Buying or Selling on 30A From Out of State

I can. I'm Garett Huber, a realtor on 30A. I moved here in the mid-1990s, and with over 30 years living in this community, I've loved watching this stretch of coast grow into what it has become today.

If you're relocating, I'll walk you through the towns along 30A, what homes there have sold for, and what it really costs to buy and own here. When you reach out, I reply personally.

One thing worth knowing early: Florida limits how much a home's taxable value can rise each year while someone owns it. When the home sells, that limit resets, and the new owner's bill is based on today's value. If the home will be your main home, ask about the homestead exemption. A CPA or the county has the final word on taxes.

Yes, and it's common here. 6 in 10 homes on 30A belong to owners who live out of state. Most out-of-state owners come from Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Alabama.

When you can't be here, I can be your eyes on the ground. I tour homes, tell you plainly what I see, and help you weigh the numbers before you fly in or make an offer. My focus is short-term rental investments and second homes along 30A, and I run my own vacation rental, so I look at a house the way an owner would.

The price on the listing is only part of the story. Paying cash? Plan on roughly 1.5% to 3% of the price on top of the purchase. Financing? Plan on roughly 2.5% to 5%, plus your down payment. Along the coast, insurance is a real line in your budget, and an insurance agent has the final word on what your coverage will cost.

Most of the people who reach out to me through my website are buying from out of state. Once we've signed an exclusive buyer agreement, I'm happy to guide you through the whole process from a distance, so you can decide with confidence before you ever get on a plane.

I can help with that too. I've lived here for 30 years and run my own vacation rental, so I know what buyers look for and what it takes to get a home sold here.

From a distance, the work is mostly getting the home ready and keeping you informed. Many homes along 30A are already furnished short-term rentals, so full staging is less common here than in other markets. What sellers do spend on is getting the home to look its best before the photos: pressure washing, yard upkeep and curb appeal. I can help line that up while you're away.

When a rental home sells here, the furniture usually conveys, and so do the housewares. Sellers can keep certain items they love, but that needs to be agreed in the contract.

Before commission, the two biggest costs for a seller here are set by the State of Florida: the tax on the deed and the owner's title insurance. In Walton County the seller customarily pays both. The deed tax alone is $0.70 for every $100 of the price. On a $2 million sale that's $14,000. Commission is negotiable.

If the home is with a rental company, the new owner can often stay with them and keep the bookings going. If it's the owner's own Airbnb account, it doesn't transfer.

Many owners hold their home in an LLC or a trust. How that affects your sale and your taxes is a question for an attorney and a CPA, and they have the final word.

I keep 30A market stats on my site, with every home sale along 30A since 2017, updated each month. My market statistics come from my own analysis of the MLS data I have as an agent. You can also get a market value estimate from recent sales near your home, and you'll see the sales it's based on.

Every street on 30A is its own market. Tell me about the home you own or the one you're hoping to find, and I'll tell you what homes like it are selling for. Garett replies personally.