desire for coastal property is keener than 

 ever. As the migration to the coast contin- 

 ues, it is imperative that these homebuyers 

 — many from out of state — understand the 

 realities of buying beach property so that 

 their investments and the coastal communi- 

 ties themselves are protected. 



Real estate agents and developers have 

 an important role in enlightening potential 

 buyers. The stakes are so high that Gov. Jim 

 Hunt recently made clear his position on the 

 matter in a letter to real estate agents and 

 developers. He said both professional 

 groups are responsible for informing buyers 

 of the inherent risks they face in purchasing 

 coastal property. 



"We have an obligation to help people 

 who decide to purchase their places at the 

 beach, by giving them as much information 

 as possible about owning property on our 

 coast, including the things they can do to 

 protect themselves — and the things they 

 can't," Hunt wrote. 



Robin Smith, assistant attorney general 

 with the N.C. Department of 

 Justice and advisor to the 

 Coastal Resources Commis- 

 sion, explains that coastal 

 real estate is different from 

 that in other areas. "In terms 

 of property law, most of the 

 effects of law on the 

 oceanfront are more 

 magnified," she says. 



Coastal property is 

 property that can have a 

 moving boundary line. 

 "With erosion, the property 

 is getting smaller," Smith 

 says. "You lose title to land 

 that becomes submerged, 

 and the state gains title." 



At Right: Topsail Island 

 homes left standing 

 sustained heavy damage 

 in Hurricane Fran. 



Spencer Rogers 



When erosion moves the property line 

 landward, the property owner actually loses 

 land. Likewise, new property created by 

 accreted sand belongs to the adjacent 

 landowner. 



The Coastal Area Management Act 

 (CAMA) put in place protective rules such 

 as oceanfront setback lines that prohibit 

 building a home or small commercial 

 building within 60 feet of the first line of 

 stable natural vegetation or 30 times the 

 long-term erosion rate — whichever is 

 greater. The erosion rates are calculated by 

 the N.C. Division of Coastal Management 

 and updated every five years. 



In areas with long-term or chronic 

 erosion, property owners in years past have 

 tried to save their homes and land by 

 hardening the shoreline with seawalls and 

 revetments. This practice, however, was 

 banned by the Coastal Resources Commis- 

 sion in 1985 because it can cause erosion of 

 neighboring beachfront property and it can 

 interfere with public uses of the beach. 



"There is now a lot of scientific data 

 to show that the effects of this are adverse," 

 Smith says. 



Similarly, jetties, groins and breakwa- 

 ters control erosion by trapping sand 

 moving along the shoreline. But in many 

 cases, they solve one erosion problem only 

 to create worse erosion farther down the 

 beach. As a result, these structures can no 

 longer be built on the oceanfront. 



With all of these changes in the rules 

 and the landscape, real estate agents find 

 they need to learn more about the regula- 

 tions North Carolina has imposed to 

 protect both beaches and homeowners. 

 Lois Dixon, a Wilmington broker with 20 

 years of experience, says she is now more 

 careful than ever to point out possible 

 hazards to buyers. 



"I not only gather as much pertinent 

 information as I can about the prospective 

 purchase, but I give the buyers names and 

 phone numbers of agencies and officials 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 17 



