Cape San Blas Real Estate Blog

For Capers, 2008 will be remembered as the Year of Beach Restoration, so it’s fitting that the project should be nearing completion as we plan our bonfire-on-the-beach New Year’s Eve parties. I stopped at Stumphole this afternoon on the way home from work and got out and shot a few photos of the amazing work being done by Manson Construction as they do the seemingly impossible, laying down hundreds of feet of fresh beach in front of the rocks. My friend Steve who has been working on the project since near the beginning, said they only have 400 feet to go until the project is complete.

The target spot is marked with a large rock atop the wall spray painted with a day glow orange smiley face, (think southern take on the megalithic moai of Easter Island).

It is absolutely amazing to see just how much sand has been put in place in this area:

To give you an idea of just how big a change this is, here’s a photo taken in the wake of Gustav earlier this summer from the same general location of where I was standing when I took each of these photos, just shooting in opposite directions, but it gets the point across.

The calendar said Christmas but the weather said summer. What a beautiful warm, sunny week it has been. I hope you had a good holiday with family and friends. Santa brought us one closing and two contracts, three new listings ,  three new price tags and eleven expired unsold. Our inventory took a nice healthy dip, too, down 11 fromt last week to 367 active listings in the Cape San Blas, Indian Pass, and C-30 Corridor market, with 150 homes (vs. 154) and 217 lots (vs. 224).

 Our sale was the 2-bedroom, 2-bath, gulf view Barrier Dunes townhouse we looked at last week when it went under contract with a list price of $299,000.  According to the tax records, the seller paid $425,000 for it in March 2005 and put it on the market in February 2007 starting with a list price of $435,000. He has lowered it incrementally since then and finally closed on Christmas Eve for $277,500.

Shoppers wanted gulf front this week, as our two new contracts are on a gulf front home in Treasure Shores (C-30 Corridor) and a gulf front lot on the Cape. This gulf front single family home was recently one of my picks of the week when it was reduced from an already low $795,000 to bargain priced $749,000.  Check out the view from the decks:

  Like living in a Florida postcard. Here’s the listing notes details:

Lovely home with a great layout for lots of company. Each bedroom has a private bathroom, and all rooms face the beach. On the first level the kitchen, dining and living space enjoy ample beach front views; this area extends to the front deck with equally breathtaking views and roomy space for gatherings. On the west side of this floor is a king size bedroom with bath. On the top level are two bedrooms, a den-sitting area, and the master bedroom. All three rooms open to a large screened porch. Storm shutters, tile roof, great rental with a loyal follow up, and mostly in excellent condition with new carpet installed in 2007.

With a gross rental income of $31,185 the numbers work well. This 3-bedroom, 3-bath 1,886 square foot home was built in 1997 and sits on a 75′ wide, roughly half acre gulf front lot. There are contingencies to be met so no indication as to when it may close.

The gulf front lot on the Cape which went under contract is also one of our new listings, so new, in fact, that photos of it have not yet been posted to the MLS. It is a 116′ wide property two lots north of the Sunrise Sunset townhouses which are about halfway between Stumphole and Scallop Cove. Priced aggressively to sell with a list price of $399,000, it’ll be interesting to see what it finally closes for. It, too, has contingencies to be met so no note as to when it is scheduled to close. List price is $3,439 per waterfront foot, which is about where we were back in 1995 when I first started selling real estate on the Cape.

Only three new listings, one of which is the lot above already under contract and the other two really don’t excite me so no pick of the week for new listings today.

Among our three price changes, my clear winner for pick of the week is easily this bay front home on the Cape which was reduced from $989,000 to a very attractive $899,000. This 4-bedroom, 3 bath, 3,376 square foot beauty is a treasure trove of bells and whistles.

   Check out the view from the deck:

Here’s the description from the MLS:

Beautiful bay front home with private boat dock including two boat lifts and a private inground screen-enclosed swimming pool.

The spacious open floor plan features a large, entertainer kitchen and large living room and dining room. There is a full apartment on the lower level with full kitchen, living room, bedroom and bath and private entrance and walkout to pool area. The sunrise view from the porch was recently featured in Atlantic Southeast Airlines travel magazine. The privacy, decks, porches and views galore make this a truly special home.

If an in-ground pool isn’t enough, enjoy a dip in the hot tub instead.

And here’s your view from the living room (complete with fireplace).

This peaceful private setting would truly be like being on vacation everyday of your life.

Call me at 850-227-5197 if you’d like additional info on these or other area properties, or shoot me an email to sherri@sherridodsworth.com . Be sure to check out my year in review on Thursday where we’ll look back and see how 2008 stacked up. Have a safe New Year’s Eve and don’t forget to make those resolutions!

While the rest of the country shovels and shivers, we’ve been savoring warm and sunny weather all week here on the Cape, with uncharacteristically mild temps in the hgh 70′s, low 80′s. Gotta love it. Our white Christmas is of the sandy shoes variety. Wrapping presents and holiday parties apparently filled most peoples schedules this week as it was a relatively quiet week for real estate, though we did manage to come up with at least one new contract and finally had a closing, the first so far this month. Our inventory remains unchanged with 378 active MLS listings in the Cape San Blas, C-30 Corridor and Indian Pass market, with 154 homes and 224 lots. In other activity we have twelve new listings, thirteen new price tags, and twelve expired unsold.

Our closing was on the house at Money Bayou which only went under contract around the first of the month. The sellers bought it in March 2002 for $237,000, listed it in early November for $299,900, and sold it on Friday for $250,000. Not bad in our current market. Sounds like a win win situation for both them and the buyers. Nice to have a story with a happy ending for a change, isn’t it?

  Our one new contract is on yet another Barrier Dunes townhouse, this one a 2-bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, 1,369 square foot gulf view unit listed for $299,000. According to the county tax rolls, the seller paid $425,000 for it in March 2005 so the happy ending here will only be on the Buyers side.  According to the MLS, this is scheduled to close on Christmas Eve, so some good little girl or boy is getting a place at the beach for Christmas!  Shhh . . . don’t tell. Way to go, Santa. (I don’t think I’ve ever been quite that good).

I have two picks of the week from among our twelve new listings, a golf course lot for only $57,600, and at the opposite end of the spectrum a gorgeous bayfront estate for $1,350,000.

The golf course lot is a quarter acre located on St. Joseph’s Bay Country Club with great golf course views. At $57,600, this is one of the lowest priced lots in our market. Three adjacent lots are also available making this a great opportunity to pick up all four lots and build two duplex buildings with a total of four units.

Since it doesn’t cost a penny to dream might as well dream grand dreams, and this newly listed bayfront estate on St. Joe Bay is truly grand. Situated on over 5 acres with 250+ feet on the water, this is a nature lovers dream come true. Check out the sunset view from the deck.

This is over on C-30 not far from Presnell’s. Here is the home’s dock.

Enjoy fishing right in your own back yard. Sweet!

  My pick of the week from our thirteen new price tags, is this gulf second tier lot at Ovation on the Cape which was $419,000 but now only $250,000, which is a far cry from the $450K the sellers paid for it in August 2005. Ovation is the premier subdivision on the Cape, first class all the way.

That does it for this week. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah. Remember to take stock of and treasure the abundant blessings in our lives even during challenging times like this.  My wish for you is the gift of peace that keeping life in perspective brings.

  Thoughts of shopping fill the air as we draw another week closer to Christmas and Hannukah, and we had a few shoppers decide to pick up a little piece of paradise for some lucky person on their list. Virtually no change in our inventory, standing steady at 378, down one from last week, with 156 homes and 222 lots in the Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and C-30 Corridor market. Once again, no closings this week, but we do have five new listings, an even dozen price changes, two new contracts, and five expired unsold.

Our two new contracts are on a home in Money Bayou and a lagoon front lot at Indian Pass. Let’s start with the home.

  This is a gulf first tier single family 2-bedroom, 1-bath, 1,224 square foot home with gorgeous views throughout of both the gulf and Money Bayou. Although it’s located in our market, it’s listed in the Bay County MLS, and is a Fanny Mae owned bank foreclosure with a list price of $375,250.

Our second contract is on this lagoon front lot in the Mystic Palms subdivision near the point on Indian Pass.  Assessed by the county for $250,000, it is listed for sale for only $225,000, so it’ll be interesting to see what it actually closes for. There are contingencies to be met so no indication as to

when it might be scheduled to close.

My new listing pick of the week from among our five new listings is this priced-to-sell-NOW 51′ wide, 0.64 acre gulf front lot at Two Palms on the Cape for only $499,000. Here’s how the MLS notes describe it:

If you are looking for a deal on a gulf front, don’t let this one pass you by. The owner says SELL and at $499K, this beautiful .64 acre gulf front lot is priced to sell! Located in prestigious Two Palms subdivision, the beaches are wide, gorgeous and secluded plus the owners have dedicated beach access via private boardwalks. The owners in Two Palms have maintained an abundance of natural vegetation to allow each home to enjoy its privacy as well as the views. The homes already built in Two Palms are executive type homes so the value of your property is protected. This is the gulf front deal you have been waiting on!

The beach at Two Palms is wide and secluded, as shown in these two views:

As for our twelve new price tags, my pick of the week easily goes to this gorgeous bay front home on the Cape originally listed in April for $979,000, and re-priced this week to sell immediately at only $499,000, less than what until recently you would hope to pick up the lot alone for. This is no fixer-upper, either – it is a waterfront showplace anyone would be proud to call their own. It even has an inground pool, with one of the best poolside views on the Cape. Check it out.

Here’s the scopp from the MLS notes:

BAY FRONT – PRICE REDUCED!! All modern decor inside this house with your very own private waterfront pool. Almost 70′ of bay frontage with a panoramic view looking over St. Joe Bay with Cape San Blas on one side and Port St. Joe on the other. Built in bookcases, vaulted ceiling, elevator, fireplace, recessed lighting, and the latest in kitchen appliances are just some of the great aspects to this home. Launch your kayak in your backyard and go fishing, scalloping, or snorkeling for the day.

Here’s a shot of the exterior:

That does it for this week’s market wrap up. Give me a call toll free at 877-512-9366 or shoot me an email to sherri@sherridodsworth.com to find out more about these properties or to explore what your property might bring in today’s market. I love hearing from my readers so just stop in to say hello. Thanks for stopping by today.

Can it really be December already? Doesn’t seem possible but it’s most definitely the first weekend of December because two of the biggest rivals in college football are on for this afternoon: the 109th meeting of Army-Navy kicks off at noon and Florida and Alabama rumble at 4. I don’t have a dog in that fight, but as a Navy vet I DO hope the mid-shipmen make it seven wins in a row against Army. So let’s take care of business so we can get on with the games.

We whittled away nicely at our inventory ths week with nearly a 3% reduction, coming in with a total of 379 active MLS listings in the Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and C-30 Corridor market, with 6 fewer homes this week than last, 155 vs. 161, and 5 fewer lots, 224 vs. 229.

No closings, but we do have two new contracts, four new listings, nine price changes and sixteen expired unsold. Both of our contracts are on homes, and both in the Money Bayou area.

    Our first new contract is on this lovely 2-bedroom, 2 1/2/ bath 739 square foot Key West-style home over in Money Bayou we saw deeply discounted several months ago. This home had a contract back in mid-July which fell through. The seller gave $630,000 for it in mid-2005, listed it back in March of this year for $399,900, but dropped it not long thereafter to the unbelievable price of $299,000. There are contingencies to be met so no way of knowing yet when it might close, but this will be an interesting one to watch. I hate to see this happen to anyone. 

Our second Money Bayou contract is on a home which came on the market back in January, originally asking $375,000, but subsequently lowered to $299,900. The sellers bought it back in early 2002 for $237,000 so they should have plenty of room for a potential profit. It’s scheduled to close by the 17th.

Only one home among the four new listings and it’s my pick of the week. This is a 3-bedroom, 3 1/2 bath, 1,692 square foot townhome at Seacliffs on Cape San Blas, with beautiful views from throughout, and a beautiful price tag to match, only $365,000. Check out the views from its decks.

This townhome is in great condition and definitely priced to sell. It has been used as a second home, and not rented. Other features include easy access to the boardwalk, unobstructed views from all floors, enclosed garage, elevator, tile floors, carpet and vinyl, fully furnished and just ready for you to move in.

I’m going with a lot for my pick of the week from our nine price changes. It’s a canal front lot on Indian Pass just past the bridge reduced from $219,000 to $199,000. The MLS notes tell why I like this particular property at this price:

Old Florida at its finest (with FEMA!) – come see this beautiful canal front 1/2 acre lot which overlooks Indian Lagoon, has deeded Gulf access as well as a Gulf front pool and clubhouse in the quiet and secluded Indian Summer subdivision. Protective covenants and restrictions, low annual dues of $1000, LARGE 90 ft wide by ~300 ft deep lot – very nice value in an ideal natural setting. This lot would be either an outstanding investment property, or the perfect peaceful setting for your new beach house – very short walk to the community boardwalk to the beach (around the Gulf front pool), while still being able to enjoy the endless marsh and lagoon views from the back of the property. PLENTY of buildbale area on this lot which qualifies for the inexpensive federal flood insurance. Must see this setting and subdivision to appreciate.

BEST DEAL IN INDIAN SUMMER!! Recent survey by Edwin Brown shows the majority of this property lies out of the CBRA area, which would qualify for federal flood insurance. PLENTY of room for a large house with federal flood insurance available. Outstanding views of the marsh, canal and lagoon. A future house would even provide views of the Gulf, which is only a short walk down the private oyster shell road to the community boardwalk to the beach (and Gulf front pool and clubhouse). Very nice opportunity – come check it out.

That about does it for this week. There’s still time to wrap a nice property up in time to surprise someone this Christmas with a little piece of paradise along the Forgotten Coast. If you’d like more info on these or other opportuniies give me a call toll free at 877-512-9366, ext. 109 or shoot me an email to sherri@sherridodsworth.com . Have a great week, and don’t forget . . .

GO NAVY – BEAT ARMY!!!!