Top 9 pros and cons of living in Destin FL 2023

So, you're considering moving to Destin and you're wondering what the pros are and what the cons are here in 2023. That's right, we got an updated one for you. We're going to go over 9 pros and 9 cons so that you have the best information whether you're deciding to move here to Destin or somewhere else. So, stick around.

Speaking to Destin, let's talk about where Destin is if we're smackdown right in the Emerald Coast on the Panhandle of Florida. So, if you can imagine that area from Pensacola to Panama City, Panama City Beach, we're pretty much right in the middle there in Destin. It is the destination place for people to come down, for tourism, for boating, absolutely phenomenal, which we're going to go into. Population is only 14,482 on the peninsula. And you're going to learn here why Destin is one of the luckiest, well, actually, it's quoted as the world's luckiest fishing village. And we're going to tell you why because it has expanded. Right? Okay. So, let's get into the pros and cons. I know you've been waiting a couple minutes for that. So, I like to get the cons done first, and then we'll go into why, Destin's so awesome.

CONS

1. TRAFFIC

The traffic is so frustrating. Yes, the traffic during tourist season. Now, 8 months out of the year, it's 7 months out of the year, it's really not that bad. Right? It's pretty normal. But, as soon as we get that spring time coming in and spring break, it heats up. And then June, July, 4th of July weekend, good luck. Get your Waze app, get your Google Maps, and plan accordingly to the expected time to get to one place to the other. Especially if you're going to Fort Walton Beach, or if you're coming, you know, through Miramar, the traffic's just, it's so frustrating. But, it's still pretty nice. Alright? One thing that you want to know, the reason you're watching the 2023 video is what's happening coming up this year. Actually, it's going to be going on for quite some time. Is if you're heading through Fort Walton Beach, so you're coming from the west, going east to get into Destin. Brooks Bridge, they're redoing that entire thing. They're actually rebuilding another bridge and they're tearing that down. What does that mean for you? Well, construction, construction traffic, with summer traffic, and there could be some lane closures. So, make sure that you keep that mind as you are positioning yourself where you want to live. Alright.

2. IT GETS HOT AND COLD

It will get hot and it gets cold. Alright? Through here. And cold obviously is relative for you guys living up there in the northern states. However, when it does get hot, it gets in the 90's, sometimes in the summer, and with the humidity, it really makes it hot, okay? It can get as low as 20 degrees in the winter. We actually just had that not too long ago where things actually froze. Now, it doesn't really get that hot, that cold, that often, but we see every couple of years that we see those sorts of extremes. And the cold season well, it's usually only about three to four months, and then we get right back up there. However, we'll get sporadic spurts where it's like, 80 degrees in January. So, just be ready for that.

3. RIP CURRENTS & DANGEROUS WATERS

Well, we do have rip currents here for swimmers, and we also have dangerous waters throughout there. So, let me explain that. So, because of the way that the water kind of shifts, if you're out swimming, there's going to be warnings almost every day for a rip current depending upon what the conditions are. But if you're out there, it can actually suck you out into the Gulf of Mexico. So, you got to be safe and make sure that you pay attention to those. Now the dangerous waters that you're going to see throughout there, there's a lot of manmade jetties that are actually right there in Destin, Destin Harbor. Or not Destin Harbor, but on the other side of that. You're going to have that pass, that Destin Pass. That Destin Pass is actually only 12-22 feet deep, so it's actually quite shallow. Which, because of this, it can cause swell, somewhere between 2-3 feet. Alright. And you use a boater, depending upon what you've got. You're like, 2-3 feet shouldn't be a problem. Well, you not just have that. With the ocean waves, but you also have weather waves with the wind and everything coming in. So, if those combined and the weather is not only reporting to the ocean and not the stuff coming from the weather. Well, that can create somewhere between 3-4 foot swells. 4, 3-4 foot chop. And that's scary stuff if you're in a smaller boat. Keep that in mind.

4. COBRA ZONES (CBRA)

We do have cobra zones or Coastal Barrier Resource Area zones. This is mostly in east Destin. And if you go in here, it could not be in a flood zone. It could just be labeled as a coastal barrier resource area zone. Right? But because of that, if you're trying to use certain loan products to purchase a home, VA, FHA typically aren't going to even lend to that area. And insurance rates, well, you can almost guarantee that they're going to be higher because they're labeled that way. Now, why is this? Well, some places it's because of surge waters and things like that. However, some of these were just labeled this way, way back in the day. I can't tell you exactly when, but it was a long time ago. Before this area was developed and they just labeled it there so they couldn't build on it. Like a developer had. And they never lifted it. So, now those places that wouldn't be in a surge zone are still in this Coastal Barrier Resource Area and we get to pay for it as homeowners. Alright?

5. PARKING

There's not a lot of free parking. Now that you're probably going to pay to park. Good news is here in 2023, they've gone through most of the public parking now, and there's not some sort of attendant. And, it's mostly use your phone, and there's different hours that can go to for the public parking throughout there. Or, you can drive around to get some street parking, but there's not a whole lot of that. So, if you're going down to Destin Harbor or any of those other places expect to pay a pretty penny to park.

6. CROWDED

It's crowded in the summer, what do you expect for a tourist down. Right? It gets very crowded in the summer. It peaks anywhere between June and August. Usually, July 4th is the big time to be down here. That's where everybody wants to be down, fireworks, Crab Island, all that fun stuff. So, if crowds aren't your thing, this might be the best area in here for you to go to.

7. JET NOISE

Now, number seven, we do have jet noise here. You do have a private airport that is right there on the east side of Destin. But, most of this jet noise isn't necessarily going to be coming from them small planes. You do have Eglin Air Force Base where its approach actually goes over where Okaloosa Island is. And, you're going to hear all the jets. You're going to hear all the different military aircraft coming around. And if you live here long enough, you kind of get used to it, but it's definitely something that's going to be there.

8. SHORT TERM RENTALS

The separation between short term rentals for somebody that's trying to get something here to rent out part time like your Airbnb's, your VRBO's or whatever that they're using. And those non-short-term rentals zones, they're just not really clear. So, if it's not in an HOA, homeowner's association, it's usually dictated by that HOA, and whether it's a short term or whatever, they usually know in there. It's the same thing that you have with particular condos and where they're at and townhomes, whatever. But if it's in Destin proper, there's a map that shows where these specific things are and they're all sort of sporadic So, if you are concerned about that, if you're looking to get a short-term rental or trying not to be around those, make sure to talk to an agent, a local real estate agent that can get that map or advise you if that's areas.

9. HIGHER HOME PRICES

Alright. We got there. Home prices are higher than the surrounding city. So, I want to give you some specific. So, as you've been watching me for a long time, I love to give you this data. Okay? So, Destin, it's median price for its single-family homes is around nine $950,000. 950,000 is the median price. Now that could be as low as $232,000 but as high as $10.2 million. So, let's compare those different areas. So, we have Fort Walton Beach, Niceville. So, Fort Walton Beach, it's single family home average is actually $350,000. Quite a big jump there. Right? Or rather it's median. And that range is again somewhere between $120,000 to $2.9 million. Right? Now one may have been a trailer, the other one was this nice home sitting on the water. So, you can kind of take that in. And, we if we go to Niceville, we're talking about $475,000 for the median range for single family home and a range of somewhere between $160,000 to about $2 million. Thinking about living that condo life. Alright. Well, I got that data for you as well. So, our median condo range is $536,500. So, that's round that median right there. And that's anywhere from $127,000 which is on the base side, all the way up to $3.2 million. Now, if you're looking to get a condo in Fort Walton Beach, its median range is $450,000 and it ranges from $375,000 to $1.6 million. Now, Niceville doesn't have a whole lot of condos. So, I've incorporated your townhomes and condos. But if you're going up there, which is on the bay, it's not beach either, it's not a gulf view, is $295,000. And a range between $121,000 to $2.6 mil. Alright. So, ten minutes into this, let's get into the pros.

PROS

Alright, the 9 pros of going into Destin.

1. DESTIN HARBOR

Well, first and foremost, you got Destin Harbor. There are year-round concerts and events, games for the kids, restaurants, bars, all those things that you want to actively be into Destin, this is that place. It also has access to all the water activities, getting into Crab Island. You got Norriego Point across from Destin Harbor. There's so much right there. Okay? Everything that you want to get to is going to be here in Destin. Most of us locals, well, that's where we go, it's Destin if we want to do something. Alright.

2. BEACHES

Of course, who could forget the beaches. Right? That's that white fine sand and it's got the emerald colored waters. So, if you see a picture of it, maybe you saw a picture of it here and you can see those emerald color waters, we didn't doctor it. That's what it exactly looks like and it's absolutely gorgeous and so much fun to be out there.

3. CRAB ISLAND

If you don't know about Crab Island, it's a good time to go out too. Grab a boat, grab a friend, grab a captain, if you like to go into your delicious libations, so you don't end up in Crestview jail. But head over to Crab Island, and it is a party out there. You have people that go into it. It's not actually an island. The less or I'm sorry, the deep is shallow there. It's as shallow as it goes. It's probably maybe ankle high in some places. But most of which will be about waist deep. You're going to see everything from young adults out there partying to full families, to everybody else just going out to have a good time. There's music, sometimes the barges are playing music, there's food out there. And there's some delicious libations out there as well. So, Crab Island is definitely something you want to check out if you'd never done it.

4. WORLD CLASS BOATING AND FISHING

It's been from Boating Magazine, it's actually been said that Destin has some of the world class boating and fishing all around you know, throughout the world. You can't just beat that with the water the way that it is. The fishes, with  all the different fish that are out there and the artificial reefs. There's so much out there if you're a big fisherman. This is just a great place to be for that.

5. SHOPPING

Again, locals come in there to go shop. Right? You've got the Destin Commons, it's an outdoor mall. It's got bowling. It's got all sorts of different restaurants and everything else in there that you want to go. You also have outlets that are there go a little bit further to the Silver Sands Premium Outlets out in Miramar Beach, which is just right next door. You also have the Whole Foods, which is actually right next to the Destin Commons. Got Rooms To Go. You've got a lot of these big boxes like Lowe's, Home Depot, all throughout the Destin area. There's just tons and tons of great shopping.

6. GREAT RESTAURANTS

There's a lot of great restaurants. This is where a bulk of them are. They are actually some of the bests in the area. So, you've got some of the best seafood, pizza. I'm from New York originally, so but there are some good pizzas. I mean, regionally, you have good Mexican food. Definitely. There are some great breakfast diners all throughout here. There's more. There's so much for you to go experience if you're a foodie.

7. TONS OF ACTIVITIES

There are tons of activities for adults, kids and family alike. We talked about the Harbor Walk. There's tons of stuff to do there. You could go out to do some bowling at the commons. There's actually another one across the street too. If you're into concerts or concerts here at club LA, you can go to go karts. You've got a waterpark that's there. And heck, if you know, you want to go out and party it up, there's bar hopping all with a water view. It's absolutely phenomenal for things to do if you're a beach type person.

8. UPSCALE GATED COMMUNITIES

This is also a pro that you have here. So, if that's what you're looking for and you're looking for a little bit more of luxury lifestyle to be surrounded by that, well, Destin has it. Different notable communities that are out there. There is Kelly Plantation, Regatta Bay. They all host a good amount of single-family homes, townhomes, and well, water views. Right? There's this all-great thing to know. Kelly Plantation also has some big luxury condos that are also in there. That has a view of not just the Gulf but also as the bay. And has a really nice golf course. Well, both of them do. But there are tons of stuff for communities within there. There's even a place where if you ride horses that you can go in there, I had a past client that moved there for that. But, it's just fantastic to move into these communities if that's something you want to with a gated guard or a manned gated guard for most of them.

9. DESTIN HIGH SCHOOL

Last but not least, is Destin's got brand new high school. Alright? Now granted it is a charter school and it opened in August of 2021. But, it's nice because it used to be that they shipped all your kids off to Fort Walton Beach high school for when they got into high school. Because you still have your elementary and middle schools that have been there for some time. But they finally got a high school right there too. So, if you want to be part of that new part of the community, especially here in 2023, as it, you know, gets all the bugs out of it, perfect time to hit it up.

Alright. Well, that's all that I have for you for the 9 pros and 9 cons of Living in Destin. If you have any questions about anything I put here, please feel free to call/text us at 850.320.7757 or email us at Admin@WhittemoreGroupRE.com

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