@Christina1105 I'm kind of amazed by how consistent your 8 reviews have been. Everyone loves your home and your great hospitality, but almost all of them see fit to mention that 40+ minute drive to the place that is their actual destination. I guess that's the problem with being lumped into search results with a major point of interest for unimaginative tourists.
Obviously you can't change your location, but you can change the way you describe it. "Quick drive under 40 minutes to the outer banks" is clearly causing some trouble because the guests aren't finding it quick at all. That driving time might be shorter than their daily commute, but it's not what people want when they're dreaming of a relaxing beach holiday. The review from A**c suggested a great way to reframe it: "a quiet retreat far from the hustle and bustle of the Outer Banks," or something like that. In other words, don't try to minimize the distance - lean into it, and turn it into an asset.
R****l's review references the remoteness and suggests "shop before you go." That minor inconvenience creates an opportunity: you can mention in the listing that shops are far away and offer guests a crowd-pleasing food hamper as an add-on purchase (think pasta, cereal, fruit, beers - stuff that makes it easy for people to have a light dinner and breakfast before they venture out). Or, if it suits your price point, you can offer a generous complimentary welcome basket along those lines.
Thinking in the longer term, I wonder if there's more you could do with the backyard to make it more of a place to hang out and relax. I hesitate to recommend high-maintenance features like a BBQ or fire pit, but that stuff is undeniably popular with vacationers. And people might need more of a nudge to appreciate how cool it is that they can kayak through the canals right out of the house; more photos and descriptions of your local water channels would inspire guests to think of your place as a destination in itself.
