Wild Heron/Rivercamps

Fisher, I agree with a couple of your points.
..."Alys is unique and I like the construction methodology. But, IMO, Alys will appeal to a much narrower segment of the population ..."

"It will be interesting to see how Alys plays out over the next few years. And, when the market picks back up a bit, how Alys fares against its competition along 30A. So, far the competition is beating them hands down."

This last paragraph makes it sound as though you really think WaterColor, NatureWalk, Seaside, Prominence, etc, are actually the competition for Alys Beach. I think you have to look outside of our area to find the competition for Alys Beach.

Fisher, I agree with a couple of your points.
..."Alys is unique and I like the construction methodology. But, IMO, Alys will appeal to a much narrower segment of the population ..."

"It will be interesting to see how Alys plays out over the next few years. And, when the market picks back up a bit, how Alys fares against its competition along 30A. So, far the competition is beating them hands down."

This last paragraph makes it sound as though you really think WaterColor, NatureWalk, Seaside, Prominence, etc, are actually the competition for Alys Beach. I think you have to look outside of our area to find the competition for Alys Beach.

I have talked with a couple of owners in Alys. None of them were "outside the box" type people you refer to above. They were all looking to buy along 30A and they simply chose Alys over the other competition along 30A. None of them were looking at places in Bermuda, the Greek isles, Arizona, California, etc, etc. I also know lots of other folks that looked at Alys along with the rest of the competitive product along 30A and said no way to Alys. In addition, if you look at the addresses of owners in Alys, the distribution looks very similar to the ownership rosters in developments all along 30A (Georgia and Alabama and Florida addresses dominate--in fact, it looks like a lot of EBSCO folks out of Birmingham forms the largest bulk of owners so far). I am curious where you believe these "other" buyers will come from and what competitive products they will be comparing Alys to.

Caliza pool.... gorgeous.

Is Prominence really going to happen? Are they still planning to have a movie theater?

I think of Alys beach as more European/international in feel & design, but consider the other 30-A developments as its competition/to have a similar demographic.

The prices and its design are what currently set it apart from other developments, but once you start marketing to those dropping million(s) on a vacation home, price isn't an isolating factor.

"I could see Alys Beach wanting to keep their sales on the down-low."[/quote by S.J.]

okay...i'm trying to figure out why they would do this...Aly never struck me as the DC madam type...

Why would they want to keep sales on the DL if stuff was selling?

I could understand if stuff WASN'T selling, but why stifle good news?

Developers will often keep their listings private so that they can keep control over the sales. Giving the potential buyers and other Realtors less information on sales, also gives the advantage to the developer. I'm not saying that the developers are trying to take advantage of the buyers, but in many cases, it is more difficult for buyers to try to know what price to offer for a property when they cannot see the comparable sales.

Isn't it public record on the tax assessor's site after it's sold?

Isn't it public record on the tax assessor's site after it's sold?

Yes, but pulling up specific types of sales within a specific time period, within a particular area, is most easily done via the ECAR MLS, limited to participating members. The County site is not that user friendly, nor does it have the capabilities to break down sales data to the extent the MLS has.

Yes, but pulling up specific types of sales within a specific time period, within a particular area, is most easily done via the ECAR MLS, limited to participating members. The County site is not that user friendly, nor does it have the capabilities to break down sales data to the extent the MLS has.

Walton County records show only 5 or 6 sales since December 2005. Does that jive with MLS records?

Thanks - since I don't have access to the ECARS MLS I always just use the PA site for info.

It's all perspective - the county site is much more user friendly than the one I can't access at all ;-).

Am I missing something?

http://64.234.218.210/cgi-bin/walto...-3S-18-1640&Parcel+Search=Search+By+Parcel+ID&

Seems straight forward, but I'm no expert, Please enlighten me.

Am I missing something?

http://64.234.218.210/cgi-bin/walto...-3S-18-1640&Parcel+Search=Search+By+Parcel+ID&

Seems straight forward, but I'm no expert, Please enlighten me.

You are at the correct place. Now dig deeper into the sight and find recent sales in Alys.

Do I read it correctly,,, 22 sales in 2005 --- 3 in 2006 --- 2 for 2007 ? I was wondering if this was the right place to look. Thanks

The easiest interface of all is the parcel maps - it color codes those parcels which have sold in the last three years, and since it is a map, rather than a search by legal description, you can easily see neighboring properties which might not be in the subdivision itself.

They are accessed via the "parcel map" link on any parcel you are viewing from the property appraiser's site.

Do I read it correctly,,, 22 sales in 2005 --- 3 in 2006 --- 2 for 2007 ? I was wondering if this was the right place to look. Thanks

Yes, you read the county records correctly. I assume they are complete but not sure. The 22 sales that occurred in 2005 were almost exclusively sold during the lottery frenzy that captured the imagination of a host of investulators up and down 30A. Since the initial "lottery" sales in Alys, its been pretty dead.

Based on my highly scientific method of counting names on the PA site it would seem that 29 lots/homes are privately owned/owned by someone other than EBSCO.

Based on my highly scientific method of counting names on the PA site it would seem that 29 lots/homes are privately owned/owned by someone other than EBSCO.

Looks correct to me. With over 800 units planned, sellout could take a year or two.

I only had access to phase 1 info - appears they've sold 1/4 to 1/5 of phase 1 lots so far.

I only had access to phase 1 info - appears they've sold 1/4 to 1/5 of phase 1 lots so far.

At the rate of sales over the last 18 months (excluding the initial "lottery" frenzy where many sales were made to EBSCO friends and family out of Birmingham), it will take 20 or more years just to sell out Phase 1.

Am I missing something?

http://64.234.218.210/cgi-bin/walto...-3S-18-1640&Parcel+Search=Search+By+Parcel+ID&

Seems straight forward, but I'm no expert, Please enlighten me.

You are seeing the County records, but what I said was that most Realtors find it much easier to find sales data, including actives and pendings, in the ECAR MLS, and if the developers who are part of ECAR follow the rules, their information in the MLS should be reliable. Most of the customers who are working with a Realtor, rely on the Realtor to pull the sales information for the customer. Believe it or not, but most people aren't internet savvy, and have no idea what the link above means or where to find the info if the link is not posted for them.

As for the low number of sales in Alys Beach, it is a down market, and Alys Beach is a new development. Many people find it hard to envision what the development will look like ten or twenty years down the road. When Seaside began, how many homes do you think they sold in their first few years. Sometimes, buyers want to know what they are buying into.

I remember stopping by the Aly's sales office when they first started the development and they were happy to take my name and pertinent information for a reservation interview, which struck me as odd. When I saw the proposed plans I politely declined. The Beverly Hills Monastery look just isn't for me. I also must say that I don't know anyone that doesn't care about several hundred thousand dollars when making an investment, but I would love to sell to such a group if anyone can point me that way.

At the rate of sales over the last 18 months (excluding the initial "lottery" frenzy where many sales were made to EBSCO friends and family out of Birmingham), it will take 20 or more years just to sell out Phase 1.

You are assuming that sales rates are static, but they are not. Instead, sales rates are dynamic. Look at sales in 2004 in Walton County and you will see find this to be true.

I remember stopping by the Aly's sales office when they first started the development and they were happy to take my name and pertinent information for a reservation interview, which struck me as odd. When I saw the proposed plans I politely declined. The Beverly Hills Monastery look just isn't for me. I also must say that I don't know anyone that doesn't care about several hundred thousand dollars when making an investment, but I would love to sell to such a group if anyone can point me that way.

Some people actually consider a second home at the beach to be a luxury item, not an investment.;-) Look at some of the more expensive sales in WalCo in the last couple of years and you will see that the buyers had no problem with paying full asking price if not more, and sometimes they even paid with cash. Not all buyers are the same.

Some people actually consider a second home at the beach to be a luxury item, not an investment.;-) Look at some of the more expensive sales in WalCo in the last couple of years and you will see that the buyers had no problem with paying full asking price if not more, and sometimes they even paid with cash. Not all buyers are the same.

So it's OK to waste money on an luxury item? You have always seemed so rational to me before Joe. I agree some people don't care about waste but that is true across the entire economic spectrum. Someone with money will not just pay more because it is there to spend, but this has been the mentality for quite a while. A fool and his money soon will part and then there will be no buyers...