Seaside
Seaside, Florida is one of the most emulated communities in the country and is often cited as the first New Urbanism development with its emphasis on aWalk/Bike to Anywhere in the Community concept. Time Magazine called Seaside the most astounding design achievement of its era, and one might hope, the most influential.
Seaside is the ultimate mixed use development with a blend of beautiful homes along with a post office, gourmet grocery store, school, restaurants, shops, amphitheater and much more. Seaside gained even more notoriety as the location for the filming in 1997 of Jim Careys The Truman Show. A Hollywood set was to be built showing the ultimate dream community but when the directors wife discovered Seaside, the decision was made to film here.
Rosemary Beach Rentals
August 16th, 2010 Categories: Rosemary Beach Living, Seaside Living, South Walton Living
Rosemary Beach Rentals are properties very worthy of consideration for your next beach vacation getaway. Rosemary Beach is a 107 acres gulf front development on the very eastern end of CR-30A. Like its sister community, Seaside, Rosemary Beach was founded in the principles of New Urbanism and Traditional Neighborhood Development making Rosemary Beach Rentals appealing from a community standpoint.
Rosemary Beach Rentals also reflect the newness of the community as none of the homes are over 15 years old. The architectural styles of the Rosemary Beach Rentals are influenced by St. Augustine, Charleston, New Orleans and the West Indies. The streets are pedestrian friendly with footpaths and boardwalks. Rosemary Beach Rentals insures that cars are given secondary status and foot and bike movement throughout the community is placed at a premium.
Another reason to consider Rosemary Beach Rentals is the mixed use nature of the community such that you can dine, shop, rent a bike, bank, etc. There is a unique town square that houses some very unique shops and restaurants. Two of the newest are Paradis, a small but excellent fine dining restaurant with a comfortable and inviting full service lounge and La Crema, inspired by the tapas and chocolate shops of Madrid and Barcelona – very cool atmosphere, food offering and wine.
Of course Rosemary Beach Rentals also features other dining venues that while not as new – still stand up exceedingly well to the test of time. This includes Cafe Onano, very tiny and intimate with wonderful outside dining featuring northern Italian cuisine. Another temptation to try Rosemary Beach Rentals is the diversified Wild Olives. They feature casual and gourmet foods to enjoy on site or to take home.
There is so much more to cover that makes Rosemary Beach Rentals a must consideration when you are taking a beach vacation. I will explore more of these features in a future blog post. (Click on all pictures to Enlarge)….
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Watercolor Rentals
August 16th, 2010 Categories: Real Estate News, Seaside Living, South Walton Living, Watercolor Living
If you are considering a vacation to Destin and/or CR-30A, then Watercolor Rentals is certainly an option that you should consider. The Watercolor property sits on 499 acres and 1400 feet of sugar white beach front. Nearly 50% of the space is devoted to open space and preservation areas which helps make Watercolor Rentals a unique experience.
Watercolor Rentals also makes sense from an architectural and community feel standpoint. The homes in Watercolor have a classic, Southern architectural feel to them with use of natural landscape accentuated. Watercolor has received the Award of Excellence from the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit education and research institute with focus on the use of land in order to enhance the total environment.
Another fun aspect for those who chose Watercolor Rentals is the option to participate in outdoor activities while staying on the grounds of Watercolor – there is kayaking, canoeing, sailing and biking. The water sports are compliments of Western Lake, a 220 coastal dune lake, that borders the property.
Another relatively new addition to the Watercolor experience that make Watercolor Rentals worth considering is the addition of Chan’s Wine World to the commercial mix of tenants. Conveniently located at the corner of CR-30A and Watercolor Boulevard, Chan’s offers a retail wine and cheese shop along with pizzas in its front room but opens to a full dining experience in the adjoining room. Outside dining rounds out a unique experience for those who chose Watercolor Rentals.
There is so much more to add as to why you should consider Watercolor Rentals – like the outstanding Fish Out of Water Restaurant overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, the Watercolor Workout Studio, the Olympic size heated pool overlooking the gulf and so much more. I will post more in depth information at a later date such that I think you will agree Watercolor Rentals will be at the top of your consideration for beach vacation rentals. (Click on all pictures to enlarge).
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Seaside Homes for Sale & Sold – November
December 10th, 2007 Categories: Real Estate News, Seaside Living
There was one home sold in Seaside in November. It is a four bedroom, three bath home, 1830 square foot home located on Forest Street that sold for $1.675 million.
There are 31 Seaside homes for sale in December. They include a two bedroom, two bath home with 1100 square feet on Rosewalk Street for $1.25 million and on the other end of the price spectrum for $5.195 million you can pick up a three bedroom, three bath, 2094 square foot home fronting the gulf.
Seaside Homes for Sale – December
Total # of Listings 31
Lowest Price Listing $1,250,000
Highest Price Listing $5,195,000
Average Price $2,205,129
Avg. Price/SqFt $1,300
Avg. Days on Market 469
(Click on Graph Above to Enlarge).
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Homes Sold & For Sale in Seaside – October
November 9th, 2007 Categories: Real Estate News, Seaside Living
October was not good for activity here, as no homes sold in Seaside during the month. However, there is one home pending on Forrest Street that is scheduled to close the middle of November.
There are currently 29 homes for sale in Seaside. These include an 1100 square foot, two bedroom, two bath home priced at $1.25 million. The top of the line is a three bedroom, three bath, 2094 square foot home on the gulf for $5.195 million.
Homes for Sale in Seaside – November 1st.
Total # of Listings 29
Lowest Price Listing $1,250,000
Highest Price Listing $5,195,000
Average Price $2,140,000
Avg. Price/SqFt $1,328
Avg. Days on Market 471
(Click on the Graph Above to Enlarge).
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Homes Sold & Homes for Sale in Seaside – September
October 3rd, 2007 Categories: Real Estate News, Seaside Living
There were no homes sold in Seaside in the month of September. However, one home did go pending towards the end of the month. It’s a small (1830 square feet) Charleston Cottage near the Swim and Tennis Club that had a list price of $1.745 million.
At the first of October there are 32 homes for sale in Seaside. They range from an 1100 square foot, two bedroom/two bath cottage listed for $1.25 million to a three bedroom, three bath gulf front home for $5.195 million.
Homes for Sale in Seaside – October 1st
Total # of Listings 32
Lowest Price Listing $1,250,000
Highest Price Listing $5,195,000
Average Price $2,288,094
Avg. Price/SqFt $1,351
Avg. Days on Mkt 419
(Click Graph to Enlarge).
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Homes Sold & Homes for Sale in Seaside – August
September 10th, 2007 Categories: Real Estate News, Seaside Living
There were two homes sold in Seaside in August. The first home is a four bedroom, four bathroom, 3377 square feet that includes a 484 square foot carriage house and sold for $2.8 million. The other home is one that has been featured on our site for the past couple months, is gulf front with three bedrooms, two and a half baths and a smallish 1925 square feet that sold for $4.475 million.
There are currently 34 homes for sale in Seaside at the beginning of September. They range from a two bedroom, two bath, 1100 square foot home for $1.25 million to a three bedroom, three bath, 2094 square foot gulf front home offered at $5.195 million. The former home is a small cottage but is only two lots back from CR-30A, so you can be at Tupelo Pavillion and down to the beach in a flash.
Homes for Sale in Seaside – Start of September
Total # of Listings 34
Lowest Price Listing $1,250,000
Highest Price Listing $5,195,000
Average Price $2,261,441
Avg. Price/SqFt $1,344
Avg. Days on Mkt 403
(Click on the Graph Below to Enlarge)
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Homes Sold & Homes for Sale in Seaside – July
August 5th, 2007 Categories: Real Estate News, Seaside Living
There were no homes sold in Seaside during the month of July. However, there are two homes pending with projected closings at the end of August on both homes.
This includes the home (pictured at left) that Vicki and I championed in last month’s post of Homes Sold and Homes for Sale in Seaside. The home is only 1925 square feet, but it is gulf front in Seaside on a large lot (by Seaside standards) and had plenty of non-buildable real estate around it. The home was listed for $4.75 million.
There are currently 35 homes for sale in Seaside. These range from an 1100 sf home with two bedrooms and two baths priced at $1.25 million to a 2094 sf home with three bedrooms and three baths that is gulf front and priced at $5.195 million.
To underscore how the value of Seaside real estate has skyrocketed the Walton County Property Appraiser records show that this lot on the $5.195 million listing was purchased in 1993 for $325,000! This was obviously a smart investment on the part of these owners, and they constructed their beautiful home on the property in 1999.
Homes for Sale in Seaside 
(Click on graph > to enlarge)
Total # of Listings 35
Lowest Price Listing $1,250,000
Highest Price Listing $5,195,000
Average Price $2,229,543
Avg. Price/SqFt $1,321
Avg. Days on Market 359
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Homes Sold & Homes for Sale in Seaside – May & June
July 31st, 2007 Categories: Real Estate News, Seaside Living
Seaside had a bit of a slow month in June especially compared to the homes sold in May. There was only one home sold in June -that being a three bedroom, three bath, 1554 sf home for $2.2 million. May was a very good month for Seaside sales with four homes closing during the month. They ranged from a three bedroom, two bath, 1500 sf home for $1.3 million to a four bedroom, four and a half bath, 2680 sf home at $3.3 million.
Sold Homes in Seaside for May & June
Total # of Listings 5
Lowest Price Listing $1,300,000
Highest Price Listing $3,300,000
Average Price $2,080,000
Avg. Price/SqFt $1,075
Avg. Days on Market 341
(Click on graph below to enlarge)
As of the first of July there were 33 homes for sale in Seaside. These range from a two bedroom, two bath, 1100 sf home priced at $1.25 million to a three bedroom, three and a half bath, 2263 sf home offered at $4.95 million – hey I know it doesn’t seem very big, but it’s Seaside and it’s gulf front. This home also offers a wood burning stove for the few weeks a year when it’s needed.
Active Homes for sale in Seaside – end of June
Total # of Listings 33
Lowest Price Listing $1,250,000
Highest Price Listing $4,950,000
Average Price $2,098,303
Avg. Price/SqFt $1,293
Avg. Days on Market 378
(Click on the graph below to enlarge)
We think one of the coolest homes for sale in Seaside happens to be the second most pricey in the current homes for sale lineup. It comes in at $4.75 million. First the bad news, it’s only 1925 sf with three bedrooms and two and a half baths. Now the sensational news, it’s directly on the gulf with a 50′ x 117′ lot. Maybe that’s a normal lot (or even small) everywhere else, but in Seaside it’s huge. And the better news is that there is an 89′ x 20′ parcel to the north that is dedicated to parking (pergola) and better still there is 137′ to the west that is deed restricted for no construction – giving a beautiful, long unobstructed view towards the sunset.
Note – the home described in the above paragraph is now under contract with contingencies. It was barely on the market for a month, which bears out our thoughts on the property.
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Criolla’s Restaurant in Grayton Beach – How Johny got Criolla’s Groove Back!
July 20th, 2007 Categories: Restaurant Reviews, Seaside Living, South Walton Living, Watercolor Living
You know I’d been feeling a little melancholy about Criolla’s in the past year or so.
Johny Earles landmark restaurant seemed to have lost a little of the panache that it had held for so long – since 1989 to be exact -although I felt the food was always very good and the most creative on the coast. I could easily digress back to the 1980s when I used to visit the area just to eat at the wonderful Paradise Cafe in the site where the now legendary Red Bar resides in Grayton Beach. Johny was co-owner of Paradise, met his wife to be Debbie there and then moved on to Criolla’s.
Things took off from there and Criolla’s has been named “One of Florida’s Top Twenty Restaurants” since 1991 by Florida Trends Magazine. Still it needed a little something, something as things were a little too quiet and the crowd was almost too well behaved . I’m happy to say Criolla’s has gotten the shot in the arm that it needed with the complete rework of the bar area (formerly four seats and several tables) that now allows about a dozen diners to sit at an elevated bar and watch many of the dishes prepared in the center section – oftentimes by Johny himself. In addition, the music has been turned up a few decibels such that there now is a vibe in the place which seems to feed over in to the dining rooms as well.
On a recent outing my guest and I were joined by Richard and Dee McNeese (McNeese Title – www.mcneesetitle.com) for an excellent Criolla’s experience that made me have the same feel good feeling that I’ve enjoyed many times there over the years.
My guest and I always share the excellent Barbecue Shrimp with Tasso Cornbread appetizer – an absolutely excellent dish that will be gone without a bite for me if I talk too much. This dish is really good with chardonnay, and we had a glass of Mer Soleil Silver (unoaked) and Dee ordered a bottle of Martinelli – I know that seems like a lot, but she was thirsty.
We all shared the Hummus and Guacamole Dip with Tropical Root Chips and then the Marinated Olives and Goat Cheese with Toasted Portuges Baguette.
As with all the dishes, the presentation is excellent at Criolla’s. Richard is a cabernet sauvignon guy, so he scored a bottle of Dalla Valle Napa Valley and pinot noir being my thing I selected a bottle of Merry Edwards for Vicki and me.
Things were starting to get a little hazy in keeping up with the McNeese’s dishes, but I know my guest always wants dessert so we shared the Pan Seared Ribeye Steak and Butter Poached Lobster Tail with Wild Mushrooms, Truffle Butter and Cabernet reduction. My guest likes lobster, I like steak and we both like mushrooms and pretty much everything goes with pinor noir (although I think I remember Dee slipping a little chardonnay over to her at some point).
On to the favorite part of the meal – the dessert.
All of us had the excellent Criolla’s Coffee, but we had the Key Lime Cheesecake, Graham Cracker Crust, Chocolate Ganache with Lychee Sorbet.
The McNeeses finished off their cabernet by pairing it with the decadent Warm Chocolate Gateau with Peppermint Mocha ice cream (note the picture to the right as Richard is thinking of becoming a hand model if the title business goes south).
There are many other fabulous desserts and dessert wines available. My guest and I go to Criollas sometimes just for the desserts alone.
If you thought Criolla’s had lost a step, go again. There’s a better vibe and the food and wine list are as good as it gets in South Walton.
Johny has always been our number one celebrity chef in South Walton (the nod goes to Tim Creehan in Destin) and after years of cooking at events like the James Beard Foundation, the Sonoma Valley Wine Auction, the Napa Valley Wine Auction and many more – Johny has now gotten Criolla’s back as a must visit destination in Grayton Beach. Get more information on Criolla’s at www.criollas.com or call them at 8502671267.
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