Discover tips and advice to help you prepare for buying a home.

What does Florida's new builder warranty actually cover if I buy new construction on the Forgotten Coast?

Since July 1, 2025, Florida law requires builders to provide a one-year warranty on every newly built single-family home, covering construction defects that create a material violation of the Florida Building Code. It doesn't cover normal wear, settling, storm damage, or appliances under their own manufacturer warranty, and it runs from the date you take title or move in, whichever comes first. Combined with a solid final walkthrough and your own agent at the table, it gives buyers on Cape San Blas, in Ovation, at WindMark Beach, and across the rest of the Forgotten Coast real protection they didn't automatically have before.

By Billy…

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What does the St. Joseph Peninsula beach nourishment and breakwater project mean for buyers?

It's great news. A roughly $34.5 million investment just placed about 830,000 cubic yards of sand along 1.1 miles of southern Cape San Blas shoreline near the Stumphole revetment and added eight submerged breakwaters built to hold that sand in place. For buyers, that means a wider protective beach, a rebuilt dune, and a shoreline engineered to erode more slowly in the project area. It's a real vote of confidence in the peninsula. Smart buyers still confirm a parcel's flood zone, CBRA status, and insurance separately, and that's easy to do. Because the benefit is strongest in the southern project limits, where a parcel sits is worth checking, and that's…

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Can a hurricane delay your home closing on Florida's Forgotten Coast?

It can, but it almost never has to. Once a tropical storm or hurricane is named and a watch or warning is issued for any part of Florida, most insurers pause binding new policies until the threat passes, usually 24 to 78 hours later. Because your lender will not fund the loan until the home is insured, an unbound policy is the one thing that can push your closing date. Line up your homeowners, wind, and flood coverage early in your due diligence period and a storm out in the Gulf rarely touches your closing.

By Billy Joe Smiley 

Summer and fall are some of my favorite times to put buyers under contract on this coast. Inventory is up, sellers are motivated, and you have…

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How do you finance a second home on Florida's Forgotten Coast?

A second home on this coast is more within reach than most buyers expect. For a place you'll use yourself, you can start with as little as 10 percent down, and 30-year fixed rates have eased back into the high 6 percent range as of mid-June 2026, just a touch above a primary residence. Larger homes above the 2026 conforming limit of $832,750 in Gulf County open the jumbo path, and if you'd like to rent the place when you're not there, the investment-property route is a flexible option too. Rates move daily, so the best first step is a quick, live quote on your own scenario. Let's get you started.

By Billy Joe Smiley

Most of the buyers I work with on this coast aren't buying a…

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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,…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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Is Cape San Blas a Good Vacation Rental Investment in 2026?

Gulf front vacation rentals on Cape San Blas are generating six figures in gross annual income, with top performing properties earning $200,000 or more per year. The 2026 market has shifted clearly toward buyers. Prices are off recent peaks, inventory is climbing, and sellers have flexibility they haven't shown in years. The $34.5 million beach nourishment and breakwater project just completed, stabilizing the peninsula's shoreline for the long term. For investors who choose the right flood zone, the insurance cost advantage alone can add $10,000 or more to the bottom line annually.

This is what the investment case looks like right now.

By Billy Joe Smiley | June 2, 2026

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What Do Cape San Blas Buyers Need to Know About CBRA Flood Zones and Insurance?

The majority of Cape San Blas sits within a Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) zone, which means properties there cannot be insured through FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program. Private flood insurance is the only option, and costs vary significantly by flood zone: Zone VE (Gulf-front, wave action) typically runs $5,000 to $20,000 or more per year on a high-value coastal property, Zone AE (bayfront, lower-lying parcels) runs $2,000 to $10,000, and Zone X (low risk, elevated) runs $400 to $1,200 with no mandatory requirement. Knowing the flood zone, the CBRA status, and whether a LOMA might apply before you make an offer means the insurance picture is expected…

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