Real Estate Blog

Considering buying a beach house can not only be a delightful vacation place for you and your family, but also afford an income stream and can bring favorable return on investment. Many beach house investors buy houses that are rented out during peak season and personally use when not rented. Some just want the beach house to cover their expenses, allowing them to live in the house for fee during non-peak times. There are things to consider first:

Pricing

Oceanfront or oceanside homes are substantially pricier than inland homes. For example, right now, the average home price of homes for sale in Club Course area of Sea Pines is at $716,557 for 29 homes and ocean oriented average in Sea Pines is $3,347,757 for 54 homes.

Borrowing Costs

The financing amount may be higher and a 1% increase in rates can make your mortgage payment much more substantial. For example, if you borrow $2 million dollars at 4%, your P & I (principal and interest) is $9,548 and at 5%, it climbs to $10,736 (calculations done via https://www.realtor.com/mortgage/tools/mortage-calculator/). This speaks for a good time to buy with pending interest rate increases. I can help with lenders in our area.

Insurance Rates

It is quite likely that the homeowners insurance on your beach house will be more expensive than that of a primary home. Ocean oriented homes need to consider a Homeowner policy, Wind and Hail and Floor insurance. Flood insurance has spiked over recent years. I can provide contacts to reputable local insurance agents in our area.

Taxes/Bills

Due to high valuation of ocean oriented homes and a higher base rate for second home owners in the state of South Carolina, this tax bill could be higher if its a vacation home. Beaufort County provides a tax calculator via bcgov.net or simply contact me for more information.

Property Management

There are a lot of things than can break, such as a dishwasher, HVAC unit and the landlord is responsible for these repairs. So whether your rental company or you have a property manager to take care of these items for you, a good one will charge a percentage for taking care of these items and that can eat into your profit margin.

Running the numbers on being oceanfront or oceanside are vital aspects in making your buying decision. Done for the right reason, an oceanfront or ocean side property on Hilton Head Island can bring years of enjoyment and returns.

Respectfully submitted,

Susan Ochsner

http://www.YourHiltonHeadAgent.com

(843) 816-6388