We often hear "I want a waterfront home" when a prospective buyer is telling us what they'd like to find here in Florida. Whether it's St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tampa, the Gulf Beaches or Apollo Beach, there are lots of choices. This should lead to a series of questions:
- Are you a boater or are you looking for a view? If only a view, it could open up homes that are not on the water - they are waterview - i.e., they don't own to the waterfront but it's a park or easement in front of them, so that they can have a great view, and at a lower price than waterfront. Sometimes the buyer isn't sure of the difference, so it's important to discuss this.
- Are you looking for lakefront, or do you want something that connects to the bay and the Gulf of Mexico?
- Do you have a sailboat or a power boat? Unless they have a removable mast, which few do, for a sailboat they'll need a home without fixed bridges. What is your keel depth? You'll need to be sure there is enough water at low tide that the boat won't be aground. Sometimes a property advertised "sailboat water" is only referring to the lack of fixed bridges, and the only sailboat that could use the dock would be one with a removable keel.
- Will you be keeping it on a lift, or in the water. Again, this can affect the water depth needed, and how the boat will access the slip/dock/lift.
Before showing property, it's good to check a plat map, to see how much waterfront the property has, and how the property fits with adjacent properties. At the dead end of a canal the properties often "form" pie shapes that go out into the water, which can severely limit the property owner's access and maneuverability.
If the boat is going to stay in the water, it's important to know to what extent it's protected in storms or squalls. How will the boat be protected if a hurricane is coming?
It's also important to know about the condition of the seawall, since this is generally the homeowner's responsibility. A certain % of the seawall should be in the ground below the water - over the years this level can change, increasing the probability of a seawall failure. Most home inspectors only do a visual inspection, so it's a good idea to have a separate seawall inspection done, preferably by a marine engineer, not a company that builds or repairs seawalls and may have a vested interest.
Generally property insurance, flood insurance and wind insurance exclude damage to seawalls, so this is a potential expense that homeowners should know about. It's also good to know what things to look for in observing a seawall, so that you can get potential problems corrected before they become major issues.
Despite all these cautions, most waterfront owners love living on the water. Even if you don't intent to be a boater, it's nice to see the boats go by, to watch the fish jump and the dolphins play, and to watch the tides and the water birds. Besides, it's often cooler by the water, especially out on the dock.
