What to look for in a Oceanfront Home taking into consideration future Water levels rising and or Tidal Surge damage due to hurricanes. Look for atleast 2.5 Meter or 7.5 ft vertical setback from the high tide mark for any home foundation. I seriously doubt that global warming will affect the average home's flooding potential on the Ocean by more than 6 inches in the coming 50 years. The biggest risk is Hurricane damage.
One must exercise caution when looking at purchasing a property that has very little elevation. Our new rules in Nova Scotia for developers is such that no part of the property may be altered inside of 60 ft from the high tide mark and also the 7.5 ft. mark. This is new legislation and affects septic systems and new home setback as well.
As far as septic systems go. In Nova Scotia the septic system is not grandfathered.-ie: If you buy a home with oceanfront or not - If the septic system fails and you don't have clearances from existing wells and watercourses you will automatically have to get an engineered field put in. These run close to $30,000 CDN.
In closing -I would say that low lands might seem like a great deal but as time goes by and more and more bylaws change you may end up with something unsaleable.
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