Found 50 blog entries tagged as waterfront.

Do you need a CCCL permit to build or remodel on a Gulf front lot on the Forgotten Coast?

If your work sits seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line, you generally need a permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, though several categories of work are exempt outright. The control line is a jurisdictional boundary, not a building prohibition. New homes, additions, remodels, and repairs are all allowed seaward of it, and a general permit offers a streamlined path for a single family house sited landward of the mapped general permit line.

By Billy Joe Smiley | September 17, 2026

A buyer called me last spring about a Gulf front lot on Cape San Blas. Beautiful parcel, good dune, the right side of the road. Then…

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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…

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Can I sell my Forgotten Coast home if it already has vacation rental bookings on the calendar?

Yes, and on this coast it happens constantly. Florida's standard purchase contract handles it directly in Paragraph 6(b), which covers a property that will still be subject to a lease or occupancy agreement after closing. The buyer reviews the booking schedule, deposits for post-closing stays are credited to the buyer at the table, and the guests keep their vacation. For an investor buyer, a full calendar is usually an asset rather than an obstacle, because they are purchasing income that begins the day they take title.

By Billy Joe Smiley | September 10, 2026

This question comes up almost every time an owner of a rental property on Cape San…

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What does a home inspection actually cover on a Forgotten Coast beach home?

More than most buyers expect, and it is usually three separate reports rather than one. The general home inspection covers the whole property from roof to pilings and is written for you. A 4-point inspection covers roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC and is written for your insurance carrier. A wind mitigation inspection documents the hurricane-resistant features already in the home so you can earn premium credits, and it often pays for itself in year one. On an elevated coastal home, the pilings, the connectors, and the corrosion on the metal deserve as much attention as anything inside the walls.

By Billy Joe Smiley | September 3, 2026

Buyers who have owned…

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What will I owe in capital gains when I sell my Forgotten Coast vacation home?

Federal long-term capital gains tax on the profit, at 0, 15, or 20 percent depending on your taxable income, with no Florida state capital gains tax on top of it. The $250,000 and $500,000 primary-residence exclusion does not apply to a home you have used only as a vacation property. The number that matters is your gain, not your sale price, and gain is the sale price minus your adjusted basis minus your selling costs. Every improvement you have made and every dollar of cost to sell reduces it, which is why the owners who plan ahead here consistently keep more of their money.

By Billy Joe Smiley | September 1, 2026

I want to say up front that I am a broker,…

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What Do You Have to Disclose When Selling a Home on Florida's Forgotten Coast?

Florida sellers must disclose known facts that materially affect a home's value and aren't obvious to a buyer, a rule from the 1985 case Johnson v. Davis. As of October 2024, you also have to complete a separate written Flood Disclosure before the contract is signed, and as of October 2025 that requirement expanded to cover any flooding you know about, even without an insurance claim. Selling as-is doesn't change any of this. The good news is that this process is straightforward once you know the two pieces, and getting it right upfront protects both you and the buyer.

By Billy Joe Smiley | August 25, 2026

I sit down with almost every seller on this coast for…

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What Happens If the Appraisal Comes in Low on a Forgotten Coast Waterfront Home?

If your Forgotten Coast waterfront appraisal comes in under contract price, you have four real options: renegotiate the price, cover the gap in cash, request a lender-facilitated Reconsideration of Value with stronger comps, or use Florida's appraisal contingency to walk away with your earnest money. Waterfront and one-of-a-kind homes appraise low more often simply because there are fewer recent comparable sales for the appraiser to work from, not because anything is wrong with the property. In today's buyer's market on this coast, you have more leverage to resolve it than buyers have had in years.

By Billy Joe Smiley | August 18, 2026

You found the right…

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Does "beach access" on a listing actually mean you have a legal right to the beach?

Sometimes, and it is worth confirming exactly which kind before you write an offer. Deeded access is a recorded easement in the property's chain of title, spelling out a specific path to the water that transfers with the home. Public access is a government-maintained crossover open to everyone, reached from a public right of way rather than through a recorded right tied to your parcel. A title search during your due diligence period settles the question in writing, so you know precisely what you are buying rather than assuming it from the listing photos.

By Billy Joe Smiley | July 30, 2026

I get some version of this question every time a buyer falls for a…

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Can I build a dock or boat lift on my Forgotten Coast waterfront property?

In most cases, yes, but the answer depends on where the lot sits and what's under the water in front of it. Bay-front and canal-front lots on the Forgotten Coast typically qualify for a straightforward state exemption or a simple general permit, while lots on St. Joseph Bay near protected seagrass beds may need extra design steps and a submerged land lease from the state. None of this should scare you off a waterfront purchase. It just means dock rights are a due-diligence item to confirm before you write an offer, not something to assume.

By Billy Joe Smiley | Published July 28, 2026

I get this question more than almost any other from buyers looking at bay-front…

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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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