By Clare Trapasso | Realtor.com
After six months of home hunting in California’s crazy-expensive San Francisco Bay Area, software consultant T.J. Houle, 37, closed in May on a charming one-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom house with hardwood floors and waterfront views in Alameda. The best part? It cost about half of what most homes are going for in the area.
“I knew immediately this was the home for me,” says Houle, who was impressed by the home’s abundance of sunlight. “If you’re going to buy a house, it should be something that you love.”
But there was a catch: Her home isn’t just on the waterfront—it’s on the water.
As home prices soar and mortgage rates continue to tick up, some intrepid buyers are forgoing the typical single-family houses and condos built on dry land. Boring. Instead, they’re casting off to live on houseboats, floating homes, or even cruise ships outfitted with permanent residences.
