How to evaluate seafront investment properties

Iproperty.com has a cool article on the Pros and Cons of buying seafront investment properties, “Imagine the bliss of owning a house by the sea, where you can work remotely while you revel in the majestic aquamarine view. Sounds cool right? Well, owning a beach home is not without its challenges. We will discuss the pros and cons as well as the costs associated with owning a beach house”

Yours truly agrees with Iproperty com there is something special about living in a beachfront property with an ocean view. I occasionally post pictures of the beautiful sunsets and sunrises over Tanjung Tokong beach promenade from my seafront apartment balcony at my Penang blog, Seascapes. But even 5* investment properties with a sea view have not been immune to price declines and long void periods between tenancies.

Last year I posted a article on how to identify any investment property's Unique Selling Propositions, taking as a example, Straits Residences at Tanjung Tokong, Penang, a seafront serviced residence developed by Kerjaya Prospek.

The Iproperty article did not mention another potential disadvantage of buying a seafront property with a seaview. Straits Residences, you see, faces a reclaimed Island on which a major Developer plans to build high rise buildings that will eventually obstruct the nice seaviews.

Also some seafronts in Malaysia face serious problems with shore erosion. Take for example, the beach at the famous Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, at Batu Ferringhi. On a recent visit to Spice Garden, the hotel's all day dining restaurant, I was surprised to see a sea wall of rocks where I remember there used to be a beach besides the hotel's pool .