Destin & South Walton Real Estate Blog

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  and the busy activity of Destin, which is just a short drive away.

High-end shopping and wonderful art galleries abound in this quiet,…

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.…

A family vacation to one of America’s favorite family vacation spots just got a whole lot cheaper. For a limited time, Vision Airlines is offering $59 one-way fares from a host of southeastern U.S. cities to the sun-drenched beaches of Destin  and South Walton on Florida’s beautiful Gulf Coast. Vision Airline’s Sizzling Summer Seat Sale began April 11 and will end at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 24. Travel must be completed by June 15, 2011.

A Destin area newcomer, Vision Airlines’ recent debut is one more excellent reason to purchase your Florida vacation home  in the desirable Destin-South Walton Beach area. The promise of continued affordable airfare from this respected regional discount airline is a wonderful benefit for Destin vacation…

The soft, sugar sand beaches of Florida’s Gulf Coast may be the initial reason people consider buying a vacation home in Destin and South Walton  or decide to retire or move to one of Florida’s most popular family playgrounds, but it’s the vibrant community neighborhoods and wealth of diverse activities that clinch the deal. There’s plenty to do in the Destin-South Walton area when you get off the beach. Here are some of our favorites:

·        Kitchenique Cooking School and Gourmet Pantry is one of Destin’s top off-beach attractions. Noted local and regional chefs share their professional cooking techniques in hands-on classes. A constantly-changing schedule keeps foodies and aspiring chefs coming back for more. Gourmet cooks and wine lovers won’t…

We’ve been talking about how to choose a Destin and South Walton realtor . Asking friends and neighbors for recommendations (see our previous post) is certainly a good starting point for choosing a realtor ; but if you want your home to sell fast and for the best possible price, it’s wise to dig a little deeper and investigate the real estate background, professional credentials and local reputation of any real estate agent you plan to do business with. The local branch of the National Association of Realtors, the Chamber of Commerce, Angie’s List and the internet are good places to start.

1.      After your narrow your list of potential candidates, visit the real estate offices of your top picks. Ask how many local listings they have, number of…

When people buy a home in Destin or South Walton, Florida  , particularly if they’re first-time home buyers, they are frequently unaware of all the costs involved in purchasing a Gulf Coast home. Buyers who have carefully budgeted for their down payment and monthly mortgage payments may find themselves strained financially if they neglect to account for the added expense of points, mortgage insurance, appraisal, home inspection and other necessary closing activities and costs.

When Destin home buyers work with an experienced Gulf Coast real estate agent , their agent will provide them with a fairly good estimate of the closing costs they will be required to pay. This allows home buyers to factor those costs into their home-buying budget before they…

When purchasing a home in Destin or South Walton, Florida, your credit score plays an important role in the mortgage approval process. Mortgage lenders rely heavily on a borrower’s credit report and credit score to determine the applicant’s creditworthiness and gauge his ability to meet mortgage obligations. Mortgage lenders base loan approval and loan amount decisions largely on the borrower’s debt-to-income ratio and repayment history as revealed in his credit report and credit score.

South Walton home buyers  can inadvertently damage their credit score, possibly jeopardizing the approval of their mortgage, if they are not aware of the impact credit use can have on their credit score. Destin realtors  recommend that home buyers not apply for new…

Owning a home is still the American dream. Despite the recent economic downturn, the majority of Americans still believe that owning a home [http://www.gulfcoastrealestatesales.com/] assures a better quality of life and is a smart financial investment. According to a recent survey of nearly 4,000 adults, 95% of current home owners and 72% of renters believe that buying a home is a smart decision that grows increasingly more beneficial the longer you own your home.

Conducted by Harris Interactive for the National Association of Realtors, the American Attitudes about Homeownership survey round that 56% of home owners were satisfied with their quality of life compared to just 36% of renters. Home owners were similarly more satisfied than renters with…

Location. Location. Location. To that often chanted real estate maxim, vacation property buyers should add timing, timing, timing. There will never be a more favorable time to purchase a vacation home in Destin and South Walton, Florida. After the double whammy dealt by the housing/mortgage meltdown and the Gulf oil spill, property values along Florida’s scenic Gulf Coast are cheap; mortgage interest rates are unbelievably low; and property selection is at an all-time high. It’s the optimal buyer’s market. If you’ve been thinking about purchasing a vacation home in the Destin-South Walton area, it’s time to make your move. The current buyer’s market is already showing signs of turning around, and the incredible real estate bargains available today are…

Buying a home is the biggest financial investment most people make during their lifetime and one of the most stressful. The path to home ownership is usually expensive, confusing and complicated. The stress of finding the right home in the Destin-South Walton area http, negotiating with the home owner, arranging for an affordable mortgage, completing what can seem like stacks of paperwork, and waiting anxiously for your lender to approve your loan, all while trying to keep track of hundreds of important details is enough to make many people question the wisdom of buying a home on the Gulf Coast. First-time buyers in particular can feel overwhelmed by a system they are unfamiliar with and don’t understand. That’s why it’s so important to find the…