30A Real Estate Advice

March 18, 2020

As one of the area’s oldest, independently owned real estate firms along 30A & South Walton Florida, Davis Properties has weathered turbulent and uncertain times of market declines, hurricanes, and oil spills; all while standing firm on our founding principles of doing the very best we can for our clients, our families, our friends and our community. For the past 27 years we have committed our lives and livelihoods to all of the South Walton communities we serve, and it is our plan to continue to do so.

As your trusted real estate advisors, we are mindful of the effects that COVID-19 is having on everyone’s lives and we share your concerns for our mutual well-being. We believe communication is more important than ever as

We often tell our sellers – “When friends and family visit; they see YOUR home. But when a buyer visits; they should see THEIR home.” Selling can not only be stressful; it’s also a highly personal experience. One of the best things you can do as a seller, is to step back and take a long, hard look at your home through “buyer eyes”. Then implement strategies to ensure you minimize distractions and make it easier for the buyer to envision making your home theirs!

Here along the Gulf Coast of Northwest Florida & Scenic 30A, our sales team work with sellers everyday offering ideas and advice on what they can do to maximize the impact of showing their home while it’s on the market.

From the moment potential buyers arrive, you want them to feel

You might be asking yourself, “Why spend money on a vacation house every year when we could have our very own “Slice of 30A”?

While owning a home at the beach is appealing to many, we advise our clients to plan for and consider the implications of beach property ownership as the first step in their search and purchase process. Finding the right home along the beaches of South Walton and Scenic 30A Florida depends on a lot of factors including; the home style you want; if all the related homeowner costs fit your bigger financial plan; use of the property as a second home, or vacation rental. 

To help determine if owning a South Walton Beach Home is right for you, we’ve compiled a list of 5 questions as a starting point. 

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There’s a saying that I’m sure you’ve heard before: "You only get one chance to make a first impression.".  Successful homeowners who prepare their property to sell using this adage will typically find that they have greater success in getting to the closing table over those who didn’t prepared in advance.   Why is that? It’s a simple matter of taking time to get ready to make a good first impression. Another advantage to putting “your best foot forward” by preparing your home for the market goes a long way toward helping to insure the selling process goes more smoothly for both yourself AND your buyer.  

I like to work with my sellers to help them see their home “through the eyes of the buyers” during the pre-market period. The next step is to

Who doesn't LOVE looking at 30A Florida Beach Homes?  The Davis Properties Sales team has put together a special OPEN HOME event featuring four distinct and unique properties that are currently on the market for sale.  The South Walton homes specially selected for the tour are located in the 30A Beach Communities of Seaside, FL and Seagrove Beach. Each property is unique and different and offers something for almost everyone.   Go here -----> Tour Map  Our team will be on hand Thursday - Sept 28, 2017 from 11am - 2:00pm serving as your personal tour guide.

If you're not in the area but still curious about  any of these wonderful properties

Get Detail information or  Contact any our "Tour Hosts" and get the  scoop on each one here!

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A recent article from the National Association of Realtors stated many of the National "HOT” Markets, such as San Francisco and New York have rebounded from the last recession and prices are back to pre-recession levels. This spurred me to find out how our communities of South Walton compare!

I primarily focus on the Emerald Coast real estate market, particularly the communities of Santa Rosa Beach, Scenic 30A and Southern Walton County. In analyzing these areas, I have compiled historical data using both our local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and statistics from Metro Market Trends, which allows me access to accurate and up-to-date data, including public records.

A History of Exponential Growth

Over the last 25 years we have seen

You’ve just purchased your beach vacation home or condo. Congratulations! What now?

It’s an exciting time – your dream has come true. Now, it’s time to set up your rental property and start generating income. Where to begin? It’s a fun process to turn your home into a vacation rental property that welcomes visitors, and even better when those visitors turn in to repeat guests.

Here’s my top ten list of the things I’ve learned from many years of renting my own vacation properties and managing others as well.

1 - Make it personal.

Don’t hesitate to leave family pictures out for guests to enjoy. This reminds them that a family owns the home that they are “borrowing” (renting) and helps ensure they take good care of your property.

2 - Have a

While having a beautiful 30A beach home is something so many of us dream about, not everyone wants to have a full-time, part-time or vacation home directly on Scenic 30A’s pristine beaches. One of the neat things about living or owning property in South Walton is the diversity of locations the area has to offer. While over 40% of the land that makes up southern Walton County is either in State Forest areas, Florida State Parks or preservation areas, there are beautiful locations with wonderful waterfront or wooded surroundings to make almost everyone’s dream place.  And the best thing is, from just about anywhere in South Walton you can still be at the beach in no-time! 

So, if beachside living isn’t “your thing” but you want to be on the water, how

Summer 2015 came and went quickly and it’s hard to believe that it's nearly a memory. Fall is just around the corner and a “primo” time to be at the beach! We have gorgeous sunsets over the gulf, milder temps, lower humidity and a slower pace to the day. It just doesn’t get much better than that!

The South Walton real estate market has been and continues to be very strong. So far this year market numbers are indicating spring and summer was a very active selling season for real estate in South Walton and Scenic 30A! Davis Properties' year-to-date sales are rapidly approaching $70 million and counting—not too shabby for a small, but dedicated, nine-member sales team! Property values along Scenic 30A and the general area have been consistently

Sometimes buyers choose to rent first, allowing them the option to get to know the area better before buying a permanent home. Long-term rentals in the 30A area of South Walton County are in high demand, difficult to find and usually don’t stay on the market very long. You or someone you know may be looking for a property to rent in South Walton, and if you’ve spent any time at all in your search, you know it can be a bit of a challenge.

While the Davis Properties team focuses their efforts on home, condo and lot sales, we also want to make sure we can help with anyone’s local 30A real estate needs in whatever capacity we can. Because we frequently receive inquiries about rental properties; we decided to put together a resource list to assist in