Owners of condemned homes on North Topsail Beach have few options

AP via Myrtebeachonline.com ^ | 11/8/05 | AP article

[Rebelbase]

NORTH TOPSAIL BEACH, N.C. - The eight duplexes that line the beach were once vacation havens. But in the wake of Hurricane Ophelia and the ever shifting geography of North Carolina's barrier islands, they've become vacation nightmares.

There are no stairs to homes build on stilts. The power and sewer lines are gone. So are the driveways.

"I want to help the homeowners get some help," the town's building inspector, Gene Casey, told The News & Observer of Raleigh. "Of course, some of them, I want to say, 'Did you look at the house before you bought it?'"

It was Casey who decided last month to condemn the beach homes, most of which are now surrounded by water at high tide. It's a decision that left the owners with three choices - make the house livable, move it, or tear it down - and a Dec. 12 deadline.

But none of those options will apparently work for the owners: The state won't allow sewer lines reconnected because the homes are too far into the ocean; the homes can't be moved because they can't clear low-hanging power lines; and they can't be torn down because they're not in bad enough shape for insurance companies to declare them a total loss.

Bob Semmler, of Beaufort, S.C., would give up on his house, which he bought in 1989 while serving as a Marine at nearby Camp Lejeune, but he still owes on the home's mortgage. He thought the house, which 16 years ago had 200 yards of sand between it and the ocean, would be a good investment.

"Nobody told me it was a stupid thing to do," Semmler said. "If it was so crummy, someone should have said something."

The latest hit to the beach came from Ophelia, which pounded the state's coastline for a week. The beach lost more than 60 feet of sand disappearing into the waves at the northern end of Topsail Beach. In the weeks since, the ocean has relentlessly pounded the homes, taking the deck off one, promoting mold to grow inside some, and walls and ceilings to crack in others.

Elizabeth Madonna and her family own the other side of Semmler's duplex. The owners of an Italian bakery in Syracuse, N.Y., they spent $172,000 to buy the home in August. They were able to visit it just once.

"There was 10 feet of beach," Madonna said. "We thought that was just how it was. We don't know any different."

Madonna said her family, which had never before vacationed in North Carolina, didn't know about the shifting geology of the state's barrier islands, and that many of the houses, including theirs, had been condemned following previous storms.

"We had no clue," she said. "Why would they build a house somewhere where it would wash into the ocean?"

Her husband, Michael Madonna, attended a recent town meeting, at which Casey tried to explain why he condemned the houses. The out-of-town property owners were angry, and Casey said it was "really awkward."

"I felt bad for them," he said.

New Jersey real estate agent Janice Forster-Pereira bought both sides of her duplex in March, and said she accepts the risk that came with the house. The town, she said, told her the beach would erode three feet a year.

"I went with my heart," she said. "I saw the dolphins. I just said, 'OK, three feet a year.' I never planned on losing 25 feet. None of these houses should be here, not even mine."

[Rebelbase]

My favorite quotes:

"Nobody told me it was a stupid thing to do," Semmler said. "If it was so crummy, someone should have said something."

""Nobody told me it was a stupid thing to do," Semmler said. "If it was so crummy, someone should have said something."

""There was 10 feet of beach," Madonna said. "We thought that was just how it was. We don't know any different." "We had no clue," she said. "Why would they build a house somewhere where it would wash into the ocean?"

"I went with my heart," she said. "I saw the dolphins. I just said, 'OK, three feet a year.' I never planned on losing 25 feet. None of these houses should be here, not even mine."

Video news story of condemmed units at this link below the photos.

[Rebelbase]

NC ping please.

[RegulatorCountry]

Well, their first clue should've been the price. $172,000 for oceanfront property of any kind? On Topsail? The old maxim about "if it sounds too good to be true" is in full effect here.

[wolfpat]

Heathens! Every one of them. The Bible cautions against building your house upon the sand.

[Pamlico]

I feel sorry for these people, except that Topsail always loses sand and has always lost sand. If they had performed just a small amount of research they would have concluded that buying an ocean front home at Topsail would not be a smart decision.

There is a good reason why Topsail is the least expensive beach in North Carolina.

[Constitution Day]

NC *Ping*

Please FRmail Constitution Day, TaxRelief OR Alia if you want to be added to or removed from this North Carolina ping list.

[Hatteras]

"We had no clue," she said. "Why would they build a house somewhere where it would wash into the ocean?"

Heh, heh, heh...

[Hatteras]

The owners of an Italian bakery in Syracuse, N.Y., they spent $172,000 to buy the home in August.

Hmmmm.... It practically cost that much to rent a beach front home in August. What were they thinking?!

[Cicero5]

This is sad. We live in Maryuland but go to Topsail Island every summer. It is a beautiful place.

[Hatteras]

The other thought I had was that these people obviously didn't know the same people as the folks at Shell Island. A few individuals (I personally know of two) made quite a killing by purchasing some condos at firesale prices about 7 or 8 years ago when the resort was in danger of falling into Mason Inlet. Some brave investors purchased condos for $30-40K. Now that the inlet has been redirected and the waves are no longer slapping the foundation walls, the same condos are going for $250K+.

[Lee'sGhost]

Dumb ass Yankees. I understand they are now looking for property in coastal California.

[Phantom Lord]

You got that right. $172,000 for an ocean front home in Topsail immediatley screams "PROBLEMS!".

I vacation on Topsail and in Surf City several times a year. And always grab one of those free real estate magazines to see what properties are going for. $500,000 and up for a little cracker box is the norm.

[wbill]

"Nobody told me it was a stupid thing to do," Semmler said. "If it was so crummy, someone should have said something."

Poetic justice. Just think though, that this person probably votes. And probably drives. He could be on the road next to you tonight.

"Nobody told me that voting for Hillary Clinton was a stupid thing to do. But now that she appointed herself president-for-life...."

"Nobody told me that plugging a radio in while I was in the shower was a stupid thing to do, but...."

And so on.

[SC Swamp Fox]

and they can't be torn down because they're not in bad enough shape for insurance companies to declare them a total loss.

If I were the owner, I think lightning would start a fire during the next high-tide thunderstorm. It would occur at high-tide to ensure that the fire fighters could not get close.