have been vacationing in Topsail for over 20 years, and unfortunately this home, rented through Ward Realty, did not meet our expectations. The standard checkout time is 10:00 a.m. and check-in is 3:00 p.m. We received a notification that the home was ready for check-in at noon, which meant there were only about two hours between the previous guests checking out and our arrival. Based on the condition of the home, it appeared the cleaning was rushed. (We did not ask for an earlier check in). There were stains on the walls, carpet, and baseboards. The floors were dusty and sticky in several areas, and the overall cleanliness fell well below what we expected. Outside, the picnic table was unstable, and the front porch railing was noticeably loose. We were uncomfortable using the porch because it did not feel secure. The photos of the listing are also not accurate of the current state of the property. The furniture is not the same. The listing does not reflect what you are truly renting. (Fun n the Sun) Overall, the property appears to be in need of both a thorough deep cleaning and some maintenance and updates. This is now the second time our family has rented from Ward Realty (last February) and the property was dirty and not as advertised. So much so that my parents had to ask for a replacement sofa because of how bad of shape the furniture was in. My parents left a negative review about this property as well but it was not posted on the listing. Which is unethical. We went multiple times throughout the year at Topsail, we will never rent from Ward Realty again. We have always had positive experiences vacationing in Topsail, so this stay was disappointing. Given Ward Realty's reputation, we expected the property to be in much better condition. read more

There's a reason Ward Realty has such a strong reputation on the island--they are organized, professional, and provide excellent customer service. During our stay, the air conditioner stopped working. While we got a bit of a runaround initially due to the late hour, the service couldn't be completed until the following day. Throughout the process, Ward Realty was attentive, communicative, and accommodating, which made the situation much easier to handle. Aside from that hiccup, we walked into a clean, well-maintained house on our first day, and everything was exactly as described. Booking and check-in were seamless, and the staff made the entire process feel effortless. We look forward to rebooking with Ward Realty in the future--they make island rentals worry-free and enjoyable! read more

Very Professional and hopeful. I have rented from Ward's for many years and have had great experiences.

Great customer service both before we booked our rental and after. Very helpful staff with our every request.

I have rented from ward reality for the last ten years and we have always had a great experience. the staff was great and always found us the perfect house to rent. dan d. read more

The house as was not maintained or clean. Items that were advertised were not usable such as washer and dryer. They were full of mold and inoperable. The advertised grill was filthy and had no propane. Do not rent from them. They are by far the absolute worst place we have rented from! read more

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Here goes yall...we have stayed with this company 4 times now. 2 were ok but not perfect and 2 were less than ideal. The houses themselves were ok. This last week we stayed in a condo that we've been in before in Surf City and it was not clean. When I called them I got a response of what do you want me to do. No I'm sorry no that's terrible nothing. Finally got to speak to housekeeping who was the nicest lady and informed me she would get me back my housecleaning fee. The pool wasn't open when we arrived and when I asked about it they tried to get me to call the HOA I refused and told them that was their job. Didn't hear back from them but the housekeeping manager made it a point to call me back and inform me what was going on with the pool. I know good help is hard to find but for what I paid I didnt expect to come in and find clothes with bowel movement in cabinets, all the pans dirty and giant chunks of glass in the floor. read more

Ward Realty - Dirty dishes from cabinets - Real Estate Services Near Me - Surf City, North Carolina

Ward Realty is the worst property management company we have ever worked with. They are very unprofessional, incompetent, money hungry people who treat their customers horribly. Each time we tried to bring resolution to a problem, they treated us like we were the problem instead of resolving issues which should have never occurred in the first place. We are hoping to prevent this from happening to others by letting you know that there are many other property management companies to chose from. Therese Moorefield, the new property manager from Myrtle Beach is useless. She claims to have 26 years of experience, but she has No Idea what true customer service is at all! She is the worst! She has proven to be very unpleasant, incompetent, unprofessional and ignorant. We also know several people who worked for Ward Realty and they have honestly informed us that they are trained to do as little as possible when it comes to cleaning the houses. "We are loaded down with houses to clean and we try to clean as quickly as possible in order to get done with all of our houses." Is what one cleaner told us. We didn't know until we arrived late Summer, but our house was left filthy all Summer long while we paid for housekeeping services each week. When we complained, we were treated as though we were the problem. If you decide to visit Topsail Island, NC, save yourself a headache, a ruined vacation and some money by not allowing Ward Realty to manage your property and Please Do Not Rent from them! Disgusting!! read more

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My wife and I rented Mystic Blue in North Topsail to bring our 8 month old on his first beach trip. Unfortunately when we arrived the house was absolutely disgusting and unsanitary for anyone and especially not an 8 month old. There was a rotten shrimp stench as soon as we walked in the door, a multitude of flies buzzing around. We continued to uncover more grime, months worth of dust was built up on the vents, hardened food on the silverware and the fridge smelled awful as well. We spent 3 hours trying to clean it to be sanitary enough to stay then we looked at our feet and they were black from the grime on the floor so we left. Don't waste your time with these clowns, drove 5 hours to go on a vacation just to have to turn around and go home. read more

I spent a week at the Sail Inn and except for the punctured tire, it was a good stay. The driveway has landscape timbers that are held in place with rebar and one of the timbers had rotted away leaving a piece of 4" rebar sticking up. As I was backing out of the driveway my tire hit the rebar and became punctured. It took two plugs to fix my tire!!! I contacted the realty office and they said they would send someone out to remove the rebar and they would have the property manager contact me about paying for my damaged tire. The handyman came out but I never heard from the property manager. Even the handyman said the tire repair should be paid for by the realty company. I am not sure I would rent from Ward Realty again since they don't honor their word!!! read more

1st time renting from Ward realty, and will be the last! We rented same house as last year(different realty), wow ! The quality of the house has really deterioted. Black mold in several areas, leaks in condensate line from a/c units, a/c not cooling on 2nd floor, and broken furniture. The leak was called in the 1st day, 8-3-24, still waiting for maintainance to respond. I wrote a complete email to Ward realty NO RESPONSE! We spent almost 7000.00 for this read more

DO NOT rent from Ward Realty: After reviewing the pictures of the properties online, we were looking forward to spending the week in the beachfront homes (Fins to the Left and Fins to the Right). However, upon arrival, we were shocked and disappointed to find that the properties are not as advertised. Online images of the rentals show renovated and clean properties. In reality, the properties are outdated, dirty, and have significant damage in every room. List of issues include: Water damage on ceilings Cracked ceilings Holes in the ceiling Peeling paint A door that does not shut Doorknob that fell off upon use Broken chair Broken Mirror (both top and bottom) Chairs that wobble Broken towel rack Unclean showers and bathrooms Rusted shower bars Light switch falling off of the wall What appears to be blood smeared on wallpaper Pilled and worn couches that have not been cleaned Circuit breaker 5 that pops when using the coffee maker Squeaky Beds Uncleaned surface areas around the house In addition, working with their representative was a painful experience. She was adversarial, combative, and refused to provide us with proper financial compensation. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. GO ELSEWHERE! read more

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My wife's family has rented from Ward Realty 3 years in a row. The previous 2 rentals have been a little on the low side of my standards. But, they had some degree of old school NC beach charm. The place we are staying at currently is just run down and basically sucks. The biggest issue is the carpet condition. It's old, soiled and plain worn out. We haven't made a call about it because asking them to replace the carpet seems unrealistic. Other issues exist such as: mattresses with busted springs, crappy/dirty furniture, terrible kitchen ware, shoddy doors etc. For the money paid for a week's stay, this place is totally sub par. Other than it is beach front, I can't think of one positive thing about it. My mother in law said that she was treated pretty unfriendly at check in. This is hear say, but she is not one to be overly dramatic about these things. read more

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These people are nasty to you when you call if there a problem. I just got code to check in and the lock on the door was stuck and I had to go pick up the key from main office and it still did not work. I waited for the repair man to come and repair the lock and I called before that and was told there nothing we can do. This door has had a problem sense January I was told. Very poor customer service. read more

We are coming home from a long weekend rental. The property (Boca North) was beautiful ... but the AC stopped working on the first day on the third floor. It was 88 degrees in the house at its worst. When we contacted Ward, they did not offer to send someone to repair or check the unit. Their only advice was to turn the unit off. By the second day, the unit on the second floor (bedrooms) was trying to compensate for all the heat on the upper level and the middle level was 78 when it was set on 69. When you are the rental agent/property manager, aren't you responsible for calling maintenance? I don't have the homeowner's contact info to reach out to them. You're the only point of contact I have. When you're paying over $400 a night for something, you expect a level of service commensurate with that. They didn't even apologize for the inconvenience or offer any solution. I would not recommend Ward Realty as a rental company based on this experience. read more

Don't go by the pics on their website - very misleading! We rented a home on the beach in Surf City, this was not cheap! It was a lot older than the pics showed. Badly in need of a DEEP CLEANING - surface looks OK until you unpack and start putting things away. THE BATHROOMS ARE A DISGRACE!!!! They are old, they are small - the tub downstairs must be decades old......and does not look like it or the doors have been cleaned since then either. The upstairs is tiny, tiny. Could not take a shower up there because the doors do not move and I did not want to try too hard so I was not standing in shattered glass.......again decades old and disgustingly nasty. Both bathrooms have a metal stand for your items.....they are dirty and RUSTY. So many nice inexpensive things that could be used. Appliances worked, but are old and rusty. Most of the kitchen cabinets need new hinges, when you open a door is has to be wiggled to get it closed. The runner on the sliding door is very dirty. The bed up stairs, which are wide, but steep, on the right - I will say the bed was comfortable........but please throw those things that are supposed to be pillows away - I think they are as old as the showers!! ACCESS to the beach is NOTHING like what is pictured! The sand has obliterated the last set of steps, so you have to walk/slide down the dune and crawl back up! We picked this house because we are seniors of 76 and 80 and what we THOUGHT was easy access to the beach - in the seven days we were there - we went down to the beach twice - rest of the time we just watched it from the deck. I know Ward is not responsible for this - but the traffic is awful - and with only two bridges, it is a disaster waiting to happen. Just trying to get anywhere is a pain. read more

We have rented 4 years through other properties in the Topsail area. We have rented thru VRBO and Homeaway ( beware - Ward Realty advertises thru these internet companies as well) for other vacation rentals. This is the first time I have had to write a bad review. Be aware that we were compensated for half the cost of our stay however the lack of communication has just pushed me over the top. 12 hours of travel ended with our arrival and the nightmare began. Sand on the mattress protector pads had to be shaken out before applying the sheets. Obviously the previous renter's kids slept on the mattress pad with no sheets. Blueberries on the floor in the bedroom. Our 16 year old guest came downstairs to report that after she had taken a shower there was a flood on the floor that I had to clean up with our clean towels. So I went to put the now dirty towels into the washer only to find that i had to clean out the residual dirt and debris. Next came our adult daughter taking a shower downstairs with the complaint of ankle deep water backed up from her shower. The refrigerator was not reaching a CDC recommended chill in the cold compartment for the ENTIRE week. The black mold in the showers had to be cleaned 3 times if you consider prior to our stay and then a 2nd time pretty much ruined my new bath mat with bleach splatter and by the time an awesome tag team of cleaners arrived it was now clean! Back to the refrigerator 46 degrees all week...but as one of the oh so empathetic ladles reminded me "you have a refrigerator to use downstairs", that only had outdoor access and as was discovered had thick black mold around the seal so everytime you opened the door you released black mold spores. We were promised a new refrigerator all week. Even waited for Lowe's to deliver one Wednesday, never happened., hence the refund. The ankle deep water in the shower?? Pulled a ton of hair, dirt, debris and pipe scum. Now runs with no problem! Other minor problems but just so done with it! The biggest thing that encouraged me to leave this review is that we asked for calls regarding scheduling of maintenance a bunch of times! Last straw you ask? Glad you asked! We went to the beach for a final stroll on Saturday afternoon. Our 16 year old FEMALE guests returned to the house as we set out. They stated they were going to get a shower when they got back. We come back to the house after an hour on the beach! The maintenance men had come with a small hotel refrigerator to install for the next day's guests so they wouldn't have to run up and down the outside stairs (probably more likely they didn't want to reimburse them for their trouble or pay for ice as they did for us). So my concern is this...YOU KNEW ALL DAY AT THE LEAST THAT YOU WERE GOING TO INSTALL ANOTHER REFRIGERATOR!!! NO PHONE CALL SO WE COULD PROTECT! OUR 16 YEAR OLD GUESTS AND BE THERE SO YOU WOULDNT PUT YOUR WORKERS IN THE SITUATION OF BEING ALONE WITH 2 16 YEAR OLD GIRLS?? ARE YOU CRAZY? With their entry policy they could have walked in while they were in a towel from their shower. I told the office staff on multiple occasions I wanted phone calls and why. Unbelievable! So I call to complain and the response was "well it's over and done with isn't it?" Say whaaat? You bet it is! We will never stay with Ward Realty again. Oh and we had cockroaches too but apparently they are like ants down here and they're everywhere still disgusting regardless! They did come to spray. And most silverware and dishware was put away dirty. Never washed prior to our arrival and put away dirty. Had to wash all before we could use it. Renter beware for sure with this property management company. read more

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This our 30th year vacationing on east coast. Our 1st and very last renting from Ward! Our arrival to beach houses start with an inspection of the property inside and out. We found this place to be less than acceptable! A partial list of what we found: 1. Trash under restroom sinks and sofa 2. Mold in spickets of showers and restroom sinks 3. Dirt and hair in lower floor shower 4. Loose stair boards and landings on outside 5. Screws and nails sticking out in various locations on outside Not a good environment for small children and ederly! 6. Worn and dirty furniture It is a little upsetting knowing you pay for cleaning in your rental payment! They expect you to clean prior to departure and perhaps this is the only cleaning that is completed! I would not reccomend this Realty Company if planning a trip to the area! Definitely not worth $3,000 read more

I've been renting from them for 10+ years. Always the same type of duplex so I know what to expect. Not a castle but perfectly fine for the money. Until now. The couch is not only disgustingly dirty and ripped but the springs are broken so you sit on s slat or the floor! Only one spot possible to sit in. And a broken rocker. Also there was almost no deck/beach chairs. Two plastic chairs for two decks. No tables. And the beach chairs were there but all broken. We had no internet or tv all weekend. Told it was a Charter TV issue. Yet on Monday a Ward employee came and fixed it?? Less important were the stains on the comforters, stains on the MBR ceiling etc. I went to the Ward office in person to speak with the manager. She was "on the phone". Someone took my list, my name and number and told me the mgr would call me. Well you know I haven't heard a word! I will seriously consider VRBO next year and so will the two other families we now bring with us. read more

Working in customer experience, I know just how difficult it is to please people. Ward realty has gone out of their way to truly make sure that my stay was excellent. Each detail of my stay was clear and there were no surprises. The house was clean and surpassed expectations. All communication was pleasant and professional. We look forward to the next time. read more

Overall nightmare with these guys, our personal realtor was a nice guy and all but they fed us a bunch of bullshit that wasn't true and made up a bunch of stuff to keep the security deposit read more

I have rented from Ward Realty the past 5 years. I have found them to have great customer service. Also if we have had a minor issue ( toaster breaking ) they have responded quickly. I have already booked my house for 2018 with Ward. read more

I rented for a work trip where the convenience of a apt/condo is much better than that of a hotel. Tonight I started the packing process since I leave tomorrow. Well let me tell you... convenience is not in the Ward Realty vocabulary.. Here is my list of inconvenient things, in no particular order: 1. Sheets and towels are not provided. Okay- so you have to rent them. For two sets of sheets and two sets of towels (that don't wrap around a normal sized adult) $58. Also don't forget you have to make your own bed because they are just dropped on your bed in a Saran wrapped package. 2. Not sure if I should stick to the 'things not provided' category or the 'bedding' category.. I'll go with things not provided. Toilet paper (thank you to the last person who left a half of a roll, you're a rockstar), garbage bags (you don't even need to provide multiple bags- I could have just used one!) but this is helpful when you demand all garbage must be taken down to the dumpster. I understand cleaning up after yourself. I used to be a Girl Scout and learned that you always leave a place better than you found it, but how about a trash bag? Also, didn't I have to pay some sort of cleaning fee? I think so.. I hope it gets reimbursed as my hourly rate for being the Ward Realty housekeeper. 3. Cleaning includes taking your $60 rented linens off your bed, and replacing the pillows and comforters back on the bed as you found them. Let's hold on one quick second. This sounds a lot like you don't actually wash the comforters on the bed, you just lay them back on the bed for your next guest to make their own bed. Also sounds like for the last seven days I've slept in someone else's dirty bedding. DISGUSTING. 4. Let's take it back to the garbage thing. IF it's your lucky day, you get to push the dumpsters (or as you call them 'trash carts') to the edge of the street. That's a joke, right? It's gotta be... I'm glad I'm leaving on a Sunday, and not a Tuesday otherwise I'd have to find out. Isn't there a maintenance person that could be a pal and take this task off of everyone's hands..?? 5. Stay off the grass. So there's a little area out front by the road with a 'keep off grass' sign, and the entire courtyard is filled with them. The picnic table has been moved to the parking lot which is always a safe, alternative location for a family picnic. Nobody is allowed to step foot on the grass, which means you can't lay a blanket down to layout in the sunshine, your kids can't play catch or run around outside.. I mean they could, but they'd be standing on the cement. And then when they run and trip and fall and scrape their knees, you'll wish you weren't on vacation anymore. 5. The toilet runs every ten or so minutes.. hope you can sleep through anything otherwise you'll be up all night long! So moral of the story- bring your own sheets, towels, comforters, blankets, trash bags, toilet paper, pillows, soap, paper towels, and kitchen utensils that may or may not be supplied. (Oh and definitely bring scissors- none provided.) I gave this place a 2 star rating because I didn't have to paint walls or replace carpet before I left. This was a less than stellar experience that I will not be sad to never relive.. read more

We rented from them 3 times- the last time in August 2019. They are "okay". The properties are also "okay". None are really maintained well so when you arrive at your rental it's a crap shoot. I've specifically asked for things to be checked out before I arrived it's not been done- they do the bare minimum. Luckily I've not had any major issues but if I did I'm sure I'd been the one out $$$. Most of the rentals are tired and need updates- they show the wear of being rentals. Ward's cleaning is a joke. I bring my own towels and sheets and comforters. Theirs look like they've never been washed. Maybe they were white once- nasty! Also they do not post negative reviews on the property listings- just the good ones. I know because I stayed in a terrible one last year and wrote a terrible review and it never appeared. I happened to meet the family staying at that house this year and they were less than impressed with the house as they should be- it's awful but you'd never know it because there are no reviews up for it on the Ward site. read more

I wish I had looked at these reviews before I used Ward Reality, because apparently their customer service has not improved over the years. The property was a good rental, but Ward's Reality was not. When we arrived, the code we were given would not open the door.  So I called the office and was met with a very nasty girl who at first tried to help me get the door opened but when it did not work, she told me that it was "not her problem".  I responded that it was not my problem, she put me on hold and returned with a better attitude, but at that point I was very frustrated.  This was not good customer service.  On Tuesday, with all the rain a link started in one of the bedrooms, right over the queen bed.  My daughter and husband had to get out of the bed, strip the sheets and find another bed to sleep in which put another person on a couch.  We called the next day to report it, and they told me they would send someone out and could the bed be moved away from the link, no it could not.  I waited a few hours and had to call back at which time they sent someone out who told us that it was probably not from inside the house and they would get back to us.  No response that day and into the afternoon of the next day, when I called them back and they sent another guy .  We called the next day to report it and they told me they would send someone out and could the bed be moved away from the link, no it could not.  I waited a few hours and had to call back at which time they sent someone out who told us that it was probably not from inside the house and they would get back to us.  No response that day and into the afternoon of the next day, when I called them back and they sent another guy over who confirmed it was not inside, but probably the roof and someone would get back to me.  They never did and as a result one of my guests had to sleep on the couch.  This is not what I paid for.  No attempt was made to keep us updated on what was going on.  They were lucky it did not rain again while we were there.  This is poor customer service.  We did like the property but customer service is important for me and this was anything but good customer service.  So I will not be using Ward Reality again. read more

I was extremely dissatisfied with the response to safety concerns during my time on the property. Rather than trying to ensure guests felt safe during the stay, the property manager, Tommi Allen, did not listen to our concerns but rather spewed false information which is contradicted by video; defended a racist contractor who demanded my son perform work he was hired to perform on the premises; blamed my son for violent threats made including brandishing of a weapon even though video disputes Ms. Allen's version of what occurred; stated that she knew the contractor and he would never threaten to back into someone's car when there is video of him backing towards the car after the threats were made; and trying to get my children's personal information including name, rank, and address under the guise of free giveaways from Ward Realty and then stating she would refer the matter to the Inspector General presumably using the information she unsuccessfully tried to obtain using false pretenses. The important facts are not disputed: a contractor hired to perform work on the property during the stay refused to move his vehicle so a guest could park, requested that a guest perform the work he was hired to perform, acted aggressively when guests attempted to move their vehicle, and brandished a weapon towards unarmed guests on the property. The inability to hire professional contractors and to schedule work outside of a guests' stay is unacceptable, but the liability associated with the personnel hired is going to increase now that the company is on notice of its negligent hiring and other practices. It is unclear whether the appropriate background checks were made by the company prior to employment, the training contractors must go through, and the protocols they must follow but either Ward Realty's practices are lacking or they were not followed. Hopefully action will be taken to ensure the safety of future guests and to mitigate their need to spend the majority of their vacation consulting with law enforcement and legal counsel. I look forward to receiving a response regarding the actions that will be taken to ensure future guests do not face similar harassment, and are not the victim of Ward Realty contractor crimes such as assault, ethnic intimidation, and "Armed to the Terror of the People." read more

I do not recommend Ward Realty for renting a beach house at Surf City or Topsail Island. The house we rented on the beach was not inspected before we arrived and because of that there were numerous problems and the house was dirty. When we arrived on a Monday and discovered that the air conditioning was broken, they wouldn't fix it until the next day so we had to sleep in an uncomfortably hot house. They didn't even say they were sorry or offer us fans or anything. All the screens in the house had holes in them and someone had left debris in the garbage container so it was filled with water. Mosquitos bred in the garbage can water and came in through the bad screens; we had a lot of mosquito bites and had to spray ourselves just to sit out on the back porch. Someone left old garlic bread in the oven and I found lots of hair in the bathroom (even in the medicine cabinet) and I had to remove long hair from the pillows in our bedroom. It was gross. When you rent a beach house on vacation you just don't want to have to deal with poor maintenance and a dirty house. It's up to the realty company managing the property to make sure these issues are taken care of before vacationers arrive. If it was just one or even two things maybe I could forgive, but I didn't even have room to list all of the stuff wrong with the house--this review is already too long--that's just poor management. read more

The worst vacation experience of our lives. We arrived to our house ("Our Heels In The Sand" BEWARE!!! DO NOT RENT!!!!!!) to find no AC. Ward Realty told us they had checked it Friday and "it worked fine". Not sure how that works out. Broken from our arrival Saturday (3pm) till Wednesday (6pm). Owners are NOT sympathetic. FINALLY got the AC fixed... And the house starts to smell like formaldehyde. The handle to one sliding glass door broke off completely, too, and nobody came to fix it. I warn you all to stay clear of Ward Realty AND ESPECIALLY "OUR HEELS IN THE SAND" HOUSE!!! read more

I am shocked. We rented from Ward , paid everything in full and Hurricane Florence arrived. Of course the rental could not be executed but instead of a full refund immediately-- because they could not honor our rental- they told us to file an insurance claim! No way! It's not our job to chase insurance claims- it's their job to deliver on their contract. Shoddy business practice and dishonorable behavior. They have our money and should just refund it immediately. Horrible. read more

I have been coming to Topsail Island for over 40 years. I first came with ny family as a child. We rented through Ward every time . This is the only time I have ever been unhappy with them. We arrived late Saturday afternoon and discovered several feet of sand on the steps to the beach. We are not talking sand that you can sweep away, this was FEET. I called Ward and left a message fully realizing that the office was closed for the weekend. I received a call from Ward on Sunday advising they would be out Monday morning. We waited around Monday and they never showed. I called Tuesday and left a message asking if we could borrow a shovel and wr would do it ourselves. Shortly after a man from Ward came out and decided that it was too much for one man with a shovel and he left advising he had to notify his office. We received a call from Ward advising that they might have to get a permit from the city of Surf City to be able to remove the sand. I emailed Ward Wednesday asking if there was any progress in the sand removal and never had a response at all. We never heard from them again. I had emailed them advising that the only way we were even able to make it to the beach was by sliding down the sand on our rear ends and then walking down to public beach access and walking along the road to make it back up. We are both in our late 50s and have health issues. I let Ward know that and still not a peep. Wednesday afternoon we called Surf City town hall ourselves and that very afternoon 3 guys came out and worked diligently on removing the sand. We paid for BEACH FRONT ACCESS. Not public beach access or ocean view that requires walking the road to make it up and down. And to not even have the courtesy of a response is despicable. We paid for beach front access and for half the week did not have it. And although the impassable sand was not the responsibility of Ward directly they should have at least risen to the occasion and helped! read more

We recently stayed at Alexandria South in North Top Sail. We paid for a beach front property and for the price did not expect company....ROACHES!!!!! Disgusting!!! We also had a late night issue Tuesday night at 9 pm which we called in. The light above the utility box was blaring and flashing red. A few of the neighbors noticed as well and brought it to our attention. Despite leaving a message no one contacted us. We ended up contacting the utility company ourselves to resolve the disturbance. We took the time to complete the paperwork given to us for feedback but when I dropped off the keys was told they didn't need it. I let the front desk know we had encountered issues but they did not seem to care. When I mentioned our issues was told that it was not roaches but water bugs which are also called Palmetto bugs. When I researched the difference found that roaches are on land while water bugs/Palmetto are around wet areas and sinks. These were clearly large roaches in living room, bedrooms, back deck and kitchen. We even had one pop up on the driver's window on the way home. Clearly roaches!!! Some websites even suggested that water bugs and Palmetto bugs are roaches. It doesn't matter. That is disgusting and not acceptable!!!! Renters beware!!! read more

Stayed at the home "At Last". Very clean and had the most well equipped kitchen I have ever seen for a beach house. You can see both sunsets and sun rises from the deck and hot tub. New and modern with all the amenities you could want. We went for a girls vacation but this house would be great for families or several couples. Elevator was great as some in our party would not have been able to do the stairs. read more

Returning again to Ward realty for our beach vacation. Wonderful service!!

They are the best place to rent from on the island! We've been using them for over 30 years! Love them

In spite of their low ratings, I decided to give them a try. So this morning I spoke with Sherry for a pricing inquiry on a beach vacation house. I was speechless by her unprofessionalism and lack of phone etiquette. She made me feel extremely uncomfortable when she stated, "No offense, but the only rental prices you can afford is $400.00 or lower, correct?" Whether it was her intention or not, her conclusion made me feel judged and insignificant. Sherry's question not only gave me a bad vibe immediately but further increased my skepticism. So, I decided to answer yes and see how she responds to this. She not only sounded unwilling to help but also disinterested from this point on, making sure "I am not renting their beach house to host a party" which will be too loud and troublesome---wanting to know my true purpose of renting. At this point I have had enough of her poor customer service but realized she will never change. When reading reviews I often give the company reviewed the benefit of doubt. I decided to post a review here not to attack the company, or even get back at Sherry, but to inform others of my first-hand experience before considering to rent from Ward Realty. Is this really how Ward Realty is? Do they determine their customer's value based on the customer's income bracket? Or in my case, how much I can afford a vacation beach house? I may be making "enough to rent a beach house for only $400.00 or less" but this is money I earn as a surgeon of 10 years and I am proud of what I do. Sherry, if you happen to be reading this, I thank you for enlightening me on how Ward Realty is truly represented. Please bear in mind, no company has the right to judge and assume that a client who does not make enough in your opinion will rent a vacation house "just to party". We book vacation houses --- as I am sure you do for yourself, to relax and spend time with family. I believe in giving people chances. If you doubt my words, I challenge you to give Ward Realty a call, and give them an estimated pricing (not because this is all you can afford) but to determine their value in character judgement and service. read more

Very disappointed in Ward Realty on Topsail Island NC. Our family has been renting from them for many years. My brother rented a house and paid for the week. They called the next day and said the price that was listed on the internet was wrong and they wouldn't honor it. I told him to turn them in to the BBB. read more

Renter beware! Manipulation of weekly rates. Indicates one weekly rates then doubles the rates and adds $$$$ for extra per weeek.check contract thoroughly, better yet use a different reality company! read more

We visit Topsail twice a year. We are planning to purchase a property here for retirement. Obviously, we love the area. This last trip, booking with Ward Realty, was horrible! There is black mold in this unit because the condo above us has a leaking shower. Obviously this is an ongoing issue due to the mold. So while we showered, we were also enjoying the neighbors shower. The situation is bad enough that the mold on the ceiling is affecting both bathrooms in this condo. There is even mold inside a photo hanging on the wall in the adjoining "unaffected" bathroom! The repair was to remove the ceiling! So now, for the rest of the week, we can look at the ripped out ceiling and view the plumbing. Also, I brought dvds along so that my grandkids could watch their mommy as a child. This was supposed to be a special time for us. After repeatedly telling Ward Realty that someone had destroyed the cable, nothing was done. I fear that the owners of this condo do not know the conditions that Ward has ignored in this unit and just wish I could contact them to warn them about this neglect. Leaving Topsail sadly... read more

I have dealt with numerous real estate/rental property companies, as well as vacation rental by owner properties over the years..this will be my first and last time dealing with Ward Realty. On our way to check in on Saturday, Ward Realty contacted me and advised me that the air conditioning in our rental was not working on the first floor. Ward Realty advised me that the owner had approved them to install two portable units on the first floor, and the HVAC technician would come Monday to make repairs to the outdoor cooling unit for the permanent repair. I was very appreciative of the heads up, and of the owner for making the effort to make us comfortable. We had our puppies with us, and especially since we had our puppies with us, paid good money to have our puppies with us, I advised Ward Realty to please let the technician know to come later in the morning, or mid day, so we could enjoy sleeping in and plan our day accordingly, and requested a call back from Ward Realty to verify this one way or the other. Our request was ignored, and was never passed along to the technician, who arrived at approximately 8 am, and did not complete the repair until approximately 5 pm. Our entire day was compromised, as was our privacy, and our ability to take advantage of the living and kitchen areas of our rental, for the simple worry of being in the way of the technician making the repair. On Wednesday, Ward Realty contacted me at zero hour, with absolutely no heads up, to advise us that the installer and an inspector for the Town of Topsail were at the rental and would need to be let in to make an inspection of the repairs that had been made. Luckily, we weren't too far away, and broke away from our current plans that we were in the middle of, to comply with the request. On Thursday, a representative from Terminix pest control showed up unannounced and advised us that he needed to be let in to make an inspection in and around the property. Given the understanding, that the property owner(s) or their representatives may show up at any time unannounced, is well within guidelines and legalities of any rental agreement....Ward Realty not only showed a complete lack of basic communication skills and common courtesy, they also demonstrated willful disregard for our time and money spent. Things will happen, things will go wrong, but a complete refusal to meet us halfway on any front whether it be, 1) making Ward Realty personnel available to accommodate any requests to alleviate some of our burden, 2) complete refusal to contact the owner about any possibility of being "comped" for our time and our trouble, 3) Ward Realty's seemingly almost rehearsed response of "neither we, nor the owner are obligated to do anything...." Staying with Ward Realty made me feel like we were just another fire to put out. One last suggestion...dont make folks come check-in at your office, and waste their valuable time unless absolutely necessary (pick up keys to a home, etc.) Most folks are more than capable of reading instructions off of an email, that amount to pushing 8 numbers on a keypad, and don't want to waste their valuable time unnecessarily. Thanks. read more

Ward's advertising is not completely representative of the reality of the place. They claim to have "high speed internet" in their condos at Surf Condos, but this is false. We spent an hour on the phone with tech support trying to get our laptop to connect (via ethernet cable) to the internet (which we were told did not require a password, but it in fact DID, and Ward had no idea what that password was). The ladies running the front desk were complacent and frankly did not know what they were doing; they did not help us solve the internet problem, and tech support had no idea what to do either. So, we were left with only one other option: to pay $30 for a totally different wifi provider, which we did. Not only did we spend $30, but the internet we received was sketchy, at best. It was not high speed by any means. We are extremely frustrated about this, as we have needed wifi to do work and research that we were not able to do in the comfort of the condo. IF you're looking to rent a condo from Ward, be warned of false advertising and ill-equipped personnel working the office. Also, be prepared to pay for your internet (which is absolutely ridiculous, as internet in this day and age should be a given/easy to access, especially in a beach condo). If we do not get a $30 refund for the internet we had to pay for, another bad review will surface on this website. read more