Topsail Realty Vacations, a vacation rental management firm on Topsail Island for more than 40 years, recently announced the acquisition of Blue Water Realty and Ocean Breeze Properties, both of Carolina Beach and Kure Beach.

The combined companies will offer vacation rental marketing and management services for property owners and guests throughout the Cape Fear region under a new brand, Carolina Retreats, according to a news release.  

Blue Water Realty, founded by Ron and Teresa Clontz, has been providing vacation rental and real estate services for about 60 vacation rental property clients in the New Hanover County towns of Carolina Beach and Kure Beach since 2002, the release stated.

According to Ron Clontz, former president of Blue Water Realty, “I think that Mike and his team are the perfect people to take over Blue Water Realty and lead it into the future. His extensive involvement and experience within the vacation rental industry, combined with their understanding of how to leverage technology and the ever-changing landscape of vacation rental marketing, will greatly benefit all of our property owners and guests.”

Ocean Breeze Properties, founded and operated by Cindi Jacobs, specializes in vacation and long-term property management for about 20 vacation rental property owners on Carolina Beach.

“While I love what I do, and the people that I work with, it was evident that I needed help in order to provide the level of service and expertise needed in today’s vacation rental management world,” Jacobs stated in the release.

She said she'd been discussing the acquisition with Topsail Realty Vacations owner Mike Harrington, now founder and CEO of Carolina Retreats, over the past year. 

"I felt we had a very similar mindset when it came to how we view our clients as partners, and that was a very big factor for me," Jacobs said in the release.

The business combination of Topsail Realty Vacations, Blue Water Realty and Ocean Breeze Properties will bring the number of vacation rentals under the management of Carolina Retreats to about 300, the release stated.

“By combining our resources and operations under a common brand, it will allow us to market on a more regional basis on a much more efficient scale," Harrington stated in the announcement. "Ron, Teresa, Cindi and I have had some great conversations while discussing this possibility, and I believe we all share the same common vision moving forward about the future of the vacation and short-term rental industry, and the expertise needed to compete in today’s online marketing environment.”

As part of the business combination and launch of Carolina Retreats, Blue Water Realty and Ocean Breeze Properties will combine operations as Blue Water Realty by Carolina Retreats, based out of the existing Blue Water Realty office at 1000 S. Lake Park Blvd. in Carolina Beach, the release stated. Topsail Realty Vacations will operate as Topsail Realty by Carolina Retreats and will continue to be run out of its current office at 14131 N.C. 50 in Surf City.