Beach House Purchase: Level Unlocked (But The Higher Level of Actually Enjoying It is Still Years Away)

(our unit is right on the NE corner of 8th and Atlantic, on the 2nd floor right above the restaurant with the brown awning)

(dining room and living room of the unit; much of the remainder of the unit will be significantly renovated, including kitchen, 3 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms)
 

Happy to report that Amy and I recently closed on a beach house in Ocean City, New Jersey, thus fulfilling a lifelong dream.  But before you think you'll never see us again because we'll always be "down the shore," note that we'll actually only be there like 2 percent of the time, at least for the next several years.

Let me back up.  I'd been scoping out places in Rehoboth Beach for a few years now, but high demand and no supply made the area too pricey for us.  I used this past summer to reacquaint with Ocean City, which Amy's parents had taken us to several years in a row almost a decade ago, when our older kids were much littler.  

While Rehoboth will always remain a special place for our family, and there is much to commend about it, OCNJ also has its pluses.  For one, it's a lot closer: without traffic, we can go door to door in barely an hour.  Like Rehoboth, it is safe and family-friendly.  And its boardwalk is actually far bigger than Rehoboth's: longer, more stores, and two big amusement parks and a water park (whereas Rehoboth only has one, smaller amusement park).

This past summer, we stayed exactly where I'd hoped to buy: ocean block, right smack dab between the part of the boardwalk anchored by the two amusement parks on 6th and 12th.  And we had a great time, with the location being an important part of the convenience and fun of our trip.  But when looking to buy, and with not an unlimited budget, I knew I might have to bend on number of bedrooms, size, quality, and/or distance to beach.

Fortunately, we have closed on a place that checks all our boxes.  It's located on the corner of 8th and Atlantic, right above a vegan restaurant and a short walk to boardwalk, beach, and downtown shopping.

I will note that it needs some pretty significant work.  But buying it right after peak season gives us several months to get it ready to rent by next summer.  In the meantime, I've enclosed above a photo of where the place is in relation to the beach, as well as one interior shot of a part of the unit that does not require much work.  See captions above for more info.

We'll likely spend a whopping one week there during our first full summer as beach house owners, and maybe none the summer after, given that we already have plans both summers.  After that, I'm guessing maybe a two-week stay every other year, and otherwise we'll be looking for weekly renters during the summer and one or two longer-term renters during the off-season.

Now, down the road, when the kids are largely out of the nest, you'll likely see Amy and I there more often, along with whichever kids are in town or friends who want to join us, although it's likely we'll continue to rent it out for most of the peak summer season in order to cover costs.  And, it's entirely possible it'll be where we spend some or even most of the year in retirement.  

However it all plays out, we're delighted to commence our journey as beach house owners.  Please consider enjoying the place also (will post listing as soon as it goes live), and be sure to sign the guest book!