Oceanfront and sound-side lots under CAMA

Brunswick is one of North Carolina's coastal counties under the Coastal Area Management Act. On Oak Island, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach, Caswell Beach, and Bald Head Island, building near the ocean is measured from the first line of stable, natural vegetation, which the CAMA local permit officer flags on site. Along marsh and sound shorelines, the estuarine shoreline area of environmental concern runs 75 feet landward of the normal water line.

For a seller, that means a damaged beach house cannot always be rebuilt to the same footprint, and a buyer who needs to add on or replace a deck may need a CAMA permit first. Financed buyers and their lenders want those answers before closing. We buy with the permit questions still open.

Boiling Spring Lakes after the dams failed

Florence's rain overtopped and broke the Sanford Dam and other dams in Boiling Spring Lakes in September 2018, and the lakes that gave the city its name drained. Lakefront owners spent years looking at a lakebed. Reconstruction has run for years, and the state approved refilling the upper lake in July 2026, with the full project scheduled to finish in 2027.

Houses there can be hard to value while the shoreline is still changing, and some owners stopped maintaining them after the water left. We buy lakefront and interior lots in Boiling Spring Lakes as they stand.

The 2027 revaluation

Brunswick last reappraised property effective January 1, 2023, and the next countywide revaluation is scheduled for January 1, 2027. Values stay fixed in between, so the change lands in a single step.

Island second homes, inherited cottages, and rentals get no owner-occupant relief, so their owners absorb the change in full. If taxes have fallen behind, they are paid from the closing proceeds rather than up front.

Brunswick County property we buy

  • Oceanfront and second-row beach houses with storm or erosion damage
  • Sound-side and marsh-front houses with CAMA permit questions
  • Lakefront and interior houses in Boiling Spring Lakes
  • Rural houses on septic systems, including failed ones
  • Manufactured homes on owned land
  • Subdivision houses around Leland and Shallotte needing roofs or HVAC
  • Inherited cottages owned by heirs who live out of state
  • Short-term and long-term rentals, occupied or vacant

Records, courts, and closing in Brunswick County

Bolivia is the county seat, and the county government complex there houses the Register of Deeds, where deeds and deeds of trust are recorded, and the tax office. The clerk of superior court in Bolivia handles foreclosure hearings and estate files. Minor CAMA permits are issued by the local permit officer for the town or county where the lot sits, and major permits by the state Division of Coastal Management.

A licensed North Carolina attorney handles the closing. Tell us about any recent repair work on a storm-damaged house, because North Carolina mechanics' liens can relate back to the date work began.

Frequently asked questions

Will you buy an oceanfront house on Oak Island or Holden Beach that needs major repairs?

Yes. We buy beach houses with storm damage, erosion exposure, or CAMA setback limits, and we sort out the permit questions after closing.

Do you buy houses in Boiling Spring Lakes that lost their lake view?

Yes, lakefront or not, including houses that sat vacant while the dams were rebuilt.

When does Brunswick County revalue next?

The next revaluation is scheduled for January 1, 2027. The last one took effect January 1, 2023.

My house is on marsh-front property. Does CAMA affect the sale?

It affects what a buyer can build within 75 feet of the water, which is why some financed buyers walk away. It does not stop us from buying.

Do you buy in Leland and the other inland towns?

Yes, across the county, including Navassa, Belville, Bolivia, Shallotte, and Calabash.

Brunswick County property and court resources