"Slices of 30A"

As we reported last week, there are signs that the real estate market along 30A is cooling. Some of the big questions for the remainder of the year are, will mortgage rates keep going up? Are residential prices continuing to climb - or are they going to go down soon? 

Locally, existing home sales have dropped significantly over the last 6 months compared to last year. But inventory still has some catching up to do to keep up with the demand in our area. It's been reported nationally that inventory has risen as much as 25% during April and May, but available properties along 30A are still declining compared to this same time last year. Seasonality trends conclude that sales will drop further in the fall and winter months, but it's too soon to tell if a…

There's plenty to do on 30A this weekend! We've got the line-up on where you can catch the fireworks on 30A:

Grayton Beach 4th of July Parade         8 a.m. Starting at The Red Bar

Come join the fun at Grayton Beach’s cool and wonderful annual 4th of July parade. At 8:00 AM, people start to line up on Holtz Avenue next to The Red Bar. The parade starts at 8:30 AM. Deck out your cars, jeeps, boats, bikes, scooters, and other vehicles. There’s no need to sign up, and everyone is welcome! After the parade, you can get watermelon and lemonade at Grayton Coast Properties, 30A Dive Shop, or the Grayton Beach Surf Club.

• Address: 70 Hotz Ave, Grayton Beach, FL 32459

Watercolor Independence Day Celebration

Celebrate the red, white, and…

Grayton Beach, FL - Earlier this week, nine new sculptures were added to the nation’s first permanent Underwater Museum of Art (UMA) in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Grayton Beach State Park in South Walton, Fla.

The 2022 installation includes the following pieces of sculpture (in order from left to right): The Seed and The Sea by Davide Galbiati (Valreas, France), Common Chord by Vince Tatum (Santa Rosa Beach, FL), Pirate Shipwreck by Sean Coffey (Pittsburgh, PA), Arc of Nexus by Tina Piracci (Richmond, CA), We All Live Here by Marisol Rendón (San Diego, CA), New Homes by Janetta Napp (Honolulu, HI), Bloom Baby Bloom by Brit Deslonde (Santa Rosa Beach, FL), Fibonacci Conchousness by Anthony Heinz May (Eugene, OR), Currents and Tafoni by Joe…

While sales prices on 30A have risen as much as 35% year-to-date, the number of sales has dropped by as much as 28% year-to-date. It would appear our market has finally turned a corner, which in no way means disaster is waiting around that corner. We all recognized the housing frenzy brought on by the pandemic would eventually fade. And thanks, in part, to new lending regulations, our market and that of the nation are in far better health today than what precipitated the crash in 2008.

A few key factors impacting our market locally:

• Available inventory is still at record lows
• Prices continue to rise
• Mortgage rates surged from 3% to 6% within just a week

Several national headlines are reporting record-setting price reductions…

Ever heard the phrase absorption rate in real estate? Put simply, the absorption rate is a measure of supply and demand. By taking the number of properties sold in a month and dividing it by the number of properties for sale, we can gauge how long it might take to sell ALL available properties on the market.

Along Scenic 30A, the current estimate to sell all available properties is just 2.08 months compared to just 1.04 months this same time last year. Could this be a sign that sales are starting to slow down?

This week we looked at available inventory a bit differently for a fresh perspective on where our market is headed. We normally report on the number of new listings entering the market, but what about the other active listings, the ones…

Did you know there are more than 50 beach, bay, and lake access points in South Walton? The types of access vary from Regional Beach Access (including parking, restrooms and showers, and ADA-compliant boardwalks) to Neighborhood Beach Access (for walk-up traffic access), and Bay & Lake access with boat ramps and restrooms. Currently, there are 9 Regional Beach Access points ----with one more coming soon, just south of Cafe Thirty-A---- and 43 Neighborhood Beach Access points scattered all along 30A. To view all current beach, bay & lake access locations, go to visitsouthwalton.com 

Coming soon to Gulf Place is a large parking area with transportation facilities, similar to what is planned at Grayton Beach. Seaside is already offering their guests…

Along with the 30A Songwriters Festival Summer Series events, there are some other FREE events planned at The Pavilion at Watersound® Town Center. Check out the full line-up below:

Presented by the Cultural Arts Alliance and Russell Carter Artist Management, the Songwriters Festival Summer Series is part of a unique arts and cultural entertainment lineup at The Pavilion at Watersound® Town Center this summer, with three slots set to feature artists from the popular 30A Songwriters Festival. 

Shawn Mullins Trio - June 9, 2022

Amanda Platt & The Honeycutters - July 14, 2022

J & The Causeways - August 11, 2022

Since its inception in 2010, the 4-day winter festival has become the biggest and most prestigious songwriters festival in the…

South Walton, FL - Summer visitors to Walton County will once again be able to enjoy complimentary day-use admission to Grayton Beach State Park and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

The Walton County Tourism Department is paying the cost of entry for day-use visitors to increase available parking for beachgoers during the peak visitation season, as well as raise awareness of the variety of eco-tourism activities South Walton offers. This year marks the eighth year of admission coverage for Topsail Hill Preserve State Park and the sixth for Grayton Beach State Park.

“This is an opportunity to help encourage our residents and visitors to explore the natural beauty of our state parks,” says Matt Algarin, director of…

You've probably seen several news articles and headlines predicting a price correction for most real estate markets across the country in the coming months. There are already reports of month-over-month waning sales in some parts of the country for 2022. But despite what national markets do, real estate is always local by nature. While we don't have a crystal ball to predict the future, we can tell you what we're seeing here along 30A and South Walton.

By this time last year, the number of homes sold on Scenic 30A was 635. This year - so far there have been 509 home sales representing a 19% decrease over 2021 year to date.  While this may make all the predictions appear true, we dug a little deeper to compare how inventory and sales…

With mixed emotions, and after 11 years in Seagrove, this week Larry Davis, owner and broker of Davis Properties of NW Florida announced that he sold his Seagrove Beach office building (not the business) to another local firm.   In 2011 Davis had been in search of an ideal location to purchase and set up shop for his real estate company. When the vacant lot in Seagrove came available for purchase, he went and sat on the property in his Smart Car watching traffic and pedestrians go by. Davis recounts that within 10 minutes he counted over 70 bicyclists, runners, and walkers going past and he knew right then he found the ideal location.

His vision for the property was driven by an ardent desire to make the building and grounds something special and…