Erosion continues to plague North Topsail Beach (Jacksonville, Jackson: oceanfront, insurance)

[Bill Hitchcock]

Erosion continues to plague North Topsail Beach | plague, topsail, beach - News Source for Jacksonville, North Carolina - jdnews.com

[billrossey]

[FONT=Verdana]Do not buy a place anywhere on Topsail Beach Island NC unless you like being wiped out by hurricanes, storm surge, beach erosion, high taxes, high insurance prices, and biting bugs from the swampy marshes![/FONT]

[Dad6Kiddos]

Funny, you bring this subject up. I received this in an exchange with a listing agent this week regarding a particular listing, "It's a legit concern...parts of that Island are going into the ocean. Same thing w/ North Topsail & Ocean Isle."

[wrestlingterp]

I've posted this link before, but it is worth posting again!! Pretty much a losing battle. http://www.protectthebeach.com/temp/...0paper-05e.pdf

[Dad6Kiddos]

Then it raises the big question--should tax dollars be spent to save/protect these "luxury" oceanfront homes. I put in parenthesis because often the homes can be mediocre except for the location itself. The inland guy says why am I paying for those people to live on the ocean if they have more money than I do (an assumption that is likely valid though not necessarily true). It's a legit question. People knew the risks and can live with the consequences.

However if the beaches themselves are brining in the $$$ to the local economy for real then beach repair/rejuvination then it's an investment in maintaining the local economy. The benefits to the oceanfront homeowners is an ancillary consequence to the real goal of maintaining great beaches.

BUT...who decides if the beaches are really fueling the local economy to the degree necessary to justify big $$$ on rejuvination? likely the decision makers are more likely to have relationships with the oceanfront owners than the inland owners so the concerns about slanted policy making are dead on legit.

Thoughts anybody? Curious what others think about it. The intensity of the issue is like a rip tide that is eroding the beach

[wrestlingterp]

Originally Posted by billrossey

Do not buy a place anywhere on Topsail Beach Island NC unless you like being wiped out by hurricanes, storm surge, beach erosion, high taxes, high insurance prices, and biting bugs from the swampy marshes!

Umm, not quite accurate. Topsail ISLAND is nearly 25 miles long with variations on insurance, beach erosion, etc. from one area to another. Also your opinions apply to nearly any barrier island, not just Topsail Island.

[wrestlingterp]

Originally Posted by Dad6Kiddos

Thoughts anybody? Curious what others think about it. The intensity of the issue is like a rip tide that is eroding the beach

he answer is; "it depends." There are regulations in place, such as CAMA, which limit what can be done on a property. We discovered one property the could not be rebuilt on if the house were destroyed, so it was difficult to impossible to obtain a mortgage for it. Insurance rates are highly variable depending on the location relative to storm surge, velocity zones, and elevation of the house. As for risks, those exist regardless of where one lives. Coastal North Carolina happens to be hurricanes, when they hit. Every year there is flooding along the Mississippi River, tornadoes in the heartland, earthquakes in California, heavy snow in the upper midwest.

[mlhm5]

When you think of beach property, remember "rust never sleeps" it will give you an idea of how transitory waterfront land is.