It won't take a long time of looking for discover that all vacation beach homes are not created equal. There are different things people are looking for when making the investment. Some people are in the market for years, even decades, for a place to have fun family gatherings. Others are interested in purchasing the home they will call their own during retirement. Regardless of your intention when shopping for and buying vacation beach houses, there are a few things you should look for in the process.
Location, Primarily Proximity to the Beach
The beach is the primary attraction when buying vacation beach homes. While you do not necessarily need to be front and center on the shoreline, you'd like to at least have water views and some form of deeded beach access with your property. For some people, the water views are essential.
For others, the perfect beach home is all about easy access to the water. Just make sure that the home you choose offers sufficient access to meet your needs today – and in the future, should mobility become a concern.
Accessibility for Aging in Place
Many people never think twice about the distant future when purchasing vacation beach homes. With so many beach communities requiring homes built on stilts to reduce risks and impacts of coastal flooding during hurricanes and other tropical events.
This is wise for protecting investments, insurance requirements, and community ordinances, but requires certain concessions for retirement living and aging in place. If your goal is to live in your beach home for the long-term, you need to make sure there are elevators or lifts in place or that there is room in the blueprint and the budget to add one in time.
Affordability for the Future
One of the problems with beach condos isn't the costs of the condo, but the maintenance fees involved. These fees can continue to rise. The same holds true when considering beach homes that have HOAs with excessive fees and no limits on those fees. You can be priced out of your home through HOA fees and requirements alone.
When buying beach homes pay attention to local laws regarding limitations on HOA fees. For instance, Arizona, which admittedly doesn't have many vacation beach homes, does have protections for residents that no HOA can raise dues by more than 20 percent per year without a vote of the majority of members. This greatly affects affordability of your beach home, though, and needs to be on your radar when buying.
Many people spend most of their lives dreaming of finding and buying perfect vacation beach homes for themselves and their loved ones. When your time comes to stop dreaming and make it a reality, these considerations can help ensure your dream comes true.
When you are faced with a down market, there are a lot of things that can run through your mind as a homeowner. If you had to sell, would you be able to make your money back? What will you do if you have to sell your property at a loss? Do you think you are ready to buy a new home?
Although there are a lot of things that are important to think about, the fact of the matter is that understanding real estate challenges is instrumental to making money with your property. From moving forward with new ideas about real estate to working with the right professionals, it pays to read up on the market. Learn more today!