[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by FeRail

I heard that the St. Joe Company acquired Arvida around 1997. Arvida was one of the home companies that received plenty of attention following Hurricane Andrew.



If they are still building with plain lumber and not CBS, it's very risky. Walton County dodged a bullet with Hurricane Michael a few years ago, but the county suffered a lot of damage from Opal in 1995.



You would think that the Panhandle would adopt the Miami-Dade building standards, but it looks like not much has changed.

Also, it's harder to get a cat4 or cat5 into the panhandle. Michael was rare. It was moving at the right angle that it was getting ventilated and moving along with the trof keeping it from the shear.


Michael was also small in size too.


The reason why these storms typically weaken when they reach the northern Gulf is the drier area that comes off the continental US.


Remember how Katrina sucked in dry air just before landfall and Hurricane Rita in 2005 as well. These larger in size storm suck in that drier air hours before landfall.


Michael was moving faster and was a compact storms so it wasn't sucking in all that dry air.


It's easier to get a cat4 or cat5 into South FL due to warm waters being on both sides of FL. Not as much dry air and the air is also more tropical.


It takes a lot to get anything stronger than a weak 4 into the northern Gulf coast. Michaels and Camille's are VERY rare in the northern gulf. Camille was also compact so it too wasn't sucking in as much dry air.


Will be hard to gauge how a cat4 or cat5 will do in the panhandle due to being so rare.

[RMESMH]

Originally Posted by nep321

According to Zillow data, Walton County now has the second highest house values of any county in Florida. The median home value is now $479K. Walton County is in the panhandle where real estate is supposed to be cheap. I just can't believe homes there are now worth more than in South Florida.

Does anyone know why this is the case? It's crazy!

What beachmouse wrote plus, IMO, the actual high 'quality' of the sand itself. It's beautiful.

[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by RMESMH

What beachmouse wrote plus, IMO, the actual high 'quality' of the sand itself. It's beautiful.

Siesta Key has better sand...just sayin'

[beachmouse]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

Siesta Key has better sand...just sayin'

Same sand type- the Appalachian quartz coastal sands runs from about Baldwin County, Alabama to just east of Panama City Beach then there's a bunch of swampy coastland and then another stretch of Appalachian quartz sand along the Clearwater/St. Pete's to Sarasota corridor. (And probably south of there but I never really got south of Sarasota on the Gulf side)

[slduvall]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

Siesta Key has better sand...just sayin'

I live near Destin and just spent a week on Siesta Key, the color is the same..but the softness of the sand in Destin and surrounding areas is better...IMO. It was just so hard, great for walking and riding on, but I really prefer softer sand. I did like the public access Siesta Key provides, it is getting out of hand in Walton and Okaloosa county,

On the topic of Walton County prices, I wouldn't be surprised if it is was some of the priciest realestate in the country, outside major metro areas and that is primarily for 2nd homes.

The county is divided into two parts and referred to it by - South Walton and Walton. South Walton is what drives the $$$. Think Hamptons type homes. Normal family homes are just not being built in the area along the beach (30a) There is some neighborhood type building going on in the North side of Hwy 98, (not including the St Joe properties) but if you are looking for averages, it will be skewed by the 30a properties.

St Joe does own what the Military doesn't, and they realized that the land is more valuable than the pine trees.

The North part of the county, Defuniak, Freeport etc, is growing but still lacks the amenities that many require.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by nep321

I'm only talking about single family homes. The median value in Walton County is indeed $479K. Much higher than any county in Southeast Florida. This is according to the latest Zillow data released as of 3/31.

The median value for single family homes in Miami-Dade County is $393K and for Broward and Palm Beach counties is $375K. Much lower than Walton County. PBC ranks #8 highest valued single family homes.

Monroe is #1 at $697K. Then Walton, Collier, Miami-Dade, Martin, St. Johns, Broward then PBC.

Again, these are median values, not median list prices.

Again, you need to look at price per square foot for a true representation of cost.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Again, you need to look at price per square foot for a true representation of cost.

Miami Dade while it has some of the most expensive real estate in the country it also has A LOT of slummy areas in the county as well that drives the overall averages down.


Why would someone spend all that money, 500k on a house to live in the panhandle? it gets cold there, you can't really enjoy walking on the beach many days in the winter because it's quite chilly with the wind blowing off the Gulf.


I'm not a millionaire, but if one wanted to live by the beach, down here they have beach houses, decent ones for 2.5 million to 4 million I've seen, including a new construction one on Manasota Key. Weather is warmer south of Tampa Bay. If you're a millionaire why would you want to live in a colder area like that?

[slduvall]

Originally Posted by MOforthewin

Miami Dade while it has some of the most expensive real estate in the country it also has A LOT of slummy areas in the county as well that drives the overall averages down.


Why would someone spend all that money, 500k on a house to live in the panhandle? it gets cold there, you can't really enjoy walking on the beach many days in the winter because it's quite chilly with the wind blowing off the Gulf.


I'm not a millionaire, but if one wanted to live by the beach, down here they have beach houses, decent ones for 2.5 million to 4 million I've seen, including a new construction one on Manasota Key. Weather is warmer south of Tampa Bay. If you're a millionaire why would you want to live in a colder area like that?

Because the millionaires tend to come in the summer vs the winter. They don't live here year-round. We also have a huge rental house economy, where houses rent by the week, not the month. This draws people from all over the southeast that can drive here. We have a decent snowbird season, but not like further south.

Actually, $500K in my neighborhood of family homes is low. The average is about $700K (in my subdivision) The majority of people in this part of town are here for the base, not the weather.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by slduvall

Because the millionaires tend to come in the summer vs the winter. They don't live here year-round. We also have a huge rental house economy, where houses rent by the week, not the month. This draws people from all over the southeast that can drive here. We have a decent snowbird season, but not like further south.

Actually, $500K in my neighborhood of family homes is low. The average is about $700K (in my subdivision) The majority of people in this part of town are here for the base, not the weather.

You explained it right there. Aka defense industry contractors.


It seems anywhere that has a large military presence, mainly the Air Force and Navy and Space tend to have a lot of wealth.


The military budget grows yearly.


A lot of career military men retire once they get to 20 years and then go work in the defense industry making bank.


If you're young and intelligent it almost seems you should go in the military, go for officer, and retire and go work for the defense industry.


Correct about the rentals too. here in Southwest FL we have a lot of rentals. However, many of them are more seasonal, longer term rentals geared towards the older population. Up there in the summer you have a big rental market with families who many cases drive south for a vacation.

[nep321]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Again, you need to look at price per square foot for a true representation of cost.

Well, I'm talking about value, not price. I don't even think such data exists by county or city. Median value per square foot? I've never seen that data available anywhere.

Also, I disagree with your statement because of the many other factors that affect a home's value. Lot size, schools, scenery, climate, crime, age of home, noise level, style, condition, etc.

So the only way to get a true representation of cost is to literally compare the exact same property in one location vs another location.

When you buy a house, you're not only paying for its square footage. You're also paying for the condition, updates, overall aesthetic and much more.