One of my favorite aspects of Rosemary Beach is it's unique "Main Street." This small stretch of road -- just south of the main intersection -- houses many small shoppes and restaurants. Much like it's northern shopping area, the portions of walkway which are covered are crowned with natural gas lamps and the sweet aroma of freshly prepared delicacies.

I'm not sure if it's Main Street's ideal location in Rosemary Beach (right next to the beach) or how it's architecture reminds me of something straight out of Travel magazine, but I enjoy sitting curb-side with a drink in one hand and something delicious to eat in the other. Speaking of the latter, on to the subject!

La Crema is a small restaurant south of the Rosemary Beach Post Office, north of Cowgirl Kitchen and on the west-side of the road. Their menu features various coffees, wines, Tapas (small appetizer size portions of a dish in which you order more than one to make a meal) and of course, everyone's favorite, chocolate.

While the Tapas are brilliant, it's the chocolate fondue that kept me coming back. I just spent Mother's Day with my father, sister who was in town from California and, of course, my mother, at La Crema where we enjoyed their indescribable Chocolate Duet Fondue.

You can view La Crema's menu online, but I highly suggest you visit Rosemary Beach and walk down Main Street yourself to enjoy this one-of-a-kind restaurant. It's just another reason why Rosemary Beach real estate and amenities are in such high demand.

La Crema: Tapas & Chocolate
(404) 542-2822
38 Main St.
Rosemary Beach, FL 32461

30-A is unlike anything you've ever seen in Florida. You won't find perfectly set rows of palm trees or retail chains everywhere you look. What you will find, however, is a small-town atmosphere focused on the natural surrounding, sustainability, and a community looking to the future with new ideas like New Urbanism.

For years and years, Highway 30-A has strived to maintain as much of the natural landscape as possible, creating various subdivisions and communities that base their entire layout around what Mother Nature has gave them. What they've managed to do is something that will take your breath away. 30-A is full parks, recreational areas, hiking trails, golf courses, and the occasional [rare] coastal dune lake. It's these kind of areas that create lasting memories with friends and families.

Image of Seaside

Now, we mentioned New Urbanism above, something many of you may not fully understand. Basically, it's creating a "walkable" town where you can live, work and play. On the one hand, you're walking or riding a bike everywhere so it's much healthier for you, and on the other, everything is in such close proximity that you won't waste gas riding your automobile around. The perfect community that sets the new standard in New Urbanism is Rosemary Beach. This coastal community has numerous restaurants, shops, tennis courts, pools, all within walking distance. It's such a vibrant and active community that no matter what season or time of day, you'll always see people out riding their bike or walking around.

There are many other places, all that we just can't mention in this one post, that are so luxurious, so extraordinary, that you'll never want to leave. Places like Seacrest Beach, WaterSound, Alys Beach, and the famous Seaside. All of these communities offer so many amenities, such incredible architecture, and activities year round that Highway 30-A will be taking the world by storm.

Grand Panama Beach Resort is comprised of two buildings and The Village which houses several restaurants and other shopping attractions. Regarding the two towers, one is located directly on the beach and the other is just one hop-skip-and-a-jump over Front Beach Road to the emerald green water of Panama City Beach. Both condominiums share an extremely large covered parking structure which is absolutely wonderful during the spring and summer season. We tend to get afternoon showers -- sometimes daily!

So, lets get down to why people love Grand Panama Beach Resort. For starters, Grand Panama has lovely architecture. Just looking at the two buildings is absolutely breathtaking. Next up: the amenities. There are quite a few so I figured I'd just list them:

• Gulf Front
• Indoor/outdoor heated pool located on a beautiful tropical pool deck
• A second relaxation pool
• Whirlpool spa grotto
• Poolside cafe offering wireless Internet
• Wine Bar
• Media room
• Party/conference/meeting room
• Fitness center facing the beach
• Aromatherapy treatment room
• Covered parking garage with elevated, enclosed, and air conditioned walkway to the resort
• High-speed elevators
• Over sized windows in every condo
• Nine foot ceilings
• Large elliptical private balcony
• Granite counter tops
• Key less entry system (optional)
• The Village - with restaurants, shopping and more.

How fantastic is that! It's no wonder folks from around the world purchase and stay at Grand Panama. They have absolutely everything. Heck, why even leave?

For more information about all the condos for sale at Grand Panama Beach Resort, visit our official page to see all the listings (click the link just above). Don't forget, if you have any questions about Grand Panama, or if you see a unit you're interested, don't hesitate to give us a call at toll-free 888-612-6655 or locally at 850-249-6655.

Happy condo shopping!

I think the reason people are eagerly searching for foreclosures is due to one reason and one reason only: Buyer's think that they're getting the best deal. For the most part, this is completely true. Banks put their listings on the market at mark value to ensure that it will sell. This means that banks are willing to compete, and possibly lower their listing far less than the competition, to make sure that it will sell.

So what does this have to do with Panama City Beach condo foreclosures? Well, there's two reasons. Number one, we just create a brand new page that lists all the condo foreclosures in Panama City Beach. Number 2, if you're a registered user, you can now get automatic email alerts any time a new foreclosure condo comes on the market.

We're very aware that many purchasers are looking for lists and specific lists. This is just one of them. We have many more on our website but this is a very popular one, and I'm sure many agents would agree. Just keep in mind that whenever you're thinking about purchasing a foreclosure, be prepared to have inspections done and make sure that any bank your dealing with will pay for any outstanding balances.

And, with that, I bid you goodbye. I hope everyone has a fantastic day and don't forget to check out those foreclosures!

One of the main reasons we see people buying in Wild Heron is for the preservation. No where else in Panama City Beach can you find a subdivision built for preserving the natural land of Bay County. Believe it or not, Florida has some of the most pristine land in the country. Anyway, a week ago, our favorite Panama City roofer, Jason Miller, was out in the subdivision scoping out areas for his upcoming wedding. It was late in the afternoon and what they saw is pretty stunning. Many of you may not know the area, but this is in the southern portion of Wild Heron, just next to the community's activity center. If it weren't for the subdivisions preservation practices, sights like this would be just a distant memory.

Located in the west tower, this unit in Splash is a west facing three bedroom end-unit with a private balcony off each room. One reason why buyers enjoy three bedroom condos in Panama City Beach is because most are "lock-outs." Unsure about the term? A lockout is basically a condo that is set up to rent as either a one, two, or three bedroom condo. For example, you can rent out the one bedroom and stay in the two bedroom, or, simply rent out the whole unit as a three bedroom. It's absolutely marvelous.

The unit is very open, from the minute you walk in, you get a sense of depth and space. Many newer condominiums feature the "shotgun floor plan" approach; however, these usually end up feeling [a bit] claustrophobic. This is definitely not the case with Splash. The "lock-out" room is incredibly large and features 10 foot ceilings, a kitchenette with a mini-fridge and microwave, and has its own full bathroom. The rest of the unit consists of the master and guest bedrooms, kitchen with granite counter tops, and living room.

This Splash condominium comes fully furnished and is priced to sell. This is the only low-floor unit available at the moment and is the second lowest priced three bedroom on the market.

For more information, or to schedule a showing, please call The Miller Team at 850-249-6655.

Today, I'm going to talk to you a little about Waterfall. This new community sits adjacent to J.R. Arnold High School (AHS) and was developed by Turner Heritage Homes. If you're new to the area, AHS is off of Panama City Beach Parkway in the west end of Panama City Beach.

Waterfall is about one mile from the beach, three miles from Pier Park and roughly 20 minutes from the new Bay County International Airport. One of my favorite features of the community is that it's, for the most part, surrounded by a nature preserve. As you can see in the video below, many of the homes face the preserve and nothing will be built in front of the property. A state-of-the-art workout facility, club house and with zero-entry pool will be available when complete.

The architecture of Waterfall is more of a traditional craftsman. I love how the stone embraces the exterior of the homes. It brings you back to the "natural feel." One feature that may catch you by surprise: some of the units come with an optional elevator. Yes, you read right, an elevator. This extends Waterfall's appeal to those who may or may not be able to climb three flights of stairs. The town homes come in two or three stories and there are three types of floor plans.

Interior features include tile flooring, crown molding, single-car garage, new appliances and more.

The development is still under construction, but the club house should be complete in about thirty days. For more information about Waterfall in Panama City Beach, or any Panama City real estate, please feel free to contact me or anyone on my team!

The number of new listings were down 12% in July, which is great news for sellers. In addition to this, the number of expired and withdrawn listings increased. This may not sound like the most positive news, but think of it this way, the loss in the number of those listings is most likely relieve our market of overpriced listings. This eventually lowered the total number of active detached single family homes and residential condominiums to 2,476 units. That's almost 16% less listings on the market when compared to last month. The average pending price increased to $311,210 and the average days on market [for sold properties] decreased 17 days. Could this be a sign of a changing market?

Buyers are still interested in short sales in Panama City Beach as our requests for these increased this month. I would like to note that Buyers need to consider non-distressed properties because there are many out there that are priced correctly. This also broadens your search and could bring to light a very unique home or condo that could have potentially passed your radar.

I am predicting that as the completion of the new Bay County International Airport draws closer, Buyers will return to the area in large numbers as they once were.

In other news, August will host the brand new fishing tournament called the Grand Lagoon National. This new tournament will be located in North Lagoon/Thomas Drive area of Panama City Beach. The founder, Bill Spann, will be heading the tournament as Chairman and is planning on over $1 million going to the winners. Spann has also founded such tournaments as the Bay Point Invitational, one of the largest fishing tournaments in Florida.

All information pertaining to the statistics were taken from the Bay County Association of REALTORS. You may view the statistics online at our website. Look for the "Market Summary" link on the left side menu.

Built by Aronov, one of the nations oldest real estate development and management firms, Aqua Condominiums raises 22 stories off the sugary white sands of Panama City Beach, Florida. In and around Aqua you will find cascading water features, fountains and waterfalls, making this one of the most relaxing destinations in the area. Construction on the resort finished in 2007 and has been delighting guests and owners ever since.

Each unit features:

• 9 foot ceilings
• tile and carpet flooring
• granite countertops
• floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors
• glass enclosed showers and separate bath tub
• kitchen appliances

The resort itself sits on the Gulf of Mexico in the west-end of Panama City Beach. What's so great about its location is its close proximity to area attractions such as the areas premier shopping and entertainment center, Pier Park. Pier Park is a 1.1 million square foot open-air "lifestyle center" catering everything from tourist attractions to fine dining. Also just a stroll away is the city pier and the beautiful area of scenic 30-A.

Some of Aqua Condominium amenities include:

• large pool
• heated indoor/outdoor pool and hot tub
• beautiful hardscapes
• waterfalls and fountains
• state-of-the-art workout facilities
• theater and media room
• architecturally designed by renowned Charlan Brock
• pool-side cafe
• cabana area
• grilling area

What seems to stand out to buyers is the size of the units. Most one bedroom condos in Panama City Beach range anywhere from 500 to 700 square feet. One bedroom units at Aqua are around 1,010 square feet or higher. Each floor plan is masterfully designed and is adequate for large groups of people and/or families.

If you're looking at condos for sale in Aqua, please contact us at 850-249-6655 or feel free to visit our website. Not only does our website have all the listings for sale there, but you may view them anytime at your leisure.

This 75 acre development began almost two years ago. My assistant and I received a call from a southern region associate of Beazer Homes and were asked to come have lunch with two of their associates at the Bay Point Marriott. This meeting was to discuss my thoughts on the future outlook of Panama City Beach. After my thoughts were out on the table, they told me they want to bring a great community to our area with some of the best prices we've ever seen.

Interesting enough, I followed up with them for over a period of six months after our initial meeting. I was eventually told that land on Panama City Beach Parkway was too expensive to accommodate the low prices they wanted to offer buyers.

Fast forward two years later and you can now drive down Panama City Beach Parkway and feast your eyes on Whisper Dunes Town Homes and Villas, and what should become one of the fastest selling communities on the beach. They were able to strike a deal with St. Joe, one of Floridas largest land owners, and close the deal a couple of months ago. We can't thank St. Joe enough for everything they are doing to help make Bay County an incredible place to live, work and play.

Construction is well underway. Currently no actual buildings are under development. However, after speaking with the project manager, Doug Lawrence, he assured me that he is ready to begin building models as soon as possible. At the moment they are finishing up work on the entrance road to the new community and once this is complete, construction on the town homes right next to the road should commence. He told me, "I want to get the models and pool area up as soon as possible."

From what we are told, prices will begin in the upper $100,000's and the max will be somewhere in the low $200,000's. This is an incredible price for Panama City Beach real estate. We are guessing many of the future Bay County International Airport employees will jump at the opportunity to live in this community, as it's proximity to Highway 79 is less than eight minutes. Add the distance of about 15 minutes from Highway 79 to the entrance of the new airport and you have a quick commute to work.

The project is expected to take about four years total to complete; possibly less if all elements are completed in a timely manner. The community will consist of 228 town homes and villas (quad-plex). The inner region of the community consisting mainly of the villas will take center-stage in the grand scale of the project, while the outer border makes home to most of the town homes. A community pool will also be included in Whisper Dunes and will be complemented by a coastal community theme.

If you are thinking of reserving or buying a unit at Whisper Dunes, please feel free to contact us directly at 850-249-6655, or you can visit our website for more information.