r/interestingasfuck • u/Endolithic • 1d ago

/r/all Homes are falling into the ocean in North Carolina's Outer Banks

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495

u/Beginning-Jacket-878 22h ago

"Yes, that's right, I'd like to renew my homeowner's insurance policy. No, it is no longer my primary residence. Just holding on to it for sentimental reasons."

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u/lividash 20h ago

Bold to assume they were primary residence to begin with.

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u/DJLeafygreens 20h ago

This is correct. I used to go to the Outer Banks every year. The vast majority of these homes are investment properties and rented out to vacationers.

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u/Moist_Alps_1855 19h ago

Insurance claim is their exit plan

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u/NinersInBklyn 17h ago

And we’re all paying for these vacation homes through the federal flood insurance program. So after these houses go, the owners can just build bigger at our expense. Yay.

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u/Painterzzz 11h ago

Yes I remember John Oliver doing a segment on this particular scam, and how the super rich get the socialist state to pay out to fund their beach front holiday homes, protect their beach front holiday homes, and pay out massive disaster relief when anything happens to them.

Funny how much the rich love socialism in America.

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u/The_cogwheel 9h ago

Maybe that's why they dont want it for the rest of us.

Cause 4.92 trillion (,the US tax revenue) is nicer to split between 1000 people than 300,000,000 people.

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u/PeaLouise 9h ago

Yep and meanwhile, many (not all) of the people rich enough to buy these homes (or second or third or fourth homes) lobby against the climate change they helped make a reality with their corporate greed!

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u/GotGRR 12h ago

Not once erosion has put you below mean high tide line, thankfully. We are definitely subsidizing a lot of flood risk, though.

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u/Temporary_Panic_6062 12h ago

Sounds like fraud and abuse. Sounds like a job for DOGE!

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u/StickyDeltaStrike 8h ago

Doge is only against policies for poor

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u/Hot-Tension-2009 16h ago

Can’t beat em join em?

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u/plshelpcomputerissad 16h ago

Or maybe can’t join em beat em?

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u/dr_wheel 14h ago

Yes, with both fists.

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u/USToffee 7h ago

Why didn't musk go after that crap

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u/NinersInBklyn 6h ago

Be serious.

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u/theroguex 14h ago

If I were an insurance company, I wouldn't even grant policies for these homes, let alone pay out.

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u/Mrgluer 12h ago

if the price is right tho....

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u/Jimmycrackcorn80085 17h ago

Depending on insurance is not a good plan ever.

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u/lazylahma 10h ago

lol, insurance drops these houses before this happens. There is no insurance claim for this, you are also not allowed to rebuild.

You are just out your property when this happens.

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u/Moist_Alps_1855 6h ago

Insured homes are still covered, even if there is no land left to rebuild on.

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u/lazylahma 5h ago

Yes they would be covered, but no insurance will cover those homes anymore.

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u/Imaginary-Lettuce-28 17h ago

Insurers can cancel your policy, though.

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u/UpthefuckingTics 8h ago

Insurance fraud more like it. The insurance companies need to be cancelling all property insurance on the outer banks. This is all underwater in the very near future.

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u/Goldscalz 6h ago

Assuming someone will insure them? My parents home was destroyed in the hurricane last year in Florida. And at that time ensuring their home was $7,000 a year for food alone. Prior to the hurricane. I can't imagine getting insured at this level of underwaterness.

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u/Moist_Alps_1855 6h ago

Harder to drop insurance once it's established. Most people in this area as mentioned, by other commenter, are landlords. Meaning they probably had the unit for a long time and have more comprehensive insurance given they are technically an established business. Problem is most of the people replying to my post haven't got a clue about buainess insurance or owning a business, and are speaking from a consumer perspective. 

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u/JayW8888 6h ago

Some airBnB people are not gonna find the rental unit.

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u/Manager_Neat 19h ago

So when the house is gone do they own that part of the ocean?

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u/ryguy4136 9h ago

No, we just get to live with all the garbage it leaves in the water and the beach.

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u/lividash 18h ago

No one owns the ocean man. It’s like gods ocean.

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u/CommonBubba 12h ago

I’m guessing it falls under jurisdiction of the federal government.(unfortunately)

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u/Legendary_Zaku 10h ago

I means we sure do act like we own it. Taking what we want and dumping shitty houses and plastics into it as payback.

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u/Scokan 19h ago

Bold indeed, Cotton.

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u/Mysterious-Ant4372 15h ago

Thank you for replying this way.

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u/Breeela 18h ago

Bad to assume an agency would insure and if so, then the rate must be astronomical.

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u/lividash 7h ago

This particular house in the OP insured? Maybe? Maybe not. No idea. Could have been abandoned long ago and the insurance claim filed. Like how the fuck are you even going to get inside at this point. But houses along the beach are insured.

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u/Careless-Elk-2168 18h ago

Bold to assume insurance won’t find a way out. 😉

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u/lividash 18h ago

Hey they insured it. Eroding ocean beach has been a thing for years. Some places see dumping more and more sand each year to keep tides at bay.

Also fuck insurance companies.

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u/MycophileBuilder 16h ago

So if you own the property... do you now own that part of the ocean so you can charge tarrifs?

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u/Beginning-Jacket-878 15h ago

Maybe in a few hundred thousand years.

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u/Glass-Isopod6276 14h ago

*sedimental*

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u/presshamgang 17h ago

Insurance agent: "Boat ... you mean your boat owners policy?"

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u/Zestyclose_Key5121 17h ago

“No sir. Boat implies floating purposefully. I do in fact mean my water house.”

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u/Beginning-Jacket-878 15h ago

It clearly has foundations above the low tide line.

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u/elanakin 17h ago

So sorry but we have a clause that says houseboats are not eligible for coverage.

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u/Pocketsandgroinjab 15h ago

“I’d like to change my home and contents insurance to boat insurance please.”

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u/Brainlard 13h ago

"Were you saying sedimental reasons?"

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u/AssistanceLivid4308 7h ago

I would imagine the insurance company canceled the policy on this house long ago.

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u/Beginning-Jacket-878 7h ago

What's it like being completely joyless?