The landscape of the Outer Banks is dynamic by nature, molded and shaped by hurricane winds, tides and erosion. To know the geography and the specific needs that geography imparts on its residing structures takes time and attention. Stan White Realty, owned and operated by generations of true Outer Banks natives, has taken those measures above and beyond. A profound knowledge of the Outer Banks housing market and the ground it’s built on isn’t just an added bonus for Stan White Realty, it’s a critical ingredient for success.
For more than 50 years, Stan White Realty has specialized in building, renting and managing vacation homes on the Outer Banks. As one of the oldest realty and construction companies on the beach, incorporated in the early 1970s, they know the land – how to manage it, how to build on it and how to keep that home safe and secure. “There are a lot of things you gradually learn when you’re here,” says founder and figurehead, Stan White. How to build on sand in a 150-mile-per-hour wind zone is just one of many obstacles in that learning curve.
Having started doing construction work 52 years ago, Stan’s progression into real estate and property management was natural. In the maintenance and upkeep of his parents’ motel and store in Manns Harbor, Stan fostered a love for the process and found he enjoyed working with his hands, and so the rest is history. “When I built my first office, some of my clients I had built for in the past asked me if I would consider renting for them too,” Stan recalls. “I remember printing our first rental brochure, and it had four houses in it. We started off slow, and then as time went on our reputation grew when people realized what a good job we were doing. I ended up purchasing three property management companies over the years and continuing to grow from there.”
Though having expanded in its reach, services and locations across the beach, Stan White Realty is still a family business at its core, and the established trust and reliability that comes along with that kind of history is invaluable. “My dad and my mom put it all together,” adds John White, the next generation to whom the torch will pass. “We’ve been doing this for a long time and have many homes and clients that have been with us for decades.” After graduating from college and returning home to his Outer Banks roots, John has worked in partnership with his father in the overall management and services of the company.
Stan White Realty now has construction, real estate and property management services all in-house, providing a ubiquitous, streamlined process through a property’s journey under one umbrella. “Each one of our departments feeds off the other,” Stan says. “Our property management business creates 95% of our remodel business, and if it doesn’t create it directly, it happens because we’re working on a house and a neighbor sees the care and attention we give to the remodel and wants to use us for their project.”
As the services they offer their clients grew, so did the need for an all-encompassing account of their journey that doesn’t leave any part out. “I’ve been doing the work so long that we really haven’t done any advertising for construction in years because we’ve had all the work that we wanted,” Stan says. However, now that their construction story is a piece of a larger, integrated business model, it isn’t easy to separate it out from the rest of their narrative as a one-stop shop for helping you create your dream home on the beach.
The synergy of their services is part of what sets Stan White Realty apart from the crowd. Keeping all aspects of property management in-house – from construction to rentals to remodeling – makes it easy for clients to have their needs met on many different fronts. “Being in our program definitely gives our clients an advantage because we are here and we’re going to take care of them since we represent them on multiple fronts and can give them a better overall experience,” says John. “There are a lot of control factors involved here; you don’t have to deal with a third party contractor and other property management companies trying to get in for showings or appraisals, so things move smoothly and quickly from the get-go.”
Much of Stan White Realty’s history is about people. The White family members are more than just Outer Banks natives – they’re pillars of the community, having held seats on several county and state boards and organizations such as the North Carolina Board of Transportation, Dare County Board of Commissioners, Dare County Social Services Board, Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce, Dare County Tourist Bureau, Outer Banks Association of Realtors, Outer Banks Homebuilders Association, Outer Banks Hospital Board and North Banks Rotary.
Notably, Stan also served in the North Carolina Senate and on the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors, acting as chair for much of his tenure. This board is the one that oversees all contractors in the state, and the depth of knowledge Stan gained, combined with his decades of experience in building, puts him as the leader in the contracting field.
“I have a good relationship with all the building inspectors and town officials, and it makes a big difference when you know whom to call when you have an issue with a property,” says Stan. “I spend days talking to town and county officials I know trying to find out exactly what we can do for a client before I determine what’s the best avenue for them to take. We lay down a lot of groundwork ahead of time to make sure that our clients can get what they want.”
When it comes to your home on the beach, strong Outer Banks roots are crucial to a solid foundation, in more ways than one. “We are a family company,” Stan emphasizes. “We know the environment, and we know our clients and we pass that knowledge on to our next generation so that we keep this good family thing going.”
(800) 338-3233 | outerbanksrentals.com
About the Author Leah Wingenroth
Leah was born and raised on the Outer Banks and is an alumnus of Appalachian State University and King's College. She currently resides in England, writing and managing content in the lifestyle, education, travel and literary publishing sectors.
