Brooklyn —
Buddy Heffernan had just put his Gerritsen Beach house on the market with plans to spend the rest of his golden years with his wife on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Then, Superstorm Sandy washed through the seaside community, forcing him to navigate the murky waters of a real estate market with plummeting prices and rising flood insurance rates that can, in extreme cases, run $10,000 a month.
“Before the storm I could have sold my house for $300,000 easy,” said Herffernan, 76.
Like many people selling property in Gerritsen Beach, Heffernan said he’s been forced to lower his expectations – now he’s asking $279,000 for his two-bedroom, one-bathroom home.
