Miss Kitty's Watercolor balcony is lovingly nicknamed the F*** balcony. Apparently the view inspires people to curse...sorry to have confused anyone about this joke.
Oh.
Alys, Rosemary, Watercolor
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Oh.
I don't have a preference for any of the ones you mention over the other but I'd consider things like the following in no particular order:
1. Do I like the architecture but if there's not a very strong difference then I'd consider:
a. how big a community do I want to be a part of
b. what do I want in that community (restaurants, coffee shop, school, church, post office) - how close do I want to be to grocery stores, supermarkets, dry cleaners, post office, etc.
c. where on 30A do I want to be located -- how close to 98 Panama City Beach way or 98 Sandestin way -- and what does it look like around the community
d. how many pools and how big/heated?
e. what are the association fees/heating fees/utilities/insurance/etc?
f. what do I think about the rentals in the community and how the rentals are marketed/managed?
g. how close to the beach
h. how hurricane-safe are the buildings
i. is it a quiet community or a more active community
j. what's going to happen in the area of the community in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years
k. what will we as a family be using it for over the long run -- retirement for one or two people, family get-togethers - is the community friendly to retirees/large groups of families
l. how's the management of the community?
m. what's it like there in the peak season and off season?
n. how's security if that ever becomes a concern?
o. Are there restrictions in building or lifestyle that would be annoying or that would be helpful?
p. How will the place/community look like as it ages? how will the trees/natural landscape look?
q. Do I want a natural landscape or one that needs to be kept up?
r. How high up on the dunes do I want the place to be either for the appearance of the community or for storm surge?
s. How does the community handle beach access after storms/hurricanes if the beach access goes out? Are there plans to put in those stairs that can be retracted? How long does it take the community get access again after storms?
t. Which has the beach that I like most?
Whew, that was fun... These are the kinds of things I thought about before getting our places. I tend to worry a lot about the details and then once the worrying is over and the decisions/trade-offs made, I tend to stop worrying and thoroughly enjoy the choice.
PS: We bought two 3-bedroom, 2 bath cottages at the Cottages at Camp Creek with the beach across the street. The community is very different from the communities you mention -- much simpler, nothing but pretty one story old-Florida style cottages (about 30) with large porches, most surrounding a pool/hot tub with native landscaping, and larger 2-3 story cottages in the front and back of the community (about 6 large cottages in the front and 6 in the back) in the Seacrest Beach area. These cottages are much more affordable than the other places you mentioned (which was important to us) and, for our needs, we like not having restaurants, etc., in our community because we like the privacy of only having the owners/renters come through. We also like the low association fees. They're low because the community doesn't have all the extra stuff to support and the use of native landscaping keeps costs low. We can walk or drive to other places for restaurants, etc. And, though the cottages have 3 bedrooms, they are 1100 square feet or so. So, they're big enough when we bring family, but they are a comfortable size for when only 1 or 2 people are there, as may happen come retirement time. Having the two side by side cottages is nice because other family can come and we're close but can spread out a bit. Everyone values different things but we still love our choices. Everyone has to pick what's right for them, of course.
1. Do I like the architecture but if there's not a very strong difference then I'd consider:
a. how big a community do I want to be a part of
b. what do I want in that community (restaurants, coffee shop, school, church, post office) - how close do I want to be to grocery stores, supermarkets, dry cleaners, post office, etc.
c. where on 30A do I want to be located -- how close to 98 Panama City Beach way or 98 Sandestin way -- and what does it look like around the community
d. how many pools and how big/heated?
e. what are the association fees/heating fees/utilities/insurance/etc?
f. what do I think about the rentals in the community and how the rentals are marketed/managed?
g. how close to the beach
h. how hurricane-safe are the buildings
i. is it a quiet community or a more active community
j. what's going to happen in the area of the community in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years
k. what will we as a family be using it for over the long run -- retirement for one or two people, family get-togethers - is the community friendly to retirees/large groups of families
l. how's the management of the community?
m. what's it like there in the peak season and off season?
n. how's security if that ever becomes a concern?
o. Are there restrictions in building or lifestyle that would be annoying or that would be helpful?
p. How will the place/community look like as it ages? how will the trees/natural landscape look?
q. Do I want a natural landscape or one that needs to be kept up?
r. How high up on the dunes do I want the place to be either for the appearance of the community or for storm surge?
s. How does the community handle beach access after storms/hurricanes if the beach access goes out? Are there plans to put in those stairs that can be retracted? How long does it take the community get access again after storms?
t. Which has the beach that I like most?
Whew, that was fun... These are the kinds of things I thought about before getting our places. I tend to worry a lot about the details and then once the worrying is over and the decisions/trade-offs made, I tend to stop worrying and thoroughly enjoy the choice.
PS: We bought two 3-bedroom, 2 bath cottages at the Cottages at Camp Creek with the beach across the street. The community is very different from the communities you mention -- much simpler, nothing but pretty one story old-Florida style cottages (about 30) with large porches, most surrounding a pool/hot tub with native landscaping, and larger 2-3 story cottages in the front and back of the community (about 6 large cottages in the front and 6 in the back) in the Seacrest Beach area. These cottages are much more affordable than the other places you mentioned (which was important to us) and, for our needs, we like not having restaurants, etc., in our community because we like the privacy of only having the owners/renters come through. We also like the low association fees. They're low because the community doesn't have all the extra stuff to support and the use of native landscaping keeps costs low. We can walk or drive to other places for restaurants, etc. And, though the cottages have 3 bedrooms, they are 1100 square feet or so. So, they're big enough when we bring family, but they are a comfortable size for when only 1 or 2 people are there, as may happen come retirement time. Having the two side by side cottages is nice because other family can come and we're close but can spread out a bit. Everyone values different things but we still love our choices. Everyone has to pick what's right for them, of course.
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Paula, that is a great comprehensive list ~ it should help anyone trying to make that decision along 30A. I can't think of anything that you forgot to include.
Thanks, Gypsea. It would be interesting to see what others would add. There are so many options on 30A and people want different things, so it's good to know what questions to ask oneself and others. I think considering how a family/lifestyle/community/landscape/surroundings will change over time is important. I happily realized I forgot to add "market value" and "potential increase/decrease in value over time" to my previous list because that was certainly something we considered, but it wasn't the driving factor for us because we were buying for lifestyle and for the long-term (though the cottages did well from a financial perspective as well even though that's pretty irrelevant to us for the next 20 - 40 years or more!) -- and we made sure we didn't buy beyond our means.
If I had $2million I would have a nice home on the bay!! Not to knock either of the 3 communities, but I like a little more privacy. Also a dock and boat don't hurt!! If you have children living with you then Watercolor is a no-brainer IMO. Alys and Rosemary are both nice areas, but both have room for adjustment. Rosemary is one of the most grossly overpriced areas in the panhandle. Watercolor should hold value very well in the years to come. I see Rosemary really coming down before becoming a good investment. Sandwiched between 30A and 98 is not a desireable spot to me. I would really take a look around before I made a decision. You can get a lot for $2million. If you want me to send you a few things in that price range to look at let me know.
Thanks Josh,
We have been visiting your beautiful area for many years, and absolutely love it. Trying to find out what is a good place, good value, and a good investment. Have a wife and little girl (almost 2). I think your market will bottom out here in early 2007. Correct me if you think differently.
Thanks folks for all of the advice and wisdom.
Dave
We have been visiting your beautiful area for many years, and absolutely love it. Trying to find out what is a good place, good value, and a good investment. Have a wife and little girl (almost 2). I think your market will bottom out here in early 2007. Correct me if you think differently.
Thanks folks for all of the advice and wisdom.
Dave
I do agree with you thinking that the market will bottom out this year. Many people on this board are at opposite end of the spectrum as I've noticed. If I had to choose between the 3 I would take Watercolor over the other 2 any day of the week. There are plenty of deals out there right now with sellers needing to deal (For whatever reason). I think Watercolor is the best long-term investment by far. Alys and Rosemary are not geared toward children in the same way that Watercolor is. Also, the proximity to Destin would be a consideration for me.
You're welcome, Sambuca. (by the way, I love Sambuca.) I really haven't thought about whether I'd prefer the architecture of one of those communities or another, but I like being on the west end of 30A because it seems less crowded in general (e.g., the beaches) and I like being closer to Panama City Beach - I think PCB is going to have some nice things going on (movie theatre, stores, restaurants) within 10 miles or so of the west end of 30A and I like it that Panama City Beach still has some of the old-fashioned places. I also like the PCB beaches (though I've only been to them twice). So, you'd want to think about whether you want to be closer to PCB or Destin and what's going to happen in the long run with PCB and Destin. Also, you'll want to consider distance from the airport if you want to fly in regularly. These wouldn't be the biggest deciding factors for me, but I wanted to make the case that many people really prefer the location of Rosemary Beach. I'd consider traffic patterns now and in the future as well. I find traffic to be reasonable even in the summer on the west end of 30A.
Of course, if I had a place elsewhere on 30A I would have chosen it for different reasons and could have made an honest case why I preferred that location.
And, once you've thought of all the different considerations, I'd spend a lot of time just visiting the different places to see which one moves you emotionally as well -- it will just feel right, though you may not be able to explain why. Then you can go back to your list of trade-offs to see if it's still a wise decision.
Of course, if I had a place elsewhere on 30A I would have chosen it for different reasons and could have made an honest case why I preferred that location.
And, once you've thought of all the different considerations, I'd spend a lot of time just visiting the different places to see which one moves you emotionally as well -- it will just feel right, though you may not be able to explain why. Then you can go back to your list of trade-offs to see if it's still a wise decision.
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Paula, that was exactly what I was going to say to Sambuca, and you've said it so well.
Sambuca, all three of those communities you've mentioned are wonderful, and all for different reasons. My layman's opinion is that all of them will serve you well investment-wise. But what does that matter, if you're splitting hairs about which is the best investment, if you're not 100% happy with it? Every single house my husband and I have bought "spoke" to us within five minutes of walking in the door. As Paula as said, there's not anything you can exactly pinpoint--all other things being equal--it's simply a feeling you have. When you have the right house, there's no mistaking that it's yours. It's the best intangible about homeownership, the one that makes all the obligations of ownership worthwhile.