Should we buy a beach house?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My husband has 6 weeks of vacation each year to use (and he uses all of it) and I'm a SAHM. So we have flexibility to use the beach house both in summer and in the off season. We are thinking 4 weeks each summer, every other weekend from April-October, all holidays, and one long weekend per month in the winter. We have family all over the country and are hoping that we can host a lot of family reunions there too.

how old are your kids? I find that leaving town every other weekend is fine when they are younger, but as they get older and are involved in sports/activities it just isn't possible.

OP here. 3 years and 10 months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is Parking by the beach? If it's a pain, then it's not worth it if you have to drive.

This is my concern with beach houses not walkable. If you rent on the beach you may not appreciate how much of a pain parking can be

OP here. Well I understand that parking can be a concern, if you're going during prime time (like 11 am - 4 pm). But we actually don't like to go to the beach during those hours. We'd get to the beach by 7 am (probably not much traffic then or problems finding parking). Then we'd be driving back to the beach house around 11 am (could be some traffic then). It's kind of the same as avoiding driving in rush hour traffic (which I try to do here).

And then when we would be there during the off season there wouldn't be much traffic/parking issues.

For me, parking/drive is a non-issue.

[Anonymous]

OP, as a general matter, you might want to consider that your children will have different interests from you and one another. You loved staying in the same spot. They might hate seeing the same thing every year. You liked TV; they might hate it and want to be outside, competing and kicking a call around. They will join clubs, activities, and make friends, and then they will reach an age, where you should listen to what is important to and interests them. It's fine if you say no to birthday parties for kids who are the children of your friends, but understand that in a short time, it's your kids' interests that will guide you, not your interests guiding them.

That said, I am totally pro-beach house and think a 5-minute drive is just fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I don't get why you all are so hung up on the walkable/not walkable issue. Our regular house here in this area is in a completely non-walkable area (no sidewalks even), we have to drive absolutely everywhere so I am completely used to the idea of packing up the car, finding parking and driving places.

Re: the beach, when we go to stay there (in a hotel) we have to drive to the beach, pack up the car with beach stuff, find parking and then get back in the car. I really don't see what the issue is. I'd rather not buy a property that's so close to the beach--it's out of our price range for one, and the newer/updated/modern places are a further drive from the beach. We want a completely updated place where we don't have to do anything other than paint. It's only 2 miles from the beach but not walkable given the roads, etc. but only a 5-6 minute drive.

The place we are considering is in Lewes, by the way.

The issue is that beach traffic SUCKS, and beach parking is even worse. You say the drive is 5 minutes, but that's in the off season. A 5 minute drive can easily turn into a 40 minute drive in peak season.

But do whatever you want. It's your time and money.

this is a bit of an exaggeration....

No it's not. Have you seen Dewey traffic lately? Or even Ocean City?

True if you're buying in the Outer Banks, this won't happen butt it is entirely possible to sit 20 minutes at every light.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is Parking by the beach? If it's a pain, then it's not worth it if you have to drive.

This is my concern with beach houses not walkable. If you rent on the beach you may not appreciate how much of a pain parking can be

OP here. Well I understand that parking can be a concern, if you're going during prime time (like 11 am - 4 pm). But we actually don't like to go to the beach during those hours. We'd get to the beach by 7 am (probably not much traffic then or problems finding parking). Then we'd be driving back to the beach house around 11 am (could be some traffic then). It's kind of the same as avoiding driving in rush hour traffic (which I try to do here).

And then when we would be there during the off season there wouldn't be much traffic/parking issues.

For me, parking/drive is a non-issue.

OP, you do you, but I agree with all the walkability comments. What you are describing is not a beach house, but a house in a beach town. There's a difference.

You are also foolish to assume that your schedule now, when you have a 3 yo and a toddler, will remain the same, and these convenience issues won't become more important. My 10 yo, for example, would raise holy hell if we tried to wake her at 6:30 to go to the beach every weekend. She'd be bored stiff without her friends, too.

[Anonymous]

You sound like you're going to be doing a lot of driving back and forth AND with 2 young kids in car ....especially since you said you're going every other weekend during peak season. I would dread that drive in the summer.

You haven't addressed the issue of the beach house maintenance. Sure, you said lawn, winterizing, hoa for the pool, but you don't think wood rot, paint, storm damage, staining a deck (for example), sand build up in the shower pipes (again, for example, but def reality), bugs/ants, etc aren't going to turn it into a money pit??

[Anonymous]

OP, you clearly want this "beach" house. So go for it!

That said, your kids at ages 3 and 10 mos. will not be the same at ages 9 and 7. You have no way of knowing what they will enjoy once they hit ES - reading, sports, hanging with friends, seeing new sights, revisiting favorites.

You can certainly make this happen, and enjoy the second house. Just as long as you recognize the trade-offs that may happen (less time at the beach as sports/dance/science fair/Sunday School/birthday parties take up more time).

Plus, I assume you are also saving for college, and this purchase would not detract from that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is Parking by the beach? If it's a pain, then it's not worth it if you have to drive.

This is my concern with beach houses not walkable. If you rent on the beach you may not appreciate how much of a pain parking can be

OP here. Well I understand that parking can be a concern, if you're going during prime time (like 11 am - 4 pm). But we actually don't like to go to the beach during those hours. We'd get to the beach by 7 am (probably not much traffic then or problems finding parking). Then we'd be driving back to the beach house around 11 am (could be some traffic then). It's kind of the same as avoiding driving in rush hour traffic (which I try to do here).

And then when we would be there during the off season there wouldn't be much traffic/parking issues.

For me, parking/drive is a non-issue.

OP, you do you, but I agree with all the walkability comments. What you are describing is not a beach house, but a house in a beach town. There's a difference.

You are also foolish to assume that your schedule now, when you have a 3 yo and a toddler, will remain the same, and these convenience issues won't become more important. My 10 yo, for example, would raise holy hell if we tried to wake her at 6:30 to go to the beach every weekend. She'd be bored stiff without her friends, too.

OP here. The kids wake up on their own at 5:30 am each morning. I wish they would sleep later but while they are early risers for now we are happy to make use of that time and get to the beach early, by 7. When they wake up later eventually then we will adjust our beach time.

Also, regarding being bored without friends, one of the main reasons we want a beach house is to entertain family and friends as often as possible. We have family on the East Coast who we would like to invite, retired Grandparents who we will invite for week/s/ at a time, and we have lots of friends and hope to invite all of them to stay with us for a long weekend there as often as possible. The house has 3 bedrooms so perfect for having a guest room for guests. So the kids will hopefully have friends visit there a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You sound like you're going to be doing a lot of driving back and forth AND with 2 young kids in car ....especially since you said you're going every other weekend during peak season. I would dread that drive in the summer.

You haven't addressed the issue of the beach house maintenance. Sure, you said lawn, winterizing, hoa for the pool, but you don't think wood rot, paint, storm damage, staining a deck (for example), sand build up in the shower pipes (again, for example, but def reality), bugs/ants, etc aren't going to turn it into a money pit??

OP here. Yes, there will be a lot of driving. But the minivan has a DVD player, which is helpful. If you leave early before rush hour traffic the drive isn't that bad I think. 2.5 hours door to door.

Beach house maintenance is something we do need to think more about. That is my main concern. It was built in 2008 so everything is somewhat new which is a positive. Lawn will be covered by a lawn service. I called for prices, way less than what we pay here (smaller yard). Why would there be bug problems? We'll get it inspected for that of course. I guess just like our regular house we would budget a certain amount each year to cover wear and tear on the house?

Furnishings, linens, etc. is a big expense but would be a mostly one-time expense as we are not going to rent it out.

[Anonymous]

Did OP ever state what town this is in?

[Anonymous]

OP, I'd LOVE to have a beach house. But I agree with many of these folks - it's a pain in the neck for a lot of reasons.

Your kids get up early now. When DD was about 10 or 11 she started sleeping in as long as we will allow - so, left to her own devices, she now sleeps until 11 or 11:30.

All my kids do summer swim team at our pool at home - my youngest started at age 5. We also do summer camps and classes (for school). They would FLIP OUT if I said they couldn't do swimming. They also want to be with their friends.

I also say to wait and find something walkable. Even my 6 year old can walk to and from the beach if she's with her siblings. It's great when you're at the beach and someone announces they need to go #2 or they forgot their towel or whatever...a 5 minute drive (and 20 minutes of looking for parking) is brutal at that point.

Keep in mind that your friends and family will be busy in a few years, too, if their kids are young like yours are. So you won't have as many visitors as you might anticipate. And a 3 BR place isn't a huge spot to host another whole family for any length of time.

Not saying don't do it. Just saying that perhaps you might want to really consider all the advice you're getting from people who have kids a few years older than yours.

[Anonymous]

If you have 260k to be able to buy your beach house as you said, then I would just put it towards renting a real beach house (as in EASY walking distance to the beach) for a few weeks each year. You could have great beach trips for the next 20 years without the commitment and pain of owning a ( non) beach house.

[Anonymous]

We have a couple of friends who have beach houses or farm houses. I gotta say, it's great in many, many ways BUT they definitely are not as involved in sports and general school and neighborhood stuff as other families. Their kids ride or sail instead of soccer and Saturday baseball games and birthday parties. I imagine when their kids get out of elementary school they will need to cut back significantly on their weekends away just because there are so many activities that they need to be close to home for. On the plus side, they have this lovely home and property that they get to enjoy.

[Anonymous]

I thought Lewes has a lot of ground rent?

[Anonymous]

Expenses: Electricity, water, cable, gas, internet, insurance, lawn service, trash service (if applicable). Upkeep for carpets, appliances (the washer gets a ton of use), replacing outdoor furniture, repairing wooden decks, screening, outdoor shower periodically. You will have less wear and tear because you're not renting, but you will still have all the "normal" expenses of owning a home. We have a house in Florida and spend about $2000 a year on repairs and furnishings in addition to regular bills.