By Billy Joe Smiley | August 2026
There are properties you evaluate, and there are properties that stop you.
172 Red Hawk Lane is the second kind.
It sits on a 0.72-acre Gulf-front homesite in Indian Pass Shores, a small community on one of the last stretches of undeveloped Old Florida beach on this coast. The home was built in 2024, fully custom from the foundation to the pecan wood cabinetry and designed the way serious Gulf-front homes rarely are: for the people who will actually live in it. Six bedrooms. Five and a half baths. A private heated Gunite pool facing open water. An elevator. And from the main living level, an unbroken view of the Gulf that runs to the horizon without a roofline, a utility pole, or another house interrupting it.
The asking price is $2,150,000. Here's what that means on this particular stretch of coast.
Indian Pass Shores: What Makes This Location Different
Indian Pass doesn't announce itself. There's no billboard, no resort entrance, no branded beach town waiting at the end of the road. You turn off Highway 30-A onto a narrow barrier spit, and then you're just there, the Gulf on one side, Indian Lagoon Indian on the other, and a long-uncluttered beach in front of you that most of Florida drove right past without stopping.
That's been the point for the people who know it.
The Indian Pass Raw Bar has been pulling people back for decades, a low-key seafood institution that doesn't need a sign or a social media presence to fill up on a Friday night. The Indian Pass boat ramp is one of the finest launch points on this coast and the open Gulf is a short run out. The fishing is serious, the birding is serious, and the beach itself feels the way Gulf beach used to feel before the rest of the Panhandle was developed into something unrecognizable.
Indian Pass Shores is a small, quiet community, and 172 Red Hawk Lane occupies a rare position inside it. A 0.72-acre Gulf-front homesite gives this home something that tighter beachfront developments simply cannot offer: room. Room between the house and the water. Room on either side. Room to breathe in a way that most Gulf-front properties stopped offering a long time ago.
What the Home Was Built to Do
Step into the main living level and the Gulf is already in front of you. Not framed in a window off to the side. Straight ahead. The open-concept layout, living, dining, and kitchen flowing as one continuous space, puts the water at the center of everything. High ceilings pull your eye up; the beachfront windows pull it out. On a clear morning, you have your coffee with the Gulf. In the evening, you have your dinner with it.
The kitchen is where the caliber of this build becomes obvious. Custom pecan wood cabinetry throughout. Stainless steel appliances. Double dishwashers. A dedicated beverage refrigerator. A stand-alone ice maker. This isn't the kind of kitchen that gets outpaced by a large group on the second night of a trip. It was designed for exactly that scenario, for feeding twelve people without chaos, for keeping things moving without a bottleneck, for making the hosting feel effortless instead of managed.
The bathrooms carry the same quality. Custom tile in everyone, five and a half of them across six bedrooms, so that no one is ever waiting after a long day on the water. The elevator runs the full height of the house. The dedicated laundry room handles what six occupied bedrooms generate without requiring a second thought. These are the details that separate a home that photographs well from one that actually functions well at scale, and this one gets both right.
Outside, the private elevated Gunite pool faces the Gulf directly, not the parking area, not a neighbor's fence, the Gulf. There's an outdoor shower for coming in from the beach, covered and open parking, and community boardwalk access to the sand. Dog-friendly beaches nearby are worth noting for guests traveling with pets, which consistently broadens the rental audience for owners who want to maximize bookings.
The Investment Case
A fully custom Gulf-front home built in 2024 is genuinely rare on the Forgotten Coast. What typically appears at this price point is older inventory that needs updating, or raw land still waiting for a house. This one is finished, equipped, and ready, whether you close on it as a primary residence, a second home, or a high-performing short-term rental.
The short-term rental market along Indian Pass runs differently than it does on Cape San Blas or the more saturated beach communities closer to Panama City. The audience here is self-selecting, guests who have researched the Forgotten Coast, made a decision about what kind of trip they want, and actively chosen a place with fewer crowds and more to do on the water. That profile produces strong peak-season bookings and real shoulder-month opportunity for operators willing to work the market.
The position between Port St. Joe fifteen minutes east and Apalachicola to the west is an underrated advantage. Guests aren't isolated. They have access to real towns, restaurants, hardware stores, fresh seafood, marinas, without being in the middle of any of them. That balance between accessibility and genuine remoteness is a difficult combination to find anywhere on the Gulf, and it's what keeps Indian Pass sticky year after year for the buyers who discover it.
What the numbers look like for your specific situation depends on your financing, your rental management approach, and how much of the calendar you plan to keep for yourself. That's a conversation worth having before you're standing at the closing table. Every situation is different, and the right answer is the one that works for yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Indian Pass Shores and where is it located?
Indian Pass Shores is a Gulf-front community located on Indian Pass, a narrow barrier spit on Florida's Forgotten Coast. It sits roughly between Port St. Joe to the east and Apalachicola to the west, in Gulf County. The community offers direct Gulf access and is adjacent to one of the last stretches of undeveloped Old Florida Gulf beach remaining in the state.
Is Indian Pass good for short-term rental investment?
Yes, and it's less competitive than some of the better-known Forgotten Coast submarkets. The combination of Gulf-front access, proximity to St. Joe Bay fishing, and the character of the Indian Pass area draws a loyal repeat-visitor base. A 6-bedroom home with a private pool and strong hosting amenities performs well in this market across the spring, summer, and fall seasons.
What does a custom Gulf-front home on the Forgotten Coast typically cost?
Custom Gulf-front homes in Gulf County are rare, and pricing reflects it. Properties at 172 Red Hawk Lane's spec level -- custom finishes, heated pool, elevator, 2,700-plus square feet on the Gulf -- generally land in the $1.8M to $2.5M range depending on lot size, build quality, and proximity to the water. At $2,150,000 for a 2024-built home with this feature set and a 0.72-acre Gulf-front homesite, it sits at a realistic position in the current market.
What is the Indian Pass Raw Bar, and why does it matter to buyers?
The Indian Pass Raw Bar is a legendary seafood destination on the Forgotten Coast, known for fresh Gulf oysters and a no-frills atmosphere that locals and visitors have been returning to for decades. Its proximity to 172 Red Hawk Lane is the kind of thing buyers mention to guests, and guests mention in reviews. Walkable character like that is rare on this coast, and it adds genuine appeal that doesn't show up on a spec sheet.
What should I know about closing a Gulf-front home in Gulf County, Florida?
Florida home purchases in Gulf County involve a title company, attorney, and escrow. Sellers pay documentary taxes on the deed transfer at $0.70 per $100 of the sale price, plus recording fees and real estate commissions. Buyers typically budget 2-3% for closing costs including lender fees, title insurance, and prepaids. A flood disclosure and, if applicable, HOA estoppel will also be part of the due diligence package. It's worth reviewing all of this with your real estate attorney before you're in the middle of it.
The short version: 172 Red Hawk Lane is a fully custom Gulf-front home built in 2024, sitting on one of the last undeveloped stretches of beach on Florida's Forgotten Coast. Six bedrooms, a heated pool that faces the Gulf, an elevator, and a kitchen built to actually use. Indian Pass doesn't get the traffic that Cape San Blas does, and that's exactly why serious buyers keep circling back to it.
If you want to walk through this one or talk through what it could look like for your situation, call or text me at (850) 340-1213. I'm always happy to have that conversation before you start making decisions.
About Billy Joe Smiley
Billy Joe Smiley is a Florida real estate broker and top 1% REALTOR® with Port Realty Group, with over 27 years of experience and more than 1,000 properties sold. A Gulf County native, he serves buyers and sellers across Port St. Joe, Cape San Blas, and Mexico Beach, specializing in waterfront and beachfront homes, land, and investment properties. His deep local knowledge and no-pressure approach have made him the Forgotten Coast's most trusted name in real estate.
Posted by Billy Joe Smiley onEnjoy this blog post? Click here to subscribe for updates
Leave A Comment