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We visited the town of Bath on our vacation last July. It is the oldest town in North Carolina and my son's friend has a bed and breakfast in that area. This is a very historical area and just begs for the bed and breakfast crowd. Check out that area behind the sounds. My opinion is that this area will soon be the up and coming place to be.
There is a book called the Backroads of North Carolina that had a marked trip through that area and we took it. It was backroads but so interesting for a vacation experience. You miss so much going the tourist routes. We saw things we would never have seen and some older homes were part of that.
If you have the spirit of hospitality, and at least one of you is handy around the house, a B&B is a good long-term plan.
You can even work regular jobs and run the B&B on the weekends to get started.
You need to be in an area where there are activities couples are interested in doing during the day.
You need good, comfy beds, quality cotton sheets, and knock-your-socks-off breakfasts.
You need an engaging website that is listed on at least one state and one national B&B registry and is SEO so anyone looking up North Carolina B&B will find you on the google list.
Duluth Bed and Breakfast Inn - Lodging in Duluth, MN - Minnesota Accommodations - The Ellery House Friends of mine run the Ellery House in Duluth, MN and they started out exactly the way you are. They put two kids through college, close down to travel during the slow season, and truly enjoy each other's company and the B&B life. They are a couple of the nicest people I know. Take a trip up there this spring, stay with them midweek, and pick their brains. They'll show you how to do it on a budget, how to keep your sanity, where to order sheets, towels, soaps...
Barb and Don Trueman of HOME (who did the photography and website) ran one of the most successful B&B in Duluth, MN for years before retiring. These two know their stuff. If you decide to go for it, you couldn't go wrong contacting them for marketing advice and website design. Barb is as sharp as they come with marketing and Don takes a mean photo. You might even email them and ask what to look for in a place. They took a run down B&B and turned it into a money making mansion.
Good luck.
Last edited by GotHereQuickAsICould; 02-24-2013 at 05:56 AM..
In selecting your location, be sure you're no more than 2 1/2 to 3 hours away from a large metropolitan area. That's where most of your guests will come from. Also, there has to be restaurants and interesting things to do in the area. No matter how nice the B&B is, if guests can't easily drive there after work on Friday and home on Sunday afternoon, if there's nothing to do on Saturday and Sunday, then you face an uphill battle.
The name of the game is repeat business. Some guests are travelers, filling up their B&B Bingo card. But others are looking for a way to keep the romance alive, get a break from their hectic life. A trip to Aruba is once-in-a-lifetime adventure, but a weekend away (stretched into three nights if they can get Friday or Monday off), is more doable a time or two a year.
Most B&B owners count on 50% repeat business. Referrals are another 25% or so. Doing a great job is your best marketing.
But if you aren't in a place people want to come to, no matter how great a B&B you run its a tough row to hoe.
One last thought, look at B&B's for sale. Remodeling an older home into a B&B is an expensive and time-consuming undertaking. Health Dept. approved kitchens don't come cheap. Bathrooms down the hall aren't a big plus for those on romantic getaways.
Many B&B's are poorly run. They pour a boatload of money into remodeling and decorating, then don't put that same attention into their hospitality. After a time the inheritance, lottery winnings, or money they got from selling their home in San Diego runs out. They're tired. For some, the makeover is the deal. The hospitality, not so much.
A lot of B&B's are for sale along about 5 to 7 years. Many others would be for sale if asked.
Bed And Breakfast Inn Coastal Region Lodging North Carolina NC lists B&Bs along the NC coast. It's a strange website, as it has markers at all sorts of places that do not have inns. But that may be helpful if you're looking for a spot with little competition.
There are several sites that list inns for sale. After glancing at the number of rooms and occupancy rates, I suspect there might be quite a bit of negotiating room on some of them.
Finding the ones that are so poorly run, they aren't even listed on these web sites will be a bit more of an adventure.
Many owners price their B&B not on what the building and business is actually worth, but on what they have sunk into it.
My husband and I are looking to move South from Upstate New york. We are looking for a fixer upper under 50k in a nice small town in North Carolina within an hour of the ocean and state land where he can hunt. We would like something with at least an acre of land. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
We visited the town of Bath on our vacation last July. It is the oldest town in North Carolina and my son's friend has a bed and breakfast in that area. This is a very historical area and just begs for the bed and breakfast crowd. Check out that area behind the sounds. My opinion is that this area will soon be the up and coming place to be.
There is a book called the Backroads of North Carolina that had a marked trip through that area and we took it. It was backroads but so interesting for a vacation experience. You miss so much going the tourist routes. We saw things we would never have seen and some older homes were part of that.
My husband and I are looking to move South from Upstate New york. We are looking for a fixer upper under 50k in a nice small town in North Carolina within an hour of the ocean and state land where he can hunt. We would like something with at least an acre of land. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
There are so many possibilities along the NC coast. I'll write a bit about Carteret county but almost any county on the NC coast has similar scenarios.
In Carteret county the populated area is Emeral Isle, Indian Beach, Pine Knoll Shores, Atlantic Beach, Morehead City and Beaufort. These are all beautiful, coastal communities. The population explodes during the summer tourist months and the winters can be a bit bleak. Generally land and housing is pricey, the closer to the water the higher.
Harkers Island is something of a community unto itself. Famous for fishing and building old fashioned, wooden fishing boats, it has a rich heritage, and housing can still be a bit pricey but it is a pretty neat place to live.
As you move away from the population centers you have a bevy of small coastal communities that include Smyrna, Williston, Davis, Sealevel, Atlantic, Cedar Island and Merrimon. All of these are a bit remote but still less than an hour from the population centers. They are the kind of places where everyone knows everyone. Because they are off the beaten path a bit, you can find some real value for your dollar if you are patient and explore all possibilities. In the Merrimon area you can actually find waterfront acreage at very reasonable prices. Though it is about 45 minutes from the population centers, the right building and location could be a real draw for people wanting a secluded get a way with charm and views. Cedar Island is on route 12 which is the road to the ferry going out to Ocracoak Island. This makes it frequently used by travelers. The entire area is scenic low lying wet lands with canals and stands of pines and hardwoods.
As stated, you could pick almost any coastal county in NC and find similar scenarios. There are some larger coastal towns like Washington, Belhaven, New Bern, Oriental, Swansboro, Hampstead, and Southport that all have there own charm and reasonable housing can be found within 30 minute of the water.
Speaking of water, what you find nearby can vary from not much more than a boat ramp in the woods to miles of sandy beaches. Some areas are great sunbathing, others for fishing, others for sailing, power boating or paddle boating. Few areas are perfect for everything and areas that are, are generally populated and crowded.
Good luck
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