Is your idea of the perfect second home one with easy access to a beach with good surf – where you can impress your neighbour on the shore as you shoot through breaking “barrels”?

 

If so, the USA is where you should begin your house-hunting after seven American locations made the National Geographic’s top 20 world’s best surf towns. Ranking was not based on the best waves alone, but also on food, activities, accommodation, nightlife and friendliness of the locals. According to the article, “The sum of their parts makes them inviting for locals and visitors alike.”

California’s Encinitas and Santa Cruz ranked 13th and 14th respectively. Both are home to some of the biggest waves in the autumn and winter. Encinitas is renowned for body surfing while Santa Cruz is famous for its long board surfing. Ranked 15th, New Smyma Beach in Florida boasts 13 miles of beach and 300 surfable days each year. This beach is also renowned for great food, entertainment and fishing.

Meanwhile, the 16th and 17th spots were filled by the Hawaiian towns of Hanalei and Paia – here early risers can find a wide range of surf spots before the trade winds pick up around noon. All that is required is a good attitude and a smile. If you want to surf by day and rub shoulders with movie stars at night, Montauk, New York is ranked 18th and Wrightsville Beach, NC holds the 19th spot for ease of access and the locals’ laid back attitude.

If you prefer a lower level of activity in the form of a well-kept beach, the 2012 winner of the highly regarded Dr Beach rankings is Coronado Beach in San Diego, California. Accessible by passenger ferry or water taxi, the 1.5-mile stretch of Coronado Beach is flat which makes it great for skim boarding and walking. Coronado is small and sophisticated with a Mediterranean climate.

For details of property for sale in the USA, by the beach or inland, visit the American listings on Rightmove Overseas. One way to save money when buying in the USA is to use a currency specialist when transferring your pounds into dollars to complete the purchase of your property.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in America, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘USA Property Buying Guide’