PROPERTY
Second Home
BY THE SEA
A SECOND HOME BY THE SEA IS A DREAM MANY OF US WOULDN ’ T NEED MUCH PERSUASION TO HAPPILY HANKER AFTER . JUST IMAGINE , LONG WEEKENDS WITH FRIENDS ON THE BEACH , A BOLTHOLE WHEN YOU NEED SOME SEA AIR AND RELAXATION , A WAY OF HAVING QUITE A HEALTHY SECOND INCOME AND NEST EGG FOR THE FUTURE . WHAT ’ S NOT TO LOVE ? SO insideKENT PUTS ON ITS INVESTIGATIVE HAT TO TRACK DOWN SOME OF THE SOUTH EAST ’ S MOST BEAUTIFUL HOMES BY THE SEA AND THE PROS AND CONS OF MAKING A DREAM COME TRUE .
© Lucy Mohr
Where ’ s best in Kent to have a second home by the sea ?
A survey undertaken by comparethemarket . com looked at over 100 seaside towns in the UK and put them to the test ; comparing them on weather , beach quality and real estate value to discover where your ultimate second home by the sea could be . Folkestone and Ramsgate in Kent came in the top 10 and were judged on their beach quality , property prices , revenue and rates .
Folkestone came 4th in the UK with a score of 4 / 4 for beach quality , with Ramsgate ranked at 8th . Hythe , Margate , Deal and Sandgate all came in the top 30 places in the UK to have a second holiday home and revenue by the sea .
Is it better to buy or build your own ?
Blue House and Pobble ( see main images ) were both built by their owners to an incredibly high specification . Both had to negotiate with the elements to complete the build , since they are both positioned on the sand itself . Blue House had to put down its own road to transport materials across the sand .
So should you build your own or buy a pre-existing house ? There are two primary advantages to buying an existing home : convenience and cost . Once you are pre-approved by your lender , you can shop around , pick out a home , and make an offer .
On the flip side , the most significant disadvantage of buying an existing home may be that you won ' t get exactly what you want . You may not be in love with the floor plan or have that urge to rip it all down and start again .
Building a new home doesn ' t offer the same convenience as buying an existing house , the first problem is finding a plot , and plots by the coast can be hard to come by- but not impossible . You will need to find an architect or builder , and choose every element of the new structure .
The big advantage though , is that you are much more likely to get exactly what you want . For many , this factor alone is enough to choose to build over buying . Still , there are other advantages too , like the ability to create a more efficient home that meets new energy codes and standards for heating , ventilation , as well as cooling , insulation , and air filtration . Better efficiency is obviously good for the environment and can save you money on your utility bills each month .
ABOVE : BLUE HOUSE ON CAMBER SANDS
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