Reviews

This profile includes reviews for Surf or Sound Realty's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

close

Find a Location

Surf or Sound Realty has 4 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

BBB accredited

Near

Country

USUnited States

Please enter a valid location.

Filter

• 

  Surf or Sound Realty

  PO Box 100 Avon, NC 27915-0100

  
• 

  Surf or Sound Realty

  26204 Rampart St Salvo, NC 27972

  
• 

  Surf or Sound Realty

  PO Box 270 Rodanthe, NC 27968-0270

  
• 

  Surf or Sound Realty

  40974 NC Hwy 12 Avon, NC 27915

  

Review Details

• Review fromShaun B

  Date: 08/12/2024

  1 star

  Shaun B

  Date: 08/12/2024

  Surf or Sound misrepresents the house we rented. The property manager is not doing his job. Safety Issues: Upon arrival bedroom level AC broken. Portable AC units were provided. 2 AC units not working necessitating some family members to relocate. Extension cords running from portable ac unit from bedroom, through hallway to bathroom outlet to address inadequate home’s electrical service Dryer vent broken/melted rendering dryer unusable Smoke detectors unwired and outdated Fire extinguisher not visible, stored in a bottom cabinet next to oven Broken railing on upper deck Broken door latch on upper level bedroom to deck. Door pops open continuously Filthy ac vents blowing directly onto beds Spongy decking on upper deck Hose running across entry staircase from outdoor shower to a poorly maintained pond No entry staircase lighting, necessitating the usage of cellphone flashlights to safely climb stairs to entry door Fuse box inaccessible. Property manager does not know where it is either. Broken outdoor furniture: picnic table, rocker Other outdoor furniture on “last legs” Electrical outlets not working Extension cord from a bidet, over mirror to an outlet Deck rug has mold growing under it Cleanliness substandard. In defense of housekeeping, it is more than challenging to clean a very poorly cared for house. Poorly equipped kitchen, including chipped dishes Screened in porch ( touted in house description) has multiple broken screens and a storm door Tubs and sinks obviously the same age of house (37 yrs old or so). They are irreversibly stained. New stairway rug filthy I have rented at least 11 homes within the three block area of Nova, N. Kinnekeet and Pamlico Ct. I have NEVER encountered such a poorly cared for, substandard rental. Any repairs made were due to my persistence with realtor. Surf or Sound requested I put this experience in writing with pictures to them so they could discuss with all stakeholders. Their response has been dismissive.

  Surf or Sound Realty

  Date: 08/14/2024

  Everyone here sympathizes with any guest who feels their vacation rental has fallen short of their expectations. Please know oversights by our housekeeping and maintenance teams are rare, and we are always eager to remedy any concern as soon as it is brought to our attention. In this instance, our teams promptly addressed the issues reported during the stay, in as an efficient manner as possible. Of course, HVAC malfunctions are unpredictable, and interim portable AC units are an unfortunate necessity during these moments. The permanent replacement units had arrived during this stay and were awaiting installation by our partner service provider. As mentioned, we appreciate the opportunity to share the guest’s observations and suggestions for renovations and improvements with the owner of this home. We pride ourselves on providing the very best vacation experience for every guest.

• Review fromAmanda M

  Date: 08/03/2024

  1 star

  Amanda M

  Date: 08/03/2024

  Upon entering, there was an OVERPOWERING MUSTY SMELL and bowing wall-paneling, likely due to moisture damage. We discovered what we believe to have been CHOCOLATE SAUCE ON THE RAILING of the bunk bed. There were stains on 3 of the bedspreads - 1 w RED STAINING THAT LOOKED LIKE BLOOD, 2 w/ YELLOW STAINS. The source of the smell likely stemmed from what appeared to be BLACK MOLD around the master bathroom AC vent, along with several other vents and in a closet. After one night, my husband and daughter's allergies were triggered. My husband, who struggles with chronic sinus infections, knew we could not risk staying in the home. Travis claimed that what we saw as black mold was actually "ghosting" (when dirt and grime from the moist air is trapped on the walls) and HEAVILY MINIMIZED our health concerns. He stated that "I WISH I COULD SAY THAT ALL HOMES DON'T HAVE A MUSTIER SMELL." BASED ON THIS ADMISSION, WE QUESTION THE QUALITY OF ALL SS HOMES. Travis's explanation discounts the images we captured & does not explain the smell or the allergic reactions, which cleared up after we left the house. That master bath has no fan, which is a likely contributer to mold problems. Travis claimed, per the lease we must allow them to remediate before requesting a refund. The lease's remediation policy applies to broken appliances and amenities. However, Section 22 of the lease specifically stated that this remediation policy applies to "NONESSENTIAL ITEMS." WE BELIEVE THAT OUR FAMILY'S HEALTH IS ESSENTIAL, AND BEING IN A HOME FREE OF MOLD IS NOT AN "AMENITY," especially given our underlying health concerns. We also knew that mold remediation would be extensive and potentially hazardous. PROPER MOLD CLEANUP WOULD REQUIRE EXPOSURE TO HARSH CHEMICALS AND ENVIRONMENTAL IRRITANTS THAT COULD PUT OUR CHILDREN'S HEALTH AT RISK. We had to do what was best for our young children.

  Surf or Sound Realty

  Date: 08/14/2024

  Please know that everyone here sympathizes with any guest who feels their vacation has been disrupted in any way. While oversights by our housekeeping teams are very rare, we are always eager to remedy any concern as soon as it is brought to our attention. In this case, we offered to send a team over right away for any additional cleaning concerns and to provide new linens and bedspreads, both of which the guest refused. Most importantly, we respectfully find fault with many of the other assertions made by the guest. There was (and is) no mold in this home. From time to time, particularly when a previous guest has opened windows or left open exterior doors while the air conditioning is running, humid sea breezes can create condensation on cold, metal HVAC vent covers. The thin layer of water quickly traps any dust in the air sometimes giving a discolored appearance to the vent cover. Some observers mistake this discoloration for mold. The guest also mentions a bathroom which does not have an exhaust fan. The building code does not require such a fan in bathrooms containing a window. Our goal is to provide the best possible vacation experience for every guest. We believe we did everything we could to achieve this goal. We are dismayed to have these guests leave after one night feeling otherwise.

• Review fromJulie W

  Date: 08/03/2024

  1 star

  Julie W

  Date: 08/03/2024

  Rented $****** home for vacation. House was dirty. Bathroom smelled like urine. Called office. They sent cleaning crew. Told us there were raccoons living in the ceiling and they had reported it prior to us coming. Feces and urine coming through ceiling. Doors were missing doorknobs. Some doors couldn’t be locked. Shower wouldn’t drain. Lights with no lightbulbs. Spent our vacation calling for repairs etc. Owners- we did your job. 5 out of 7 days we had to deal with maintenance, cleaning crew and pest control

  Surf or Sound Realty

  Date: 08/14/2024

  Please know oversights by our housekeeping and maintenance teams are rare, and we are always eager to remedy any concern as soon as it is brought to our attention. Everyone here sympathizes with any guest who feels their vacation has been disrupted in any way, and there were extremely unusual circumstances during this stay. Our teams promptly addressed the issues reported during the stay in as an efficient manner as possible. Some of the concerns conveyed here were only shared after these guests had departed. Please know the experience described by these guests is not at all typical and we pride ourselves on providing the very best vacation experience for every guest, especially when unexpected challenges arise.

• Review fromChelsea M

  Date: 07/03/2024

  1 star

  Chelsea M

  Date: 07/03/2024

  RENTERS BEWARE! I would give zero stars if I could. My husband, a law enforcement officer, was mandated to work, and we unfortunately had to cancel our vacation. I was told by Surf or Sound that they would have no problem re-renting the home since it was a prime July week, and that we'd receive our refund minus a $*** rebooking fee. Without telling me and with no warning, they re-rented the property at a SIGNIFICANTLY lower rate, and only refunded me the amount of the reduced rent! I only discovered this scheme when after hounding them for weeks, they finally sent us a check via snail mail for much less than what we had paid! Had I known that they were going to cheat us out of hundreds of dollars, I would have kept our reservation and asked other family or friends if they wanted to go with us in lieu of my husband. We would have gladly made something work had I known that Surf or Sound was going to keep the money that should have been refunded to us. Now that they have part of our rent in addition to the money they received from the sublease, they refuse to respond to my calls or emails. If this company is capable of this kind of shady, deceptive behavior, I'd be willing to bet that they have other questionable policies as well.

  Surf or Sound Realty

  Date: 07/16/2024

  Please know we sympathize with anyone whose vacation plans change unexpectedly. The Cancellation Policy is clearly posted on our website and was sent via an email that was opened by this guest. The policy states, "We reserve the right to adjust the rental rate for the sublease at our discretion. Any discounts in the rental rate will reduce your refund." This policy is generally similar across all property management companies.

• Review fromroy s

  Date: 05/21/2024

  1 star

  roy s

  Date: 05/21/2024

  We rented a 9 bedroom house from Surf or Sound Realty and upon being notified at 537pm the house was clean, inspected and ready to be occupied we found all lies and misleading information. The house was not clean. The master bedroom on floor 2 was totally disassembled, totally. Two toilet bowls were leaking on the floor. No hot water till 6am Sunday morning, the disconnects were pulled in the mechanical room. Counter tops were in need of cleaning and EVERYTHING needed wiping down. 3 very large bags of trash were in the front yard till the day we left. 4 of the 5 trash cans for household trash were full of bed linins, curtains and other house items. Light bulb in all rooms were burnt out and none were repaired while we were there. Complains were taken to the main office in Avon Monday morning to Mr. *********** and no additional repairs reported except the broken toilet seat were taken care of till Friday when we were checking out! Don't use Surf or Sound Realty as this is just a small list of contract breach by Surf or Sound Realty.

  Surf or Sound Realty

  Date: 05/31/2024

  Please know that miscommunications and errors are generally very rare for our housekeeping teams. We are always eager to remedy any concern as soon as it is brought to our attention. Our Operations team responded immediately and stayed at the house late into the evening address the leaseholder’s concerns. These guests were offered financial compensation for their inconvenience with our sincere apologies.

• Review fromNancy A

  Date: 04/22/2024

  5 stars

  Nancy A

  Date: 04/22/2024

  Wendy, with Surf or Sound Realty, has been a wonderful delight to work with in arranging my family beach trip for this year 2024. I wasn’t expecting to be going this early in the year, but this home was available and we said: “Let’s do it.” And Wendy was right there and helped me work out all the details. Yay! Thanks so much. Surf or Sound Realty has been our best go to Realty to find the perfect house each year for us. The homes are clean, furnished, and wonderful. Give them a try. You won’t be disappointed. *****

  Surf or Sound Realty

  Date: 05/30/2024

  We are so grateful for your wonderful compliments and this amazing 5-star review, Nancy! We will be sure to share your kind words with Wendy! Thank you for this heartfelt endorsement. Your recommendation means the world to us!

• Review fromJessi E

  Date: 04/03/2024

  1 star

  Jessi E

  Date: 04/03/2024

  BED BUG INFESTATION! Please do not use this company or rent their homes! Our family visited ***** for spring break 2024 and rented home #*** ******* **** 48 hours into our stay, one of the children woke up covered head to toe in bites. We immediately called Surf or Sound, who sent Outer ***** **** *******, who found a bed bug infestation in 3 out of the 5 bedrooms. They highly recommended we leave the home. I contacted Surf or Sound and spoke to Orville, property manager, who stated "bed bugs happen" and there is nothing he can do and that we "aren't the only people who have bed bugs right now". He offered our family of 10, 2 air mattresses to put on the floor in the living room to sleep on for the next 5 days and that they "will have the bugs cleaned up in a few days!" So, his answer was, stay in the infested home, on 2 air mattresses for 10 people, no clothes, no linen, 1 bathroom to share while they "bombed" the home!! I asked Orville if this seemed appropriate to him and asked him if he would stay in a bed bug infested home on air mattresses and his reply was "no". He also stated that he wasn't willing to put us into another home because our family is "a risk" and we may have brought the bed bugs! Even though the professionals stated that the bugs were there for over a year, and nobody had bites until we arrived to this unkept home. We came to the Outer Banks "not a risk" and were made a risk because of Surf or Sound's dirty home and lack of inspection before guests arrive. This was a problem they created and abandoned our family in result of their negligence. Orville also recommended we call ******** ****** or ****** to book one of their homes since he was unwilling to put our family in another one of their rentals! Orville refused to give us his manager's name and contact information. He refused to give us the inspection he claimed was done prior to our arrival. He claims this is all private property and he would not be giving it to us. Disgusting

  Surf or Sound Realty

  Date: 04/08/2024

  Please know that everyone here has great sympathy for the disruption and disappointment that can be experienced in the wake of this kind of discovery. Please also know that we disagree with many of the statements made in this review. While we offer a variety of options, this family chose to accept our offer of a full refund. There was no knowledge of any issues prior to this stay, and the entire property was promptly treated.

• Review fromHeather M

  Date: 12/23/2023

  1 star
  I reserved with Surf or Sound Realty back in August and put down a reserved deposit, at the time I was told that deposit was refundable. I had until today (12/23/2023) till 4:00pm to cancel and get my deposit back. On 12/22/2023, myself and a friend attempted to put in our credit cards to confirm our reservation, at that time we noticed several extra charges were being added to our total amount, I knew there would be a surcharge, but every time we put in a card? That does not seem right. So, this morning at 9:00am I called to cancel our reservation and get my deposit back and they notified me that the only thing they could do is transfer that deposit to another property or forfeit my deposit. I've already contacted my bank and now just have to wait until Tuesday because of the Holiday weekend coming up, but I'm not going to let this go. I would just advise anyone that is looking to rent maybe look into other Realtors to rent from.

• Review fromJenny W

  Date: 11/16/2023

  1 star

  Jenny W

  Date: 11/16/2023

  We stayed at ****** ***** with Surf or Sounds and it was absolutely not as advertised. It is in shocking disrepair; all the dishes were dirty, the dishwasher is ineffective even when loaded carefully with prescrubbed dishes. The front door is rotten as is the floor between the “bay” Window and the slider. The house is in incredible disrepair. We are Leaving one day early because there are roaches, we have to protect our dogs from feral cats, the house is intrinsically unclean and without any sort of continued care, and we spent ****** this week for this house which should be criminal. And there is no real beach view. Nor are there 2 king beds in the master room. It is suitable for 2 people who don’t give a crap about cleanliness or their pets’ health.

  Surf or Sound Realty

  Date: 11/20/2023

  Please know that we are always eager to remedy any concern as soon as it is brought to our attention. Our records show no reports of dissatisfaction during this stay. Oversights by our housekeeping teams are very rare, but if any occur, we are glad to return and provide additional cleaning. We also appreciate the opportunity to share this guest’s suggestions for upgrades and improvements with the owner of the home. The views from the home are clearly shown in several photos accompanying the listing. This home is extremely popular as it provides four bedrooms and bedding for 10. While we are dismayed to learn of this guest’s disappointment, we hope that she will grant us the chance to restore her trust and enthusiasm by helping match her with a premier home that perfectly matches her family’s every need and desire.

• Review fromDennis L

  Date: 11/15/2023

  1 star
  The only factor that keeps us from rating Jekyll’s ******* a complete 0 (zero) is the location. Everything else about this Surf or Sound property was unacceptable and the property should not have been rented in the condition we encountered upon arrival. Our issues were significant and too great to list. We spent the first four days with trades people in and around the house, fixing issues that should have been addressed before allowing anyone in. The property was not clean, had safety concerns, and was in general disrepair. We notified Surf or Sound of these issues immediately. By the end of the fourth day most had been addressed, but the result was that we had the first 4 days of our vacation continuously interrupted. Several trades people told us of ongoing problems the property has experienced and, in their words, “it is an embarrassment.” We met with the property manager and requested a refund in consideration of our 4 days of inconvenience. We received a form letter rejecting our request. This company had no concern for the four days of our vacation lost due to their lack of maintaining a clean and safe property. We are totally disappointed with Surf or Sound.