Outer Banks Community Forum

Outer Banks mortgage and loan rate update from Shane Cook

Senior Mortgage Specialist

800-256-7887/Cell 252-207-2665

“A pre-qualification you can trust”

Total Loan Denial Letters Issued After Pre-qualification 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008:  0

All quotes listed below only require 10% down, and have no private mortgage insurance (PMI), for qualified borrowers.  Quotes listed below are for 30 day locks.  Add .125% of a percent for Interest Only.

Conforming: loan amount less than $417,000

                           40 Year Fixed:                   6.375%                  1 Origination

                           30 Year Fixed:                  5.875%                 1 Origination

                           30 Year Fixed:                   6.125%                  0 Origination

                           15 Year Fixed:                   5.375%                  1 Origination

                           3 Year ARM:                     5.375%                  1 Origination

                           5 Year ARM:                     5.875%                  1 Origination

100% Financing Government Loans: Primary Residences Only

                           VA 30 Year Fixed:             6.25%                    0 Origination    

                           FHA 100% Genesis:       6.25%                   0 Origination

                           FHA 97% Financing:          6.0%                      0 Origination

                           Farmers Home (USDA):     6.25%                    1 Origination

                           Jumbo Loans: loan amounts greater than $417,000 (Primary and Second Homes)

                                       Portfolio 5 Year ARM:       5.5%                      1 Origination

                                       Portfolio 7 Year ARM:       5.75%                    1 Origination

                           ****Rates change daily, and must be locked in before they can be guaranteed until they are locked in.  First Horizon has an application fee of $300 for conforming loans and $370 for Jumbo loans.  No hidden fees, or pre-payment penalties of any kind, and I have never changed a rate on a customer in my career as a loan officer once it has been locked in.  First Horizon is an equal opportunity lender.

The annual celebration of Dare Day is almost here. This year it will be on June 7th. Dare Day is a celebration of the people and history of Dare County and it is always held on the first Saturday in June in Manteo on Roanoke Island. There is wonderful food and an array of local artists offering their works for sale on the waterfront of downtown Manteo.

This is the 33rd year for the Dare Day festival and organizers are hoping to make this year the biggest and best yet. The Dare Day committee is accepting vendor registrations. There is a $50 registration fee for a 10×10 foot space. The fee for food vendors is $150 for the same size space. There are spaces for non-profit organizations that are for free, but the spaces are limited. The deadline for registration is May 19th.

If you would like more information please contact Melva Garrison at 475-5629. You can also visit the Dare Day website at www.darenc.com/local/dareday for more information.

The Special Olympics North Carolina Summer Games or SONC is coming June 6-8. The event will have more than 1,300 athletes from 95 county-based programs. More than 1,000 volunteers are needed for the 2008 SONC. Volunteers are needed to fill positions such as field of play assistants, family services, access control and volunteer check-in and announcers.

Groups such as churches, businesses and youth groups are encouraged to form teams and be fans to cheer on the athletes during the tournament. All volunteers will get a free t-shirt and position-specific training. It you would like to volunteer call the SONC Volunteer Hotline at 800-843-6276,option 4 or go to sonc.net/ to register.

The Summer Games will have the athletes competing in track and field, gymnastics, softball and volleyball, aquatics, and powerlifting. The competition venues are: Ravenscroft School, Triangle Aquatic Center, North Raleigh Gymnastics, Buffaloe Road Park and Lions Park. Opening ceremonies will take place at J.S.Dorton Arena at 7:30p.m. on Friday, June 6th. There will be a parade of the athletes and a presentation of the flame of hope and lighting of the cauldron.

SONC offers Olympic-type competition in 20 sports on local and state levels. SONC also offers year-round sports training and competition for more than 38,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

The Nags Head Woods 5 Kilometer footrace and the Village Realty 1-Mile Fun Run will take place on Saturday, May 10th in the Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve in Kill Devil Hills. It is being hosted by the Outer Banks Kiwanis Club and the Friends of Jockey’s Ridge.

With this being the 25th Anniversary of the Nags Head Woods Run it is thought to raise tens of thousands of dollars in support of many local charities and scholarship funds for young people in need. The traditional afternoon race party will be held at the Ramada Plaza Beachfront Resort in Kill Devil Hills.

Details and online entry forms are available at outerbankskiwanisclub.org and active.com. The Outer Banks Running Club will again sanction the race. Last year the 5K attracted more than 500 participants and volunteers and many people consider it the unofficial kickoff to the tourist season. With popularity of running on the Outer Banks this event is a must do in the area. The same people return year after year to run in the race because they love the hilly course that runs through a maritime forest and on sand roads and an old farm estate field.

It is said to take about 6 months to plan the Nags Head Woods Run. With one of the main objectives to secure the traditional and new sponsors, whose goods and services and dollars support race charities and expenses. More than $32,000 went to local children and youth charities last year as a result from the race.

If anyone would like to be a sponsor they can call Tom Saporito at 449-8389. Those who would like to volunteer may call Bobbie Beckley at 441-2431 and anyone who has race questions can contact Chuck Parker at Gateway Bank at 261-5895.

The purple martin is returning to coastal North Carolina for the 2008 summer season. Last year’s fledglings, which will be this year’s first-year birds should be arriving sometime beginning in April into May. People who have had nesting houses in past seasons should open them now for the 2008 season.

The Coastal Carolina Purple Martin Society made some important milestones in the 2007 season. The Manns Harbor bridge has some 100,000 purple martins roost there after their young learn to fly. Last year flashing warning signs and a lowered speed limit on the western part of the bridge were installed to help protect the birds. Also new information panels have been installed at a popular summer viewing area near the western terminus of the bridge so viewers can understand the bird’s behavior and biology.

If you would like to become a landlord for the purple martins, nest houses, related equipment and more information is available at local birding supply stores and on the website maintained by the Purple Martin Conservation Association at purplemartin.org.

The Coastal Carolina Purple Martin Society has a schedule of upcoming events which include:

May 5 Walter B. Stasavich Science and Nature Center Bird Club, Greenville, 7:30p.m.

May 10 International Migratory Bird Day program at Roanoke Island Festival Park.

The CCMPS is accepting new members and if you would like to assist with the purple martins and join please contact CCPMS at purlpemartinroost@gmail.com. You may also mail them at P.O. Box 172, Manns Habor, NC 27953. You can also call them at (252)394-6205.

On Friday April 18th the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will open to the public for climbing.  It is open to the public  until Columbus Day, October 13th.  The fee for climbing the lighthouse is $7 per adult and $3.50 for children and seniors.  If you are a local it is free to climb the lighthouse on opening day.

Please remember that the climb up is very strenuous and there is no air conditioning.  It will be hot, humid, noisy and dim lighting.  There is two-way traffic on the narrow stairs.  The lighthouse has 248 iron stairs and it is equal to climbing a 12 story building. There is a landing every 31 steps, but the stairs have a handrail only on one side.

People who have heart or respiratory conditions or who have trouble climbing stairs should use their own discretion on whether to climb the lighthouse.

Ticket sales begin at 8:15a.m. and climbing tours begin at 9a.m.  They run every 10 minutes with a limit of 30 visitors per tour.  Climbing tickets are available on a first come first served basis and tickets can only be bought in person at the site on that day of the climb.  No advance ticket sales are allowed.  Ticket sales close at 4:30p.m. in the spring and fall and at 5:30p.m. from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day.  After you have your ticket you should arrive at the lighthouse gate five minutes prior to your tour time.

Children have to be at least 42 inches tall and can climb stairs on their own.  No person is allowed to be lifted or carried.  Children under the age of 12 must be escorted by an adult.  Running and jumping on the stairs is not allowed.  Do not go in bare feet or heels over 1.5 inches high.  Food and drinks are not allowed in the lighthouse.

Starting in January 2008 a new state law requires all restaurants with a ABC permit to recycle all plastic, aluminum and glass containers consumed on their premises. Glass bottles will be the most materials that will be generated for recycling. The law was originally passed in 2005,then it was modified in August 2007 to lessen the impact of the law’s enforcement. Businesses that fail to comply with the state law will not lose their ABC Permit, but those seeking a permit renewal or applicants for a permit must submit and prepare a plan for recycling beverage containers.

Many businesses will have a challenge in finding a way to have the materials removed from their premises. Also smaller businesses may have a problem with the temporary storage of the recyclable materials. Coordinator of Dare County Recycling Carl Walker said many of the businesses are already recycling. He also stated that many businesses had contacted the county and were told that the county provides pick up of the materials from businesses twice a week. The county will continue to provide the service, provided that it is within the county’s capability.

The county currently does not have the manpower or the funding to provide recycling pickup for all the businesses with an ABC permit. Restaurants have the option of taking materials to any recycling center. Kitty Hawk’s Ocean Boulevard Bistro & Martini Bar manager, Kent Olson said that the restaurant was recycling even before this law went into effect, but now the regular recycling pickup service from their premises stopped. When they inquired as to why they were told that the previously free service would now have a monthly fee! “It’s frustrating that when we recycled voluntarily, it was free, but now that it’s mandated, there’s a fee”, said Olson.

StripersStripers Bar and GrManteon Manteo, reports no problems with the new law. They started their program on January first, but they Manteof Manteo only provides pickup in the central business district, so they have a contract with a private company operated by one of their employees to pickup their recyclable materials. Casey Garner and her partnSurmick Surmick have started a company called Bottle Drop. The company develops recycling plans for businesses and provides recycling pickup for a fee. The fee for pickup correlates to the amount of materials to be hauled and Bottle Drop has accessManteoe Manteo recycling center 24 hours a day.

The impact of the new law won’t be known until more businesses reapply for their ABC permits after being closed for the winter months. “It’s a touchy subject that we’ll have to play by ear,” said Walker.

The brand new spring show of Kickin Country will run April 17-27 with both afternoon and evening shows at the Film Theatre at Roanoke Island Festival Park.  Afternoon shows will begin at 2p.m. on April 19, 20, 26, and 27.  Evening shows will be at 8p.m. on April 17, 18, 24, and 25.

This year Shoreline Entertainment has added two brand new sections to the show and new songs and dances.  There is an all new set and beautiful new costumes.  The show starts out in the Wild West with cowboys and can-can girls.  You will hear classic country songs from the 60’s through the 80’s as the show takes you to the fun of the 4th of July County Fair.  In the second act you will hear country songs from the 90’s through today and see some high energy dancing.

Tickets are available at the Visitors Center at Roanoke Island Festival Park or by calling (252)475-1500.  Shoreline Entertainment will be getting together with Basnight’s Lone Cedar Cafe to provide a dinner and show package.  Show only tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.  Lunch and Show tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for children.  Dinner and Show tickets are $40 for adults and $15 for children and can be obtained by calling (252)305-0144.  For more information about this wonderful event please call (252)475-1500 or visit on-line at www.roanokeisland.com.

The After Prom event began seven years ago and has continued to increase in attendance each year.  This year it is being hosted by the Coastal Family Church and will be held on Saturday, April 26th for First Flight and Manteo High Schools.  With the generosity and support of local businesses and churches the event has been supported financially by donations.  This year the set budget is $15,000 that is used to host the party, feed the students and give them a chance to win a variety of prizes and scholarships.

One of the greatest results of past After Prom Celebrations is that there have been no students lost or hurt on the roads due to wrong choices or accidents.  All contributions are tax deductible and receipts will be made upon request.  For this event to be a success it will take community effort and involvement.

Please make all contributions no later than April 16th and make checks payable to After Prom.  They may be sent to East Carolina Bank, 205 Highway 64\264, Manteo 27954 or to Coastal Family Church, P.O. Box 2148, Manteo 27954.

In May of 1908 Wilbur Wright went over to Europe and captured the attention of the French with the power of flight.  When the Wright Brothers had little success with promoting their flying machine in the United States they took their invention over to France.

With the 100th anniversary of the Wright’s flights in France coming up the Wright Brothers National Memorial and Coulaines have exchanged kites.  The city of Coulaines, France has hosted the Coulaines Kite Festival for many years and this year they focused on the Wright’s European achievements.  Both kites were flown on March 15-16, with the Coulaines Kite flown on the spot where the world’s first powered flight took place in Kill Devil Hills, NC.

In 2005, a delegation from Coulaines, France visited the Outer Banks to exchange ideas and resources for the preparation of the French centennial of flight.  The town of Kitty Hawk even established a partnership with Coulaines and became a sister city.  Kitty Hawk was the name of the town back in 1903 before it became Kill Devil Hills.

The Coulaines kite is still on display at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills and is open from 9a.m. to 5p.m. daily with entrance fees of $4 per person with children 15 and under free.  For more information call (252)441-7430.