Friday, November 20, 2009

Purchasing Land At or Near the Beach: A Great Way to Start Investing in Beach Real Estate.

By Jeremy Szechenyi

Purchasing land at the beach requires finding land at or near the beach that has not been developed with a house. Finding land that is actually on the ocean or waterway is challenging, and can be prohibitively expensive. Land just off the ocean or waterway tends to be more available, and requires less investment. Either way, there must be value in the property for it to be a good investment. Look at the following points to help you figure out if it will have value.

1. Determine why the land is for sale.

2. Figure out if the area has utilities available for a home.

3. Are development projects forecasted or expected in the area?

Why is the land for sale? This is the first thing to consider. Land goes up for sale for many different reasons, but they are not all so friendly. Zoning restrictions or the condition of the land can cause problems for house construction. Land might be sold because the soil is too soft to lay a foundation, or because of a zoning restriction. Investigate this deeply to ensure that the land is being sold for a good reason, and you know extensively about the land before you buy.

Are utilities available for a house? This is the second thing to consider, as all houses will need utilities. Sometimes areas have certain utilities and not others, which make them hard to have a conventional lifestyle. For a beach investment property, you will need it to have access to utilities so that any kind of house constructed there would have access to appropriate utilities. At times, you can find an are that does not have utilities yet, but will get them soon because of development projects. These are great investments because they are usually lower priced and will appreciate greatly.

Third, figure out if any development projects are going to take place. Residential and Commercial development are typically easy to forecast given the surrounding area, but sometimes they can pop up in remote places. Investigate the development projects that might be coming close to your land, and consider that into your purchase.

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