Oceanfront Daytona Beach Condos and Homes - Watch the Maintenance Costs

Living on the beach in Florida is great. It’s a pleasure to get up in the morning and take a walk on the beach, or enjoy your first cup of coffee watching the waves breaking and birds and people. Sunset walks are my favorite. It always seems brighter and more relaxed on the beach.

We’ve lived both on the beach at 3072 Oceanshore north of Ormond Beach and in the Sherwin Condos in Daytona Beach Shores. We enjoyed both, but I must say that it was much easier living in the condo.

Daytona Beach Oceanfront Home Maintenance

The biggest problem with the home on the beach is maintenance caused by salt air and sea spray. Nearly every morning the cars are covered in a thin film of salt moisture and the windows facing the beach very quickly film over from salt spray. So, my first piece of advice is to park the car in the garage, and to have a good window cleaner on call. Also, be sure to look at all the hardware and fittings on the outside of the home. The salt air will corrode the wrong materials fast - really fast. There is specific hardware and fittings required for oceanfront properties. Make sure the right material is installed before you buy.

Sand will get everywhere in Daytona Beach oceanfront homes. I don’t know how, but it will get everywhere. Whether you open windows and doors or not, you will find sand in unusual places.

Daytona Condominium Maintenance

Condos are much easier, especially on the higher floors. We were on the 16th floor, but we continuously battled sand from the beach in the tracks of the sliding doors and in the carpet. We cleaned those tracks every week. We also had the salt film issues on the doors and windows, but not as bad and they were easier to clean.

Many Daytona Beach condos are right on the beach. Cars should be parked under cover, or plan regular trips to the car wash. The maintenance fees will cover a lot of the maintenance but make sure to find our exactly what’s included. For instance, do you or the condo association pay to have your balcony rails painted. Also, your air conditioner on the roof is usually your responsibility. So, plan for regular maintenance, cleaning and scraping of those units.

Because of hurricane and their flooding threats, homeowners insurance for Daytona Beach oceanfront homes and Condos on the beach is more expensive on the beachside than on the mainland. The cost can be almost double for the same type of home in different locations just a mile or so apart.

Living on the beach is great, but you need to go in with your eyes wide open. Maintenance costs will be higher than on the mainland, so plan accordingly.