It Is All About the View

During the holidays last winter, I wrote the following. "Finding a beautiful scene and taking the time to enjoy it and perhaps share it is one of the great pleasures of my life." I am not alone in that thought since we have a lot of people looking for a particular view. Most people who come to the Crystal Coast have an image in their mind of place they would love to wake up to every morning. They might not be able to tell you exactly what it looks like, but when they see it, they usually know it quickly. You can always see it in their faces when the view that we have found for them matches the one in their mind's eye. Just how hard is it to find that right view here on the Crystal Coast?

One of the reasons that I live in Carteret County is the remarkable scenery. You find it everywhere from Down East to Cedar Point on the western side of the county. Many people who come to visit the Crystal Coast assume that you might be able to catch a glimpse of the great views from our main roads.

While you can see some of our fantastic water scenery from Highways 70, 58, and 24, the truth is that most of the really gorgeous spots are not along the main roads. They are tucked away in the many coves that dot our landscape. Actually the best scenery is only available to those willing to take a boat ride.

Still we have a tremendous variety of water views in Carteret County. You can be on the Intracoastal, the beach, the sounds, one of the many rivers, or even some of the man-made ponds that dot the countryside.

Make no mistakes, a water view, even just a tiny glimpse of the water is valued by the people living in Carteret County. For many folks buying a permanent water view from their bedroom or living room windows is just too expensive. So they choose to live in what we call water access communities. Those communities typically have a shared area that is on the water. It is not unusual for them to have a boat dock, swimming pool, and a clubhouse.

There are also as many types of water access communities as there are ways on the water to catch fish. Still water access communities provide an affordable way to enjoy the water in many communities. An unobstructed water view property can easily run you $200K. Of course that looks cheap compared to a true waterfront lot. Those often start at $400k and go up in price quickly.

In a community which has shared water access, you can often find a lot for $100K and sometimes even slightly under that. You can still get your water view, you just might have to walk a little to see it.

We live in Bluewater Cove, a White Oak River water access community, and I often see families walking down to our dock area. It is pretty easy to enjoy our boardwalk and the views of the White Oak from it.

So what is sharing a magnificent view with your family worth? That is something that each person has to decide based on their income and needs. What I can tell you is that beautiful scenery does enrich your life. It makes for wonderful memories with loved ones.

I also know that if you want a water view, we can probably find one to suit you. Our track record is very good in getting people close enough to the water to enjoy it.

I am never surprised by how much I enjoy the view driving across the Cameron-Langston Bridge to Emerald Isle. Whenever I have a tough day, looking out across Bogue Sound even for a few seconds does me a world of good, and that view is free.