Destin & South Walton Real Estate Blog

 In the past 5 years, the mortgage industry has undergone a major overhaul. If you’re planning to buy a primary or vacation home in the popular Destin-South Walton area on Florida’s scenic Gulf Coast, you should be aware of the changes in the mortgage process. South Walton Realtors say home buyers can expect to deal with more paperwork, undergo a more thorough financial review, pay more money up front, and wait longer for their mortgage to be approved. An experienced Destin Realtor can help home buyers navigate their way through the maze of new paperwork and other requirements.

Here’s what to expect when you apply for a mortgage to purchase a vacation home or condo in the Beaches of South Walton:

• More paperwork. Be prepared for a flurry of…

Rubbing shoulders with famous beaches in Bali, the Seychelles and Hawaii, Santa Rosa Beach in the heart of Florida’s beautiful Emerald Coast was recently selected as one of the world’s 10 Best Beach Destinations for 2011 by Yahoo Travel readers. Long stretches of white sugar sand beach lapped by clear blue ocean waters make Santa Rosa Beach a world-class beach site and the perfect location for your Florida vacation or retirement home. One of the idyllic Beaches of South Walton, Santa Rosa Beach is pleasantly quiet and relaxed, providing a delightful counterpoint to the excitement of nearby Panama City Beach, which is just a short drive away.

High-end shopping and wonderful art galleries abound in this quiet, discerning community. Discover delightful…

When Destin, Florida home owners sell their homes, they have two goals: 

1. Sell their home as quickly as possible, and 
2. Obtain the best price possible.
   

In today’s housing market, South Walton home owners are often conflicted about whether they should accept a buyer’s offer or keep their home on the market a little longer in the hopes of receiving a better offer. The risk in accepting an early offer, especially if it is well below your asking price, is that you may be minimizing potential financial gain. You might get a more reasonable offer by waiting. This can be a critical decision if you’re counting on the sale of your Destin home to finance the purchase of another home. Accepting a low offer can jeopardize the purchase of your new home.

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 The desire to return to a simpler, gentler time when folks knew their neighbors and could walk to the library, café or corner store is driving a new building trend. Seeking to capture the Mayberry sensibility of the early 1950s, neighborly communities that eschew noisy strip mall-lined highways and concrete parking lots in favor of pedestrian walkways, bike paths and communal green spaces are attracting families, vacation home owners and retirees who seek a richer, friendlier, more eco-friendly living experience. The residents of Rosemary Beach, Florida will tell you it’s a delightful way to live.

More than a decade ahead of its time, the planned pedestrian community of Rosemary Beach was built among the dunes of Florida’s scenic Gulf Coast in 1995.…

The newest of the beautiful Gulf Coast beach communities that comprise the Beaches of South Walton, Alys Beach, Florida is an oasis of quiet luxury nestled along the Gulf Coast’s scenic Highway 30-A. Recently named America’s Top Spot for Design-Savvy Home Buyers by Forbes magazine, Alys Beach provides a tranquil retreat that will soothe your soul and nourish your spirit.

The crisp architectural lines, bright white color palette, and beautifully-landscaped central courtyards and delightful terraces give this New Urban community an enticing Mediterranean sensibility. In keeping with the community spirit of New Urbanism, all of the community’s delightful amenities are located within easy walking distance of every home. The magnificent Caliza Pool at the…

With the economy still recovering, many Destin, Florida home sellers  and home buyers think they’ll save money by selling or buying a home themselves. The truth is that few people save money when they take a do-it-yourself approach to selling or purchasing a home on Florida’s scenic Gulf Coast and many people actually wind up losing money. In most cases, sale-by-owner homes sit on the market longer, receive less buyer traffic and sell for less than homes sold by Realtors. A Realtor provides South Walton home sellers  with instant access to multiple listing services and professional connections that will drive maximum buyer traffic to the home. Intimately familiar with local markets, a Destin Realtor can provide valuable advice on pricing and preparing your…

The three communities that border Grayton Beach State Park –Grayton Beach, Seaside and WaterColor -- illustrate the delightful diversity of the charming communities that comprise the Beaches of South Walton. Strung along Florida’s Emerald Coast like a strand of glimmering pearls, South Walton’s seaside communities run the gamut from iconic Florida beach towns to luxurious resorts and beautiful planned communities. Each of the small towns that hug the Gulf Coast between Destin and Panama City Beach has its own unique character; but all offer the gracious, relaxing lifestyle that has made the Beaches of South Walton one of the Gulf Coast’s most desirable places to live.

Grayton Beach is the iconic Florida beach town. Nestled among tall pines and oaks,…

Most Destin home buyers schedule a home inspection after they make an offer on a home, typically making their purchase contingent on the seller’s repair of any defects found. Home inspections are geared to protect home buyers from unknown and potentially expensive repair issues down the road. But Destin home sellers  can also profit from scheduling a home inspection before they put their home on the market. A licensed home inspector can conduct a thorough inspection of your Destin home and point out problem areas so they can be addressed before potential buyers walk through the door, removing possible impediments to the sale of your Destin home.

An experienced Destin Realtor will be able to recommend reliable local home inspectors. Unlike many states,…

Niche aging was one of Time magazine’s 10 Ideas for the Next 10 Years: A thinker’s guide to the most important trends of the new decade . Aimed at the 78 million baby boomers that are beginning to reach retirement age, niche aging refers to the new building trend of creating retirement communities that appeal to people who share a specific passion. Time mentions a country music community being built in Tennessee that will include recording studios and a feng shui-designed Asian culture community in California that will offer daily tai chi classes. The growing number of such specialized communities may be diverse in their focus, but they share the common goal of bringing together people that share similar interests to create active lifestyle communities –…

One of the many delights of living in Destin, Florida is the opportunity to visit the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge  on a regular basis. Located on Okaloosa Island in neighboring Ft. Walton Beach refuge staff and volunteers have nursed stranded dolphins, injured pelicans and orphaned opossums back to health, returning them to the wild whenever possible. Animals that are not able to return to their native habitats become refuge ambassadors and part of the wildlife center’s extensive education program. Most recently, an exhausted masked booby blown off course by Tropical Storm Lee was rehabilitated and, with the help of local pilots, returned to its home turf in the Florida Keys.

A visit to the wildlife refuge is a favorite spring break outing for many…