The Emerald Coat Emerges as Florida’s Crown Jewel
Buyers snapping up waterfront homes on Florida’s Panhandle may speak with a slight Southern twang. And maybe they grew up eating grits and still drink their sweet tea from a Mason jar. But consider yourself warned: Never, ever call the state’s Gulf Coast by its nickname.
This year through Sept. 29, 2,280 single-family homes were sold on the Emerald Coast, up 19% over the same period last year, according to the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors. The average sale price so far in 2020 is up 25%, to $837,917, compared with $671,477 in 2019. Gulf-front homes in communities along the 24-mile stretch of Hwy. 30A command top dollar, with an average sale price of $1.62 million.
