rickjones posted on December 06, 2011 08:38
We have been in a buyers market for some time now with LOTS of inventory available for buyers to check out. Most folks that come down to LBI to view homes have a very strong sense of what they want. Most of the time, the vision is a blend of what they have in their primary house and nice places they have enjoyed while vacationing on the beach.
There are really two kinds of buyers looking for a house on Long Beach Island, one being the investor. The investor is more interested in finding a place that would rent well, and that will cover most of their monthly mortgage payments. The vision of the perfect beach house still applies, as the investor will still plan to use the beach house in the fall and spring seasons, when the rental business dies down. Number of bedrooms, baths, and adjacency to shopping and the ocean is paramount in importance. For these folks, finding a house in good repair with a strong rental history makes it easier to help them than the other type of beach-house hunter: the vacation house buyer. These buyers simply want a vacation house for their friends and family. They tend to be more particular in dealing with details of the house: Is the kitchen as nice as their primary home? Is the flooring the right color? Is the walk to the beach a short and safe one for the little kids?
It is important for both types of buyers of a second home to realize that the perfect beach house does NOT exist. In the long term both types of buyers recognize that the magic of the LBI is the beach and the community. Find a great place, but not the PERFECT place.