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Three Tips For Buying A Piece Of Waterfront Property

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If you are looking to buy a new home, you may be very attracted to the idea of owning waterfront property. These properties will often retain their value better than landlocked lots, and the convenient water access can provide your family with ample entertainment. While you may be wanting one of these properties, they can have drastically different considerations.

Research The History Of The Local Shoreline

The shoreline of a property can experience significant changes over the course of time. Unfortunately, homebuyers will frequently fail to adequately consider this reality when they are shopping for their new home. As a result, they may purchase a property that is suffering from serious shoreline erosion issues, and this can be very expensive to repair. Luckily, the seller should be able to provide erosion records for the property, and if they are unable to give you this information, you can obtain from the local government's department of building and environmental records.  

Determine Whether Erosion Control Upgrades Have Been Made

Due to the threat of erosion, it is important to understand whether any erosion control upgrades have been made to the property. These upgrades can drastically reduce the rate of erosion for the property, and they can include retaining walls and erosion control nets. You will want to thoroughly review these upgrade when you are touring the properties. During these evaluations, it will be important to look for signs of obvious wear and tear or damage. In situations where these upgrades have not been made or they are in disrepair, it may be possible to negotiate for the costs of these repairs or upgrades into the final price of the property.

Verify The House Has A Sump Pump System Installed

Homes that are located along shorelines can be at relatively low elevation. This factor combined with the ample amount of water that is around the house can lead to its basement being prone to flooding. A flooded basement can be remarkably damaging to concrete, wood and metal. Furthermore, your basement may start to develop a severe mold problem shortly after the flooding. Sump pumps are an excellent way of reducing this problem as they will provide a safe path for water to drain out of the basement as well as providing enough pressure to push it through the drains. Choosing to buy a property that does not include this type of protection can be a costly and inconvenient mistake as you may need to regularly repair the basement after major storms.

Talk to your real estate professional for more information. 


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