Beach Houses – When it Comes to Location, Oceanside is the Only Side

Beach houses are certainly within the realm of zooty. Let’s face it, very, very few of us mere mortals will ever get to own a beach house – and not as many as should get the chance to stay at one. But for those of us that worship the sun and sand, saving up for a beach vacation, and spending time with family and friends, makes what we do day to day worthwhile.

Now, I will posit, not all beach houses are made equal. There are the fantastic beach houses that grace the covers, and fill the pages, of magazines like Southern Living http://www.southernliving.com/. To be sure, those homes are fantastic – but the odds of staying at one, much less owning one, are, if you’re anything like we are, slightly less than being struck by a meteorite while discovering King Solomon’s mines. Then, there are the “regular” beach houses, the kind that regular folks, saving regularly, regularly rent and stay at for spring breaks or summer vacations, like the homes on Edisto Island, in South Carolina http://www.goedisto.com/. Edisto Island’s a sleepy place, stuck firmly in the 1960s, and most of the folks who go there, stay there, work there or play there, decidedly want it to stay that way.

It seems, however, that prior to the collapse of the housing market, there was a major spike in housing starts on what formerly had been the less desirable beach locations – not beachfront/oceanfront properties, but the second row, third row, and “beachwalk” properties. Seems folks decided that if an oceanfront lot might set them back a million or so, it was just as easy to buy a street or two away, and build a mini-mansion on that lot instead with the money saved.

However, the first three laws of real estate, even in these troubled times, remain “location, location, location”. Thus, no matter how zooty one’s second or third row 5,000 square foot beach mansion might be, if you’re looking across the street, and around, under, or over that 1950s vintage bungalow just to get a peek of the ocean beyond, know that the family happily spending time in that run down old shack by the sea is still, well, by the sea…and you’re not. In the world of beach houses, there truly are the haves and the have nots: Those who have their little spot of sunshine with nothing between them and the ocean but a couple of faded deck chairs will always trump those who may have an elevator and a couple of upper level decks, but can’t feel the salt-spray as it whistles through the sea oats.