What every oceanfront property buyer should do NOW

Some oceanfront houses get battered by storms time and time again, while others remain unscathed.

What is the difference?

Largely, it is a question of the direction the house faces and the protection – or lack of it – from the elements, mainly water and wind.

If you are looking for an oceanfront property, what you should do this weekend is get in your car and drive around the areas in which you are interested. And take a compass with you (I find the compass on my iPhone unreliable).

Why do you need to do this now? To see which houses have suffered damage and to observe the trucks of contractors working on repairs; and to check the protection the houses have from nor’easters.

Seeing the direction the house and its land face will also allow you to calculate exposure to the sun; south facing houses tend to offer the best combination of sunrises, sunsets and sun – filled days.

A different view can be obtained by getting in a boat and viewing houses from offshore.

Whichever way you go about it, recent storms provide a great opportunity to check on protection from – or exposure to – storms.

After Hurricane Sandy some well-protected oceanfront houses for sale in New Jersey actually saw price increases. The desire to live on the water remains strong, but not all houses are sheltered from storms. Those that are become more attractive.

Living on the ocean constantly provides spectacular vistas and experiences. A little research can help to reduce the concern of the potential damage caused by storms.