Know Your Budget and the Local Housing Market

The first thing that you need to look at is of course your budget.   If the payments on the home are going to be a little too much for you, you may need to look into buying ocean front property somewhere with a lower price tag or move your property search a few blocks inland.

But just having your budget in mind doesn’t cut it, you should also be aware of the local real estate market.  If you’re not a realtor can help you out with this.  Knowing the local market will let you better discern  if the oceanfront property is a good time to buy and where the good neighborhoods are.  You’ll also be able to bargain better because you’ll know if the home you are looking at is overpriced or not.

Check the Home Carefully

With any real estate deal you need to check the home that you’re thinking of purchasing carefully, and this is nowhere more important than when you’re looking at ocean homes front homes for sale.  Have a licensed contractor come in and inspect the property for you before you buy to make sure that there are no problems with the foundation or piping.  Ocean front homes are particularly vulnerable to storms and degradation from salty-laden air and water, and any little imperfection and spiral out of control into a full blown problem if it’s not treated in time.  Make sure you know what you’re getting into before you buy the home.

When you’re having the home inspected, also take some time and look at local building regulations.  What are you and aren’t you allowed to build on your property?  What about the existing structures?  Are the allowed to be there or not?  Are they grandfathered in under the law?  Different structures, like a pier that’s grandfathered in when no more are allowed can dramatically affect the resale value of a property.  On the other side of the coin, if you face steep fines and removal costs for a particular structure, you might want to think twice about buying.  You should pay particular attention to whether you are allowed to build jettys, rock walls, or other structures that can help stop shoreline erosion.

Check the Property the Home is On

In addition to the actual house, you should also check the land your potential future ocean front vacation home is on.  First, find out how beach access is dealt with.  Do you have a private beach or is the beach in front of your home designated as a public beach?  Even more importantly, make sure that if no road leads right up to your property that the lean on the property next door allowing for road access is sold with your lease and doesn’t expire.  If not, buying it back might be particularly pricy.

Also take a look at the land itself.  If you want your home to last for the longest time possible, there should be an assortment of foliage, including tree, plants, and sand dunes.  These will all help with drainage so your house will flood less often, and will also help to protect it from the battering forces of most storms.

Talk with Neighbors

Finally, make sure that you talk with a few of the neighbors before you complete your purchase.  Ask them about the home, neighborhood, the town in general, or anything else you might have questions about.  Knocking on doors might elicit some annoyed responses, but if you see the around outside, don’t be afraid to say hello.

Whether you’re looking for a new home, vacation home, or ocean front rental homes, make sure that you do your homework and find out everything you can about the property that you’re buying before you plunge into a 30-year mortgage.  You’ll find that you’ll get a better deal and are more satisfied with your purchase.

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First, let us talk about the romance of the sea and why people want to build on oceanfront land for sale. Beachfront property has scenic beauty, unspoiled beaches, sprawling ocean, and magnificent sunsets. Children gleefully play in the waves as they crash ashore.  Adults relax on the warm sand listening to the murmur of the tides.

The ocean offers activities for all ages.  You can go sailing. You can get a surfboard and go surfing. There is always deep-sea diving or snorkeling in the shallow areas to see what the sea creatures are doing under the water. You can go deep-sea fishing and crabbing and catch a wonderful lunch. You can build a mammoth sandcastle and watch as sea washes it away.  Sunbathing is a must-do at the seaside.

People want to live by the sea and will pay extra to live there.  Many buyers covet oceanfront land for sale.

The main reason to buy oceanfront land for sale is you can customize the property to fit your dream.  A house becomes a home when it completes your life style.  Before you start drafting house designs, consider your desires and life style.  Do you surf, do you have a yacht, or do you need an outside shower?  When you build your beachfront home, you will have a fantastic view of the ocean, designed as you choose, and space for what you value.   You will have decks for ocean viewing, long lingering suppers at sunset time, a quiet retreat to reflect on the many mysteries of life, and storage for your ocean play toys.

The ocean front property will brand new, modern and functional.  You can add any of the energy-saving conveniences that are available today. Solar or wind power can be installed to reduce your electric bill. With added insulation and water saving planning, you can be as green as you want

In real estate investment, the most important thing is location, location, and location. With oceanfront property, you have it all:  location, location, and location.

If you buy a house already built, you will probably remodel it. You will never be happy with some of the features the house has.  Remodeling is expensive, time consuming and very messy.  However, when you buy that oceanfront land for sale, you can build exactly what you want. You are not stuck with somebody else’s ideas, dreams, and mistakes. You will have a modern home with all brand-new appliances, wiring, plumbing, heating and roof.   The doors and windows will fit tightly in their frames.

If it takes a while to build your house, that is no problem. The lot is sitting there waiting for you when you are ready for it and the only yearly costs are the real estate taxes and any grass control necessary. Y

Many people respond to the call of the ocean. People want beachfront property and are willing to pay for it, making it a good investment for the owner. When you buy that oceanfront land for sale today, you are creating your dream from the ground up with a fantastic just-for-you house plan and quality materials.

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If you buy a house already built,make sure that you always have a licensed contractor inspect it before you sign your name to the final paperwork.  He will look at the foundation and the construction of the house in general.  This is incredibly important because ocean front property is especially vulnerable to foundation problems because it’s built on sand, which make an incredibly bad base for a foundation if the right construction methods aren’t used.  The salty sea breeze that blows off the ocean also makes the home vulnerable to corrosion.  Make sure that all the pipes and siding are in good condition.  Finally, if the home is close to the sea, make sure that you know if the shoreline is eroding at all.  You want an oceanfront home, not an ocean home!

If you’re buying land with a home already built, also make sure to keep money in your budget for any potential remodeling that you might want to do.  This is especially true is the house is older and doesn’t have modern wiring or some leaky plumbing.  If you’re planning to use your home as a rental property as well, you might need to make a few improvements to bring it up to code.  Always make sure to have someone look at this and know the laws regarding rental property before you buy a home.

A Home in Need of a Remodel

If you’re searching for land without a home on it, you also need to look at things like shoreline erosion, but also make sure that you have access to utilities on the property.  Also make sure that you either have direct access to the property from the road or an easement that gives you access through another piece of property.  Without it you could end up with land that you can’t access!

Ocean front real estate not only makes a great home, but also makes a great investment.  Make sure you’re aware of all the risks and things to watch out for before you buy and you will no doubt have a great piece of property in no time.

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Know Why the Property is for Sale

The first thing you need to know to make a good purchase of land is to know why the property is for sale and why the previous owner didn’t develop it.  Ocean front property is a scarce resource, especially in tourist hot spots, and finding land that isn’t developed is even rarer.  Find out why other land was developed while this land wasn’t.  It may be because the owner never had the time or money to do it or the property was recently split off from a larger tract of land, but you do need to watch out for a few things.

First, there may be local zoning restrictions on the property preventing any construction from taking place on it.  It could be in a key watershed area or the home to the breeding ground of an endangered species.  Find this out at the local zoning board before placing any bids for the property.  Also have someone come in and examine the property.  There may be sinkholes or the ground may be so unstable that it won’t support the heavy foundations of a home.  Make sure you’re not spending a fortune to build a home on sand.  Finally, there may be problems with shoreline erosion.  If the shore is eroding around the property, soon the home may be too close and have to be moved or succumb to the tides.

Make sure that you find out all the answers to these questions before seriously considering buying the property.

Look For Local Utilities

Another reason that a oceanfront property may not have been developed is the lack of local utilities.  Make sure that the property is close enough to, at the very minimum, electric and water lines and has sewer access or can have a septic system installed.  Cable TV, internet, and gas lines are also near essentials, especially if you plan on living in the house full time or renting it out.  In properties that are close to other developed areas this may not be a big problem, but if you are looking at more secluded beachfront property, always check this, otherwise you might find yourself digging trenches in the backyard and reading by candlelight!

What Other Potential Development Might Take Place

Finally, when you’re deciding whether or not to buy a certain beachfront property, always try to think about what other development might take place on the land around yours.  While you won’t ever be able to know for sure, inquire about who owns the land around yours.  Is it owned by other single-person landowners with homes on it?  Or is the beautiful coastal forest behind your property owned by a large hotel chain that is eyeing permits to develop it?

Some development can be good for your investment, especially if it places your property closer to nightlife, shopping, or other attractions, but some development may be bad, particularly if you were hoping for a more quiet atmosphere yourself.  Always have an eye on the future.

Buying oceanfront land for sale to build your dream home on can be incredibly rewarding.  You’ll get to see your dream home sprout up exactly the way you want it without having to make any sacrifices.  However, before you can do this you have to make sure that the property is able to support a home.  By following this advice you’ll be well on your way to making sure that you can build a home on the land you purchase.

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One of the biggest advantages to using a realty agency is that they will save you a great amount of time and frustration in your search for the perfect home for you.  Especially if you go through a larger agency, they’ll have the connections and ability to share information that will let them match buyers and sellers quickly.  This means that if you’re looking to sell, your home will spend less time on the market, and if you’re a buyer you’ll be able to move into your home sooner.  If you try to find a property yourself, you will spend a lot more time searching through listings that aren’t of any interest to you.

If you are trying to buy property in an unfamiliar, and especially if you are trying to find beachfront properties in foreign markets, having a real estate agent that you can trust will be an invaluable asset.  Your agent can help orient you in the local market, let you know the pitfalls and make sure that you don’t get taken advantage of by more unsavory characters.  They can also walk you through every step of the process, from getting you pre-approved for a mortgage to helping you actually close on the sale.  Getting preapproved for a mortgage is particularly important because it will let you know how much you are able to spend on your dream home and how much you can expect to pay on monthly mortgage payments.

The biggest if in using a realty agent is if you can trust your agent.  If your agent isn’t very trustworthy, he could simply be taking your money for a quick sale in a house that you ultimately aren’t going to be happy with.  Try to search online to find reviews of reputable agents that you can deal with.  Also listen to word of mouth and ask around in the area where you’re thinking of buying property for recommendations on agents to use.

The biggest disadvantage to using a beachfront realty agency is that you will lose some money on the commissions.  About six percent of any overall real estate sale is split between the listing and selling agents, with about three percent going to each agent.  You can save this money if you know the person selling the property or you go though for sale by owner listings, but you do risk not finding the right home or being taken advantage of.  On the other hand, six percent of a relatively cheap $200,000 piece of beachfront property is about $6,000 in savings, which is no small piece of change.

Make sure that you weigh your options and know what you are getting into before you decide to find a house on your own or go through a realty agency.

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If you do not live close to the beach right now, and odds are that you don’t, you’ll probably have a weekend or a few vacation days where you’re planning on looking at houses at your beach of choice. When you do this, it’s very important that you take a notepad along and write down the first impressions that any homes give you along with questions you might want to ask the real estate agent or current homeowner later. It can be really easy to forget details and mix up which property is which when you’re trying to make the most of your limited time. Prevent this by keeping careful notes.

While you have the seller or real estate agent at the house, always ask any and all questions that you can think of about the property. You should always be asking, why the seller is selling, if the property has any investment or rental opportunities, and what the current shoreline erosion rate is. Also try to find out some general information such as how often the area gets hit by storms and any building regulations you may be subject to. If you can, talking to neighbors can be really useful for this.

Something else that you may need to think of with beachfront homes that usually isn’t a problem on property inland is road and beach access. Know if your property comes with any exclusive rights to the beach or if the beach is public. Also find out where the public beach actually starts and where your property ends. This is usually at the high water line in most locales and that can vary from day to day. Many properties right on the beach, especially in lesser developed areas, also aren’t accessible from public roads. You need to take a private drive though someone else’s property first. Make sure that any deal for your property involves a right of way on this road. If it doesn’t you could find yourself in a sticky situation later if your neighbor doesn’t allow you to access your property.

Finally, whatever you do, don’t fall in love with any beach home for sale. Doing this will only complicate the deal and you could end up paying much more for your home than you can afford. When emotions come into play, we stop acting as rationally as we should and can make some bad decisions. Try to avoid this by setting up “firewalls” where you absolutely, positively will not cross. Set the price that you can afford and stick to it.

Searching for a home right on the beach is exciting, but make sure as with any real estate deal that you use common sense and don’t end up buying more than you can afford. If you have fun with the process – many people dream of living by the beach – stay with your limits, and find out all you can about the property you’ll find yourself looking out at the sea from your balcony in no time.

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Effects of Erosion on Ocean Front Property

On inland land, property lines are for the most part unchanging. Once you buy a parcel of land you can be pretty sure that you will have complete control over that area until you decide to sell it barring an eminent domain case by the state. However, on beachfront property, property lines are always changing. This is because your property generally starts a the high water line, and anything below this is considered public beach. The high water line can change from day to day and in stormy seasons may even more as much as 100 feet inland! It is important that you know exactly how much erosion your property is likely to face in the future to make sure that you can enjoy your parcel of land for years to come.

Short-Term and Long-Term Erosion

There are two different types of erosion that you will have to deal with on your oceanfront property. First, you will have to deal with short-term erosion. Short term erosion is caused by hurricanes (or typhoons in the Pacific) and other strong seasonal storms. These violent storms move tons of sand and other debris around when they crash into the land. They can make new inlets, destroy old inlets, and completely reshape coastlines. However, most of the damage done by storms is eventually reversed and the shoreline returns to normal in due time.

The more serious form of shoreline erosion is long-term erosion. Long-term erosion is caused by a variety of factors, including rising sea levels, strong longshore currents, and other more complex factors. This type of erosion is not easily stopped and permanently reshapes coastlines. If your property looks right out onto the ocean, it is imperative that you ask your realtor what the amount of erosion in the area is. It is not necessarily required by all states that the buying party be made aware of any of the risks of eroding shorelines.

The areas most at risk of long-term erosion are inlets. These areas are hard to replace and are many times constantly changing. If you are buying property on or near an inlet, make sure that the coastline is not moving underneath you!

What Can Be Done

Once you find out that your home is threatened by erosion, what can you do? Unfortunately, there are not many good options that you can undertake when trying to deal with erosion. One option could be to install so-called “hard-breaks” that stop erosion and waves from further damaging your property. Hard breaks include sea walls, jetties, breakwaters, and bulkheads. While these will protect your property, they will generally do so at the expense of adjacent properties and are not allowed in most areas. Check your local regulations. Another option that some people may consider is to try to replenish the shoreline by dredging up sand to replace the sand that’s eroded. Unfortunately, this is incredibly expensive and would have to be done along long stretches of the shoreline, not just around your home to be effective. It is also only a temporary solution and within a few years you could find yourself back in the same situation, but a few dollars poorer.

Beachfront properties are among the most desirable pieces of real estate in the world. However, they have their own unique challenges and dangers associated with them. Make sure that you’re fully aware of all the risks of buying a certain property before you sign any paperwork.

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Cheapest Beachfront Property in the U.S.

Beachfront property prices in the United States are by no means low and have been growing explosively in the last few years. However, the housing bubble of 2008 and 2009 gave a huge hit to housing prices, especially in areas like Florida. While the housing bubble is having disastrous effects on the economy as a whole, you can find a silver lining in it if you have some extra cash saved up. Florida beachfront property is a fraction of the price that it was just a few short years ago, especially if you can find foreclosure auctions. While property prices may not end up having the same explosive growth that they’ve had in recent years, if you’d like to have a beach home and have some years to sit on the investment, property prices will eventually rise again. Just make sure that you are in the financial position to handle the mortgage.

Cheap Beachfront Property Abroad

If you really want to find very cheap property right on the ocean, as well as a lower cost of living, you’ll need to leave the shores of the United States and travel to other countries. Many place in Latin America welcome investment and are home to pristine coasts and tropical surroundings that are unmatched even in the most expensive communities in the U.S.

One very popular destination for expats from the U.S. in recent years has been Costa Rica. Costa Rica has incredibly temperate weather, great surroundings, several different ecological zones, and mile upon mile of pristine coast on either side. Property prices here are still relatively cheap compared to those in the U.S., but they have jumped exponentially in the last ten years as more and more people have found out about it. If you’re looking for a more upscale location though, Costa Rica is definitely for you as it’s home to a very vibrant expat community and has many gated developments to choose from.

It seems one of the best options for cheap real estate in Latin America today is Equator. Equator is situated right on the equator and because of this has weather that remarkably resembles Hawaii’s year round and the beaches are just as good. It is only a few hours flight from Miami and investment from foreigners is welcomed and encouraged, unlike in some other countries like the Philippines.

If you want a Caribbean atmosphere, St. Lucia and Grenada are home to some great pieces of cheap ocean front property. St. Lucia, in particular, has property prices that are almost sixty percent lower than those in nearby Barbados. Panama and the northeast coast of Brazil are also great options to find reasonable priced property in Latin America.

How to Find Cheap Beachfront Property Abroad

When you’re attempting to buy beachfront property in another country, you need to be incredibly cautious. Start your primary research on the internet, but don’t try to close the sale or sign any contracts without visiting the country first. Make sure it’s a place you want to live and spend a few weeks getting to know some of the locals. If you make friends with them, they should be able to suggest an honest real estate agent to you. Most listings online are actually marked up significantly for the internet and you can usually find much lower offers in country.

If you really want to find the cheapest beachfront real estate in the world, you’re going to have to leave the shores of the U.S. and head to another country further afield. But before you do this, make sure that it’s actually what you want. Are you going to be using the property mostly for a long weekend getaway? If that’s the case, it may not be worth the time and money it takes to fly to a remote Latin American location. In fact, before you’re done flying to and from your location, you might actually end up spending more than if you bought a property closer to home. Make sure you know exactly what you want before you buy.

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Examine Your Budget

The first major aspect that you have to consider when attempting to buy beach front property is your personal budget. How much money you have available to spend will dictate where you can live, what type of house you can buy, and how close to the beach you can get. For most of us, this will limit our choices somewhat.

Never try to buy a home that is out of your price range or that you would feel uncomfortable making the loan payments. If the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008 taught most Americans anything, it’s that you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Also, and perhaps just as importantly, keep in mind that mortgages are not the only upkeep costs that you’re going to have to pay on your home. You may have to furnish it, pay taxes, maintenance, and insurance. Once again, depending on where you live these can be very significant costs.

Know the Area

If you’re buying this oceanfront property for your personal use, especially if it’s for use as a primary home, make sure that you know the area very well before you decide to make a significant investment in it. Even if you have been to a town a few times during tourist season, once everyone leaves, the town can become completely different and show you a new, more unlikeable face.

Also make sure that you are able to take the climate. For some people, the tropics may be good, even great, for a week, but when you’re down there longer, you can start to notice other things than the ever present sun, like the bugs, common rain showers, and the humidity. Also make sure you know how much extreme weather you are likely to have to encounter. Hurricanes are an all-too common phenomena in many Caribbean locations and the threat of them can greatly drive up your insurance costs, making your dream home ultimately unaffordable. On top of hurricanes, there may be other, more severe storms that blow in off of the sea, or monsoons or dry spells to deal with depending on your location.

Keep the Local Housing Market in Mind

Especially, if you’re buying this home as an investment property, make sure that you are intimately familiar with the local housing market before you make the plunge. In many areas prices for housing has outstripped rental prices in recent years. This means that you could find yourself in many places earning less in rent each month than it takes to pay for upkeep on the actual property. If you needed this money to make the mortgage payments, you could find yourself high and dry sooner than you think.

Using the services of a trustworthy local real estate agent can help you greatly in this, as they will be aware of the recent trends, what’s working for investment or rental beach front properties, what areas are good deals, and what areas have been jumping up in price recently.

Inspect the Building

Finally, always inspect the building and the areas surrounding it for how solid the construction is and how likely it is to corrode in the sea air. If at all possible, have a certified architect inspect the building to make sure that it doesn’t show signs of premature wear and tear. Also make sure that all the plumbing and drainage around the house are up to your standards.

Finally, when you’re inspecting the house, don’t forget to look at the land around it, especially if you are buying property right on the beachfront. See how high the tides are and inquire about what the waves are doing to the shoreline. Are the eroding the beach to the point where you soon will have your house in the ocean instead of bordering it? Is there enough vegetation in the area to protect your new home and the shoreline from winds, rains, storms, and high tides? All this needs to be taken into consideration.

Finding the right beach front property for you does not have to be incredibly difficult. Just make sure that you do the research that’s required, inspect the property before you buy it, and know what you are getting yourself into. By following these steps, you should find yourself with a new beachfront home, vacation house, rental, or investment property in no time.

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