Older properties

Hi!

We're moving to the area in September and would like to find an older home to fix up and turn around.

Many of the listings we've seen are for houses 4-5 years old or newer. Are we just out of luck?

I don't know that you are out of luck, but you will not find many older homes in this area. You will have to go to Panama City or Defuniak Springs to find the older homes (60+years).

Thanks for the reply, Joe... we might indeed be out of luck... my husband will be working at Eglin AFB so that's too far away.

Thanks for the reply, Joe... we might indeed be out of luck... my husband will be working at Eglin AFB so that's too far away.

You may find some older homes in Ft Walton, and it will be much closer to Eglin AFB. Don't give up that easily.

Ft. Walton is loaded with smaller older homes. Be sure to check into the FHA and VA lists. Also Crestview just North of FWB.

If you like really older homes you can move one onto a lot and renovate it. There are a house movers that even keep a few laying around for that purpose.

Ducky can move anything:
http://phonl.com/Ducky/aboutus.cfm

Ducky Johnson House Movers ? P. O. Box 107 ? Grand Ridge, Florida 32442
Telephone: (850) 592-5571 ? FAX: (850) 592-6040

They moved this one from Marianna to Inlet Beach



And another in transit over I-10:

As you think about older homes, you'll want to ask yourself/realtor/inspector how well they will hold up during a hurricane, especially if they were built before some of the new hurricane building codes were in place. On the other hand, if they're old and still standing after a few hurricanes, that's a good sign...

Also, depends on what you mean by "older properties" too. Our house in seacrest area is considered "old" by some, but it was only built in 1985! (our realtor thnks it's an antique! In Atlanta, that would be considered a newer home.) There are lots of neighborhoods in the area with smaller houses from the 60s - 80s that would certainly benefit (financially) from a second story, upgrade or whatnot.

(As an aside thought, i have to just say how much we love having an "older" house. It may not be stunning, but it's cute enough, and with its vinyl siding and tin roof, is practically maintenance free. :wink: gotta love it.)

Hi!

We're moving to the area in September and would like to find an older home to fix up and turn around.

Many of the listings we've seen are for houses 4-5 years old or newer. Are we just out of luck?

Check in Inlet Beach. Last time I was there, several were on the market on Walton Rose Lane.

Janet

I just obtained a property in the Redbay area- North of Freeport- It's a 4br/3bath that I do not have time to renovate- I would consider selling, with possible owner financing- I have a certified appraisal at $270,000 But would consider offers in the $175,00 range. Jon 404-247-7477 or www.investorproperties.net

I just obtained a property in the Redbay area- North of Freeport- It's a 4br/3bath that I do not have time to renovate- I would consider selling, with possible owner financing- I have a certified appraisal at $270,000 But would consider offers in the $175,00 range. Jon 404-247-7477 or www.investorproperties.net

I did not see it on your site. What are the deatils? Amount of land, age of house, Hwy location etc.

Val,

Did a search of homes in Destin, Niceville, Ft Walton Beach and Mary Esther under 250K. These areas would be most convenient to Eglin

Here are the results
http://ecarmls.com/EmeraldReports/listings.asp?ID=73833181

If you want full listing info on any of them, just let me know and I'll be happy to send it to you.

Since nothing really existed here before Eglin got established in the 40s, older here often means something built in the late 60s. So not too different than what was getting built in the early 90s in terms of home styles.

Every once in a while, you get some homes from the 30s in Valparaiso that go on the market, but they're pretty rare. The bright side is that the commute to Eglin from there is extremely quick and painless. Niceville is generally slightly newer construction, and the fixers I've seen there tend to be either cosmetic fixes or total teardowns with not much between those two. We're in Bluewater Bay where the oldest homes are about 25 years old. You can sometimes get a decent deal if you find something with the original Carter era decor in place and take care of the cosmetic problems, but under $300K can be hard to find these days, even for something that needs a bit of love. (In general, if it's afforadble for someone with a military salary, it sells pretty quick these days around here.)

The older parts of Ft. Walton Beach tend to be 50s cinderblock. They aren't always the prettiest things, but are sturdily built, and hold up well in the storms. The area with the biggest upside from that era is probably Elliot Point which is just to the north of where a lot of building and rebuilding is going on in downtown Ft. Walton. You'd get a good return on your investment with a nicely done addition to older cinderblock in those areas, imo.

I'm not big on Crestview. No one I know that lives there is too excited about living in Crestview. They just got lured up there with the promise of cheap housing costs in the 90s and early 00s, and since it's no longer cheap, why bother?

There are a few older homes. Mine was built in 1910 by Henry Musset on Hogtown Bayou in Santa Rosa Beach - one of the few remaining structures from Old Santa Rosa Plantation. Will be on the market soon - but probably higher than you're looking for because of the water frontage.

Good luck. I'm a big fan of old in a place where everything is new and pretending to be old.