Surf or Sound Realty Reviews

We had an amazing trip to Avon for a week and everything was great. Our check in was delayed - which made me panic as a mom of 5 who had been driving two days to get there and now had a car full of groceries heating up. It was hard to be leaving messages just hoping to hear back from someone instead of being able to reach someone by phone. The housekeeping manager came to redeem the situation and was very kind and understanding which put me at ease to be able to enjoy every second from there forward. The house was clean and amazing for our family. The pool, hot tub, close proximity to the beach - couldn t be better. Can t wait to go back but the house is already booked! Will be planning another trip for sure!

Bella Beach house has spectacular views across the dunes to the ocean from within the house and from the wraparound deck. The house was very clean upon our arrival; the kitchen is well-equipped and the beds and furniture were comfortable.
We had some minor problems with the cable TV and the hot tub, but Surf and Sound responded quickly to resolve the issues. We do suggest including more specific directions for the cable.
We all, including our dog, enjoyed our time at Bella Beach house and would definitely recommend it to others.

As always Surf or Sound Realty made our vacation easy and extremely enjoyable. Our House was very clean and comfortable with amenities that are hard to top. Thank you so much for a wonderful stay in the Outer Banks.

This is showing up in a family members request. We all had a great time. Surf or Sound staff were great through the whole process of booking to our vacation time. I ran into issues with my computer. They were very helpful and patient with all the changes. They responded to messages left. And always polite and pleasant. Thanks

The three stars is for the house I stayed in this time itsself. Not the staff at surf or sound.

I have in the past rented numerous houses at different times in the seasons and I have never had such a hard time as I did the last time I rented from them.

I was originally supposed to take a vacation with them first week of May of 2020. Obviously, that didn't happen because of COVID, the outer banks were still closed. I was TOLD MULTIPLE TIMES IN THE MONTHS BEFORE that if I wasn't able to come take my vacation that I would get my money back. I paid for the insurance (which I was also told didn't cover a pandemic afterwards) but was going to get it back because by law they couldn't render services and the state of NC would require in this situation to give all money back to those who could not vacation.

THEN In June of 2020 while I was waiting for my refund (30 days after what my departure date would have been I was told) I called and inquired about it myself and was told that they were no longer giving refunds and I would have to pick another week or lose my money. They told me I would have to pick before JUNE 19th. GOOD FREAKIN THING I CALLED MYSELF TO FIND OUT. I was so mad. They weren't going to tell me that if I never called.

So I pick another week. The very next day I read on world news about the class action law suit against surf or sound from the other patrons that didn't get their money back...a month later or less the people like me won....meanwhile I was stuck with the "new" reservation for the following year and was locked in. They knew what they were doing and the best part of the entire thing is I SENT THEM BUSINESS THAT YEAR a girl I work with booked a vacation there for her family and it was the week after mine in may SHE GOT TO GO ON HERS as scheduled. Hahaha..looking back what a laugh.

Aside from all that
The service once I was there was good. I found issues with my house when I got their, of course, so they did come and see/ fix what was wrong. However I would have rathered not having to call them to begin with.

I slept on a broken bed frame that was cracked right in the middle all week because that's what I brought sheets for (they ordered a new one for after we left). The house was not cleaned well..crumbs, dust bunnies all over. Dog snot prints everywhere all over the windows. One window in the bedroom was broke, I almost slammed my fingers not realizing it. The brand new shower stall door on the top floor was broke. (it got fixed someone walked in when we weren't there, YES THEY JUST WALK RIGHT IN IF YOURE NOT THERE). Other than that, just small things, broken shades, no batteries in the fan remote, torn screens etc.

And this is no shack of a house. It's a beautiful house they should be doing a better job keeping up. That's what their paid for by the owner to do. We stayed in life aquatic 882.

Im praying this was just a glitch in their service this year due to covid. I know things were rough for everyone but they should have been honest and done the right thing and the house should have been sparkling clean for us. I won't be vacationing with them again for a while if at all.

While they had lots of complaints and reviews during Covid and the shut down and not going to lie I was worried about how this was going to turn out for 2021 as we choose to rebook from 2020. It was a great family vacation and we even got surprised one day with a gift box from surf or sound with goodies from the island which was very thoughtful.

9 adults and 5 children enjoyed Isle Be Breezy for 7 days. The top deck gives you a beautiful view of the sunset over the sound every evening. The living area is on the top floor, including the kitchen. The pool was open and clean. Linens (sheets, towels, etc) are not provided, which I didn t realize until after the booking, (I booked through VRBO, versus directly through surf and sound) which was an inconvenience, but not a deal breaker. We brought our own, but they do have the option to rent them. We really enjoyed our stay but short of toilet paper, plan on bringing anything you will need. There is no salt and pepper, no trash bags, we were provided with one dishwasher pack for a 7 day stay, etc.

Had the most beautiful wedding at a surf or sound rental in Salvo. The house was perfect and the surf or sound staff was very professional and responsive. Huge shoutout to Paul and Wendy for their quick responses and professionalism! Will definitely book again!

We had an absolutely wonderful time staying here in the Outer Banks at Resort Rodanthe #776 16-C. The views from the living room and bedroom were so nice. We loved the back deck accessible through either of those rooms double doors. The kitchen was very well stocked for cooking which we did everyday. The bed was comfy and loved it was a king. The TV and all technology was very up to date. The power went out one night for just 10 minutes or so as one might expect on an island with so much wind, but the backups kept the internet working. The beach access was an easy walk through the resort and though it was still cold the beach was beautiful. My husband especially enjoyed the master shower which had a very nice shower head and even though we are both young enough and able to get around the grab bars were still very handy. I noticed most of the furniture was basically new and some still had tags on them. The stacked washer and dryer were very convenient. Overall, the place was beautifully decorated, well equipped with anything you need to be comfortable and relaxed. The only issue we had the whole week was the lock on the door kept losing the code to get in the first couple of days but the company helped us work the problem and it was fine the rest of the week.

We recently stayed at Surf or Sound s house Windward in Hatteras Village. May 8-15. The house is oceanfront with a beautiful view of the ocean. It is a gorgeous property. The beds were very comfortable and so many in our group commented on how well they slept here. The bathrooms were spacious and lovely. The house was beautiful! Lovely decor! Overall, it was a wonderful house and a great vacation!
I would have liked to give it a 5 star rating, but we did encounter a few issues. First of all, we paid for the early check in which is 1pm. I was informed that we would have the key code sent to us shortly before 1pm. As of 1:30pm, we were sitting outside the house with no information and unable to reach someone by phone After many attempts, we did finally get through to a live person on the phone who gave us the key code. I did receive a text shortly after that as well.
!One con of the property was that the step at the gate that opens to the decking path to the beach really should be changed. It is a very high step. On our first full day (Sunday), I was coming back from the beach in the afternoon with my beach bag and beach chair. I went to step down into the yard area and when I did, I fell. Not only is it too high of a step, the sand is also washed away making it uneven due to the shower located directly next to the gate. I stepped down and when my foot hit the washed out area of sand, I fell against the wooden deck pathway. My back/ribs took the brunt of the fall. Needless to say, I then spent much of my vacation in pain and unable to do the normal things. In fact, I am still recovering and will probably be for a few more weeks. After this episode, we took the hot tub steps and put them at the gate to prevent others from falling. I would highly recommend that some sort of permanent steps be constructed at this area to prevent any future issues.
I was also surprised to find out that there was no bathroom on the lower level. The floor plan of the house on Surf or Sound s website showed a cabana bath . I inquired about why this room was locked and if we could possibly have it unlocked to be able to use it. I did get a reply 2 days later stating that it is not a bathroom but a locked closet. The employee stated that it really should be changed on the website which I totally agree with as well. It was a bit disappointing to not have a bathroom on this level. There is a bathroom on the next level but is also connected to a bedroom. We chose to not use this bathroom as a community bath so that the people staying in the bedroom could have their space and privacy. So, not having a bath on the ground level meant everyone needed to go up 2 to 3 floors to their personal bath or to the top floor half bath. A bit of an inconvenience when swimming and having to traipse through the house in wet swimwear. I guess the most disheartening thing is that for the past 2 years, the website listed it as a bathroom when there was indeed no bathroom. I did check the website today and it has finally been updated.
Also, we wanted to use the gas grill but there was no propane tank on the grill. We did find an empty tank sitting on the ground level. After inquiring, a few days later, we were informed that we should take it to the general store for an exchange for a full tank. This is the first time I have encountered renting a house with an empty propane tank sitting off to the side....clearly evident that it was empty. I understand that you can run out of propane, however, it was clearly evident the tank was empty and was disconnected from the grill but no one (employee) took the initiative to replace the empty tank.