by Sallie Wilkinson
There's just something about the coast that drives people nuts. They flock to it on a yearly basis in search of warm sand, soothing waves and bright rays of healing sunlight. I suppose I can understand the appeal. For some of these vacationers it's just another trip, but for others it becomes a permanent move.
These are the folks who seek ocean beach real estate. Now I know what the first thought that popped into your head was. Massive dollar signs! Did I hit that one on the nose or what? Well, if you did think high prices, then you'd be generally correct. Living on the beach is no cheap thrill.
Our fathers water’d with their tears
This sea of time whereon we sail,
Their voices were in all men’s ears
Who pass’d within their puissant hail.
Still the same ocean round us raves,
But we stand mute, and watch the waves.
—Matthew Arnold (1822–1888)
If you want the serenity and scenery, you have to fork out the dough.
Not long ago I had the luxury of visiting the east coast. While I was there I took it upon myself to sort through some local ocean beach real estate. Unsurprisingly everything I encountered on the ocean front was high priced. Now by this I mean literally with the waves crashing outside your window. These types of home will always be high priced. There's just such a heavy demand for this ideal location.
Of course you can draw back a bit away from the ocean beach real estate and check out some of the more inland stuff. These homes aren't likely to run you a cool million and up. However, at the same time, you'll still have the ocean well within reach. You can take a five or ten minute walk to the sand and play in the waves all you like.
To believe her limited in range because she was harmonious in method is as sensible as to imagine that when the Atlantic ocean is as smooth as a mill-pond it shrinks to the size of a mill-pond.
—Rebecca West (1892–1983)
It's imperative to remember the drawbacks to ocean beach real estate as well. Any time you make the decision to live directly next to the vengeful ocean, you put your home at risk to some point. At least on the east coast. Tons of individuals and families have lost their homes to hurricanes and storms. Once something like this ensues, all you can do is stand back and pray that yours isn't destroyed by Mother Nature. I found it humorous that certain types of insurance weren't even available down on the coast. Insurance companies know that this ocean beach real estate may stay or may go when a massive storm hits. It's that simple and they don't want to deal with it.