You LOVE the idea of getting an oceanfront condo and cannot wait to enjoy the ocean views, beautiful sunrises, and living your dream life in paradise…Just know that living in paradise has a price and that dream life can easily become a nightmare if you are unaware of these 10 things you have to deal with living in an oceanfront condo. The last two always surprise people…
Let’s start with the sunrise…weather permitting, the sun rises over the Atlantic Ocean every morning. Depending on the time of year, it will happen between 620 am (June) and 725 am (January). If you are not an early riser, even with blackout curtains, your bedroom will be bright as soon as the sun rises.
The beaches in Brevard County are public and you cannot control who will be in front of your condo, what they are wearing, or how loud they might be. Holidays and nice weekends draw people to the beach and there is a good chance your quiet ocean view will be disrupted throughout the year. The best way to hedge against this is to be aware of the location of the hotels, public beach access points, and parks on the ocean. There are sections of Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral where the condos are blocks from these and the probability of crowds are minimized.
The salt air will wreak havoc on everything. Your windows facing east will have a constant salt spray coating. Anything metal will rust, corrode, and not last very long. Electronics. Light fixtures. Wiring. Railings. Hurricane Shutters. Furniture. Your Car. Everything is affected by the salt air.
We love our sea turtles in Cocoa Beach. During nesting season, you will have to pay attention to the light pollution coming from your condo. Blackout curtains on your east-facing windows & sliders. (probably on any that face north or south too). There is a window tint that can help reduce the light coming from your condo. The condo association should have a plan in place for any of the exterior lights on the building that can be seen from the beach. People will walk the beach at night to watch the sea turtles coming ashore to nest and they will report your condo if there is excessive light. More information can be found on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website:
https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/sea-turtle/lighting/
The next couple will be true if you are living in any condominium, not just oceanfront…it can be a chore getting things from your car/vehicle into your condo. Grocery shopping can be a pain. It’s bad enough, you were at the store for 30 minutes to an hour doing the shopping…you have 6, 8, or more bags of groceries (even if it’s just 3 or 4 bags) now you have to get them from your car into your condo.
A lot of condos have an old grocery cart stashed somewhere on the property you can load up to minimize the trips…this doesn’t help if you are in a walk-up…Even with an elevator, you move the bags from your car to the cart & wheel it to your front door to unload the bags…you also have to return the grocery cart to its spot…what if you have a home project? Buying furniture? Just be aware there are a couple of extra steps to do these things living in a condo.
Some condo associations have amazing amenities….a nice pool, a clubhouse, workout facilities, basketball courts, tennis courts, & pickleball courts…whether you use them or not, you are paying for them. Same thing if there are multiple buildings in the complex…If you live in building 1 & building 2’s elevator needs work or needs a roof? You pay for it…Everyone pays for it.
Condos have rules we all need to follow if you are living in the condo complex (whether you own or rent) Do you have a pet or plan on having a pet? Most condos have pet restrictions on the number of pets and the size of the pet. Whether you are buying a condo to live in year-round, as a second home, or as a rental investment; you need to know what the rental restrictions are. If they allow daily or weekly rentals and you plan on living there year-round, do you want the revolving door neighbor on vacation next door? If you want to use it as a short-term rental & they only allow 12-month rentals…that would be important to know too. Vehicle restrictions are a reality in a condo too. A lot of complexes do not allow motorcycles. They do not allow boats, trailers, or RV’s. They might not allow a commercial vehicle if you are a tradesperson (electrician, plumber, HVAC for example) Take the 3 days allowed by the Florida Statutes to review the condo docs.
The condo dues/fees are higher on oceanfront condos. The salt air mentioned earlier in the post will cause more maintenance on the building. The building will need to be painted more often. More susceptible to having concrete issues. The insurance on anything in Florida is expensive, it is even more expensive being oceanfront. Same thing with flood insurance.
Hurricanes are something you will have to contend with at some point in time living in Florida. If you are oceanfront, threats from a hurricane are in your backyard. Your complex is the frontline of any storm coming in off the ocean. Mandatory evacuation will not force you to evacuate, but do you want to ride the storm out when you are on an oceanfront property?
The view from your oceanfront condo can be spectacular. The sunrise. The blue skies. People watching. The occasional rocket launch. Watching the clouds & the surf. What you might not realize is the lack of view you have at night. It is a black void. No skyline. No lights. Some stars. Some air-traffic. Some boat traffic. Not much more than that. I’ve had some people mention how bland the night sky is over the ocean from their oceanfront condo.
The biggest surprise that you will have is how loud the ocean is. It is always on. Summertime the ocean tends to be glassy with small waves. These small waves are louder than you would expect. The choppy ocean on a windy day or a stormy day is exceptionally loud. Every day, the waves are breaking. This goes on 24 hours a day. 7 days a week. It never ends. The ocean is constant. Always moving. It never stops. If loud & consistent noises bother you or you are a sensitive/light sleeper….getting an oceanfront condo might not be right for you.
If you have lived in an oceanfront condo; did I miss anything? If you are considering an oceanfront condo, what other questions do you have? How can I help? Either give me a call/text at 321.795.1854 or drop your comment below.
Eric Larkin is a Broker Associate with Real Broker, LLC. He lives, works, and plays in the Cocoa Beach area. If you have questions about moving or relocating to Cocoa Beach and the Space Coast, let me know! I get calls, texts, direct messages & comments on my posts every day about the real estate market and things that are happening in Cocoa Beach and the Space Coast that I love answering. Ask me your questions on moving, relocating here, or anything about the community. I am here to help. I have been helping buyers and sellers with their real estate needs since becoming a real estate agent in 2003. My focus is always on helping, answering your questions, and doing everything possible to make certain you have a smooth transaction from beginning to end.
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