offshore island and hurricanes....

[Jade33]

Recently browsed real estate on some of the islands (bahamas etc)
Nice deals to be made BUT a lot of the houses are damaged by the recent hurricanes and need to be rebuild/restored (till?)
Is it worth it??

 

[JohnnyDoe]

A well constructed house will not be damaged by the wind, of any speed. Shingles might suffer minor damage, and if you have bad luck debris flying around might break a window.
Serious damage comes from sea surge, so it is essential to have enough elevation.

 

[void]

I'm a big proponent of island life and experienced couple of cyclones etc.
one thing you should keep in mind is that beach house looks nice on photos but altitude is what matters... the rest is just proper construction and basic self sufficiency

 

[Martin Everson]

Nice deals to be made BUT a lot of the houses are damaged by the recent hurricanes and need to be rebuild/restored (till?)
Is it worth it??

Buying a brick or PCF concrete house in a location not vulnerable to storm surge is all you need to worry about. Pretty much what @JohnnyDoe and @void have said is all you need to worry about. Seek out homes with Cat 5 hurricane and storm protection and concrete roof that are on on high ground (17-20ft above sea level) and you will be fine. Most of these condos or luxury homes anyway come with diesel backup generator and water tanks etc etc.

Keep in mind for a coastal home you will be paying around 2% of property value each year for insurance due to risk of damage.

P.S I live in the Bahamas so I know the risks.

Here is a good home to buy and become my neighbor .

https://www.sirbahamas.com/eng/sales/detail/198-l-1148-d7g6pm/krystal-house-old-fort-bay-np

 

[Paul77]

You might also look at those islands which are least affected by hurricanes. For example the ABC islands. They are south of the main hurricane belt.

 

[boomy]

Now the Bahamas guys woke up