Imagine your Sunday morning on a warm sunny day, peacefully watching the sunrise from your patio while sipping on your coffee and breathing in the fresh air. Or having your protein shake and doing some morning yoga and meditation session with an ocean view and listening to the waves crashing into the shore… It is fair to say that for many people that is the dream.
Since the pandemic, the property industry has seen a spike in people purchasing holiday homes by the coast or fully relocating there due to their ability to work remotely. It seems like everyone is chasing that coastal living dream, but have they actually considered the risks that come with having andmaintaining a coastal property?
When people speak about their beach house purchases, they tend to get carried away with the dreamy aspects of it while not paying enough attention to the high risks that come along with it. For that purpose, here at We Buy Any House, we have gathered some of the unspoken and unpleasant risks that come withowning a beach property.
1.High Property Prices
Having a coastal home has always been viewed as a luxury and is highly valuable so the first thing to consider when relocating is your budget. The house prices tend to be much higher than in big cities or the countryside.
Not only should you be prepared to dig into your savings but also prepare for additional costs after moving in or shortly after buying your house as there are numerous things to think about ranging from insurance rates to maintenance and even general cost of living.
2.Cost of Living
Everything worth having has a price to pay, doesn’t it? If you would have the privilege to live by the beach, there will be a couple of things you would have to deal with.
In popular coastal places the cost of living is generally higher than normal so if you have picked a sought-after tourist destination to call home you will have to have the ability to handle the overpriced customer goods, services and everyday essentials during peak seasons and tolerate the closings of restaurants and bars during non-peak ones.
On a positive note, some would say that it balances out with low utility bills in coastal areas due to the milder weather with breezy summers and not freezing winters which is why these properties do not necessarily require air conditioning.
Having said that, it is always good to consider the location, the level of tourism and the infrastructure as those can significantly increase not only your house price but your cost of living as well.
3.Insurance and Maintenance Costs
Living in close proximity to the sea is for sure very lucrative if you are planning to resell or rent and it is certainly very convenient, but it is also certain to have exceedingly high insurance and maintenance costs.
Home insurance can be quite pricey due to flood damaging, hurricanes and even beach erosion and while in most coastal areas in the UK erosion is not an issue, there are still places where that risk is real. There are plenty of geographical aspects and natural disasters coming with living near the coast that can cause incredible damage to your property. For example, the humidity, salty air and windstorms in these areas can cause anything from mold, rust and decay of wooden window frames to serious structural damage.
Unfortunately, proper house maintenance requires not only a lot of effort and time but a lot of resources and money for repairs as well.One way to make sure that you are aware about all these things is to book an inspection with a local professional who would hopefully know the area well and the problems that could arise in the future so that you can try and prevent them from happening early on.
4.Lack of Job Opportunities
Unless you are planning to retire, or you are convinced that your remote working is permanent and will not terminate after things go back to normal, you would have to seriously consider what the job opportunities in that area are for you. Unfortunately, attractive tourist destinations mostly have seasonal job openings while all year-round ones could be limited due to the location. A good suggestion would be to make sure you would have a convenient commute while considering that traffic could be worse during the summer months when tourists are visiting.
If, however, your property is a holiday home or a rental, you do not have to worry about that and simply enjoy your beautiful beach house!
Whether you are planning to buy a coastal property as a primary or secondary home, for resale or renting, all the excessive costs of purchase, insurance, maintenance and living should be thoroughly evaluated. By doing that you can enjoy those early sunrise moments, late sunset beach walks and fantastic views without being constantly anxious about potential damage to your home.
This article was written by a quick house sale company We Buy Any House. If you are wondering “how can I sell my house fast in order to relocate?”, head t