Christopher Saltzburg, your local Florida Real Estate Agent. discusses: Florida Waterfront Property with Boat Docks - CRITICAL Information to know for Buyers! Includes critical items to be aware of, including: Seawalls, Dock Construction, Navigable Access, Inlets, Riparian Rights, Elevation, Regulations, & State Mangrove Laws for property owners and buyers in Florida wanting to enjoy the Boating Lifestyle.
Today we are here in the beautiful town of Lighthouse Point. Lighthouse Point is just two miles long tucked between Route 1 and the Intracoastal Waterway just north of Fort Lauderdale and south of Boca Raton.
But before buying a waterfront home, there's some important things you should know that you need to take into consideration when buying a waterfront home.
The first thing is the seawall. So the seawall is the wall that prevents your land from falling into the water and you literally losing your property. So the seawall is the most important component of any waterfront property. And if we look behind us here at our next door neighbor, this is a seawall and this is a very good seawall. As you can see, this is strong concrete. And under this dock here that we have below us, this is also brand new concrete and these are concrete pilings shrouded in synthetic lumber. We'll get a little more into that.
But the first thing to take into account when you're evaluating a property that's waterfront is the seawall. What is the integrity of the seawall? Now if the integrity is poor, you just want to know that in advance. It can always be remedied. In the case of a home like this, it is of solid concrete, which is the preferred method of construction, a solid concrete seawall. So number one, waterfront property, seawall.
Then we get into dock construction. The waterfront and the dock, these are the types of things you need specialized inspectors to inspect. It's not something you just come in and say, "It looks nice," and there's two reasons why. Number one is you want to make sure you avoid any unexpected expenses after you purchase the property. But number two, there are zoning restrictions in Florida where, it's certainly not the case with this property, but where docks have been built that no longer comply with zoning. So if the dock was destroyed in a storm or removed to be replaced, it would not be able to be replaced. So it's very important to make sure you understand the zoning and the riparian access or riparian rights of the property that you're considering for waterfront property in Florida.
The other thing you need to consider is floodplains and elevation. So it's important for the protection of your property as well as your insurance rates. So for example, as you can see with this particular home, this property goes up substantially in elevation as we move away from the water and of course your survey will provide more details on this, but we can see clearly this property is very well elevated from the water. That means that your insurance is going to be reasonable and you're going to be well within zoning and regulatory compliance.
So those are just some of the things that we look at. As a lifelong boater myself, I love working with my clients that want to buy waterfront properties. There's so many waterfront options here in Florida and there are so many ways to enjoy the boating lifestyle for less than you might think. And of course it's accessible year-round to those of us in Florida. But to review our checklist, seawall integrity, dock integrity, elevation and flood plain, ordinances about building docks and repairing seawalls, and how much of your property are you entitled to build a dock out? So as you can see with this particular home, the seawall is here, but we're allowed to build our dock all the way out to here, which puts us in the deeper water for big boats.
So as we were talking about, there are a lot of things to take into account when considering waterfront property and we forgot to mention one for you that is really unique to Florida waterfront property, and that is mangrove preservation and rules and regulations around mangroves. So mangroves are very important trees that grow right at the water's edge here in Florida that helped maintain the ecosystem and the environment and they are protected by excuse me state statute here in Florida. So you cannot remove or trim mangrove trees on your property without checking the proper ordinances and having professionals who know how to do it according to Florida statute.
As you take a look at all these beautiful homes here, and particularly in Lighthouse Point, but all over the state of Florida, as long as you have the team on your side to manage your purchase process, thoroughly vet any property you are evaluating, you will enjoy an amazing waterfront home and the amazing boating lifestyle here in Florida.