Second home - which beach? Help please.

[Anonymous]

slaughter beach/lewes/ocenview in DC are a bit cheaper and less crowded

[Anonymous]

I would choose Sandbridge, Virginia Beach, not as far as OBX, with a stable shoreline both geologically and due to military requirements to keep it stable.

[Anonymous]

I agree with doing some long term rentals in different places. And pay attention to how traffic and crowds are during the times you’d actually be there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:slaughter beach/lewes/ocenview in DC are a bit cheaper and less crowded

OP’s budget is only 600k. That rules out any house in Bethany or Rehoboth.

You should look at Oceanview, Lewes, or OC

Definite no for slaughter beach. It’s nothing but tiny strip and not even ocean and lots horseshoe crabs littered on beach although less last year. I would not get a place there. Also nothing around there. Pretty isolating and depressing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had a house at Bethany for 12 years and enjoyed it when our kids were younger.

As they got into their teens we used it less and less as they were bored there.

It was great while it lasted, and we made a ton of money when we sold it this fall.

Fun times, great investment all around.

We did not rent it out. Would have made 3x as much but we basictlived there in summers.

We are going to just travel internationally a lot more now.

Having a second home is cool but it is a lot of work and when we were not using as much it became a burden. We did not want to rent it out.

We did not take many trips while we had because we felt like all our free time should be using what we bought. Now we do not feel guilty by going different places.

So where would you get it now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would choose Sandbridge, Virginia Beach, not as far as OBX, with a stable shoreline both geologically and due to military requirements to keep it stable.

I like Sandbridge, but it’s very quiet with few restaurants and other services. You will be driving to the mainland a ton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does it have to be a beach?

I grew up in a beach town and love the beach but when it came time to buy a second home decided to look west of the DMV and not east.

Why?

First, I'd only want a beach house that's actually ocean front. If I can't look out my front window and actually see the ocean, it just wouldn't do it for me. And ocean front in DE and MD cost millions and millions and just isn't worth that much to me.

Second, for several months around here the beach is too cold even to take a pleasant walk on, then again actually sit on. And the beach towns themselves are dead, with the majority of the shops and restaurants largely if not entirely closed down and the majority of the year round residents being either old AF or MAGA or both.

We ended up buying a 5000 SF house with a pool on seven acres less than two hours west of downtown DC (even on a bad traffic day) for well under $1 million. On top of that, we can walk in about 15 minute into a quaint but perfectly big enough downtown where good and varied bars and restaurants are open year round and where you'll see people of every age and not just the blue heads. And it's not MAGA. It went 80 percent for Harris in 2024.

Had you asked me back in the day if I could ever be happier with a second home to the west of the DMV than to the east I'd say no way. But now I know I made the right decision.

Golly. I count my lucky stars I don't live and die by "MAGA" hatred. What a weird and sad life you must have.

OP, many different kinds of beaches. To me it's New England, June to August or September. I don't need the beach any other time of the year. But it's only worth it if you're a proper summer resident. Going back and forth all the time would be a pain.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't buy a 7th home on any of those beaches.

[Anonymous]

No to Slaughter Beach. I've been there when the 100s of thousands of horseshoe crabs are there. It smells and is nasty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does it have to be a beach?

I grew up in a beach town and love the beach but when it came time to buy a second home decided to look west of the DMV and not east.

Why?

First, I'd only want a beach house that's actually ocean front. If I can't look out my front window and actually see the ocean, it just wouldn't do it for me. And ocean front in DE and MD cost millions and millions and just isn't worth that much to me.

Second, for several months around here the beach is too cold even to take a pleasant walk on, then again actually sit on. And the beach towns themselves are dead, with the majority of the shops and restaurants largely if not entirely closed down and the majority of the year round residents being either old AF or MAGA or both.

We ended up buying a 5000 SF house with a pool on seven acres less than two hours west of downtown DC (even on a bad traffic day) for well under $1 million. On top of that, we can walk in about 15 minute into a quaint but perfectly big enough downtown where good and varied bars and restaurants are open year round and where you'll see people of every age and not just the blue heads. And it's not MAGA. It went 80 percent for Harris in 2024.

Had you asked me back in the day if I could ever be happier with a second home to the west of the DMV than to the east I'd say no way. But now I know I made the right decision.

Golly. I count my lucky stars I don't live and die by "MAGA" hatred. What a weird and sad life you must have.

OP, many different kinds of beaches. To me it's New England, June to August or September. I don't need the beach any other time of the year. But it's only worth it if you're a proper summer resident. Going back and forth all the time would be a pain.

5000 square foot second home? I'm sure the locals love you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does it have to be a beach?

I grew up in a beach town and love the beach but when it came time to buy a second home decided to look west of the DMV and not east.

Why?

First, I'd only want a beach house that's actually ocean front. If I can't look out my front window and actually see the ocean, it just wouldn't do it for me. And ocean front in DE and MD cost millions and millions and just isn't worth that much to me.

Second, for several months around here the beach is too cold even to take a pleasant walk on, then again actually sit on. And the beach towns themselves are dead, with the majority of the shops and restaurants largely if not entirely closed down and the majority of the year round residents being either old AF or MAGA or both.

We ended up buying a 5000 SF house with a pool on seven acres less than two hours west of downtown DC (even on a bad traffic day) for well under $1 million. On top of that, we can walk in about 15 minute into a quaint but perfectly big enough downtown where good and varied bars and restaurants are open year round and where you'll see people of every age and not just the blue heads. And it's not MAGA. It went 80 percent for Harris in 2024.

Had you asked me back in the day if I could ever be happier with a second home to the west of the DMV than to the east I'd say no way. But now I know I made the right decision.

Golly. I count my lucky stars I don't live and die by "MAGA" hatred. What a weird and sad life you must have.

OP, many different kinds of beaches. To me it's New England, June to August or September. I don't need the beach any other time of the year. But it's only worth it if you're a proper summer resident. Going back and forth all the time would be a pain.

PP info above is way outdated. DE beaches area is not dead and busy year round. So many restaurants open and great. As to locals, they are nice and yes some are MAGA. They live a little further out due to high housing cost and not close to beach.

Our neighbors are mostly interesting, educated folks from DMV retiring down here and definitely blue.

[Anonymous]

We have a place in Bethany. I like that the beach is private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a place in Bethany. I like that the beach is private.

This may sound crazy my friends beach house is in Long Beach NY walking distance LIRR. He can go to beach and bars or walk to train and be in NYC in under 50 minutes or drive to US Open for Tennis in 30 minutes. or day trip Hamptons,

Being close to NYC at his beach house serves two purposes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a place in Bethany. I like that the beach is private.

You must be in North Bethany.

It’s the best location in all of the DE beaches and OC. Large private homes in gated communities and although beaches are technically public, there is no access to them so essentially private.

You just need the big bucks to afford it.

BTW we are seeing more and more people from NY and northern NJ buy in DE beaches because these homes are “cheap” compared to Hampton and NJ beaches and hardly any property taxes unlike high in NY and NJ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethany!

This but not many people can afford it. Plus there is almost no properties listed there ever. People are hanging onto it.

+1. Bethany for sure. Quiet, laid back but close to everything.

Properties do go up for sale sometimes but you have to vigilant and jump on it. Goes under contract fast if move in ready.

I wouldn't pick Bethany. It floods so much.