Alys Beach Sales Up 80 Percent

I love Alys Beach. It's refreshing!

I'm speechless with some of the sales i've seen in rosemary this yr.A $8 mil sale gulfront at something like $1600 a square foot. wow i guess if you got $100 mil doesn't matter but thats back to the bubble prices of 2005-06.some lots now priced at 10 cents on the $ from 2005.i want to know why did sowal real estate get hit even harder than miami or vegas?regions and suntrust lost billions in sowal

You know, 80% of zero is still zero. That's an exaggeration, but we drove through Alys today, and it"s pretty much a ghost town.

It's beautiful -- that cannot be denied. But we noticed some shrubbery today that had not been maintained in a while.

Successful wishes sent to Alys Beach and all real estate ventures in this sluggish economy.

Ray, that $8 million sale in Rosemary wasn't really back to bubble prices. The guy paid $7million+ for the home, then tore it down and spent probably another $3million+ on the new house before selling it near $8 million. He took a hit. Maybe he needed to offset some income.

Alys Beach is indeed a great development, and they are progressing nicely. I'm glad to see that they are building with demand, rather than building a ghost town, hoping that buyers come. I can sit at Fonville Press and imagine how large those young oak trees will be when the town is built out, bustling with people.

I'm not comparing Alys Beach to Biltmore Estate or Augusta National Golf Club, but it is amazing to me to look back in time at old photos of each of those places. Augusta National Golf Club's main entrance, which most never see, is lined with old Magnolia Trees, which reach for the sun. Biltmore Estate has 100+ year old huge trees around the east lawn. Look back at the old photos of each and you will see young saplings planted, looking very sparse. Seaside also have some skimpy looking trees only 25 years ago, but now has some great looking sand live oaks lining the streets. Young developments like Alys Beach will look amazing 20 years down the road. South Walton is just a baby compared to many old cities in the USA. Give it 50-100 years and I won't be able to imagine it. Kudos to those visionaries who put dreams into realities.

Ray, that $8 million sale in Rosemary wasn't really back to bubble prices. The guy paid $7million+ for the home, then tore it down and spent probably another $3million+ on the new house before selling it near $8 million. He took a hit. Maybe he needed to offset some income.

Alys Beach is indeed a great development, and they are progressing nicely. I'm glad to see that they are building with demand, rather than building a ghost town, hoping that buyers come. I can sit at Fonville Press and imagine how large those young oak trees will be when the town is built out, bustling with people.

I'm not comparing Alys Beach to Biltmore Estate or Augusta National Golf Club, but it is amazing to me to look back in time at old photos of each of those places. Augusta National Golf Club's main entrance, which most never see, is lined with old Magnolia Trees, which reach for the sun. Biltmore Estate has 100+ year old huge trees around the east lawn. Look back at the old photos of each and you will see young saplings planted, looking very sparse. Seaside also have some skimpy looking trees only 25 years ago, but now has some great looking sand live oaks lining the streets. Young developments like Alys Beach will look amazing 20 years down the road. South Walton is just a baby compared to many old cities in the USA. Give it 50-100 years and I won't be able to imagine it. Kudos to those visionaries who put dreams into realities.

I like your review of the trees. Rosmemary planted scrawny little oaks, a long while back, and the way they are coming along, there will soon be a georgeous canopy as you enter from the east. Plus there are incredible little hidden parks in which the foilage has matured immensely. Even WaterColor's trees (oaks, not palms) are making their presence known. I love the palms in Alys, but they will never change like the oaks. The Viridian needs to think about deleting the palms in favor of oaks. Was this thread about real estate or trees? Oops, sorry...

Trees are a part of real estate. They add curb-appeal and a feeling of community. They invite people to linger longer, stay and play.

I think slow growing communities are the best. Gives you time to adapt and address any problems. Alys may not be fully built out, but it's one of the favorite places to go on 30-A for events and house tours.

Trees are a part of real estate. They add curb-appeal and a feeling of community. They invite people to linger longer, stay and play.

I remember reading once that 'good trees' could add up to 10-15% to the value of the home- curb appeal, the right landscaping making the property seem like it should be more expensive and all.

There is a show where they come and fix up your yard in a weekend and then have it reappraised. Homeowner usually gets a 200%+ return on their money.

You know, 80% of zero is still zero. That's an exaggeration, but we drove through Alys today, and it"s pretty much a ghost town.

It's beautiful -- that cannot be denied. But we noticed some shrubbery today that had not been maintained in a while.

Successful wishes sent to Alys Beach and all real estate ventures in this sluggish economy.

That sounds about right, the county shows a sum total of 2 sales this year plus what looks like a swap on two lots. Maybe they had a really good month of June?

You know, 80% of zero is still zero. That's an exaggeration, but we drove through Alys today, and it"s pretty much a ghost town.

It's beautiful -- that cannot be denied. But we noticed some shrubbery today that had not been maintained in a while.

Successful wishes sent to Alys Beach and all real estate ventures in this sluggish economy.

Thanks for the good wishes - Alys Beach has an amazing number of great Owners, guests and even renters who are passionate about their town and who are great ambassadors for it. The continued development may be slower than others but it is indeed growing, it is thoughtful and deliberate and reflects the collective work and efforts of many people who love the project and the town. Alys has in fact added quite a few new Owners this year and they bring renewed and continued energy and excitement. In a time where the economy really was sluggish, where many developers could have decided to become much more austere and made severe cuts, decisions were made to hold the course and continue allowing the town to grow organically. May be slow but it is beautiful and will certainly continue to thrive.
Thanks

Thanks for the good wishes - Alys Beach has an amazing number of great Owners, guests and even renters who are passionate about their town and who are great ambassadors for it. The continued development may be slower than others but it is indeed growing, it is thoughtful and deliberate and reflects the collective work and efforts of many people who love the project and the town. Alys has in fact added quite a few new Owners this year and they bring renewed and continued energy and excitement. In a time where the economy really was sluggish, where many developers could have decided to become much more austere and made severe cuts, decisions were made to hold the course and continue allowing the town to grow organically. May be slow but it is beautiful and will certainly continue to thrive.
Thanks

Alys Beach is a work of art from the smallest stone selection to the grandest designs. It will continue to blossom over the years into a great place. Those who nitpick numbers may never understand. I guess they'd rather have walmarts.

Thanks Kurt!
Agreed with what you say! Alys is not for everyone and has always had its detractors, however I am just glad that so many people love it!!

That sounds about right, the county shows a sum total of 2 sales this year plus what looks like a swap on two lots. Maybe they had a really good month of June?

I saw 6 warranty deeds issued between Ebsco and buyers for the first 5 months of the year. Roughly one per month. 80% year over year increase sounds a lot better than one sale per month. One sale a month (as property is flying off the shelves elsewhere per Murrays posts) doesn't sound healthy to me.