We all know that real estate is about location, location, location! Wouldn't we all love a beachfront property, but you probably don't want to have the ocean in your living room? Sadly, this luxurious Nantucket mansion is in danger of vanishing into the sea. Just take a look at the time-lapse video below, and try to tell me the owner isn't in some serious trouble.
Fortunately, they found a buyer — just not at the price of $1.9 million they paid. Instead, they sold the Nantucket mansion for only $200,000, making it a steal if not for the impending doom. Jean Carlin and Ben Gifford purchased the mansion in 1988. Now, it's "about ready to go in" in the sea, according to the Nantucket Current. The ocean is just feet away.
This is all due to beach erosion and changes in the shoreline. Realizing they were fighting a losing battle, the couple decided to move out their belongings. They tried to donate the house to a non-profit, but ultimately, that fell through. "All winter I had been really frantically trying to see if any of the organizations would consider taking the house and moving it, and we would help with the cost of moving," said Carlin. "I didn't want to see it fall into the ocean or get demolished. But I had no luck whatsoever."
Nantucket Mansion Headed For The Sea
Fortunately, a businessman and owner of the neighboring property agreed to purchase the property. He bought it for a low sum. "We said 'Whoa! We're not going to say no'," said Carlin.
The current owner is well aware that the property isn't going to last for long. In fact, it may be gone by next year. However, he's not going to ve up on it without a fight. "Basically, the house may not last more than six months," Don Vaccaro told the Current. "Inevitably the ocean will win. The house is only temporary, everything in life is temporary."
In the comments, one person felt for the owners of the Nantucket mansion. They wrote, "Sold my 6900 sq ft custom oceanfront home in NE Florida in 1994. After a brutal Nor'easter, I saw the writing on the wall. I miss it and am happy for the time our family had there, but I found out the hard way that the oceanfront is meant for temporary vacay housing, not permanent homes."
Another agreed, "This erosion on Nantucket has been going on for 100 years- know a few homes near there (Surfside) that have had to be picked up and relocated a few times due to erosion."
