State Farm Will No Longer Write Home Owner Policies In Florida

On Jan. 27, 2009 State Farm Insurance announced that had filed plans to discontinue its property insurance lines in Florida. In a statement from Company President Jim Thompson, the plan includes insurance coverage for homeowners, renters, rental condominium unit-owners, rental dwellings, condominium unit-owners, personal liability umbrella, boats, personal articles, apartments, business, church, commercial inland marine, commercial liability umbrella, contractors, manufactured home and premises/personal liability.

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm Mutual) and its affiliated companies will continue to provide automobile insurance, life insurance, health insurance and other financial products and services in Florida.

So Where Do You Go Now?

Of course if you own a vaction home or condo at the beach in South Walton County Florida, or any real estate At The Beach, you are going to need insurance and even though State Farm is no longer writing policies there are still companies that will. A company that we have recommended for a long time is Term Brokers Insurance. Term Brokers Insurance is an Independent Agency with over 18 years insurance experience and represent the highest ranked and most reliable "A rated admitted" insurance companies at the lowest rates in Florida.

Top 5 property insurers in Florida

Citizens Property*: 1.25-million
State Farm Florida: 1-million
Universal Property: 364,000
Allstate Floridian: 300,000
Nationwide: 205,000
* Run by the state

Source: Florida Office of Insurance Regulation

New Real Estate Blogs

Check out these real estate blogs to get some good in depth information regarding specific South Walton County Florida communities. These are the communities we have started and more will follow in the coming weeks.

Rosemary Beach Real Estate News Contains recap of 2008 real estate sales as well as Rosemary Beach real estate currently for sale and more.

Alys Beach Real Estate News Contains recap of 2008 real estate sales as well as Alys Beach real estate currently for sale and more.

Watersound Beach Real Estate News Contains recap of 2008 real estate sales as well as Watersound Beach real estate currently for sale and more.

As I said we will be adding more communities over the next couple of weeks. You can also check out foreclosures, short sales, great photo gallery, festivals and more our website: www.atthebeachfl.com.

Five Reasons Rosemary Beach is Unique and Special

Rosemary Beach Florida is the kind of place where you simply can't be anything but easygoing and relaxed. There are no cars need, simply park, unpack, change into beach clothes and head to the beach - walk with the kids or ride a bike, it really doesn't matter because you will get there in a few minutes either way from almost anywhere in town. So what makes Rosemary Beach so specical?

The Architecture

The incredible architecture employed for both homes and businesses demands that you slow down and look around. The details of the design are proudly on display in the odd shapes, sloping angles and unexpected curves found on virtually every structure in town. You certainly do not have to be a student of architecture to understand that Rosemary Beach Florida is a very special place.

The Green Spaces

I challenge anyone walking past one of the green spaces not to stop and roll a game of Bocce Ball on the lawn, toss a football around with friends or simply watch time stand still as you wrestle with your kids in the soft grass.

The Dining

On the way back from the beach you may want to stop and get a quick snack at one of a number of great little eateries and food shops that fill out Main Street. Of course, don't eat too much because there are also some great fine dining places as well.

The Shopping

Stroll down Main Street and take in great shopping for yourself, the kids and even your home. There is something for everyone in Rosemary Beach Florida.

The Beach

Splash in the waves and build sand castles in the snow white sand with your kids at one the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Area Ranks As Top Beach Again

Southern Living Magazine named the "Destin Area" as the Best Beach

The Readers' Choice Awards published in the January 2009 edition of Southern Living magazine names Destin, Florida as the Top Beach ahead of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Alabama, Panama City Beach, Florida, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Pensacola, Florida, Sanibel Island, Florida, Outer Banks, North Carolina, Virginia Beach, Virginia and Isle of Palms, South Carolina rounding out the top ten.

The article is pretty good and gives short descriptions of the area highlights including Famous Natives & Frequent Visitors. Those named for our area are Danny Wuerffel, former quarterback of the University of Florida Gators and Heisman Trophy winner; Jerry Seinfield; John Grisham; Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.

Should I Sell My Place At The Beach?

Recently I was talking with a good client who wanted to sell a property At The Beach and was wondering if I thought it was a good idea to sell in this market or wait until prices come back.

This is a very good question and one that sellers At The Beach in South Walton County Florida are wrestling with right now. As a top selling real estatat agent that studies the market prices and trends virtually every day I would offer this advise to him and those owners of vacation beach homes, investment condos or even vacant land At The Beach who are considering selling with the same concern:

I still believe real estate values in South Walton County and the surrounding areas will continue to drop because the real estate market fundamentals have not changed in favor of sellers. There are still:

1. too many properties for sale relative to the number of buyers in the marketplace.


2. there are still too many bank owned and short sale properties on (and coming on) the market further driving real estate prices down.


3. and banks are still closely holding their money rather than making loans to the real estate investment community which is such a big part of the South Walton County Florida real estate market – credit is very hard to get right now.

Until one if not all of these factors change to favor sellers then price deprecation is going to occur making it unrealistic for sellers to expect more favorable selling prices for their properties over the next 3- 5 years than if they sell at today’s prices.

So for sellers of vacation beach homes, investment condos or even vacant land At The Beach in South Walton County Florida who plan to sell anytime in the the next 3-5 years I would tell you to sell now - right now because the sound fundamental law of supply and demand tells us to.

For a FREE Evaluation of what your vacation beach home, investment condo or even vacant land At The Beach in South Walton County Florida is worth in today's marketplace simply call John Moran at 850-654-3325 or send me an email at john@themoranteam.com

Beach Real Estate Then and Now

Real Estate In Grove By The Sea Florida

The old saying that nothing goes up forever is certainly true and by the same logic you can argue that nothing will stay down forever either. This point has been hammered home in South Walton County's Grove By The Sea neighborhood located in Seagrove Beach, Fl. Take a look at real estate sales for two sets of homes:

• A 1,914 sq.ft. home on Cullman Ave. with 3 bedrooms and 2-1/2 baths and sold in 2005 for $910,000! As of December 16, 2008 a very similar home on Cullman Ave. with 1,976 sq.ft., 3 bedrooms and 2-1/2 baths is currently listed for only $499,000! A significant drop from $910,000.
• To show that this isn't a one time fluke take a look at the home on Andalusia that sold in 2005 for $750,000 - it had 1,560 sq.ft., 3 bedrooms and 3 baths. Now there is a home just down the street with 1,576 sq.ft., 3 bedrooms and 2 baths listed for sale at $475,000. Also a significant drop from the $750,000 sales price in 2005.

These examples tell me that there are tremendous deals for real estate at the beach right now. That combined with very low interest rates makes for a dream come true for buyers looking for second homes at the beach, vacation condos or even land to build a place down the road. The trick for buyers is not to get too greedy like many sellers did when it was their time because before you know it the tide will change and sellers will rule the day.

For more information about great deals for real estate at the beach or to see all the foreclosures and short sales in South Walton County go to the At The Beach website.

Any Foreclosures In Grayton Beach?

So it seems like foreclosures and short sales are taking over the world and that prices for real estate At The Beach are tanking to levels never seen before ahhhhhhh!



Boy, there sure is a lot of bad news out there for people considering selling real estate At The Beach. As a realtor I study prices every day and I agree that prices are correcting and the trend seems to be that they will continue to drop for the next 12 to 18 months but in Grayton Beach Florida, as of December 11, there is only 1 property listed on the MLS as a foreclosure or short sale (it is shown in the picture). Click here to see the property. So if you are looking at foreclosures or short sales to get a deal on a beach house, a condo or a plot of land at Grayton Beach you are going to have to wait and see if more come on the market.

For those of you who are curious about the foreclosures and short sales of condos, houses and land sites in certain communities At The Beach in South Walton County simply click on the community of your choice: Sandestin Florida , Grayton Beach Florida, Santa Rosa Beach Florida, Watercolor Beach Florida, Seaside Florida, Watersound Beach Florida, Seacrest Beach Florida, and Rosemary Beach Florida.