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Looks more like storm surges sent waves breaking above the grass. The parts not at the front of the house are much farther away from water.
Sure. That's why the column in the very left front of the left house is spotless, and several others are just as clean, on faces not directly above the dirt/grass. Waves
I can't remember all the towns in the article, but I think it was pretty Gulf Coast centric? But there are plenty of small towns that have lakes or reservoirs & certainly the Great Lakes have a lot of shoreline, one doesn't have to be on salt water to have a nice view of relatively inexpensive "coastline".
To me, that house, the look of it, the exterior, but more importantly and especially the scrubby land it is on, what surrounds it, and the flood propensity and storm surge is wayyyyy beyond the eye of the beholder! (in terms of undesirability)
And calling it a "waterfront home" at post #76 is mind boggling.
Reminds me of some Cancun, Mexico hotels, for example, who say their hotel is "water view" "on the water" when it's on a stinking polluted little pond, or murky dirty little bay, or crummy little inlet - and certainly not on the ocean - (but college students and others not familiar with these ploys, scam-like tactics, and no knowledge of Cancun having 'other bodies of water besides the ocean' and who are not looking closely when booking the rooms, fall for it)
Mind boggling? Maybe for someone with no experience in a coastal area. It is most certainly waterfront when there is navigable water less than twenty feet away. If you can keep your boat in the water in your own backyard, you have waterfront property. Nobody said it was oceanfront; that is what you inferred, wrongly.
That "scrubby land" it is on is typical of the coastal environment before developers get carried away with inappropriate landscaping and increasingly there are requirements to keep it that way to avoid interference with the ecosystem. There is very little danger of storm surge or flooding due to the pilings upon which it is constructed. It may not be the house for you but there is certainly nothing wrong with its description.
I wasn't suggesting that particular land should be changed or landscaped or have the ecosystem interfered with or disrupted. Not at all. I just don't think that land is attractive to live on.
There is plenty of danger of storm surge and flooding there (according to poster upthread) - just because the water may not reach the top level of the house doesn't mean a 30 foot storm surge or high deep flooding would not impact one's life negatively during the siege of it. Like leaving one's house during the flooding and storm surge?
As an aside, I realize there are people attracted to this. On HGTV's Beachfront Bargain Hunt last week, a couple looked at a house which had a 8 or 10 feet wide 'canal' - not even a canal actually (no boats certainly) just an 8 or 10 foot draining ditch - and the married woman said 'look, a water view!' and 'how nice, a water view out the windows!' and she was serious! Her husband said 'I bet there are alligators in that water'. (alligators crawling about or just jumping out of the water is not desirable) Which is one thing I think of looking at the configuration of water by that Bay St Louis Mississippi house.
Last edited by matisse12; 05-06-2019 at 03:06 PM..
I wasn't suggesting that particular land should be changed or landscaped or have the ecosystem interfered with or disrupted. Not at all. I just don't think that land is attractive to live on.
There is plenty of danger of storm surge and flooding there (according to poster upthread) - just because the water may not reach the top level of the house doesn't mean a 30 foot storm surge or high deep flooding would not impact one's life negatively during the siege of it. Like leaving one's house during the flooding and storm surge?
As an aside, I realize there are people attracted to this. On HGTV's Beachfront Bargain Hunt last week, a couple looked at a house which had a 8 or 10 feet wide 'canal' - not even a canal actually (no boats certainly) just an 8 or 10 foot draining ditch - and the married woman said 'look, a water view!' and 'how nice, a water view out the windows!' and she was serious! Her husband said 'I bet there are alligators in that water'. (alligators crawling about or just jumping out of the water is not desirable) Which is one thing I think of looking at the configuration of water by that Bay St Louis Mississippi house.
Allow me to clarify: When I wrote there was little danger of flooding and storm surge I was referring not to ground level but to the level of the habitable area of the house; it goes without saying that ground level would be susceptible to high water which is quite obvious with the way the house is constructed to meet FEMA and other requirements. It is normal and prudent to have evacuations of such parcels during heavy storms and most similar houses are not primary residences in any event.
You are certainly entitled to opine that you don't find the land attractive but a price premium will continue to exist on waterfront property particularly a parcel with a forever view of a coastal preserve just across the street; that would not exist without widespread desire for such. And a thirty foot storm surge may be something talked about ad nauseum on the Weather Channel but it is certainly an extremely rare possibility, if at all.
Alligators would be even more rare as they can't survive more than a few days in salt water but that won't stop those with wild imaginations from overreaching.
Allow me to clarify: When I wrote there was little danger of flooding and storm surge I was referring not to ground level but to the level of the habitable area of the house; it goes without saying that ground level would be susceptible to high water which is quite obvious with the way the house is constructed to meet FEMA and other requirements. It is normal and prudent to have evacuations of such parcels during heavy storms and most similar houses are not primary residences in any event.
You are certainly entitled to opine that you don't find the land attractive but a price premium will continue to exist on waterfront property particularly a parcel with a forever view of a coastal preserve just across the street; that would not exist without widespread desire for such. And a thirty foot storm surge may be something talked about ad nauseum on the Weather Channel but it is certainly an extremely rare possibility, if at all.
Alligators would be even more rare as they can't survive more than a few days in salt water but that won't stop those with wild imaginations from overreaching.
I was going by what scgoldengirl who follows real estate in Bay St Louis Mississippi and that county (and who responded to the pic and description of the house in question) wrote at her post #71 about the source of the water below: (there are plenty of alligators in swamps, bayous, and tons of bodies of water in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi - even if not next to that house. But Florida and Louisiana have the greatest number of alligators in the U.S. Even if there were no alligators right near that particular house and those marshes, swamps, canals, river by that house, the other many negative factors would prevail to many or most people)
But you may call it 'premium waterfront', if you wish.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scgoldengirl
That home is in an area that floods easily. It's a beautiful house. I'm familiar with Shoreline Park and it's always had a bad rep for flooding even in a mild tropical event-hence a waterfront home priced less than $300k. I notice it's been on the market since last summer. That house is right on a canal that flows into the Jourdan River, which eventually flows into the Mississippi Sound. Coastal Mississippi is not directly on the Gulf of Mexico. It's protected by barrier islands, which also partially account for the horrible water quality on the beach. You have to go out on the islands to see the real Gulf of Mexico. At any rate, not every house in Bay St. Louis is waterfront property.
But you're right. I get massive anxiety just looking at a house built with pilings that high . And no matter how high up you build a house, if it's waterfront and a Katrina type storm surge comes into the area(over 30 ft), then the surge will wash it away.
A lot of houses are being rebuilt along those canals and areas that were hit with a massive storm surge all along the Ms Coast. People have short memories. I personally would not build in those vulnerable areas, but I get why people do it. They love living on the water and love that lifestyle. As long as they can afford the massive insurance bills that come along with living there and are prepared to face losing it all, I guess they've done their research. But look at the growth in Florida, coastal SC, and other coastal states. People are drawn to living on the water. Not everybody, but lots of folks retire on coastlines.
I'm not sure I would ever move back to the Ms Coast. It's an argument I have with myself on a weekly basis. I miss it, but not sure I have what it takes to live in a coastal area again. The best advice I see repeatedly on City Data is to do your research and spend some time in these coastal areas during the summer. Winter is not a good time to judge year round weather down there.
Last edited by matisse12; 05-06-2019 at 10:30 PM..
I was going by what scgoldengirl who follows real estate in Bay St Louis Mississippi and that county (and who responded to the pic and description of the house in question) wrote at her post #71 about the source of the water below: (there are plenty of alligators in swamps, bayous, and tons of bodies of water in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi - even if not next to that house. But Florida and Louisiana have the greatest number of alligators in the U.S. Even if there were no alligators right near that particular house and those marshes, swamps, canals, river by that house, the other many negative factors would prevail to many or most people)
But you may call it 'premium waterfront', if you wish.
Why put words in my mouth? The phrase "premium waterfront" is a construction of yours; I defended its being called "waterfront property" simply because it is waterfront property - that which you have admitted "boggles" your mind.
It would only take your clicking on the map feature of the listing to understand that the house is not located in a swamp but in a salt marsh tidal area with good water exchange twice daily - hardly a congenial environment for alligators.
The water in that area is brackish which is a mixture of fresh water and salt water.
Brackish water is particularly in the canal, waterways, Jourdan River, and then Mississippi Sound leading out from that house by boat.
American alligators live in freshwater environments, such as ponds, marshes, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and swamps, as well as in brackish water.
above from Alligator - Wikipedia
Alligators live in fresh and brackish water habitats but will venture into salt water. Alligators inhabit swamps, tidal marshes, creeks and rivers, canals, ponds, lakes, and reservoirs.
above from Alligator fact sheet
But as I stated, even if there are or were no alligators, there are so many other negatives to that property that many or most people would not buy it.
You called it "a price premium which will continue to exist on waterfront property particularly a parcel with a forever view of a coastal preserve just across the street" at your post #85 rather than premium waterfront. Yes, a difference in use of the word premium.
Last edited by matisse12; 05-07-2019 at 12:16 AM..
The water in that area is brackish which is a mixture of fresh water and salt water.
Brackish water is particularly in the canal, waterways, Jourdan River, and then Mississippi Sound leading out from that house by boat.
American alligators live in freshwater environments, such as ponds, marshes, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and swamps, as well as in brackish water.
above from Alligator - Wikipedia
Alligators live in fresh and brackish water habitats but will venture into salt water. Alligators inhabit swamps, tidal marshes, creeks and rivers, canals, ponds, lakes, and reservoirs.
above from Alligator fact sheet
But as I stated, even if there are or were no alligators, there are so many other negatives to that property that many or most people would not buy it.
You called it "a price premium which will continue to exist on waterfront property particularly a parcel with a forever view of a coastal preserve just across the street" at your post #85 rather than premium waterfront. Yes, a difference in use of the word premium.
Well, at least we agree that the word "premium" was used differently here. Tell you what, you agree that I never called this a "premium property" and I'll agree that you don't recognize a "price premium" on waterfront property.
It is very clear that you are unfamiliar with tidal wetlands so it is no surprise that you insist, erroneously, that the water here is brackish. This is a salt water environment with wide, deep channels from the house in question to the open Gulf of Mexico experiencing a cycle of low and high tide twice daily. It may not be clear to you but the aerial photographs make it abundantly clear to anyone familiar with coastal ecology. There is no significant source of fresh water apparent looking inland. In fact it is that tidal process that makes the location susceptible to the very coastal flooding and storm surge you believe is a major drawback to the property and why the house is built on raised pilings.
The Jourdan River is part of the area in question in that it connects to the area in question by waterways and canals.
I am not referring to the marshes on the land in back of the two houses shown in pic - which look like large puddles in the middle of empty land in the pic.
I am referring to brackish water in the canal where the boat docks are located and the brackish water in the waterways from the area in question to the Jourdan River.
That's all on this topic from me. Back to the topic of this thread which is whether this area is good for retirement.
Last edited by matisse12; 05-07-2019 at 10:21 AM..
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