MAINE PUBLIC • May 16, 2023
The acceleration of sea level rise due to climate change has prompted some analysts to predict a decline in the value of waterfront properties. But that hasn't happened in Maine. In fact, the value of beachfront houses has skyrocketed. Part of the reason may be that people simply love to live on the water, and can afford to. And for some, the risks of rising seas and more powerful storms just don't seem all that imminent. Scientists predict Maine sea levels will rise by about a foot and a half in the next 25 years. And Slovinsky says on most beaches the waterline will move about 100 feet inland with each foot of sea level rise. But none of this appears to be having much of an effect on real estate values.