Tourism is one of the major industries driving the economy in South Walton County Florida. Vacation property owners, rental companies, restaurants, and small businesses rely heavily on visitors who come to relax, spend time with family and friends and enjoy the beauty of Northwest Florida. When COVID-19 hit and South Walton closed the beaches earlier this year, there was a collective bracing for the unknown that might be ahead. To everyone’s surprise, visitors seemed to flock here this year and rental occupancy numbers remained steady even increasing; at a time when most other parts of Florida experienced drastic downturns in tourism numbers.

Just last week the Florida News Service from VISIT FLORIDA ran an article announcing that statewide

While we can all agree that 2020 has been a most unusual year; we choose to focus on the positives and look to the good that is still to be found around us each and every day.  As each member of our team gathers with family, friends and loved ones this Thanksgiving Holiday season we pause to give thanks for all the blessings that gives us hope.

Included on our list of things we're grateful for: 

• Our families who love and support us every day in our lives and daily work.  
• Our clients who are more than business connections, so many have grown into life-long friendships.
• Talented colleagues and business associates that we have the opportunity to work with each day. 

 Last but not least, we extend our heartfelt thanks for the

30A's Newest and Most Relatable Source of Real Estate Market Trends & Local Perspectives

We are excited to introduce you to our inaugural edition of IN • REVIEW magazine. Based on 27+ years of first-hand, in depth local market experience, the Davis Properties’ team has compiled a quarterly state of the 30A market report. IN • REVIEW provides relevant and easily relatable, historical trends and perspectives, plus 30A market  and local news unlike most  market resources that are currently available. Our hope is that you will find IN • REVIEW to be a realiable, informative local resource to assist with the beginning steps toward your decision to purchase or sell property located along Scenic 30A and South Walton Florida.

 Click here to read the

There’s no better way to spend the Thanksgiving holiday than with friends and family and we may be bias, but it's even better when you can celebrate here in South Walton. So, if your holiday plans include come to Blue Mountain, Grayton, Seaside, Seagrove or anywhere along 30A you'll be please to know that there  are an abundance of to-go, catering and dine-in options to choose from. 

To assist with your holiday planning, we’ve gathered a comprehensive list of restaurant and catering options all in one place for your convenience. Following below is an abbreviated list to get your started!  But be sure to download our complete 2020 South Walton Thanksgiving Guide with more detail, ordering info and pick-up options available for local

Our 30A/South Walton beach community is vibrant, strong and creative! And in-spite of dealing with challenging times right now, many are choosing to move forward with a sense of normalcy. That includes celebrating Halloween this upcoming weekend.

Friday and Saturday a host of activities are scheduled in Rosemary Beach, The Hub at Watersound, Old Florida Fish House in Seagrove Beach and many other locales throughout South Walton.

Here’s a round up of events and festivities we've found that are currently being promoted in the area. 

• The Merchants of Rosemary Beach are decked out and ready to host trick-or-treaters on Saturday from 10am – 5 pm.

• The 17th Annual South Walton Witches ride and related event festivities will take

As long-time market specialists along 30A and South Walton, we have many years of direct, first-hand experience and knowledge with navigating both the highs and lows of market trends.  We have been there, right beside our clients to assist and guide them along every step of the way; helping ensure they were able to reach their real estate goals.  That’s what we do every day with each and every client we work with! 

All the current activity that we are experiencing here at the beach right now definitely are in favor of a strong seller’s market.  How long with that last?  No one really knows the answer with certainty.  The answer will not be clear or obvious  about the market change until we “look in the rear-view mirror” and the change has already taken

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Mountainfilm on tour and this year's local event is scheduled to be held on November 6 & 7. Local hosts and event sponsors at Watercolor have added two new twists for this year's attendees of the ever popular 30A Fall event. 

In order to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to safely see their extraordinary line-up of feature films, the festival is slated to be relocated to the Watersound Origins community.  By moving Mountainfilm on Tour, the event  attendees will experience an old fashioned drive-in style event this year.   Additional  online virtual viewing options which are being offered free of charge have also been added for those who prefer not to attend public events at this time.

Drive-In

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)  is currently working on the design and plans for the replacement of the existing bridge on Hwy 30A located immediately west of Watercolor  that goes over Western Lake. The project is scheduled to begin in the Fall 2023 and is estimated to take approximately 16 months for completion.

According to the announcement from FDOT both lanes of Hwy 30A and the shared pedestrian/bicycle path will remain open throughout the duration of construction.  Planned improvements include new guardrail, new approaches to the bridge and minor drainage improvements. 

The new two lane bridge is slated to provide twelve-foot wide vehicular travel lanes in both east and west travel directions along with an eight-foot

You’ve accepted an offer on your property and most likely, one of the buyer's terms will be a the opportunity to have a professional home inspection done. It is helpful to this phase of the process to understand exactly what a Professional Home Inspector’s role is; what they cannot do and what items they look at during the inspection. At the end of the article, we've also included a helpful Pre-Inspection Preparation Check List to assist you in being proactive and well prepared on inspection day.

WHAT AN INSPECTOR DOES?

The property inspector’s role in the sales transaction is to provide a, visual inspection of the components a property that they can see or access easily.

The items they check for include HVAC (heating and air condition

The newest Regional Beach Access to Seagrove Beach will be located across the street from Café Thirty-A. This project is still in the design and permitting phase and as of this date is 85% complete. The next phase will be construction of the new access with an estimated eight to ten months to finish. The current target time for completion would be that that new beach access will be ready for use by Fall 2021.

The Walton Dunes Regional Beach Access, which is located on Beachfront Trail, is currently in the permitting and design phase. Conceptual design plans for the project were approved by the Walton County Board of County Commissioners earlier this year. As currently planned, this regional beach access will have approximately16 parallel parking