Ocean Isle Beach Blog

Sunset Properties Selects Initial Winners in its Tenant Access Promotion

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Wed, 30 May 2012 20:51:00 +0000

Sunset Properties is pleased to announce the initial winners of its current "Tenant Access" promotion for Ocean Isle Beach, NC vacation rental guests.

The winners include: Sheila Price, Julie Hunter, Joan Ackerman, Mundi Gouker, Tracy Dotson, Judy Stevens, and Kathleen Sypolt! Each will receive a copy of the new "Sunset Properties-opoly" game from the company.

You can still be a winner-we have 7 more to select! Just use the Tenant Access link at the bottom of our website at http://www.vacationrentalsatoceanisle.com/, and then either update or create your own guest record. We'll select one winner per day thru June 6th!

Sunset Properties launches 2012 Photo and Video Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:47:00 +0000

Sunset Properties is pleased to announce that it will be giving away 2 IPad HD's this year to the grand prize winners of its Photo and Video contests.

We are asking our vacation rental guests and homeowners to submit their best beach photos and videos by August 25th. See our website's promotion page for all of the entry details.

Our staff will select the five finalists in each category, and those entries will each receive a copy of our new "Sunset Properties-opoly" game. The new wrinkle this year is we will then ask everyone to help us select the grand prize winners by voting in early September through our Facebook pages.

So get those cameras out, and start shooting!

Sunset Properties Sponsors Concerts on the Coast

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Sat, 05 May 2012 13:47:00 +0000

Sunset Properties is pleased to announce its sponsorship renewal of the Concerts on the Coast series that will run from Memorial Day through Labor Day at the Museum of Coastal Carolina.

The schedule kicks off on Friday, May 25th with "The Entertainers" performing from 6:30-8:00 pm on the stage at the Museum's parking lot, and continues each Friday through the summer until the finale on August 31st. Each concert is free-just bring a lawn chair to sit and enjoy.

The series is coordinated by the Ocean Isle Property Owners Association as one of several activities held on the island during the summer. Donations for a local food pantry will be accepted at each concert.

Easter Service Scheduled for OIB Beach Strand

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:59:00 +0000

Shallotte Presbyterian will be hosting an Easter service on the beach strand at Ocean Isle Beach this Sunday at 8:30 am.

The church conducts Sunday service each week from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day at 8:30 as well. The ecumenical service is held on the beach strand at the Driftwood Street access.

Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt Grand Prize Winners Announced

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:39:00 +0000

Thanks again to everyone that played in the Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt. We ended up with over 3000 qualifying entries!

We're pleased to announce that Paul Hammond from Akron, Ohio was drawn as the grand prize winner. Paul and his family will receive a $1,000 credit for their vacation this year (which we've heard will be their 10th at Sunset Beach!).
Other grand prize winners drawn include:

Choice of Trip Insurance/Linen Setup-Rich Brenner, Grant Hink, and Kimberly Myka

"Sun Catcher" Rental Package-Marcia Gilbert and George Lockhart

Choice of Shopping Trip/Beach Dinner-Kathy Bosse and Pam Krolczyk

Roberto's Dinner Certificate-Sue Schmidbauer and Peggy Stanley

Lynn Yates was drawn as our Day 10 winner of a copy of the "Sunset Properties-opoly" game.
We appreciated all of the interest in this contest, and we'll plan to do another again next year!

Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt-Day 10

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Well, we've reached the final day of our first Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt. Hope everyone has enjoyed this little diversion while we all count down the days until 'beach season'.

We want to send thanks out to Mark Randle and the folks at Visual Data Systems (Ellicott City, MD)-they design and support our websites, and first came up with the Scavenger Hunt idea. Of course, we didn't realize how much effort it would take when we said we would try it! But it's been fun on our end-we appreciated hearing all of the vacation stories over the last two weeks.

Here's the final activity: Question: what type of animal might you see in the marshland as you cross the Sunset Beach bridge from mainland to the island? Clue: There are plenty of options for this answer, but we're looking for the one mentioned in this short YouTube video.

Once you think you've got the answer, email us by Saturday at 10 am at sunsetproperties@atmc.net.

Our Day 9 winner of a "Sunset Properties-opoly" game is Megan Woolheater.

We have close to 3,000 qualifying entries to date, and plan to hold the grand prize drawings Monday afternoon. We will post the winners mid-week on our blogs and websites after we have a chance to notify the winners individually.

Thanks again to all of you for playing! We'll do this again in the future.

Day 9 of the Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Thanks to those of you that reached out to the great state of South Dakota yesterday-looks like we had a visitor!

We've reach our final two days of the Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt.

Our staff gets asked this question at least once a day by those that haven't stayed at either island before: what's there to do in the area?

At some point in the week, folks need to take a break from our great beaches. Could be they're sunburned (even though Mom told them to put that sunscreen on), or waterlogged (after being in the ocean all day).

Well, there's plenty to do off of the beach when you are ready. Golf and tennis for the athletes in the crowd. Fun shopping for others. A planetarium, wineries, and agri-tours for the more inspired. And today's answer. Question #9: Which area museum can kids find a touch tank at? Clue: read the island info page for the answer under the All About... link on either website's home page.

Yesterday's answer: Sunset Properties (of course!). Congratulations to Sydney Love for being selected for the daily prize of a copy of our "Sunset Properties-opoly" game.

Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt Day 8

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Our Google Analytics says we've had people following the Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt in the last week from every state by South Dakota. We would like to make it a nice round 50 states-can anyone help us out there??

Our round number answer yesterday was 40 pet-friendly homes. Since we're getting so many responses, we're not giving grades like my kids get at their school-if you have the correct answer, you qualify for the day. If not, no such luck. Tough love, as my Mom use to say. But it'll let the prize winners know they really earned it.... Just like Ruth Horne did yesterday for Day 7-she'll get a copy of our "Sunset Properties-opoly" game!

We've received some great stories with your answers, and suggestions. One was to post the daily answers somewhere. Makes sense-we'll add it to our Scavenger Hunt contest page by the end of the day.

Ok-ready for today's task? Question: Which company has the most sales volume on the island of Sunset Beach over the last 5 years? Clue: visit the sales page on our Sunset Beach website for the answer.

Once you have the answer, send it to us at sunsetproperties@atmc.net by 10 am Thursday to qualify for today's drawing and the grand prize drawing.

Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt-Day 7

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

We've tallied over 300 correct answers so far to yesterday's question-good job by all. Congratulations to Tom Gunter-he was drawn as our winner of the "Sunset Properties-opoly" game for yesterday!

Day 7 is all about he dogs. Sunset Properties started offering 'pet-friendly' rentals about five years ago. Question: How many total 'pet-friendly' rentals does Sunset Properties now offer? Clue: this one is a bit more tricky-you'll have to do a rental search of our properties for both islands on either the Ocean Isle Beach or Sunset Beach website, with pet-friendly as your option to get the total. Hint-it is a round number of homes.

When you have the answer, email us at sunsetproperties@atmc.net by 10 am Wednesday to qualify for the daily and grand prize drawings.

Good luck to all!

USTA Junior Tennis Scheduled at OIB March 24-25

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:22:00 +0000

Sunset Properties is pleased to be sponsoring the Brunswick County Junior Tennis Open this coming weekend March 24-25 at the eight courts at the Ocean Isle Beach Park.

This USTA-sanctioned event has 56 players scheduled in the different events from Boys and Girls 10's thru 18's. This is the first sanctioned tennis tournament for juniors in our county, and we're looking forward to a beautiful weekend to host all of the players and their families.

Draws and schedules should be posted on the USTA website by Wednesday evening. Weather permitting, the goal will be to try to finish play Saturday evening.

Sunset Properties-Day 6 of the Scavenger Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Well-did we tell you the weekend activities were going to take a bit more time???

Thanks for all of the great stories and pictures that we received. Sounds like Pinterest was a bit of a challenge for those that hadn't used it before-sorry about that. We got tons of photos for our website gallery-we'll be working over the next day to get those posted.

We've made it past the halfway point in our contest. And it is Monday. So how about something a bit less challenging. Today's question: What's the name of the Sunset Properties' program that provides each guest with free DVD movies? Clue: visit our website home page for Sunset Beach or Ocean Isle Beach.

Email us at sunsetproperties@atmc.net by 10am Tuesday with the answer to qualify for today's drawing, along with the grand prize drawings.

How about some winners for the last two days:

Day 4 winner: Debbie Yacenda

Day 5 winner: Alexandra Spitzer

Both win a copy of our "Sunset Properties-opoly" game! Congratulations.

Day 5 for the Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:00:00 +0000

One of our favorite shows on television (ok-we're going to date ourselves now) is the CBS Sunday morning show. It's rare that we actually get to watch it Sunday morning, but thanks to DVRs, we find time sometime in the week to catch it.

They typically have nice feature stories, just like all of the other news shows. But they usually toss in what I'll call a pictorial-nothing more than a minute or less clip of nature somewhere in our country. The pictures are relaxing, and also bring different memories for each of us that look at them.

So, in honor of "Sunday Morning", today's activity in our Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt has to do with pictures.

Do you have a favorite beach picture from a previous stay? If so, go to Pinterest.com, search on Sunset Properties under the "people" option, and then pin that favorite picture to one of our four boards. To enter it in our contest, use the tag "Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt".

For the rookies that haven't stay on either beach yet, you can play too. Go to either of our websites and copy the exterior photo of the home you're going to stay in this year, and pin it to either the Sunset Beach or Ocean Isle Beach board at Pinterest. Again, use the tag "Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt".

Last option of the day-don't want to play on Pinterest.com at all? Go to our website's photo gallery, and post one (or more) of your family vacation photos there. You'll find the photo gallery under the "Social Corner" link at the top right of any page on our website.

All entries posted by 10 am Monday will be eligible for the daily prize drawing for the "Sunset Properties-opoly" game, as well as for the grand prize drawings at the end of the Hunt. We'll update you with Saturday and Sunday's daily winners tomorrow morning.

Have fun-and enjoy the trip down memory lane again today!

Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt-Day 4

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

I saw one of my favorite sites at the beach this morning as I drove into work-a thunderstorm taking place far out in the ocean. As I headed over the bridge just as the sun was rising, the show was better than most 4th of July fireworks displays.

That view, along with some of the great stories that have already been shared as you sent in the answers to the daily questions over the first 3 days, has put me in the mood for beach memories. So that leads to our Day 4 activity in the Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt.

For those of you that have stayed with us before, take a minute to remember your favorite house that you spent time at. Then write a 2 or 3 sentence description of what you and your family enjoyed about that house, and then email that to us at sunsetproperties@atmc.net by 10 am Sunday. Be sure to include the house name in the description-we would like to use some of these on our websites as appropriate.

For those of you that will be first-time visitors this coming season, welcome! We're not going to leave you out of today's activity. If you have already reserved, why don't you go to the property page description for the home you have selected, and 'like' it for us (you'll see the button for that just under the House Name on its individual page). Then email us at sunsetproperties@atmc.net by 10 am Sunday to tell us which house you selected and why.

Congratulations to Jim Appleby for being selected as the Day 3 winner in our contest-he's going to be playing "Sunset Properties-opoly" with his family on vacation this summer! Looks like lots of folks are having fun with this contest-we're going to easily pass the 2,000 qualifying entry level by the end of the weekend! If you are just joining in, you can get an overview of the contest on our website.

Welcome to OIB Surf and Java Shop

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:07:00 +0000

We attended a ribbon cutting for the OIB Surf and Java shop on Friday along with other Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce members, and want to welcome the new shop to town!

The store is located right next door to Lowes Foods at Ocean Isle Beach. Inside you'll find fresh brewed coffee and other drinks and foods, along with a selection of clothing and surf boards. Check out their custom t-shirts. Great designs-we picked one up while we were there!

OIB Surf and Java is one of our new members of the Sunset Properties Perks Club this year. So when you are down on vacation, stop by the shop. They're offering our guests 10% off of clothing and surf equipment, and 50 cents off of coffee and smoothies.

Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt-Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

We're enjoying some beautiful weather at the beach right now-we topped out at a sunny 79 yesterday! Hope you’re getting some of this where you are as well.

Congratulations to Amy Shaffer for being drawn as the Day 2 winner-she’ll get a copy of our “Sunset Properties-opoly” game, and still be eligible for the grand prize drawings.

Here's the Day 3 question: What’s the top claim reason for those that have to use their Trip Insurance policy?

Clue: Visit our website, and click first on the rental information tab to reach the trip insurance information.

Enter by emailing us at sunsetproperties@atmc.net before 10 am tomorrow to qualify for the prize drawing.

Contest note: it’s clear that many of you are participating from work (that’s ok-we won’t tell). Just a reminder that we’ll be posting questions on both Saturday and Sunday as well, and each will involve a few extra minutes to complete. We’ll see who the dedicated players are by Monday morning!

Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt-Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Wow! We had over 250 entries yesterday. And not a single wrong answer-good job all! Everyone that responded has their first chance secured in our grand prize drawing!

Congratulations to Lauren Winstead-her name was drawn as our first winner-Lauren will get a copy of the "Sunset Properties-opoly" game.

Looks like we've got a strong field here-but we'll toss one more softball question out there today to let everyone 'get loose'.

Day 2 question: Sunset Properties has homes participating in two programs that include linen service as part of their rental stays. Name the two programs.

Clue: visit the promotions page at either our Sunset Beach or Ocean Isle Beach websites.
Enter by emailing us at sunsetproperties@atmc.net before 10 am tomorrow to qualify for the prize drawing.

Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt-Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

We're going to make the first question in our hunt a relatively easy one: In what year did Sunset Properties first offer vacation rentals?

Clue: visit the About Us page on our website under the "All About..." navigational links to find the answer.

Enter by emailing us at sunsetproperties@atmc.net before 10 am Thursday to qualify for the prize drawing.

Click here to learn all of the Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt contest details, and to see a list of prizes available (including the grand prize of a $1,000 credit toward your vacation)!

Our next clue will be posted tomorrow by noon.

The Sunset Properties Scavenger Hunt Starts Wednesday!

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:47:00 +0000

Starting this coming Wednesday the 14th, Sunset Properties is going to host a 10 day online Scavenger Hunt. Each day we'll post questions or tasks. Those that track down the answer and respond within the following day will earn chances in our prize drawings.

We will post the daily clues right here on our blog, as well as on our Facebook profile page around noon each day. We'll include hints as to where you can find the answer. That could be on one of our websites, a blog, Facebook, Pinterest boards, or another website.

From all of the correct daily responses, we're going to draw a total of 10 daily winners who each will receive our very own "Sunset Properties-opoly" game that we've created in celebration of our 25th season.

At the end of the contest, we'll then draw 10 more winners for some complementary services to add to your 2012 vacation with Sunset Properties. The top prize will be a $1,000 credit toward this year's stay!

Click through to our Scavenger Hunt page for all of the contest details.

Bookmark this page, and plan to check back starting at noon on Wednesday for the first clue.

Help the Museum By Attending the 2012 Wine Fest at OIB

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:45:00 +0000

Looking for a fun spring activity to bring you to the beach? Here's a great idea-join us for Wine Fest 2012!

The Ocean Isle Museum Foundation is hosting a Wine Fest on Saturday, April 28th from 6:30 until 9:30 pm. Proceeds from the event will go toward some planned updates to both the Museum of Coastal Carolina at Ocean Isle Beach and Ingram Planetarium at Sunset Beach.

The fundraiser will feature wines form three vineyards in North Carolina's Yadkin valley. Located in the Piedmont area of the state, the Yadkin Valley is rapidly gaining a reputation for its high-quality grapes and award-winning wines. Several local restaurants will be providing treats, and there will be both a live and silent auction that event.

Tickets for this black-tie optional event are $50 each. They can be purchased in advance at the Museum or Planetarium, Sunset River Marketplace, or Victoria's Ragpatch.

Sunset Properties is pleased to be one of the sponsors for the event. If you would like to make the event part of a weekend getaway to the beach, visit our website to reserve an Ocean Isle Beach vacation rental.

Join in a 5k race in March or April at Ocean Isle Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:37:00 +0000

There are two different 5k charity races scheduled for the island of Ocean Isle Beach in the coming months.

The first is called "The Lucky Leprechaum", and is a run/walk event that the Brunswick County Parks and Recreation is hosting to support their wellness program. Race participants are encouraged to dress in St. Patrick's Day apparel for the event. The course will take a scenic tour of the eastern part of the island. It will begin and end in front of The Winds Beach Resort at 310 E 1st St. To register, go to www.Its-Go-Time.com.

The second is a "Girls on the Run" 5k that is scheduled for April 28th, and benefits the nonprofit program by the same name. AMy Lowrance at East Carolina Bank (910-575-3221 is the race coordinator.

Need a place to stay after the race? Sunset Properties has both condos and single family homes on the island available to rent for the weekend-just visit our website to check out the options.

Road on Popular Route to Beach is Closed until March 9th

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:15:00 +0000

Those heading to the beach in the next month should be aware that Ocean Isle Beach Road is temporarily closed between US 17 and the island. A sewer line is being rerouted and a pipe under the road is being replaced during a three week construction project.

Some alternatives to reach the beach:

If you are heading south on US 17 to OIB, take the Highway 130 exit east in Shallotte. Follow that approximately 1.5 miles until the 2nd light, and then bear right onto Village Road (Highway 179). Follow 179 approximately 6 miles until you take a left onto Causeway Drive at the island.

If you are heading north on US 17 to OIB, turn right at Highway 904 (there's a McDonalds on the corner). Follow that road about 4 miles until taking a left at the 2nd light onto Beach Drive (Highway 179). Then take a right at the next light (roughly 4 miles) onto Causeway Drive at the island.

Give the Sunset Properties office a call at 910-575-8603 with any questions on this.

Sunset Properties Has a New Look for its 25th Season!

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:24:00 +0000

Have you noticed the new logo in the upper lefthand corner of this page? Sunset Properties is proud to be entering its 25th season of providing vacation rentals and real estate sales, and we're rolling out a new look as part of the celebration.

We have already updated office signs and our websites. We're updating home rental signs now, and will do the same for our maintenance trucks and other materials shortly.

We like the new look, and hope you do as well!

Register for the Sunset Properties Free Vacation Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:02:00 +0000

Sunset Properties is teaming up with Our State magazine for a special promotion this month. You can use this link to register for a chance at a free family vacation at a designated oceanfront home between now and the end of April. Hurry-this sweepstakes ends December 15th!

Sea Oats West is a modern four bedroom oceanfront duplex at Sunset Beach, and sleeps 10. It is part of the Sunset Properties “Platinum Perks” program, which includes free linen and early check-in privileges. One lucky sweepstakes winner will receive a spring week for free in this home!

Sunset Properties offers close to 400 vacation rental homes and condos on the islands of Ocean Isle Beach and Ocean Isle Beach on the southern coast of North Carolina. We work with some of the best homes on each island, and offer special services such as our Perks Club, Platinum Perks program, and Pet Friendly rentals. We’ll be introducing our new “Linen Ready” service next month for 2012 which includes linen setup and towels in designated rental homes.

So, take a minute now to register for the free vacation giveaway (1). Then visit our website to make a summer reservation.

Sunset Properties Staff

(1)-see the Our State website for full giveaway guidelines.

Join in the fun on Super Saturday!

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:28:00 +0000

The Ocean Isle Property Owners Association is planning another terrific day on the Saturday after Thanksgiving (Nov 26th), and everyone is invited to join in!

The Christmas Parade will start at 2 pm at the Museum (lineup time for participants is 30 minutes earlier). The parade goes east on 2nd Street and back west on 1st Street.

At 5 pm, the Tree lighting will take place at the fire station (and we'll have the holiday lights on at our Sunset Properties office and Ocean Plaza right across the street!). Santa will make a quick visit in for the kids right afterwards at 5:30 pm at the fire station. Enjoy some hot chocolate and cookies for all!

To top the day off, the waterway boat flotilla starts around 5 pm at Inlet View, and travels up the waterway and ends at Sharkys Restaurant on the island around 6:30-7 pm for the judging. Afterwards, stick around at Sharkys for the fun party that will include a charity raffle supporting Brunswick Family Assistance.

This is always one of the great days of the off-season at Ocean Isle. We hope you can join in. If you need a place to stay, check the Sunset Properties website for all of the options!

Watch the new Ocean Isle Beach Vacation Videos

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Watts) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:46:00 +0000

We've updated our video page on the Sunset Properties website with links to several new clips you'll want to check out.

Thanks to the Brunswick County Tourism Development Authority for creating and sharing several of these. You'll find videos on a family's stay in a vacation rental home on Ocean Isle Beach, along with informational videos on sea turtles, kayaking opportunities, and the lighthouses in Brunswick County.

We hope you enjoy them all!