A Massachusetts man bought his dream beach house at an extremely discounted price, but there’s a shocking cost that puts the entire property at risk.
David Moot, 59, bought the stunning Cape Cod property for $395,000 (67 percent less than the asking price of $1.195 million) and there’s a serious reason it sold so cheap.
Eastham’s house could be destroyed and washed away by tides within a decade. It lies just 25 feet from an eroding sand slope, according to Bloomberg.
Due to warming oceans, more storms and rising sea levels, more than $106 billion in U.S. coastal property could be destroyed over the next three decades, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported.
But Moot’s decision to buy the property was not influenced by risk.
David Moot, 59, bought a Cape Cod home for 67 percent less than its list price because the property is at risk of sand erosion.
Moot cried during an interview about his dream house
He told Bloomberg: “Life is too short and I said to myself, ‘Let’s see what happens.’
“It will eventually fall into the ocean, and it may or may not happen in my lifetime.”
Since buying the house, Moot estimates he’s already lost about five feet of his front yard overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
In an interview with NBC10Moot appeared to shed tears when talking about his investment.
He told the outlet: ‘I really feel blessed.
“People say, ‘You’re crazy,’ and I said, ‘Well, I am.’
Cape Cod’s land is expected to erode at least three feet each year. There is only about 25 feet between the house and the edge of the lot.
Moot, who lives in Pittsburg and works as an interior designer and painter, said he bought the house in December 2023 before doing much research on coastal erosion.
He wants to plant beach grass to stabilize the sand and is even willing to move the front of the house to the back, according to the Boston Globe.
Alison Bowden, director of conservation science and strategy at the Nature Conservancy, revealed some steps Moot could take to protect its property for as long as possible.
she said the guardian The debate should use a combination of oyster shells, native plants, sand, stones and live shellfish to stabilize the soil.
Moot understands the risk that the house runs, but affirms that “life is too short”
Moot researched how to prevent erosion before purchasing the house in December 2023.
In Eastham, one house was demolished and another was returned due to erosion. Another property was destroyed because the road it was on was completely underwater.
The land near Moot’s house has already eroded dramatically. In 2013, there were 100 feet between the house and the water, 75 feet more than the distance today.
Experts weighed in on the situation and explained how this erosion could affect coastal properties in the future.
Moot has wanted a home on Cape Cod since 2004, when he first visited the area.
Stephen Leatherman, professor and director of Florida International University’s coastal research laboratory, told The Guardian: “Along the east coast of the United States, 80 to 90 percent of beaches are eroding. , so only in limited areas is the beach quite eroded.” stable, at least for now.
“The average (erosion rate) has been a little over two feet per year, but that’s just a general average.”
He added that Cape Cod’s rate approaches three feet each year.
Owning a home on Cape Cod has always been an aspiration for Moot. That thought hasn’t left his head since his first visit in 2004.
Stephen Leatherman warned that the house may look good now, but in a few years things could be completely different
Leatherman told The Guardian: “This house may look good right now because the beach is wide.” Wait until the beach narrows and the waves hit the edge of the cliff just below the house.
“It’s also a perception issue, in terms of people’s understanding of this erosion problem.”
Moot told the Boston Globe: “There are always pros and cons, negatives and positives to everything in life.”