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Since you are up in the air, I would seriously consider renting the first year.
I would urge you to start with a condo. There are a lot more negatives with condos than upsides. FWIW, my grandmother lives all year long in an oceanfront condo that does allow weekly rentals.
My parents also have an oceanfront condo in the same building they use occasionally.
I don't really agree with the negative vs upside part. I owned my own home for 40 years ,sold it and moved to a condo. LOVE THE CONDO LIFE. Wish i had done it 20 years ago. No grass cutting, no gutter cleaning, no roof repair, no trash pick up, no yard work at all. no snow shoveling...lol. etc.
The ocean isn't dark at night. There are always boats out on the ocean. When the shrimpers are here, I love looking out at night at the boats all lit up working just offshore. Then there are the cruise ships constantly going back and forth and freighters anchored in the roads.
About the salt air; for those of us who have dealt with it our whole lives, we know when the salt is an issue (certainly not every day) and live our lives accordingly. As long as there is no surf or the wind is offshore I can leave my oceanfront doors and windows wide open with no concern. In over 30 years of living directly on the ocean I have never replaced an interior appliance or electronic because of salt corrosion. I have, however, gone through many Weber charcoal grills. They are good for an amazing 5+ years sitting outside through it all. Outside AC compressor every five to seven years.
I'm going to buy "waterfront" in Maine. It's a rocky coast, but it's water and very affordable. Working on it right now.
I'm in NJ and grew up spending every Summer at a beach house. Cannot afford anything even near the shore nowadays. I'm retired and cant even afford the NJ taxes period.
I MUST live near the water, and i'm making a bit of a compromise. I love cold weather and i love Maine, so it's actually no problem for me. I've not read all the other replies yet, but you can buy a single-family home owning waterfront for $90 - $179K easily, and some taxes are UNDER $1,000/year. (this is on the Northern Coast - Down East)
I want to own part of the waterfront because we want to have kayaks; and to fish, clam, lobster, etc. and be able to go into the water directly from our property if at all possible.
Last edited by Jellybean50; 08-13-2016 at 10:15 AM..
I'll start a new post to add - my sister and her husband, retired teachers - have been traveling the world for years. They have been to many, many, MANY beaches - and have thought about moving before, trying to choose from several. Friends of their's from the UK did move to Aruba, bought a place and stayed a yr, I think. Sold it and went back home.
The healthcare was a pain, getting their insurance coverage. My sister has cancer and needs to make sure the type of care she'll get. Also they said you couldnt even buy a lightbulb for your outdoor lights. They had my sister and her husband mailing them there! It's good if you know someone who did it and likes it. They do have a friend who moved to the Dominican Republic and he loves it, but he's a very free spirit. Does not need much to make him happy!
Jellybean, I could see New England appealing to me, too. I simply can't decide, and it's a big east coast! If I dared to consider the west coast, as well, I would be practically dead (like ReachtheBeach) before I narrowed down all the choices! I do want to splash in the surf some and not just look at it, however, so not sure about Maine...
As for condo fees, while expensive, I can see them being totally worth it, and something is always going wrong with a house, and it's hard for us ladies to handle it alone as we get older. For me, it's just a matter of getting in the habit of spending money instead of saving/hoarding it as I have been for decades in anticipation of retirement. As long as my monthly income covers it (and renting it out during peak season should help there, as well), I can see myself getting used to a direct oceanfront condo with all the amenities for the rest of my life. I mean, it's a dirty job, but someone has to do it!
I'll start a new post to add - my sister and her husband, retired teachers - have been traveling the world for years. They have been to many, many, MANY beaches - and have thought about moving before, trying to choose from several. Friends of their's from the UK did move to Aruba, bought a place and stayed a yr, I think. Sold it and went back home.
The healthcare was a pain, getting their insurance coverage. My sister has cancer and needs to make sure the type of care she'll get. Also they said you couldnt even buy a lightbulb for your outdoor lights. They had my sister and her husband mailing them there! It's good if you know someone who did it and likes it. They do have a friend who moved to the Dominican Republic and he loves it, but he's a very free spirit. Does not need much to make him happy!
I wished the had watched the "The Beach" first before buying in Aruba.
LOL - yeah, I lived like that in Honduras back in the 80's. It's kind of fun for about a week. Then every time you want to go out for a pizza having to scare up two or three cars and six people and get everyone armed and radios tuned, etc. It is just too much hassle.
We didn't have an electric fence at the family compound - but we had 12 foot walls with broken glass on top and gun ports and big heavy metal car gates.
Have fun.
I "lived", well long stay twice in El Salvador about 5-6 years ago and that's a huge exaggeration. Yes we lived in a walled complex with security guards, there was probably 50 homes in the complex. But nowadays it's entirely possible to get Pizza Hut delivered in most places. There was a local fried chicken delivery as well. We lived in a beach home. It had 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a pool and was on a 15' cliff overlooking the ocean. It was an awesome place to live. We didn't own it, it was a family friends place. But they bought it for less then $100K. That home in California would be over a million dollars. We never once heard gunshots, but we were careful when we left the compound. We were told never to leave alone, always in a group, but we didn't have any weapons, normally one van. We'd go to local ice cream shops, local restaurants, Mayan ruins, we volunteered at some local schools. We never had any problems. We stayed in Honduras for a week too. Honduras coast and beach areas are nicer then El Salvadors, developments and the beach. Most of El Salvadors coast is cliffs and rougher water, but we did enjoy the beach many times.
There is more risk living in developing countries, especially high crime countries, but if one is smart and lives in a secure compound, then it's not much different then being in the US. Just use some common sense.
One could do without, but the owner of our home had a full time "maid" who would clean and even cook us meals whenever we want. When the home was vacant the maid and her family would house sit.
I don't know if I will ever have another experience like that, and it's probably not for everyone, but I sure enjoyed it and if given the opportunity I would buy a place down there.
I'm not dead; I just smell that way. I have been crazy busy lately and haven't boon on the forum...
If exclusivity means a private beach, that eliminates an awful lot of the US. Some states don't allow it and even the ones that do limit it. By beach I mean from the water's edge to the dunes. Here in NC, a realtor mentioned something to me about one property I was looking at renting - the beach was very narrow there and high tide pretty much ran people off. You could still enjoy it, but it was enough of a nuisance for day trippers that almost no one set up chairs near the stairs.
I am another one in the camp of thinking being near the beach for a place to live is better. On vacation, I want beachfront or first row with a view. A sound/bay/lake that has a nice waterfront would work for me, assuming the drive to the beach isn't long.
A lot of Bada Bing there and I suggest you start looking now as in now.
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I do want to splash in the surf some and not just look at it, however, so not sure about Maine...
