. Click here for article.

Beaufort Event - Food and Wine Festival, April 21 - 27

Come sip and see with the Grande Villas at the Beaufort Food and Wine Festival. Schedule your Hospitality Center visit and tour with us during the week of April 21 – 27 and receive tickets to an event at the festival.

Grande Villas Offers the Perfect Recipe for Retirement

Grande Villas’ neighbor, Morehead City, tops the list for Best Fishing Towns in America! Surf fishing in your back yard at Grande Villas can enable you to feed the entire family with redfish also known as puppy drum, blues, flounder and spanish mackerel. With Homer’s Point Marina just across the street, you are never limited to only fishing in your back yard, the Atlantic Ocean. Click here for the entire article.

Grande Villas Commitment to Luxury Earns Them Prestigious Emerald Rating

It’s no secret that today’s vacation rental guest has a myriad of choices to consider along the North Carolina coast. With the advent of the Internet, browsing through condos managed by multiple vacation rental agencies couldn’t be easier. So how can a savvy vacation rental manager best serve his homeowners and provide an innovative way for potential rental guests to stop surfing the net and start booking? Emerald Isle Realty knows how - By assuring rental guests through their innovative quality rating system posted on their website. Their tradition of excellence convinced them to be the first on the Crystal Coast and one of only a few vacation rental managers nationwide to provide a rating system for their homeowners and rental guests.

Emerald Isle Realty’s rating system was developed by a nationally recognized consultant, Liza Hogan of Resort Rating Specialists. Each property goes through a lengthy and detailed review and this system ensures that these standards will pass muster as compared to similar accommodations nationwide. By earning the coveted Emerald rating, Grande Villas homeowners are able to command a higher rental rate than comparable 2, 3, or 4 bedroom condos with lesser ratings.

As the traveling public demands more knowledge prior to booking on-line, it is logical that a ratings system provides just what a rental guest needs to feel comfortable with actually choosing an accommodation, sight unseen. What previous rental guests of Emerald Isle Realty tell them is interior photos are helpful but the ratings provided meaningful data to assure them they were choosing the style that is most comfortable for their family vacation or next romantic getaway. After all, when planning that much anticipated escape to the beach a vacation rental company with ratings posted on the web gives today’s rental guest that final piece of information so that they can be a booker and not just a looker.

For our Grande Villas homeowners who have wisely chosen to purchase their little slice of heaven on our coast, this means the difference between simply owning a beautiful second home or, and best of all, also enjoying a high yield oceanfront investment property.

Julia Batten Wax

Broker/Owner Emerald Isle Realty