BluefoxToday blog : Gulf disaster could devalue coastal real estate by billions of dollars

The recent oil spill has had a harsh impact on everything associated with the Gulf of Mexico and its alluring waters. One of the less-discussed issues, so far at least, has been residential real estate and how severely is it going to be affected. CoreLogic - a California analytics, business services and information boutique - has bravely ventured into the topic and has compiled some sobering numbers for everyone involved in housing to debate about.

Residential real estate values are supposed to wane in the coastal areas by $648 million for the first year and possibly rise to as high as $3 billion over five years, CoreLogic estimates. This is based on what has happened there to date, which is already quite a monster. Popular beach destinations string along from Mississippi and around the curve down Florida's west coast and hold something like 600,000 homes within 1,000 meters from the water.

CoreLogic's research is based on much-used techniques for forecasting environmental amenity values on coastal property on one side and then measuring adverse impacts on those values when a calamity like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill strikes, on the other. Like in this case, recreational use of the beaches is either limited or possibly completely restricted for a period. Buyers have paid nice premiums for homes on the water and now that extra expenditure is largely lost.

Moreover, should the already spilled oil somehow work its way around Florida and up its legendary east coast the cost would leap up to $28 billion through five years, CoreLogic reports. Florida's housing market is already on a super strong drip treatment and this would set it back even further.

Many who were planning to take advantage of today's low mortgage rates and purchase something around the Gulf of Mexico are predictably having second thoughts about that. Either they are going to wait and see or then look elsewhere, like further up the east coast, all across the Pacific shoreline and also give lakefront real estate a chance. These alternatives may experience a moderate upswing in activity in the coming months.

If the oil in the Gulf is cleaned up rather quickly and unhindered beach access is restored throughout it could lessen the expected amenity value erosion. Even so, the memories surrounding the events from the rig's explosion and demise to the inaccurate oil flow reports and the economic loss to the seafood industry and to the struggles of wildlife will long linger in everyone's mind. There are hundreds of oil rigs operating in the Gulf and their presence could harm potential buyers' trust that their coastal property investment is safe from another calamity.

Photo by divemasterking2000