Originally Posted by whorehole

I live 1 block from the ocean in Florida.

Around here, the salt content in the seaspray is very high, and you will live differently if you are on the duneline.

by "differently" I mean, you will be paying more and doing more for that location (imho its not really worth it)

painting more, replacing things more, paying more property tax, paying much higher insurance if you can get it, limited to landscaping only with what can survive on the dune, etc.

The view is great, but you gotta wash the windows constantly- you get the picture.

In California, the rust and corrosion doesnt seem to be as bad. Perhaps *right* on the ocean, but most locations have hills and cliffs, and the homes are up higher. I have a friend who lives up a hill from the ocean in CA- still has the ocean view, but few of the problems.

In Hawaii, well you know how much it will cost you to live oceanfront there.

In Florida, another reason to live back from the ocean a bit is wind- I'm not a huge lover of wind, and it can get pretty heavy on the dune, not to metion you don't want your house being the first thing a hurricane hits when it reaches land ;) The homes on the duneline where I live made a nice shield for the rest of us last time a hurricane came ashore..