As heard on The Debbie Nigro Show
There’s a hot new real estate migration trend picking up steam among Northeasterners and former Floridians: they’re becoming “Halfbacks”—people who moved to Florida, found it a little too much (too hot, too humid, too everything), and are now settling halfway back up the East Coast. Their happy medium? Coastal North Carolina.
On The Debbie Nigro Show, I got the inside scoop from Jason Faulkner, General Manager of Kingfish Bay Development in Calabash, NC—one of the fastest-growing destinations for these lifestyle-minded movers that’s just minutes from Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle.
They recently won a prestigious ‘Best Outdoor Living Award’ in their price category for their exceptional integration of indoor-outdoor living spaces from the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association. (Jason is second from the right in the group shot)
Key Takeaways:
Halfbacks Are Flocking In: Retirees and pre-retirees from New York, New Jersey, Boston, Philly, and Florida are relocating to Calabash for its mild four seasons, coastal charm, and resort-style living.
Kingfish Bay Is Hitting the Sweet Spot: Award-winning home styles, riverfront views, private beach club access (with actual parking!), and outdoor living spaces with pools, porches, fireplaces, are what people seem to want. They also are drawn to a great fitness center, the tropical pool complex, fishing pier, outdoor amenities—and pickleball nearby for the fans.
Laid-Back, Not Boring: Calabash is just minutes from Myrtle Beach and close to Wilmington, giving residents easy access to top-notch golf, restaurants, entertainment, and healthcare.
There was one question I just had to ask Jason on behalf of some women I know. How’s the hair weather there?
“You know there are women who would not intentionally move to a place with bad hair weather. Just saying.” – Debbie Nigro 😄
That issue is neither ‘hair nor there’ for most people wanting to flee the Florida heat or looking to trade in snow boots for flip-flops – they just agree the the “halfway back” lifestyle trend might be a welcome next move.
If you’re interested here’s a website link to Kingfish Bay Development in Calabash NC: kingfishbaydevelopment.com
Enjoy this podcast of my live conversation about the ‘half back’ real estate migration trend with Jason Faulkner General Manager of Kingfish Bay Development in Calabash, NC on The Debbie Nigro Show.
If you’d rather read than listen the transcript of the audio is below.
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AUDIO TRANSCRIPT:
And now, back to the Debbie Nigro Show!
Ah, we got good vibrations going on the show today. All good vibes. Hi everybody, I’m Debbie Nigro. I only invite cool people to join me on the show who are up on trends that I need to know more about and that I figured you guys should know more about. So we’re going to talk to my next guest in a second when I just give you a little heads up about why he is here. Okay. I have
0:00:53
(Speaker 1)
a lot of friends from this area of the world, the Northeast, you know, where we live and broadcast live from. I’m actually broadcasting from Greenwich, Connecticut. I live in New York. I have friends all from around here who, instead of moving to Florida, have moved to North Carolina or who went to Florida and decided to come back and like, you know, that’s a little too hot, that’s a little too cold. I’m going to go halfway. So these halfway backs, there’s actually these people, halfway backs, are settling in a very world and Jason Faulkner who you’re about to meet who’s the general manager of Kingfish Bay Development which is in Calabash, North Carolina is welcoming them open arms because
0:01:29
(Speaker 1)
he’s got all the properties there people are buying, okay? Kind of resort style living, not you know really retirement like he’s winning awards Kingfish Bay just won two big awards for their home styles. So we’re going to learn a little bit more and say hello. Hey Jason, welcome. Hey Debbie, how are you today? Wonderful. Nice having you. I know you’re busy down there making people happy. Are you
0:01:52
(Speaker 5)
there?
0:01:53
(Speaker 2)
I am. I’m sorry. I hear stuff in the background.
0:01:58
(Speaker 1)
Okay. Well, it’s not coming from here. Are you on a regular phone?
0:02:02
(Speaker 2)
Yes.
0:02:03
(Speaker 1)
Okay. My engineer is frantically trying to figure out what you’re hearing besides you.
0:02:06
(Speaker 2)
I’m hearing Verizon commercial.
0:02:08
(Speaker 1)
You’re hearing a Verizon commercial?
0:02:09
(Speaker 4)
Yes.
0:02:10
(Speaker 1)
He’s trying to get rid of it now. I don’t know if you can ignore him because this doesn’t usually happen on this very professional show.
0:02:17
(Speaker 2)
There we go. I got you now.
0:02:19
(Speaker 1)
Oh my gosh. Did you get it, just the just I gave you a lot of love and the big welcome about how fabulous you are, that Kingfish Bay is, the whole development company is winning awards and you guys are the ones, the kings welcoming people to North Carolina. So are you from there originally yourself, Jason?
0:02:36
(Speaker 2)
No, I’m not. I’m actually from New Mexico, actually.
0:02:39
(Speaker 3)
Oh, I was wondering.
0:02:40
(Speaker 2)
I moved west about 30 years ago.
0:02:42
(Speaker 1)
I mean, east about 30 years ago, I mean east about 30 years ago. I always wanted to get to New Mexico. I didn’t hit that one yet. But I also have been fascinated with the North Carolina, if you will, migration. People migrating from south, migrating north. And I’ve been told the quality of life there is kind of just right. Is that what you are selling?
0:03:01
(Speaker 2)
Yes, absolutely. The seasons, we actually have four seasons compared to Florida and we’ve got a nice laid back lifestyle along the coast and it’s really a great place to be.
0:03:14
(Speaker 1)
I’m listening to your tone and I must be giving you anxiety because you’re much more laid back and I’m over here whipping it up in New York. I might give you a heart attack if I move near you. What kinds of people are moving there? In terms of what are people looking for when they come talk to you? What are you seeing as a trend, if you will?
0:03:31
(Speaker 2)
Yeah. So when they come to Kingfish Bay, they’re looking for that laid-back lifestyle. They’re looking for something to do outdoors. They’re looking to not be in the constant summer of Florida and not the constant winter of the north. And they’re coming to see us and enjoy riverfront amenities, nice clubhouse, enjoy the ocean, nice fishing town that Kalabash is, and just kind of a, like I said, kind of a laid back area.
0:04:01
(Speaker 1)
I like fishing myself. Do you fish? I try. I like fishing myself. Do you fish?
0:04:05
(Speaker 2)
I try.
0:04:06
(Speaker 1)
I really like catching. The whole river, and I’ve been putting up some pictures of what you guys are doing, it seems like really mellow. But I’m looking at that and I’m thinking, are there bugs there? Because I’m a little neurotic. Are there a lot of bugs around those rivers?
0:04:25
(Speaker 1)
Is it humid? What is the weather like now, today, in North Carolina?
0:04:29
(Speaker 2)
Sure. Today it’s in the low 80s and it’s a little humid outside. So we still have that southern weather, but it doesn’t last as long.
0:04:41
(Speaker 1)
Oh, that’s good. You know, there are women who would not move in a place that has bad hair weather. I just want to let you know. Okay? So, one of your lures would be like, we have mostly good hair weather here and you’d have all the women coming down from the east and the south. Outdoor lifestyle, you’re selling it.
0:04:59
(Speaker 1)
One of the awards you won was for your, was it Palm Beach style home? I love that. The resort designs and everything looks like you’re dying to move in and just live like that. Who’s the designer? You have a special designer on call there? How do you guys do this?
0:05:16
(Speaker 2)
So a lot of it’s done in-house. So we’ve got a team of professionals that are real creative. And the style of the home was taken from Florida, Caribbean-style architecture. And we’ve just incorporated that into every house plan that we have. So, nice colors, nice features. And you were talking about the Palm Beach. It’s a beautiful courtyard plan. It’s got a courtyard in the middle of the house and it’s got a pool. We use lots of large windows and large doors to bring
0:05:49
(Speaker 2)
the outdoors kind of inside, the natural light, the outdoor living back into the house. Nice open floor plans. Makes for a really relaxing lifestyle in the architecture.
0:06:01
(Speaker 1)
Do you live in one of those houses yourself? I do not. Oh, I would. There are plenty that I would love to have. Do you live in one of those houses yourself? I do not. Oh, I would.
0:06:06
(Speaker 2)
There are plenty that I would love to have.
0:06:09
(Speaker 1)
Oh, man. And, you know, some people like the idea of living in a community. Is it a community or is it sort of a like-minded people lifestyle where it’s not like over the top where people know everybody else’s business?
0:06:25
(Speaker 2)
I don’t really know how to answer the question, but I’ll say that the homeowners have a lot of things in common in that they enjoy riverfront living, they enjoy the beach, they enjoy the ocean, they enjoy using the amenities that are within the community. So they interact a lot with each other. They seem to get along and respect each other significantly.
0:06:52
(Speaker 2)
It’s really nice to live in. It is a gated community, but it’s really nice for me, working here, to see the people using what their association pays for.
0:07:02
(Speaker 1)
Oh, it’s fantastic. So, you know, you got the award, as I understand, for best outdoor living home, meaning that people are enjoying being outside as much as being inside, yes? Correct. Yeah. So what do most people have outside their homes? Because I kill to be outside.
0:07:22
(Speaker 1)
The first breath of air we get here in the Northeast, I want to be outside my house, not inside my house.
0:07:28
(Speaker 2)
What’s outside? Dr. Robert Redford Sure. Sure. A lot of our architectural designs have nice covered porches in the back, some on the front. We’ve got some beautiful views of natural areas, the river, and then we offer a lot of outdoor fireplaces or plunge pools and private pools in your own backyard or courtyard.
0:07:51
(Speaker 1)
I was really drawn to what I was looking at that you guys have created. And what I was reading is that it’s riverfront living, but it’s also minutes from Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle, so you’re very close to the beach. Wow! Like this is how this is coastal living at its finest as I am looking here and reading about you guys and have been educated and you know it’s I think people are drawn to the whole coastal trend but also worry about weather these
0:08:18
(Speaker 1)
days. Can you speak to that just for a little bit about you know where you’re positioned as opposed to being like right
0:08:25
(Speaker 2)
on beachfront being an upside? Yeah well I mean slightly off the beachfront does help if there’s ever adverse weather you know hurricane come through. Yeah. A lot of the hurricanes do turn and miss this area which is positive as well. We’re not without our storms occasionally, but it’s not an annual event. And so we’re positioned pretty nice. And you mentioned the beach and being close to Sunset Beach. One of the wonderful amenities we have is a beach club right on the beach, on Sunset
0:08:58
(Speaker 2)
Beach. It’d be the last one of its kind that can be built. And we’ve got our own private parking, which is fantastic because Sunset Beach is a busy beach and parking is a premium. And so for our residents to be able to go park at a house, take showers, use the kitchen, hang out on the decks, go to the beach, and not have to worry about paying
0:09:20
(Speaker 1)
additional for parking, it’s a fantastic deal. That’s a big sales pitch right there. Anybody who loves the beach doesn’t, you know, hasn’t heard about parking. You have your own private access. You’ve done a great job of making me want to buy one of your houses. I swear to you, this is, I’m like, this is exactly what I want. And Fire Pits, a bocce ball court, I thought that was kind of fun, that you have a bocce ball court. There’s fishing and there’s viewing decks and you’ve got a pier and an owner’s clubhouse with a cinema room and a fitness center and a lounge and catering kitchen and a lush tropical
0:09:50
(Speaker 1)
pool complex with a hot tub and gathering. Sounds good to me. What about pickleball? Anybody playing pickleball down there? That seems to be huge.
0:09:58
(Speaker 2)
Yeah, there’s a lot of people playing pickleball. We don’t have pickleball inside the community, but there’s some courts less than five minutes away. I believe there’s a club too within the community that plays
0:10:10
(Speaker 1)
pickleball. This is nice. Jason Faulkner is who I’m talking to, by the way. He’s the general manager of Kingfish Bay Development located in Calabash, North Carolina. They’re part of embracing a trend here, which we’re calling half way backs, half backs. People who moved to Florida then realize, ah, it’s too much, too hot, I need something halfway,
0:10:31
(Speaker 1)
and are coming back up. But I imagine there are people from all over who have found their way to you guys. Is there some sort of grid you guys have printed out where everybody’s coming from that are buying your homes, like where you’re drawing buyers from?
0:10:46
(Speaker 2)
Yeah, well, grid, so to speak, sure. We’ve got a lot of people coming from New York, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, as well as Ohio, starting to see some people from California come out, and then we’ve got the halfbacks that you talk about, people coming up from Florida that originally were from the north and then moved South and come back part way. One to be a little bit closer to family, but primarily to get out of the hot, humid summers
0:11:17
(Speaker 2)
that last forever.
0:11:18
(Speaker 1)
Yeah. What about entertainment, music, nightlife? Is there anything around you guys with that?
0:11:24
(Speaker 2)
Well, so the Grand Strand, we call it, the Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach area is super close to us. Wilmington, you know, North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach is 10, 15 minutes away. Wilmington’s another 45 minutes away, but we’ve got plenty of activities for family. We’ve got all the tourist destinations and restaurants that you can imagine up through the Grand Strand in close proximity, and then we’ve got the nice bigger city of Wilmington
0:11:52
(Speaker 2)
not far away either. So we’ve got all kinds of stuff going on. You can imagine Myrtle Beach. Most people in the North know Myrtle Beach. They come down here frequently.
0:12:02
(Speaker 1)
I’ll tell you, the first time I went to Myrtle Beach, I flew down with my daughter. She was in a cheerleading competition. That was where it was held, right? And I get in the airport and we’re getting, we take a plane, going to get our luggage. I could not believe how many golf clubs were coming off the airport luggage rack. I’m like, are you kidding me? That’s all anybody does is fly their golf clubs down there.
0:12:25
(Speaker 1)
It’s crazy.
0:12:26
(Speaker 2)
Yeah. Yeah, it’s big business here. There’s over 80 courses from Georgetown, South Carolina, all the way up through Ocean Isle Beach. You can’t go very far without finding a couple.
0:12:40
(Speaker 1)
I know. On the subject of children, are people who are moving to North Carolina and looking for this life job, do they want kids there or they’d rather just visit like once in a blue moon?
0:12:53
(Speaker 2)
That’s hard to say. I mean, we found some great people in this neighborhood that are welcoming of the children. We don’t have very many families that live in here but we do have a few. Our primary buyer is a retiree, pre-retiree. Maybe this is a second home for somebody. But there are a few families in here full time. But you know, summertime is a great time for families to come visit family.
0:13:18
(Speaker 1)
Yeah, just come visit and then they go and all the adults, the older adults party. Okay, this has been a lovely introduction to a world that I was more curious about and why everybody’s going to North Carolina. Jason Faulkner, General Manager for Kingfish Bay Development located in Calabash, North Carolina. How can people find out more about you?
0:13:38
(Speaker 1)
What’s your website?
0:13:39
(Speaker 2)
KingfishBayDevelopment.com. Awesome.
0:13:41
(Speaker 1)
Come on down, Debbie. We’d love to have you. I’m thinking I’m coming down Jason. It sounds like we could have a good time down there, me and you. Alright, wonderful meeting you. Have a great rest of your day.
0:13:52
(Speaker 2)
You too. You too.
0:13:53
(Speaker 1)
Take care Debbie.
