Should I buy a beach vacation home?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - So where are these elusive amazing places to buy a 2nd home? Hilton Head seems like the only upscale place I've found, and I imagine its fairly MAGA these days too.

Why wouldn’t you just buy something on the Cape?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The town of Rehoboth itself has barely 1000 year round residents, 97 percent of whom are white. The median age is over 64. Sounds like a blast!

Meanwhile, you spend 90% of your time with about 10 people who are all white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a beach house at DE beaches and love it. We rent it out in the summers and just block out days or weeks we want to go down. The income pays for the mortgage and most of the maintenance.

We use it year round as a weekend getaway and especially like the spring and fall for that. We don’t vacation there and go elsewhere.

The value has more than doubled since we bought 9 years ago. But no plans to sell. The family time and memories down there are what is priceless to us. Sure, maybe if we had invested the down payment in the market, we might have made more money but the memories and family time is more important to us. Besides, we are already well diversified in stocks, crypto, and own a few other real estate investments that we rent out full time.

So we have not found our beach house to be a money pit and it has worked out well. Lastly, we plan on holding for a long time to continue making more family memories there. We are not near oceanfront to worry about climate change. But if we do lose the house in 50 years for whatever reason, so be it. We can afford the lost. But we cannot afford not having those priceless family time.

No regrets and so happy we bought the beach house.

Yawn. Not near oceanfront? Why bother.

Let me guess, you’re the same troll droning on and on about vacation homes washing away in floods…

Nope. Different poster. I just don't get the appeal of a beach house where you can't even see the ocean from your house.

Says someone who does not have a house down in the DE beaches……..

Np. Is that some kind of flex?

DE beaches are only a tiny step above OCMD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve posted a few times offering my honest views and almost every time I’ve been written off as someone who is just “jealous” that I don’t own a beach house in Delaware that’s a five minute drive from the sand. I know I shouldn’t bother responding and that I’m wasting my breath, but what the hell — I’m bored today.

I actually grew up two blocks from the beach in one of the nicest towns in NJ. Candidly, it’s a lot nicer than Rehoboth. I still have lots of family living in and near my home town. Three of my siblings own modest homes there that nonetheless are worth ridiculous amounts of money. They live there year round. Always have. We’re all close. I visit. I understand the beach scene very, very well.

I have absolutely no desire to live there myself, though. The majority of year round residents of small towns on or near the beach — or the shore, as we call it in NJ — are old AF, conservative if not downright MAGA, not well educated, and white. I cannot relate to any of it.

The Delaware beaches are no different and no better.

If you can afford to buy a home in any of those towns, which I can, there are far better and more interesting places to buy elsewhere. If you can afford to rent a (nice) house for a week or two in any of those towns, you can afford a trip to Europe or the Caribbean instead.

The absolute last thing I would want to do is own a beach house in Delaware that I could only use a week or two in the summer, where I couldn’t see the ocean from my front door, where I would have to come in the off season where more businesses are closed than opened, where the majority of the other people hanging around were old fogies and conservative hicks, and when there’s basically nothing to do.

Yes, I have money. Could I afford a $5 million dollar beachfront home in Rehoboth? Nope. Could I afford a place that costs a couple million? Absolutely. I am, however, supremely uninterested — and not even remotely jealous.

That is good you are not jealous as a couple of million will not even get you a nice house in the city of Rehoboth now. Try 3m+. Why? Because it is desirable and inventory is low. You won’t get beachfront for 5m either. May want to stick with jersey. lol.

You don’t know much about Jersey

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve posted a few times offering my honest views and almost every time I’ve been written off as someone who is just “jealous” that I don’t own a beach house in Delaware that’s a five minute drive from the sand. I know I shouldn’t bother responding and that I’m wasting my breath, but what the hell — I’m bored today.

I actually grew up two blocks from the beach in one of the nicest towns in NJ. Candidly, it’s a lot nicer than Rehoboth. I still have lots of family living in and near my home town. Three of my siblings own modest homes there that nonetheless are worth ridiculous amounts of money. They live there year round. Always have. We’re all close. I visit. I understand the beach scene very, very well.

I have absolutely no desire to live there myself, though. The majority of year round residents of small towns on or near the beach — or the shore, as we call it in NJ — are old AF, conservative if not downright MAGA, not well educated, and white. I cannot relate to any of it.

The Delaware beaches are no different and no better.

If you can afford to buy a home in any of those towns, which I can, there are far better and more interesting places to buy elsewhere. If you can afford to rent a (nice) house for a week or two in any of those towns, you can afford a trip to Europe or the Caribbean instead.

The absolute last thing I would want to do is own a beach house in Delaware that I could only use a week or two in the summer, where I couldn’t see the ocean from my front door, where I would have to come in the off season where more businesses are closed than opened, where the majority of the other people hanging around were old fogies and conservative hicks, and when there’s basically nothing to do.

Yes, I have money. Could I afford a $5 million dollar beachfront home in Rehoboth? Nope. Could I afford a place that costs a couple million? Absolutely. I am, however, supremely uninterested — and not even remotely jealous.

That is good you are not jealous as a couple of million will not even get you a nice house in the city of Rehoboth now. Try 3m+. Why? Because it is desirable and inventory is low. You won’t get beachfront for 5m either. May want to stick with jersey. lol.

You don’t know much about Jersey

PP here. I just looked at Redfin and there’s currently only one listing in all of Rehoboth for over $5 million and plenty for under $2 million. Plenty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The town of Rehoboth itself has barely 1000 year round residents, 97 percent of whom are white. The median age is over 64. Sounds like a blast!

At this point, I think anyone who does have a place there is pretty glad you’re not interested.

[Anonymous]

Rehoboth prices look like Cape May prices. Not cheap. But not anywhere near Avalon or Stone Harbor prices and only a fraction of the Hamptons.

I wouldn’t say Rehoboth is particularly exclusive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rehoboth prices look like Cape May prices. Not cheap. But not anywhere near Avalon or Stone Harbor prices and only a fraction of the Hamptons.

I wouldn’t say Rehoboth is particularly exclusive.

It’s not exclusive. Nor is it MAGA central, in spite of Jersey poster’s strong desire to die on that hill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve posted a few times offering my honest views and almost every time I’ve been written off as someone who is just “jealous” that I don’t own a beach house in Delaware that’s a five minute drive from the sand. I know I shouldn’t bother responding and that I’m wasting my breath, but what the hell — I’m bored today.

I actually grew up two blocks from the beach in one of the nicest towns in NJ. Candidly, it’s a lot nicer than Rehoboth. I still have lots of family living in and near my home town. Three of my siblings own modest homes there that nonetheless are worth ridiculous amounts of money. They live there year round. Always have. We’re all close. I visit. I understand the beach scene very, very well.

I have absolutely no desire to live there myself, though. The majority of year round residents of small towns on or near the beach — or the shore, as we call it in NJ — are old AF, conservative if not downright MAGA, not well educated, and white. I cannot relate to any of it.

The Delaware beaches are no different and no better.

If you can afford to buy a home in any of those towns, which I can, there are far better and more interesting places to buy elsewhere. If you can afford to rent a (nice) house for a week or two in any of those towns, you can afford a trip to Europe or the Caribbean instead.

The absolute last thing I would want to do is own a beach house in Delaware that I could only use a week or two in the summer, where I couldn’t see the ocean from my front door, where I would have to come in the off season where more businesses are closed than opened, where the majority of the other people hanging around were old fogies and conservative hicks, and when there’s basically nothing to do.

Yes, I have money. Could I afford a $5 million dollar beachfront home in Rehoboth? Nope. Could I afford a place that costs a couple million? Absolutely. I am, however, supremely uninterested — and not even remotely jealous.

That is good you are not jealous as a couple of million will not even get you a nice house in the city of Rehoboth now. Try 3m+. Why? Because it is desirable and inventory is low. You won’t get beachfront for 5m either. May want to stick with jersey. lol.

You don’t know much about Jersey

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rehoboth prices look like Cape May prices. Not cheap. But not anywhere near Avalon or Stone Harbor prices and only a fraction of the Hamptons.

I wouldn’t say Rehoboth is particularly exclusive.

It’s not exclusive. Nor is it MAGA central, in spite of Jersey poster’s strong desire to die on that hill.

I never said it was MAGA central in the summer. I said that if you’re spending the bulk of your time there off season and not there in the summer you’re not surrounding yourself with a bunch of liberal fun loving gays — you’re with old white frumpy folks who largely aren’t gay and who sure as hell ain’t liberal. The difference is night and day.

I can see the summertime appeal. I really can. I mean, I’ve lived it. But they roll up the streets after Labor Day and the Cretans move it.

[Anonymous]

Everybody’s got it wrong.

People in the DMV with money are not buying houses at the DE beaches as a beach vacation home. It is a weekend getaway due to the close proximity.

They vacation elsewhere internationally, ski out west, etc…

And this is why the value of homes at or close to the ocean or in town will continue to be stable and go up as the DMV continues to get wealthier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rehoboth prices look like Cape May prices. Not cheap. But not anywhere near Avalon or Stone Harbor prices and only a fraction of the Hamptons.

I wouldn’t say Rehoboth is particularly exclusive.

It’s not exclusive. Nor is it MAGA central, in spite of Jersey poster’s strong desire to die on that hill.

I never said it was MAGA central in the summer. I said that if you’re spending the bulk of your time there off season and not there in the summer you’re not surrounding yourself with a bunch of liberal fun loving gays — you’re with old white frumpy folks who largely aren’t gay and who sure as hell ain’t liberal. The difference is night and day.

I can see the summertime appeal. I really can. I mean, I’ve lived it. But they roll up the streets after Labor Day and the Cretans move it.

The weekends are extremely busy from after labor days to new years in city of Rehoboth . Lots of festivals. Halloween and Xmas big there also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rehoboth prices look like Cape May prices. Not cheap. But not anywhere near Avalon or Stone Harbor prices and only a fraction of the Hamptons.

I wouldn’t say Rehoboth is particularly exclusive.

It’s not exclusive. Nor is it MAGA central, in spite of Jersey poster’s strong desire to die on that hill.

I never said it was MAGA central in the summer. I said that if you’re spending the bulk of your time there off season and not there in the summer you’re not surrounding yourself with a bunch of liberal fun loving gays — you’re with old white frumpy folks who largely aren’t gay and who sure as hell ain’t liberal. The difference is night and day.

I can see the summertime appeal. I really can. I mean, I’ve lived it. But they roll up the streets after Labor Day and the Cretans move it.

The weekends are extremely busy from after labor days to new years in city of Rehoboth . Lots of festivals. Halloween and Xmas big there also.

There is not a chance PP has "lived it" off season in Rehoboth in the last 20+ years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rehoboth prices look like Cape May prices. Not cheap. But not anywhere near Avalon or Stone Harbor prices and only a fraction of the Hamptons.

I wouldn’t say Rehoboth is particularly exclusive.

It’s not exclusive. Nor is it MAGA central, in spite of Jersey poster’s strong desire to die on that hill.

I never said it was MAGA central in the summer. I said that if you’re spending the bulk of your time there off season and not there in the summer you’re not surrounding yourself with a bunch of liberal fun loving gays — you’re with old white frumpy folks who largely aren’t gay and who sure as hell ain’t liberal. The difference is night and day.

I can see the summertime appeal. I really can. I mean, I’ve lived it. But they roll up the streets after Labor Day and the Cretans move it.

The weekends are extremely busy from after labor days to new years in city of Rehoboth . Lots of festivals. Halloween and Xmas big there also.

There is not a chance PP has "lived it" off season in Rehoboth in the last 20+ years.

Off season is the best time of the year. Can’t wait until labor day is over. Yes, have loved off season the last 20 yrs.😁

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Ha Ha you were doing so well until you weeded into bullshit. This did not happen. Folks looking for beach houses don’t ask owners of houses that aren’t on the market if they’re “interested in selling.” They look at the MLS, where there always are plenty of houses for sale in every beach community that attracts renters.

We have had a place in Lewes for 6 years and get asked about twice a year from random people (they main broker there knows better) if we would be willing to sell. So the PP's story checks from my perspective.