■ One PA Couple Finds OBX to be Perfect Winter Roost

Snowbirds are typically defined in one of two ways. The first being a widespread and variable type of sparrow with grey or brown upper parts and a white belly.

These birds are known for their sudden appearance at winter bird stations and when they appear, it is a sure sign of winter. The other definition, perhaps one that is more informal but just as common, is a person who moves to a warmer climate every winter. Here on the East Coast, we typically associate these migrations with the state of Florida, where snowbirds (of the human variety) flock in great numbers.

But some northerners prefer not to travel so far southward and have found the Outer Banks to be the perfect wintering spot to escape the harsher weather of the north. Take Ed and Carol Wigfield, for example. They split the year between the home that they own in the foothills of the Poconos and their winter rental home in Southern Shores. They have found a perfect, cozy, three-bedroom home in the Chicahauk neighborhood to escape the last four, cold northern winters.

Ed and Carol Wigfield

■ Why the Outer Banks?

“We’ve been to Florida,” Ed jokes. “There are too many old people there. And it is far warmer here than it is up north.” In fact, he estimates it’s about 10 to 15 degrees warmer on the Outer Banks than in Pennsylvania. If it does snow here, their Outer Banks neighbors typically tease them for “bringing the snow down.”

Their winter residence is part of Southern Shores Realty’s “winter rental” program, explains rental property manager Patrina Chappelle. Regarding the winter rentals Chappelle said, “We do have some tenants who are here to escape the cold months up north. They don’t want to deal with the northern winters and, here, you don’t have to own a snow blower or even a snow shovel.”  Conveniently, the Wigfields are snowbirds when the rental rates are at their lowest from the first of November through the end of April. (Once the prime season begins, weekly renters will have to pay for one week, three times what the Wigfields are paying for an entire month.)

Chappelle adds, “winter rentals are also a great consideration for the Outer Banks resident who cannot live in their own home during major renovations. They get a chance to splurge on an oceanfront or soundfront home with all the amenities while they wait for their home to be renovated.” Finding a winter renter is a huge bonus for the owners of the homes as well. Instead of worrying about pipes freezing or off-season break-ins, they have a responsible tenant paying utilities and generating income when the home would otherwise sit vacant.

For the Wigfields, the Outer Banks is the perfect location for winters. The couple is seven hours from their hometown and five of their six children, who live near Allentown. “It’s not too far away from home which allows occasional visits from their children and grandchildren. Plus, we have been vacationing here since the early 1990s, so we feel at home here,” Ed says, adding that they also own a timeshare at Barrier Island Station.

While Ed admits that he and Carol are not big golfers, they do love to go beachcombing during the winter months and recently bought bicycles so they can bike along the streets of Chicahauk during the mild winter days. Try either of those activities in January in the Poconos!

While they are here, they find plenty to keep them busy and they also spend a large amount of their time giving back to their winter home community. Ed volunteers at the Wright Brothers Memorial three days a week. Carol volunteers with a group of more than 60 other women in Project Linus, a national organization that sews quilts for critically ill children. Carol uses a loft bedroom in their Chicahauk home as her sewing room and on average will create a child-sized quilt every week. The group meets once a week to share supplies and ideas. “She never stops,” says Ed. The couple is also very involved in Still Waters Baptist Church in Nags Head. “We love our church here and they are like family to us,” he said.

Before they know it, it is time for Ed and Carol to head back to Pennsylvania at the end of April. “We are older folks, so we are easily pleased,” he concluded. “And we love the area and the people here.” Photography by Susan Selig Classen

The winter rental program is not to be confused with “long-term” or year-round rental homes. Chappelle estimates that the agency has just over 100 homes in its long-term rental program. There is a huge demand for more long-term rentals on the Outer Banks, Chappelle said, “whether tenants can’t qualify for a mortgage, are just moving to the area, or having a home built, we are always looking for more homes to rent.”

Author: Michelle Wagner

Michelle Wagner has been living and writing on the Outer Banks for over 15 years.