Pasquotank River Offers Affordable Waterfront Homes
Sue Thomson’s riverfront home offers beautiful views‚ a perfect place to sit and watch the sun set‚ a convenient dock for her small boat – plus something that doesn’t appear in the real estate listings.
"You can derive great strength from life on the water‚" says Thomson‚ who moved to Elizabeth City nine years ago. "The river is very regenerating and very powerful at the same time. It’s something profound."
It was‚ in fact‚ the house on the Pasquotank River that "turned the corner" for Thomson and her husband‚ film director Peter Thomson‚ as they decided where to relocate from their big-city home in Toronto. They were looking for a place near an airport – Peter travels frequently for his work – along with a Southern setting‚ a small-town atmosphere and boat-friendly attitude.
Then they came across the 10-year-old‚ open-plan home on the banks of the Pasquotank that instantly felt like home.
"It didn’t even have a ‘for sale’ sign on it yet‚ but we knew this was the place‚" Thomson says.
People like the Thomsons who see waterfront living as a priority are washing up on Elizabeth City’s shores in increasing numbers‚ says real estate agent George Bright‚ of Taylor Mueller Realty.
"I’d say 25 percent or more of the people who call me are thinking of relocating here because we’re a great place to live if you love the water. We’re less than an hour by car from the Outer Banks‚ and between the Albemarle Sound and the rivers‚ you can’t live more than 15 minutes from water of some sort."
Thanks to its close-to-the-beach location‚ quality of life and reputation as the "Harbor of Hospitality‚" Elizabeth City is becoming one of North Carolina’s hottest relocation destinations‚ says Renee Barclift of the Chamber of Commerce.
Bright says his clients include "lots of retirees‚" who no longer view a deck chair in a Florida senior community as the place they want to spend their hard-earned leisure time.
"I’m talking to people leaving professions‚ everything from doctors and college professors to Coast Guard officers‚" Bright says. "They’re drawn here by the same three things: the slower‚ small-town pace of life; our lower cost of living‚ including very affordable housing; and our incredible environment – including that water."
Whether looking for a waterfront community to enjoy boating‚ fishing and an active sports life‚ or planning nothing more strenuous than "just relaxing‚ sitting back and watching the river go by‚" newcomers find a wide variety of housing options‚ Bright says.
An attractive‚ three-bedroom‚ 2 1/2-bath home on the water can easily be found in the mid-$200‚000 range‚ he estimates‚ though "you can also find $100‚000 condominiums and elaborate homes that cost three-quarters of a million dollars."
Downtown historic homes near Elizabeth City’s harbor are popular‚ as are homes and lots in newer subdivisions such as Newbegun Land on the Pasquotank River.
The increased demand has put more waterfront residential building on the drawing board‚ and open land along the Pasquotank is going fast.
"If you’re planning to live on the water in Elizabeth City‚ you need to hurry‚" Bright says.
