[Miss Hepburn]

I was curious if prices on homes drop a bit and people snap them up.
Have you noticed? Thanks.

[Rabflmom]

Not sure what you mean. It is always after a hurricane here in Florida. JK So yes people still buy here. A hurricane does not mean prices go down; but some people buying may luck up because some newbie decides Florida is not where they want to be because of the hurricanes. They may be willing to take a loss. We all act nonchalant about hurricanes, but they are still stressful and expensive even if it is just a scare you have to prepare.

As a long timer I think now our stress is not really the hurricanes, but the stress of not knowing if the insurance will pay anything towards your damage. Also if I do submit damages and they pay, how soon after will I get the notification that they will cancel my policy. If they don't cancel they double first and then cancel a year or so later.

[Travelassie]

There are people who troll along hurricane damaged areas, that would normally be in desirable areas ( such as waterfront, suburban areas with good schools, etc) looking for bargains among the damaged properties, and offering pennies on the dollar to buy those properties. We had a couple offers on our heavily damaged house in Miami after hurricane Andrew, one guy offered us $25,000 for the 1/2 acre corner lot with the ( albeit damaged) 2600 square foot 4 bedroom 3 bath and attached in-law apartment
and the second guy offered not much more than that. We told them both to get lost. We also continue to be solicited in person, online and by phone with offers ( on occasion, even applied pressure) to buy our home here on its one acre waterfront property. We tell them to get lost too.

Even with the hurricanes that have ravaged the state of Florida over the years, way too often in the last few years, it looks to me as though the local real estate ( likely in other parts of the state, from the looks of things) is still a hot commodity. I'd have thought perhaps this vicious weather and its collateral miseries( perceived, or real) would scare off significant numbers of potential transplants, and make any numbers of recent arrivals decide to hightail it back to wherever they came from. I do know of a couple people who have decided to go back to Michigan, Ohio or NY ( state), but I expected more of them. And I still see new arrivals here. Time will tell, I guess.

[beachmouse]

Prices for undamaged homes actually tend to spike after a hurricane- people who have good jobs in the area still have to live somewhere and a lot of folks would prefer just sell a ‘totaled home for land value and buy something functional and intact as a replacement.

[FeRail]

Unfortunately, I don't see the area from Keaton Beach to Cedar Key becoming the next Miami Beach anytime soon. It's very remote, the population has actually decreased in parts of the Big Bend, there's no sandy beaches due to lack of wave action, and the economy there is rather stagnant. The prices might increase, but they probably won't stay that way for long.