Twenty years ago, Rosemary Beach® was a "well-planned dream" for a community that started with a plat map of land, a sales trailer, and a flag pole. “Come build a community with us” was the theme to entice the first property buyers and home builders. People familiar with the early success of Seaside were the first to invest, I would guess. Brush covered the property where rosemary grew wild, hence the name Rosemary Beach was a natural fit.
I remember riding in a golf cart with a Realty agent and picking out the $80,000 lot on the south side that I dreamed of for months. I would visit every time I was here to watch the progress, and see that the prices went up each sales cycle. And just like in the early days of Seaside, I missed it! I couldn’t find the funds or the courage to “just do it!"
Now, 20 years later, IT’S NOT TOO LATE!! Some famous person said “they are not making any more beachfront property”…and that’s true. But they also aren’t making any more Rosemary Beach property and we are sold out of vacant land, except for two lots with existing carriage houses. No matter where you start your investment, you can move up gradually. We have a lot of homeowners who start on the north side and then move closer to the beach when the time is right.
My architect friend was one of the first buyers here. He saw the potential and put a group of investors together to buy one of the first 35-foot gulf front lots that was sold here in December 1996, for $265,000. Three years later, he was offered $898,000 for his lot, sold it and the fun began! With his profits, he bought a lot on the north side to build his home.
In 2000, Southern Accents magazine built a “Dream House” on the Gulf, featured it on their magazine cover, and people came from all over the Southeast to walk through. Rosemary Beach was on the map! That Southern Accents house is the perfect example of what a great investment is…look at this history for that gulf front 5-bedroom home :
In 2001, the first buyer paid $3,100,000.
In 2006, the second buyer paid $6,300,000.
(Note that the first buyer doubled their investment in 5 years)
In 2011, the third buyer paid $7,333,400.
It was recently listed for $11,700,000.
That’s over a 50% increase in four years, and almost four times what it originally sold for 14 years ago.
Wow! Now, that’s an INVESTMENT.
As I said in the beginning, IT’S NOT TOO LATE for you to start your investment strategy to become a Rosemary Beach homeowner. The examples above prove what a great investment it can be, plus you get to own a beach house -- a place you and your family can return to every year and holiday to make memories! Real estate values come and go, but memories last forever.
What started out as a "dream with a plan" has now become a community with 2,500 feet of Gulf front property, 38 retail shops, 10 restaurants, 5 pools (one for owners only), 8 clay tennis courts, a post office, and a fitness center. Over 150 full-time residents are "living the dream" everyday here…when will you?
Come by the Rosemary Beach Realty office and let us show you how…we love to talk about real estate. You will be greeted with a smile, promise!