General discussion & info about South Walton, Florida.

All About SoWal

Advertise or find a business, discuss business.

Business & Services

Jobs

Festivals, classes, gatherings, activities.

Events & Music

Food & Dining

Marketplace

property, realtors, builders, development, infrastructure ...

Real Estate

For Sale

Wanted

Other

Commercial

Long Term Rentals

Vacation Rentals

SoWal Lounge

Kurt

Admin

I have noticed a lot of construction and remodeling. It never stopped all together in WaterColor, but there seems to be a lot more going up there now.

I have also noticed more new businesses opening or getting ready to open than in many years. A lot of commercial space that has been vacant for many years is filling up. A lot of it has reached private hands and rents are lower.

Redfish Village has 1,500 sf 1st floor retail spaces for around $100k and 2nd floor office space for $30-40k.

I have noticed a lot of construction and remodeling. It never stopped all together in WaterColor, but there seems to be a lot more going up there now. 
 
I have also noticed more new businesses opening or getting ready to open than in many years. A lot of commercial space that has been vacant for many years is filling up. A lot of it has reached private hands and rents are lower. 
 
Redfish Village has 1,500 sf 1st floor retail spaces for around $100k and 2nd floor office space for $30-40k.

Jim Tucker

Beach Fanatic

The dam is about to burst. Rumor has it the new owner in Seacrest has been hanging out at the Red Bar and taslking like a pirate. I mention that because it seems like celebrities are really starting to flock here.

Yep. WaterColor and Rosemary Beach home sales set some records in 2011. WaterColor building has been incredible and you know the market is doing well when builders start building spec homes, AND THEY HAVE! WaterColor visitors will be surprised to see so much new construction when they return this spring and summer. Even Seaside is getting a few more homes built.

gmarc

. I bought a home in jan 2009 over 3 years ago and to this day with about 20 sales only one home has been sold cheaper. many homes are down 30% since then.so some areas of sowal did hold up. even the bottom end of watercolor has held up . i looked at a home for 680k on 2009 on western way or some name like it and to this day seen very few homes sell that cheap. well benanke skied the stk market and people made huge money plus every second on tv there talking about the economy has turned which is not really true and people see prices down big last 5 yrs and they run to buy. vacant lots still cheap thats what to buy and hold. i rent my home and the inquiry  activity for jan so warly in the season has been huge

Dawn

[LEFT][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]He said the number of visitors to the resort is up, however, and higher than any point in the past seven years.[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]Becnel said available real estate for sale on Sandestin property has dropped from 900 to 300 listings, and the listings have seen a purging of foreclosures and short sales.[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]His forecast for the future is that the resort will see new construction of a 96-unit condominium at Sandestin, a 26-unit condominium at Seaside, and a single-family unit is planned at Burnt Pine, all of which he believes will be under way this year.[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]At The Village of Baytowne Wharf, he said visitors can expect to find a new Hofbrauhaus and Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop.[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]Becnel said he will bring in a new ferris wheel to Baytowne for the younger crowd.[/FONT][/COLOR][/LEFT]

<div style="text-align: left">He said the number of visitors to the resort is up, however, and higher than any point in the past seven years.Becnel said available real estate for sale on Sandestin property has dropped from 900 to 300 listings, and the listings have seen a purging of foreclosures and short sales.His forecast for the future is that the resort will see new construction of a 96-unit condominium at Sandestin, a 26-unit condominium at Seaside, and a single-family unit is planned at Burnt Pine, all of which he believes will be under way this year.At The Village of Baytowne Wharf, he said visitors can expect to find a new Hofbrauhaus and Ben &amp; Jerry&#039;s Scoop Shop.Becnel said he will bring in a new ferris wheel to Baytowne for the younger crowd.&#8203;</div>

Camp Creek Kid

Christini Zambini

[quote="jim45, post: 759416"]The dam is about to burst. Rumor has it the new owner in Seacrest has been hanging out at the Red Bar and taslking like a pirate. I mention that because it seems like celebrities are really starting to flock here.[/QUOTE]

Who is the "new owner"?

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="jim45">The dam is about to burst. Rumor has it the new owner in Seacrest has been hanging out at the Red Bar and taslking like a pirate. I mention that because it seems like celebrities are really starting to flock here.</blockquote> 
Who is the &quot;new owner&quot;?

Bobby J

Has anyone noticed how busy the area is for this time of year.  I drove around today and was stunned at all the new construction.  The market is really shifting!  I am seeing properties sell that I never thought would get a buyer!

Market shifting

Grayton BeachCam

Dune Allen BeachCam

Seagrove Beach SkyCam

Inlet BeachCam

Miramar BeachCam Majestic Sun

Santa Rosa BeachCam

Rockin’ In Paradise with Styx + Friends

Grayton Locals Market

Moon Crush: Styx & Friends

Bingo Nights Rooftop Heights at Hotel Effie

Alex Napier & Daybreak @ Old Florida Fish House

Live Music @ Old Florida Fish House

Cars of 30A At Alys Beach: Event Highlights & Photo Gallery

Sixth annual Run Watersound At Watersound Town Center October 24, 2026

Support Our Parks: The 2026 Friends of Camp Helen Pumpkin Patch Is Open

Annual Events and Festivals in South Walton

International Coastal Cleanup Day Was A Success In South Walton

Merchants Of Alys Beach Announce New Dining & Shopping Options

No beachcams yet

More cams

Include enough context for a reply on the first pass: who you are, what this is about, and anything time-sensitive we should know.

Write a clear note and we will route it fast

SoWal Contact Form

What helps the SoWal team reply on the first pass

Use these links when your request already has a clear destination.

Prefer a direct route before you write?

Use this when you are not sure where your request belongs and need the SoWal team to route it.

Questions, corrections, and quick help

Share newsworthy updates, corrections, community tips, or photography that can improve SoWal coverage.

Story tips, local leads, and photos

Reach the team for business visibility, partnership planning, or other commercial opportunities.

Listings, sponsorships, and business requests

Use this path for media coordination, press follow-ups, or requests that need a communications contact.

Press outreach and interview requests

Tell us what you need and how to reach you.

Send your note here and the SoWal team will route it appropriately.

Choose the quickest route for your message

Forum account areas

Log in to view member profile, alerts, messages, watched content, bookmarks, preferences, and staff tools.

Member-only forum areas use your SoWal forum account.

Use your forum username or email to post, reply, follow threads, and manage your account.

Log in to the forum

Log in to the SoWal forum

Find people and visit their public forum profiles.

Members

Enter the six-digit code sent to {email}.

Check your email

Join the conversation

Welcome to SoWal

Sign in to SoWal

Signature preview

Ads support our local stories, BeachCams, and community guides. If you use an ad blocker, allow SoWal, then check again.

Help keep SoWal local

Your feedback helps us make SoWal better.

How was this story?

Get local stories, events, and South Walton highlights in your inbox.

Stay close to the coast

Choose whether SoWal may use optional cookies. Necessary cookies keep the site working.

Your privacy, your choice

Site navigation

Submenu

Bite-sized stories, curated itineraries, and community events delivered to your inbox on the regular.

Market shifting

Latest conversations

Write a reply

Cars of 30A At Alys Beach: Event Highlights & Photo Gallery

Sixth annual Run Watersound At Watersound Town Center October 24, 2026

Support Our Parks: The 2026 Friends of Camp Helen Pumpkin Patch Is Open

Annual Events and Festivals in South Walton