Surf or Sound Realty

Melissa Stewart

2024-04

Everything was good except the late check in. I know since covid things have changed but if you can't check in until 4pm and you have to be out at 10am, you miss a whole day of your vacation. Everyone needs to consider this. Lodging places need to move check in times back to 12pm or 2pm but 4pm is a whole lost day

Jeanette Lukoskie

2024-04

We stayed at the Inn at Rodanthe this past week and had such a great time. The Inn is beautiful, with a lot of quirks and surprises at every corner. It was fun exploring the house and the beach. It was sad to see a lot of the old houses lost to the ocean, though. While we were there, we explored Corolla Beach. Be sure to stop at Stack them High. The food was amazing along with the service! We finally made it to Corolla beach and took my new Bronco for her maiden voyage on the beach. No sooner than we got on the beach the wild horses were right there. To see them running on the beach was just amazing. Can wait till our next adventure.

Jpr

2024-04

Our Surf or Sound Service nightmare timeline for Spalsh Mansion, Salvo.Sunday March 31. $600 for the pool to be heated. The heater was not on, the pool was 56 degrees. Pool was not cleaned as it had a large amount of some black substance on the floor.Monday, late afternoon, service said the heater was on, threw a few chlorine tablets in the pool and left, pool not cleaned. Heater still showing error code(photo). The grill was left covered with food(photo), who knows how long, and no propane. Surf and sound answer was for us to go exchange the tank ourselves.Tuesday, kid pool has no water in it (photo) main pool still cold, no response from surf or sound. 10 calls, as well as texts, just to receive standard response we have created a work order, your issue has been escalated and a property manager will call you. Propane tank was delivered and grill somewhat cleaned after refusing to replace the tank myself.Wednesday still a cold pool. I visit the Salvo Surf or Sound office where I speak with vacation specialist Patti. I am again told there are no property managers around, the issues are escalated and a property manager will call me. I was also asked to forward her an email with the photos that had already been sent via text to escalate again, which I did. Wednesday midafternoon an HVAC pro showed up and is able to correct the heater but the pool day is lost as the heater takes time.Thursday, went to Ocracoke for the day only to return at 830pm to see that the main pool is warm but had lost almost 3 inches of water from the valves adjusted to get the kid pool functioning(photo). The kitchen sink faucet broke that night and was never repaired(photo). More emails and texts, never to hear a response again. A noxious gas like smell also filled the lower level leaving the area (hot tub grill outdoor shower) unusable. At this time it was brought to my attention that for several days the septic tank had been overflowing (photo) from the tank puddling at our back stairwell. This was of particular safety and sanitary concern due the area being a grassy area where children were playing on previous days as well as it being part of the trail to the beach.Friday. Maintenance for septic showed in the evening but did not correct as the septic would continue to overflow for the remainder of the week as well as the noxious smell remained. Filled pool ourselves due to water below skimmer.Saturday I made a second trip to the Salvo office where I was told contact is usually made after the trip. After no resolution, Patti was again brought out to speak with me. Patti again explained the company line, that all my issues were escalated and the property managers were out in the field and could not be contacted. There was nothing further she could do as she only worked for reservations. Other groups were in line having the same problem, reporting issues with no remedy, no update or contact from Surf or Sound. It was also quite insulting to see the fleet of pool vehicles and surf or sound trucks go from house to house all day for the Saturday check out/check in but none had time to stop at our house. That night I typed another email to Patti of all the issues that had not been corrected as documentation proof for further action. This would include the pool which also had never received the midweek cleaning/service as stated in the contract, lack of use of pool due the heater down for almost 5 days, septic, noxious smell on bottom level, and kitchen sink.Friday April 12, still no communication. Messages left, none returned. Sad that reservations employees have to deal with every issue as they are the only ones answering phones, guessing cause that brings in money which is all the company cares about. It is a shame that a company with such terrible management has a monopoly on such a large section of Hatteras Island. I realize that Surf or Sound does not care to remedy any of these issues and will have to look for other avenues to get a proper remedy. I have reached out to a few lawyers to see what course to take next.

Vann Ritch

2024-04

Great spacious beach house. Modern kitchen. Screened porch, deck, second sun deck with ocean view. Outdoor shower.Short walk to beach. Loved it. Can’t wait to go back.

Laura Hayden

2024-04

Love this house it’s our second time staying there. The wrap around porch was so fun for my kids. They played laser tag in the evening. The beach is right up the street with a nice bath house. All the restaurants around are delicious too.

andrea perez

2023-12

Suntana could not have been more perfect for our family! Plenty of open space, yet not isolated from each other. Configuration of the bedrooms were perfect, and the spacious upstairs bedroom king suits offered the most beautiful front row balcony seats to view the amazing morning sunrise!! The kitchen was great, had most of what we needed to cook in, plenty of seating, big tv with all the Chanel’s and then some. But the icing on the cake was the location , right on the beach . The kids loved swimming in the ocean( in November 😳) and then warming up in the hottub after. The perfect week, to celebrate the hubbies 70th with all the kids and grands. Cherished Memories made!! Thank you to Surf or Sound realty for the excellent care and accommodations!

Dana Parker

2023-11

Just ended our week at # 823 Sounds good to me and had an absolute blast. The house was ready toward the earliest of the possibly time frame, when we arrived it the keyless entry code made things a breeze, the house was clean and well stocked with needed pots and pans and utensils. The living space was absolutely beautiful, and the game room was very well done and we got a ton of use out of both spaces. The only issue with this house directly was there was a leak in the pool however we didn’t even need to mention it and had someone coming by to check it very attentively throughout our stay which was greatly appreciated. I have been a life long Hatteras specific obx vacationer and have always stayed in surf or sound homes and this was my first year of being the renter and it could not have gone more smoothly. Thank you so much for the amazing home and the easy process, see ya next year

Kristy Shaffer

2024-04

Exceptional customer service! I was impressed to get a call letting us know our rental home was available earlier than anticipated. Later a representative stopped by and mid stay someone called to make sure everything was continuing to meet our expectations. We are return customers and I was impressed to see that this year they added a service where they take the trash cans down and bring them back up to the house! That's awesome because who wants to have to remember to take the trash to the curb on vacation? It is small touches like this that make a big difference in a relaxing stay.We will definitely continue to use Surf and Sound as our go-to rental company.

Julie A

2023-05

Beautiful home in Avon Eden-851. House was very clean and well equipped for a relaxing family vacation! The pool area was perfect for the family and it had a 6 person hot tub. It was a short walk to the beach. We were in the home by 3pm on check in day which was a bonus with 3 little ones! This is the 3rd year using Surf or Sound and we already reserved a home for next year using them!

Kristine Cutillo

2023-05

We recently (October 2022) stayed in Salty Dog Beach House #869. I'd like to start by saying that there were a lot of great things about our stay. The kitchen was spacious and well stocked with pots, pans and dishes, the outdoor spaces were beautiful and spacious (including the pool and hot tub), and the proximity to the public beach access was very convenient. Also, management was prompt in responding to emails before our stay, and check in/out was very smooth.On the other side, I can't give a rating of higher than 3 for two big reasons. The first being that the main living room area of the house had a terrible odor (our guess was that is was from a dog since the house is pet friendly). The odor was bad on both the furniture and the carpets throughout the main living area. It was significantly better in the bedrooms, but we found it difficult to sit in the living room due to the smell unless the windows were open. The second is that the front door keypad did not work for our entire stay, and we were not given a set of keys to lock/unlock the doors. I alerted the office early in our stay and was told a maintenance request was submitted, but no one ever came to fix it. I don't believe that's an appropriate response for a management company to have about a security issue.Overall, we had a nice stay. The Outer Banks is a beautiful place to visit despite any negative experiences with a rental property. I would be willing to give Surf or Sound another chance, but I would hope that they would pay a little more attention to the above mentioned problems.

Carl Jones

2024-04

Surf or Sound warned us that there would be no food stuffs or plastic or foil items so we were expecting that and bought our own things. They didn't warn us that there would be only one small bottle of soap and a small bottle of disinfectant. This is not enough even for only two people. Other than that small item, the condo was excellent, the floor plan, the view, the beds were comfortable, parking, and the kitchen had the appropriate pots and pans. We'll remember this place and book there again.

Destiny Knetzer

2023-11

My family just recently stayed in Sparrow’s Treehouse #1032 in Avon. Overall, we really enjoyed our trip to the OBX, like we do every year, but there were several issues with the house this year we would like to bring to attention. We tried contacting the realtor directly but have not received any communication back.Upon arrival, everything seemed fine enough-- not dazzling but nothing too problematic until the following morning when more serious concerns started to arise. The morning after our arrival we noticed one of the glass coffee pots had been broken, but left on the hot plate of the coffee maker. The kitchen was lacking in a few items like baking sheets and plastic dishes (instead of the glass ones for children), but we made it work with a few trips to the store as we found we needed things. No big deal.On a more serious note, we found that the insects in the house were very abundant. Daily swarms of wasps prevented us from getting any use out of the decks during the daytime. We found ants in the dishwashers before running them for the first time after we arrived. Most disturbingly, we found large cockroaches, live and dead, throughout the house daily.There were also issues of mold in and around the air vents, and on the baseboards of the floors. Ceiling fans had thick layers of dust on them. And finally, the grill, a listed amenity that we had planned to use multiple days out of the week, was rusted and unusable.I have attached photos of all of the above problems with the house.Unfortunately, this is not the first similar experience we have had like this staying with Surf or Sound, but it has by far been the worst. My family growing up has used Surf or Sound for years, and now that I have a family of my own I have continued using your company for the past three or four years. That being said, the rest of our group that we share the house with every year is also extremely dissatisfied and are all encouraging us to switch to a different rental realtor for future visits.I do hope these issues will be addressed soon for the next families scheduled to stay in the house. The location is beautiful, but we just did not feel like we were getting our money's worth and the health of our family, particularly the little ones and myself being 15 weeks pregnant, is a huge concern.

Jim Biagi

2024-04

We found that the house we rented was impeccably cleaned and nicely prepared with beddings and linens when we arrived. One small outside water problem we encountered was very quickly dealt with!They own many properties, but service is very personable with friendly and helpful staff.

jml 714

2023-11

Time out#778First time using them and definitely the last time. I will say their fees are astronomical!! The fees were almost the same as the price of the house. I have never paid that much in fees in all the years we have been going down to OBX. We had several issues with the house. Some got resolved but most of them were ignored during our stay. The front door had to stayed locked because it wouldn't latch and the sliding doors were imposable to open. it took everything you had to slide them open and closed. We showed up on Saturday and the pool was full of sand and the heater was not working. I watched the pool guy do all the pools in our neighborhood on Sunday and Monday but not ours. After several calls and 2 visits to the office, I was told pool day for us was on Wednesday. GREAT! So no one swam in the pool due to cleanliness and it being cold.I was also told a manager would call me Tuesday or Wednesday, and that never happened. I finally received an email Saturday afternoon while on our way home that they were giving me a credit for the pool heat. Which I appreciate! But that's a little too late for me. Especially the amount of money we spent for this house. Also the pictures on their website are probably 8 - 10 years ago. The house is definitely dated. Unfortunately we will not be a returning customer for you.

Erica Lackey Hefner

2023-06

My family and I had an absolutely delightful vacation at Seashella. This home was spotless and well cared for. The fully stocked kitchen was perfect for preparing our makeup Easter dinner. The sunrise views are spectacular on the deck as well as with the picture window in the open dining/kitchen/living room. The swimming pool was such a nice addition to the house. We hope to stay here again in the future. 10/10 on vacation satisfaction score.

Melanie Carrel

2023-08

We have used Surf or Sound realty many times with success. We were very disappointed on this year’s trip. We rented Salvo Vera #273, which we had rented twice before as “island hideaway” in 2009 and 2010. Unfortunately, nothing but the tvs were updated since then. I will post pictures of some of the things we observed. Surf or sound housekeeping was also sub par as the bathrooms were not clean, and one of the beds had dirty linen on it. We had a clogged toilet, and maintenance was stellar in coming out to fix it. They also fixed a missing top deck picket while there. The top deck stairs were so wobbly, I was hesitant to go up there! Housekeeping did finally deliver clean linens, but it was after we had to wash dirty ones ourselves. Tip for surf or sound: if you can’t do both house cleaning and linens, go back to just cleaning, and I’ll go back to bringing my own.Some things we noted: no window treatments on one of the bedrooms, no floodlights in pool area after dark (safety issue!) dirty carpets, stove burner not working, no shower head in outside shower, grill was a nasty old grocery store find. Beds were hard and noisy. I think our luck ran out for surf or sound, and will consider other options in the future.

Lisa Coniker

2023-08

I love the personal experience I receive when renting from a local business such as Surf or Sound Realty. My family has been coming to Frisco for 27 years and many of us have rented Surf or Sound homes. This year we stayed at 50044 Blackbeard's Court in L'Escape. The home was exceptionally clean and when we contacted Surf or Sound with a couple issues that arose, they were helpful, quick to respond and followed up, keeping us informed. Though we will not rent L'Escape again (intrusive busy body type neighbor, poor mattresses, flimsy kitchen cooking utensils, no grill utensils, grill that did not heat in one area, and lock on air conditioner, to 72 degrees) we will most definitely rent from Surf or Sound again. They did their best to accommodate our request to turn the air down to 70 degrees and address the neighbor intrusions. The view from this home is perfection, but the neighbor came over and told us we had to put the cover on the hot tub unless we were in it, even though we were sitting next to it in our swimsuits. She did not allow us to remove the cover so as to enjoy the exquisite view, and required us to flip the cover over the safety bar which completely blocked our beautiful view. We love renting from Surf or Sound and they did all they could to remedy this!

Micheal Blanks

2024-04

Surf or Sound were very easy to work with. They made our stay wonderful. Always willing to ask if were needed anything. We appreciated the hospitality! Already planning next trip! Thanks

Joann Schnelbach

2023-07

We had a really good time on our vacation the house was nice and was clean. Loved the area long drive way it was secluded loved that , it was quite and relaxing the houses next to us was not that close hardly heard the neighbors.,the view on the deck was beautiful . The only issue we had was the TV in the living room wasn’t working the first day so I called and someone came that day had to change the TV for a 32 inch was supposed to get another by Tuesday or Wednesday never did so when we was relaxing for the evening had to watch on a small TV and also There was a log of nails in the drive way from the house to the end of the pool we had to pick up so that we didn’t step on them or get one in our tires. Must of been some remodeling or new roof in at one point and the contractor did not pick them up. Other then those two issues we loved the house had a really good time and would stay there again if we go back and wood recommend the house for anyone to stay there.

Olga Slocum

2024-04

Bramasole in Avon NC is probably the best house to stay in at the moment. Reason being - during our vacation March 30-April 6 2024, we had 1 electric fire (with failed smoke alarms) that made company do repairs during our stay, 2 Gas leaks, that prompted Surf or Sound to address / do repairs, full repair of airconditioning unit. We ourselves repaired broken door knobs, leaking freezer, Gas grills shooting fireballs. We have experienced many more perks on our "vacation".However, i must urge anyone booking with Surf or Sound to a)bring your own fire, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, b) be prepared to spend your vacation babysitting various repair crews, c) never relax due to anxiety of "what the hell else could go wrong".I must say i stayed at the property with this company back in 2020, and 2024 is a stark contrast.In conclusion - our group is not satisfied with how Surf or Sound handled any of the issues, and we did launch former investigation with state of North Carolina, to which this company will now be answering.

Richard Pearson

2024-04

Overall a great vacation and house was very clean when we arrived. Some issues with AC unit which took a second call to get someone there but overall this is the 5th or 6th house over the years through Surf and Sound and we've been pretty happy overall.

Tammy Farmer

2022-05

Surf or Sound checked all the boxes for us! We stayed at Pamlico Baywatch #674 and arrived on time and our house was ready, there were a few items that we wanted noted and checked on from the previous visitors and a surf or sound representative was very courteous on the phone as well as they sent a tech out to make notes. We had a great vacation and the service from the staff was top notch! We have already booked our vacation for next year. The sunsets and view of the sound from this house is breathtaking. Very convenient to food, entertainment, water sports and ice cream. This house is great for the price and large families. It could use a few minor upgrades but overall it was fabulous.

Tina Eury

2023-05

We loved the house so much, we've booked it again for 2023! Kitchen is spacious, well stocked and has a large pantry. Loved all the seating areas, swivel chairs and extra ice machine at wet bar. There's lots of tables, you can even use one to put puzzles together! The dining table was perfect for our group of 11 and not just for eating but also to playing cards/games. The views are incredible of the ocean, sunrise and sunset. The only thing lacking was a lift to help get everything into house. But you get all your steps in for each day. Lastly, we highly recommend Surf or Sound Realty and it was only our first time booking with them.

Tyler Tubbs

2024-04

We are taking a trip through Surf or Sound this May and we have been extremely disappointed in the service received, specifically from Jeff. Our house was under construction and basically got canceled on us due to it not going to be ready in time. We were going to be the 4th family staying in this house, so they really missed the mark. I understand that things happen and this is more on the owners than Surf or Sound, but this is up to the realty company to make it right. They could have made it right by giving us a sizeable amount of our money back, and putting us in a nicer house. Instead, Jeff provided us a list of picked through houses to choose from that were still available. His point was, these houses have already dropped in value $2-3k. There was no additional incentive. Of course the houses dropped in price, the remaining ones were overpriced to begin with. There was a reason they weren't booked 2 months out. We wanted a more expensive option and were denied it only to find out today that those houses now fell into our price range. Bottom line, this company doesn't care because they know they will get paid from someone else if you walk away. Bad business practice and very likely won't book again in the future.

Mark L

2023-09

We rented 609 (Surf Shack in Waves). Home was in a state of disrepair with a dangerous and unusable deck, doors that didn't open leaving bedrooms with out means of egress, moldy shower curtains, drains that didn't drain etc. . .Multiple calls to the agency were made along with an in person visit to the office. No attempts to remedy these issues were made by the agency.Please read these reviews and others like them, book through a different agency

Helen Perez

2022-05

We stayed one week at Cape May on Tarpon Lane in Avon, NC. The home was super clean and cozy. The location was perfect. We are across the street from the beach, home has a dock and kayaks. Our kayak trips amazing with shallow water. We adventured out to go horse back riding on the beach, the lighthouse, ferry ride, nice restaurants so close and grocery store. Great location and so much to do. We will definitely be back next year. This home is a perfect vacation pool home for a few families with 5 bedrooms and 3 full baths. Home away from home.

Alex Bruce

2024-04

Great house with beautiful ocean views. The place was clean and right on the Dunes. Perfect for that vacation right in the ocean.

Amanda Korth

2024-01

We were here for ten days and it was amazing. Easy access to the beach and access to the sound on the other side. Every view from the house was amazing. We saw whales, dolphins and were able to collect many beautiful seashells. House was fully stocked and rooms were perfect! I highly recommend and will be back!

Carla Wisner

2023-05

We stayed at #330 (Legasea) for one week. I am fully aware upkeep of a house by the ocean is a challenge. However, this house needs LOTS of work. Seals around doors, loose door knobs that barely turn or don’t lock and TERRIBLE cooking utensils. Again, not expecting high quality but broken, flimsy and cheap are not worth it. They make cooking in a new house way more challenging. Our huge issue was the extremely old and broken refrigerator upstairs. The shelves on the door were broken and made the fridge less convenient. The ice machine started making ice at the middle of the week. I am aware a refrigerator needs air flow but when you can’t use door shelves and the bottom fridge is full, things are limited. We ended up duck taping the shelf on and even found the rest of the refrigerator parts in a cabinet above it. We even had to keep food in coolers. The beds were comfy and we fully appreciate them being made. It was also clean when we arrived and the pool was great. However, no one came and cleaned it during the week even though it was clearly advertised we should expect someone in the middle of our stay. There was no seating on the bottom decks and several screens were completely ripped, so hello mosquitoes! Also, why advertise a pool table when there is only one semi functional stick? The “private dining for 2” was a kids picnic table. The Wi-Fi was terrible, maybe because it wasn’t private and everybody and their brother was using it. Half the time it crashed or wasn’t even working. Again, not expecting perfect, but simple upgrades are necessary.

Shannon Trego

2023-05

We spent a wonderful week at Shore Sounds Good #906 in Avon. We had views of the sound and the ocean, affording picture perfect sunsets, sunrises and moon rises! The house is nestled away from other houses, situated neatly on the pond. We enjoyed kayaking, evenings around the fire pit, fishing from the dock, and of course lots of time in the pool and hot tub! This was the perfect home base for exploring the shores north and south of Avon!. I would definitely book this home again!Surf or Sound Realty made the rental process painless. Customer service was always patient with my questions and the booking process. Check in was key-less. The linens and beach gear were delivered prior to our arrival.