Beach Blog #17

     Long gone are the days of the old beach house. Remember those days when the rickety house on stilts stood steadfast against the ocean winds? I do. The old beach house was usually brown and made of wood. It stood alone between the dunes. Everything inside was vinyl or linoleum. That's what I remember a beach house looked like. Not anymore.

$4,500,000.00

     Here's the new beach house along the Florida coast.
     Back in my day, there'd be a distressed old wooden house about every half mile or so. Now, mansion's like this are the norm. The price tags range from seven to eight digits. They all go up instead of out. They're all built to withstand GOD's most severe fury. They're beautiful. They're eye-catchers. They're HUGE.
     They're all a 'pipe dream' for the regular Joe. Where did the old beach house go? Where's the old beach house that came with pull top beer cans, Hawaiian Tropic and TAB? Where's the old beach house that'd likely blow over on a plain old stormy night much less a tropical storm or hurricane? I think it's a goner in more ways than one.
     Teresa and I set out on our bikes with waters bottles in the basket to find the ole Beach Comber, The Sand Dollar or The Dune House as they were called in our day. And, we found it! We found the perfect, old, distressed, falling down, stilt-tilting, ugly beach house.

Magnolia Walnut Lane

      It was like the 1970s all over again. Here was this old school beach house in the midst of all these mansions on the surf. It had to be reasonably priced.
      "I bet it's around $400,000," I said riding forward but turning my head back to tell T on her two wheel taxi behind me.
      "No, they're probably asking $650,000 but would take $500,000."
      "We'll take a picture and check when we get back to our place, okay?" "Okay!"
      We've since looked up this yellow cottage on realtor.com. Now, it's your chance to give us your best guess. What do you think this rickety, distressed and practically falling down old school beach house goes for?
     Here are some stats and more pictures for you to make an informed decision.
     -Ocean Front

     -Built 1981
     -Listed 10/2016
     -1440 sq ft
     -3 BR/2BA
     -Florida Cottage Style
          Keep in mind before you make your guess, the interior's stuck in 1975.

          Take a look at the walls, the kitchen's barely beyond the avocado appliance stage.
Don't forget, the wall A/C unit that screams NO central heating and air conditioning. But, there is the view and the beach access.
      The house to the east is for sale for $3.6m. The house to the right and a few hundred yards down the road is $2.5m. But both are significantly newer, probably built less than 10-years ago.

Magnolia Walnut Ln., Inlet Beach Fl.

     So, what do you think is the asking price for this almost 40-year old, ugly little beach house? How much would you be willing to spend a month?
     Let me know you're thoughts via the 'comment' section at the bottom of this blog or simply reply via Facebook and I'll tell you if you are hot or cold.
     But here's a clue. Teresa and I are probably going to look for some waterfront property in upper Mississippi. We'll get a tent and one of those porta -potties. You know, the kind with the bag under the seat. The fancy stuff. All the kids are welcome. They just need to bring a tent and some extra toilet paper.

Bill Robertson, feeling a tad overwhelmed.