How Creativity Sells Real Estate on 30A – Santa Rosa Beach Florida

Let me tell you a little story and fun discovery of a unique marketing angle for a home I have listed south of 30A in Beachview Heights. “30A” is a very popular South Walton section of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. It’s a long stretch of road south of Highway 98 from the west end nearer to Destin, east towards Panama City Beach and Inlet Beach.  There are multi-million dollar homes, lots, condo developments and swanky, upscale shopping and restaurants, yet it retains an old Florida charm, punctuated by rare coastal dune lakes, bike trails and quaint public beach accesses. The 30A area attracts buyers from all over the country and outside the U.S.

 When I got the call to list this old one-story cottage south of 30A (note: “south of 30A” is another keyword that points to “closer to the beach”), I met the out-of-state sellers on site.  It was notable that the home was directly across the street from Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, in fact, there was a sign posted with the following: “State Park Boundary, All Trees, Plants and Animals Are Protected By State Law”.

The sellers mentioned that when there was a rare forest fire, they could see the Gulf of Mexico from the house, which had not been lived in for many years.  This immediately got my marketing brain into high gear.  I noticed there were two newer, upscale, three-story homes a couple lots away and I just wondered if they had gulf views. You see, the value of my listing is more in the land, as the house needs major remodeling, so the potential of a gulf view would significantly add value and expand its marketing reach to prospective buyers. To research the view potential, I checked the MLS (multiple listing system) to see if the two neighboring homes had ever been listed and if there were photos of gulf views.  Voila! They had indeed been listed as new construction a few years ago and there were pictures of the gulf views from the balconies! This almost confirmed that my listing, a couple hundred feet away, would offer gulf views with a new two-three story home built on the site. See the aerial map below depicting the house, outlined in red and its proximitiy to the Gulf of Mexico across the State Forest.

My next step was to hire professional photographer, Jason Parker of Emerald Coast Real Estate Photography to bring his pneumatic, compressor-controlled boom to do low-altitude aerial photography and verify the water view, plus take fabulous photographs for me to publicize the home. While waiting for Jason, I serendipitously met a neighbor at one of the adjacent homes who was sitting on her third floor balcony! I shouted up “Hello! I am Wendy Rulnick, Broker, and I just listed  the home next door! We are verifying there could be a gulf view from the third floor of a new home on the site. Can you see the gulf from where you are?” She graciously and delightedly responded “Yes!”. That was my second confirmation of a view possibility. Then Jason arrived and it was really cool watching him set up his equipment (see video of the photography boom), towed on a heavy-duty trailer and attached to a computer in his vehicle.  He mounted his camera and pumped it up to match the third floor balcony height of the adjoining homes, verifying the approximate level with his computer monitor.

OK, here goes…. He swung around the camera to the Gulf of Mexico, and there it was! The gulf view was spectacular over the trees, you could even see the white sands of the beach! I was thrilled at my final verification and marketing path forward.

Here are some snaps of the views:

Listing and selling real estate is more than sticking a sign in the yard. Creativity,  problem solving and attention to detail are key elements in getting your real estate sold.  Contact me to discuss your real estate needs on 30A and the Emerald Coast.

It’s Wendy… It’s Sold!

Wendy Rulnick, Broker, Rulnick Realty, Inc.
Call 850-650-7883 ext 204
Email Wendy: [email protected]

Wendy Rulnick, Broker, sells real estate in Destin, Santa Rosa Beach, 30A, Miramar Beach, Seagrove Beach, Watercolor, Sandestin, Seaside, Rosemary Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Bluewater Bay, Navarre, Florida.