Relocation: West End of PCB

[LargeHippo]

Hi SoWal friends…

My wife and I are considering relocation to the area after spending several weeks in South Walton County in Jan - March. We loved the area and being close to the beach, but likely can’t afford South of 98 in the current market.

We want to know what the west end / “Sunnyside” area of PCB is like? I know it’s not technically SoWal, but wanted to see if anyone had any insights as to what this area is like? Is it safe? Mainly tourists? Any other things we should know?

 

[Jim Tucker]

It's OK but not sure it's much cheaper. Although there are some older and smaller homes that might be less expensive. What are you seeing?

Are you looking for house, townhouse ... ?

 

[LargeHippo]

It's OK but not sure it's much cheaper. Although there are some older and smaller homes that might be less expensive. What are you seeing?

Are you looking for house, townhouse ... ?

Thanks for the quick reply! From what we’ve seen, it’s about $200k cheaper the west end of SoWal.

we are looking for a house, 4BR within 10mins walking distance of the beach. That seems doable in the area, but I’d want to know a little more about that area before we committed.

 

[James Bentwood]

Thanks for the quick reply! From what we’ve seen, it’s about $200k cheaper the west end of SoWal.

we are looking for a house, 4BR within 10mins walking distance of the beach. That seems doable in the area, but I’d want to know a little more about that area before we committed.

In general it's OK but there may be some pockets or certain streets that are sketchy. Before I bought I would want to walk the neighborhood daytime and night time and observe.

Some areas are a hodge podge with new million dollar homes right next to trailers.

 

[30A Skunkape]

I would move there in an instant if the right house came along. Nice beach, much of it will not be developed and none of the private beach BS or throngs 30A now suffers.

 

[leeboy]

I would move there in an instant if the right house came along. Nice beach, much of it will not be developed and none of the private beach BS or throngs 30A now suffers.

Why won't it be developed? And is Bay County Beach rights different than Walton?

 

[Camp Creek Kid]

Hi SoWal friends…

My wife and I are considering relocation to the area after spending several weeks in South Walton County in Jan - March. We loved the area and being close to the beach, but likely can’t afford South of 98 in the current market.

We want to know what the west end / “Sunnyside” area of PCB is like? I know it’s not technically SoWal, but wanted to see if anyone had any insights as to what this area is like? Is it safe? Mainly tourists? Any other things we should know?

The West end of PCB is a pretty good option because there is great accessibility to the beach and it has a nice old Florida vibe. Traffic and the usual PCB craziness is pretty tame on the West End. A lot of the West End is actually unincorporated Bay County so that does make a difference in public services available. Much of the West End has septic tanks, especially South of Back Beach and this is the reason why there has been limited development there. There is a limit to the number of bedrooms/bathrooms (I believe the limit is 2 bedrooms) that homes with septic tanks can have so there isn't much opportunity to buy an old house and add on to it or remodel it. There is sewer right on Front Beach and some of the newer developments have sewer, but the older neighborhoods do not have sewer. Bay County property taxes are higher than Walton County also the schools on the West End of PCB are not the best.

 

[pmd8]

Why won't it be developed? And is Bay County Beach rights different than Walton?

There's none of the wet sand only nonsense anywhere on Panama City Beach. All 27 miles of coastline are publicly owned. You generally have about 200 feet of sand that the public can use. There are 96 public access points.

Sunnyside, Santa Monica and Laguna Beach are subdivisions that were formed in the 1940s on the west end of the beach. The communities together own about 2.5 miles of beach.

Most of the houses are modest older homes but there are some McMansions going up that are across from the beach.

With the exceptions of a few pockets of single family homes, there are no homes or buildings south of Hwy 98 on that 2.5 mile stretch. Homeowners north of 98 own the rest of the beach, so it can never be developed. I think about two years ago they did put gates on their access points, but you are free to use the beach if you walk there.

There are a few scattered small commercial establishments and restaurants on the north side but it's mostly zoned SFR.

Miramar Beach is the next community going east and was also formed in the 1940s. They do have single family homes and some townhomes south of 98 and a bit more commercial zoning. The Bay County Property Appraiser's website is down, but I don't think anything south of 98 is zoned commercial in Miramar.

 

[leeboy]

$459,000 lot for sale in Sunnyside
One of the few ,available building lots in the sought after west end, dedicated beach communities of Sunnyside. This dedicated beach cannot be built on or sold. Owners in the Sunnyside community enjoy the unobstructed, 2800 feet +/- of dedicated beach with it's own natural beach path. There is a possibility of a gulf view depending on the height and positioning of the home you build. Other great features of Sunnyside is the low hoa fees of. only $75.00 a year and this is Short term rental approved area. This location is close to Pier Park,Carillon Beach and the 30A corridor.What an incredible opportunity! Only a few hundred feet from this special beach.

 

[LargeHippo]

You’re all awesome! Thanks for taking the time to help and proving such great insights and advice! So helpful to hear from folks in the know and learn a little of the history and things to consider.

two quick follow up questions:

# how is crime in the area? I can’t find stats anywhere online.
# is the area mainly rentals, mainly FT residents, or a mix of both?