Construction methods have not changed much in many decades. This didn’t really matter until storms and rising waters became more prevalent. 75% of barrier island homes have living areas on the ground and are worth far less than the 25% that are elevated. Think about building up rather than remodeling or buying a potential flood prone property. New construction methods allow you to build brand new homes on top of existing high flood insurance structures. www.beachlifeprop.com and www.NexGenFraming.com are building elevated patented steel panel homes tested to withstand 225 mph winds. An affordable beach model is being built at 14910 North Bayshore Drive in Madeira Beach and will be duplicated in our 19 barrier island communities. Because of the lightweight of galvanized steel, 2 levels can be built over garages at 10% of the weight of block additions. Drive by to check out the homes of the future. A 2200 sq ft. house can be built from the recycled steel from 4 old cars thus helping to save our environment. New construction waste drops from 20% to 2% using recycled materials. Energy costs drops to nearly zero.
Florida beach resort migration over the last 40 years has moved from Miami, to Naples to Sarasota and now into Pinellas County.
In my opinion, our barrier island properties are the best overall values in Florida and possibly the country. What does this mean if you are a buyer or seller? Since people like to live where people like to vacation, investments return more in these areas. Since real estate is hyper local you must know all your options to maximize your investments.
As each new house is built on our islands, the value of the old houses increases, making new construction more cost effective. feasible. It’s probable that you can build your new house with no money down if you have a low or no mortgage. Construction loans are available with as little as 10% down. If you don’t want to build, you can design a new house for your lot and participate in the builder profit with select contractors.
I love working and living on our beaches. When we personalize the unique features of our 19 little beach towns, we can create an EPCOT type experience for our families and visitors. How can we do this? We form focus groups of residents in each town to decide upon the image we want to portray and then get our neighbors and merchants to promote that hometown resort image. When guests visit they will want to experience the uniqueness of each village. It’s like visiting all the countries in EPCOT. Contact one of our agents or me to have some fun developing your town’s special attractions. Downtown St. Pete is an example of an image created that makes people want to live and visit. When we do the same thing in each beach town, on a much smaller scale, we’ll increase overall quality of life as well as our property values.
Tune in to our weekly “REAL BEACH TALKS” each Tues. 4-5 pm at https://www.facebook.com/jim.beggins to follow the progress on improving our beach lifestyle. Our trusted advisors are standing by to answer any personal questions regarding beach real estate.
Real Estate by Jim Beggins
jimbeggins@c21be.com, cell 727-254-8144
Check our monthly article in the Paradise news by Jim “Property Wizard” Beggins, roker, CENTURY 21 Beggins Enterprises, 10 offices, 400 agents serving Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee & Sarasota counties. Since most opinions about real estate can be supported with facts, use my “hands on” experience in Florida real estate since 1972 to unconfuse your facts. Call, text or email me with any beach questions.