Purchasing a property along a body of water comes with its own unique set of considerations and challenges. If you’re thinking that making one of these properties your next home is the right decision for you, take a look at these 5 things you should know about buying a waterfront home in Atlanta.
Select Your Location Carefully
Before you let yourself get carried away with the excitement of combing through the listings, you want to think about what type of body of water you want to locate near.
Some planned communities are built around private natural or artificial ponds and lakes, while other individual properties may exist right along a river that is open to the public. The important point to keep in mind is that these different locations are going to attract substantially varying levels of traffic and clientele.
Carefully picture yourself in your idyllic waterfront home and imagine the activities and people with which you are involved. Having a home that backs right up to a public beach could be amazing for a very outgoing person, and a total nightmare for someone else due to the lack of privacy.
Shoreline History
Not all waterfront properties are created equal, and you want to get to know the area in which they reside prior to becoming too heavily invested emotionally or monetarily.
Do some research on the history of the area, including any natural disasters that have taken place. You’re not looking to see how common hurricanes or tornadoes are, but rather to have some idea of the soil composition and expected tide levels throughout the year.
Understanding if you should expect issues with erosion is essential so that you can care for the property appropriately and prepare for any foreseeable issues. And you don’t want to purchase your new home only to discover that the summer months leave you with an inch or two of water covering your ground floor due to a mixture of heavy rains and high tides.
Insurance
One big thing to remember is that, in purchasing a waterfront home, you likely will have elevated insurance requirements.
Be ready to purchase at least flood insurance if not also hurricane and earthquake insurance to meet all criteria. This means more money out of your pocket just to own the property, and it’s something that is very easy for excited buyers to overlook.
Find out the insurance requirements on a property in which you are interested and contact your insurance agent to get quotes before signing off on anything.
Inspection
With the extra issues of insurance costs and disaster protection, it should be pretty clear as to why we advise an abundance of caution and a critical eye when it comes time for inspections.
On your initial walkthrough, walk every inch of the property while keeping an eye out for anything that could be dangerous or cause you headaches as an owner down the road. Soil testing and an inspection of possible erosion and runoff could save you a bundle if they turn up a less-than-steady soil composition that could create problems for your entire home, if not at least the foundation.
Additional Financial Commitments
The final bit that enthusiastic homebuyers can lose track of is the potential for more expenses in the form of a boat dock and lift fees and even increased water and sewer costs.
You can assume that any waterfront home you look at will have higher water and sewer utility costs compared to a home further inland. Getting a summation of the previous owner’s utility bills from the past year can help alleviate or reduce this issue while also helping you to budget correctly.
Find Your Waterfront Home in Atlanta
If you’re looking to buy a waterfront home in Atlanta, contact our team of professionals today at (404) 977-5054!