Inland Heights Better than the Beach????

This recent email I received shows how MISFORTUNE on our Coast is used to move the product(real estate) on the other side of the pond (C-Bay) in Freeport.


They cover all of the hot buttons:
1. destruction of property by Hurricanes
2. Skyrocketing coastal insurance rates
3. Annual evacuations (stated like a fact)
4. Beachfront living = Risk
5. Inland living = Peace of Mind

Chamber Promotes Inland Development - Freeport, Fla. -- May 25, 2006

Billboards offering large swaths of land to the highest bidder have replaced the soybean farms, boiled peanut stands and mobile home parks that once dotted this Panhandle town.

Just 15 miles north of major beach developments in popular tourist spots such as Destin, Freeport is a boomtown largely because of a clever marketing campaign aimed at real estate investors who want to live near beaches without the fear of having their waterfront properties destroyed in a hurricane.

Developers like Larry Davis envision upscale, village-style neighborhoods in the style of nearby Seaside, a well-known, beachfront enclave of pastel Victorian beach homes. But others fear the development trend will lure wealthy retirees away from the beach and entice them to gobble up this last bastion of affordable living in the region.

''I don't know what's happened, it seems like a shark feeding frenzy with big developers coming in and everyone having to have a piece of it. They have jacked the prices right through the roof,'' said Freeport Mayor Mickey Marse.

''Don't get me wrong, I'm glad for the local people who have sat on their property for all these years and are getting some money out of it now. But on the other hand, I wonder if we are pricing our young people right out of here,'' Marse said.

Freeport has a lot to offer those looking to live near world-class beaches without the hassles of skyrocketing insurance rates for beach-front properties or annual evacuations during hurricane seasons, said Davis, sales manager and real-estate broker for Owl's Head, a Freeport development with up to 2,400 lots priced between $80,000 and $285,000. Beachfront lots often start at $1 million.

Davis' half brother Robert Davis developed Seaside 25 years ago.

Walton County's chamber of commerce has embraced the idea of heading inland to develop homes, announcing Wednesday the formation of ''The Coastal Inland Heights,'' the official name of the inland region of the county. The name will be used to market the region to potential developers and investors and will draw on the success of the ''The Beaches of South Walton,'' which markets the county's beaches, said Dawn Moliterno, president of the Walton County Chamber.

Owl's Head, which hosted Wednesday's reception first coined the ''Coastal Inland Heights'' term in its marketing materials.

Davis said Owl's Head will offer the quality of development found at Seaside and other beachfront communities without the risks of beachfront living.

''What we've really discovered after Katrina is that this is about peace of mind,'' he said.

The idea appeals to retiree of Billy Geffon of New York who recently purchased two lots at Owl's Head. At $160,000, lots inland are a steal, compared to the $1 million price of beachfront lots, he said.

And Geffon said living in a nice home 15 miles away from the beach is worth the drive for two-thirds of the cost.

''This is going to be a prime, prime location for baby boomers in the next 10 years because you are near the beach and you are in Florida,'' he said.

The lure of inland developments to investors like Geffon worries Kathy Lowhown, who works to find affordable housing for the 22,000 employees of nearby Eglin Air Force Base. With another 12,000 airmen expected to come to the base under base realignment plans, finding affordable housing is expected to become even more of a struggle.

''It's a huge concern for us,'' she said. ''Even with housing allowance increases it's difficult for our employees.''

For 23 years Copeland's Gun Shop has done business on Highway 331, the main thoroughfare from Freeport to the beaches. Owner Daniel Copeland has watched the town boom around him.

Freeport used to be so quiet that he would have time to eat lunch in the middle of the street without a car passing, he said.

But Copeland said the best thing people can do now is adapt.

''More people, more business and more money. You don't need to say anything else,'' he said

This Article Is Compliments of Turner Heritage Homes, Inc. “Building A Heritage of Homes Since 1958”

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