What will a buyer actually pay in closing costs on Florida's Forgotten Coast?

When you finance a home here, you can plan on buyer closing costs of roughly 2 to 5 percent of the purchase price, and every piece of that is easy to budget for once you know it. It covers Florida's documentary stamp tax on your mortgage note at $0.35 per $100 financed, the intangible tax at $2.00 per $1,000 financed, your lender's fees and lender's title policy, recording and inspection costs, and prepaids. The biggest line item on this coast is usually your insurance, since wind, flood, and homeowners are often paid a full year up front at closing, which is a normal part of owning a coastal home. A cash buyer skips the note stamps, intangible tax, and lender fees,…

129 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

St. Joe Beach and Mexico Beach Run the Table as June Closes Out on the Forgotten Coast

Late June on the Forgotten Coast means something specific if you know this place. The boat ramps are full by seven. The afternoon thunderheads build over the bay. And the real estate market does what a well-balanced summer market does: it moves at a measured pace, rewards the right price, and builds a pipeline that tells you where the next few weeks are headed.

For the week of June 22–28, 14 residential closings and 7 land sales closed across the coast. Active residential inventory holds at 633 listings, with 23 homes under contract. At the current pace, that's 10.4 months of supply which is buyer's market territory by any standard definition, though the story…

210 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Is now a good time to buy on Florida's Forgotten Coast?

Yes, mid-2026 favors buyers on the Forgotten Coast. Inventory on Cape San Blas and the Highway 30A corridor has grown several weeks running, homes are sitting longer, and sellers are negotiating on price, concessions, and rate buydowns more than at any point since before the pandemic. With 30-year rates near 6.4 percent, your real advantage right now is leverage on terms. The smart move is a well-structured offer with full contingencies, not the highest number you can stretch to.

By Billy Joe Smiley | June 11, 2026

I get this question almost every week right now, usually from someone who has been watching listings for a few months and senses the market has shifted. They're right. After…

308 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

How Much Is Wind Insurance on a Forgotten Coast Beach Home?

Wind insurance on a Forgotten Coast beach home usually runs somewhere between $1,000 and $5,000 a year, and on a higher-end Gulf-front property it can climb well past that. It is a separate policy from flood insurance and from your standard homeowners coverage, and it carries a percentage hurricane deductible rather than a flat dollar amount. Your real number depends on the roof, the elevation, the distance to open water, and the wind-resistant features the home was built with.

By Billy Joe Smiley | June 9, 2026

Most buyers I work with come in ready for the mortgage payment and braced for the flood policy. Then the wind insurance quote shows up, and the math on the whole purchase…

603 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Summer Opens Strong on the Forgotten Coast as St. Joe Beach and Mexico Beach Lead the Charge

Summer is here in every way that counts. The trucks are loaded and the short-term rentals are full. The real estate market wrapped up the week of June 15–21 with the kind of activity that tells you demand is still real, even in a higher-rate world. Sixteen homes closed across the four major market areas, the coast-wide inventory edged above 620 active residential listings, and buyers quietly nudged 19 properties under contract. Not a breakout week, but a steady one. 

What is the Forgotten Coast real estate market doing this week?
For the week of June 15–21, 2026, the Forgotten Coast recorded 16 residential closings and 3 land sales across Port St. Joe, Cape…

251 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

How Much Are Property Taxes on a Vacation Home on Florida's Forgotten Coast?

Vacation homes in Gulf County, Florida are assessed as non-homestead property, which means you pay taxes on the full assessed value every year with no homestead exemption and no Save Our Homes cap. Annual property taxes on the Forgotten Coast typically run $9 to $12 per $1,000 of assessed value depending on your taxing district, putting a $1 million vacation home at roughly $9,000 to $12,000 per year. Port St. Joe city properties carry slightly higher rates than unincorporated Gulf County areas like Cape San Blas, Indian Pass, and St. Joe Beach.

By Billy Joe Smiley | June 4, 2026

Property taxes are one of the first things I walk buyers through when we're looking at…

389 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

The Patriot Tour Comes to Port St. Joe: Supporting Veterans and Their Families

The Forgotten Coast has always been a place where community, patriotism, and support for those who serve run deep. This July, residents and visitors will have a meaningful opportunity to come together as The Patriot Tour™, hosted by Nation of Patriots™ – Florida, travels through the Port St. Joe area on July 8–9, 2026.

This powerful nationwide event carries one American flag through communities across the country, uniting people behind a shared mission: supporting veterans and their families. More than a ride, The Patriot Tour is a moving symbol of gratitude, remembrance, and action.

About Nation of Patriots™

Nation of Patriots™ is a national nonprofit…

119 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

St. George Island and St. Joe Beach Carry a High-Dollar Week as Summer Inventory Keeps Building

Mid-June on the Forgotten Coast has its own flow. The lots at Salinas Park fill up before nine, the tarpon start rolling off the Cape, and the heat settles in for the long haul. This week's market moved the same way the fishing did. Not crowded, but the ones that hit were big.

Nine homes closed across the coast, and the dollar figures behind them ran high. A pair of $1.25 million sales on St. George Island and a five-home run at St. Joe Beach and Mexico Beach set the tone. Meanwhile inventory kept stacking up the way it does each summer, which keeps buyers in a comfortable seat.

What is the Forgotten Coast real estate market doing this week?

For…

939 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

How Much Does It Cost to Sell a Home on Florida's Forgotten Coast?

Selling a home on Florida's Forgotten Coast typically costs between 7% and 9% of the sale price in total closing expenses, not counting what you still owe on your mortgage. On a $900,000 sale, that's roughly $63,000 to $81,000 in costs before you net a dollar. The largest line items are real estate commission, Florida documentary stamp taxes paid by the seller at $0.70 per $100 of the sale price, owner's title insurance, and title company fees. Running a seller net sheet before you list is the only way to know what you'll actually walk away with.


By Billy Joe Smiley | June 10, 2026

The first question almost every seller asks me isn't "what should we list at?" It's "how…

418 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Summer Opens With a Quiet Week Across the Forgotten Coast

June arrived the way it usually does on the Forgotten Coast, with heat you can feel coming off the pavement and water so clear it almost doesn't look real. The crowds are building, the vacation rentals are turning over, and the real estate market is doing what it's been doing for several months now: moving at its own deliberate pace. Eight homes closed last week. The buyers who pulled the trigger found everything from a $292,000 entry-level in Port St. Joe to a $1.285 million estate on St. George Island. The spread tells the story.

Inventory held steady at 604 active residential listings coast-wide, and with only 8 homes closed during the week, supply remains elevated at 17.4 months. That…

233 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post