Any Draper Lake or Watercolor Year Rounders?

Hi Mark - they are completely different in that WaterColor is inundated with tourists most of the time. Which might be fun for awhile but would get old fast. I wouldn't choose that way of life for kids. Draper lake might be too quiet for kids but there is a pool, trails and the lake ,and plenty of activities nearby. It would be a good choice.
Living along 30A gets tiring and is very hectic in Spring and summer. Take a look also at Watersound origins.
Good luck and welcome. (And btw real locals call where we live SoWal or South Walton. "30A" is a road or a brand, not a place. )

We made the move a few months ago into a long term rental in Watercolor. We got in a rental to test the waters and learn about the area and where we want to be long-term and know within just a couple of months that this isn’t the place to be full-time. I can’t recommend Watercolor, especially with kids. Lots and lots of traffic and renters with new neighbors every week, our kids can’t really make friends, especially with the current situation with schools. We just went under contract on a house in Watersound West Beach and I’d recommend any of the Watersound neighborhoods very highly!! Happy to answer any questions but can’t say I’m a pro or anything, we are only a few months into living down here full-time.

This is so greatly appreciated, thank you

Hi All,
Not sure the best subforum to post this in....We are thinking about making the move permanently to 30A next year. We really like Watercolor and Draper Lake and were just wondering if anybody on here lives in either year round with kids and can answer a few questions. Thanks much and stay healthy!

Would love to hear your story. How are you able to move to South Walton with the low jobs and high cost of living?

Hi Dawn,
Well here it goes....
My wife and I (early 40's) both have jobs that allow us to live where we want. I am a retired military pilot now flying commercial and she is in medical device sales. When I retired from the military last year, I realized this is the first time in 20 years we can actually choose to live wherever we want. We both love the area. At first we were just going to buy an investment property to use and rent throughout the year but recently we seriously started to consider just moving full time. Now I'd say we are almost definitely gonna take the leap within a year or two, max.

Cost of Living: I guess I don't really consider SoWal "high cost of living." Yes, compared to other parts of Florida it's more expensive, but not really compared to what I am used to. I grew up in northern NJ just outside NY City and lived in California for 10 years and those areas are crazy crazy expensive. Florida has no state income tax and real estate taxes are on par or even lower than most states at 1%. Yes, my house purchase price will be double what we paid here for our home in Louisiana (N'Awlins area), but we won't be paying state income tax or shelling out $12-15K a year for private school like we do here so our cost of living isn't really going up much or even at all in the grand scheme of things. Plus, we won't be spending thousands of $$ every year visiting 30A since we'll live there

Growing up my family and I vacationed in upstate NY to the lakes around the Adirondacks and Lake George. That's why when I saw the Draper Lake development I loved it. The Adirondack style lake houses 1/4 mile to the beach is incredible to me. Of course, like a lot of families I'm sure, its daunting to make the move to a "vacation area" full time with kids. But we figured, hey, if they are really unhappy in a few years we can always move elsewhere so I think we are gonna give it a shot. We'll definitely take a peek at the Watersound neighborhoods as well, but I am really drawn to the Draper style houses on the lake. We have also always wanted to build a house so buying a lot and building is very appealing.

Hi Dawn,
Well here it goes....
My wife and I (early 40's) both have jobs that allow us to live where we want. I am a retired military pilot now flying commercial and she is in medical device sales. When I retired from the military last year, I realized this is the first time in 20 years we can actually choose to live wherever we want. We both love the area. At first we were just going to buy an investment property to use and rent throughout the year but recently we seriously started to consider just moving full time. Now I'd say we are almost definitely gonna take the leap within a year or two, max.

Cost of Living: I guess I don't really consider SoWal "high cost of living." Yes, compared to other parts of Florida it's more expensive, but not really compared to what I am used to. I grew up in northern NJ just outside NY City and lived in California for 10 years and those areas are crazy crazy expensive. Florida has no state income tax and real estate taxes are on par or even lower than most states at 1%. Yes, my house purchase price will be double what we paid here for our home in Louisiana (N'Awlins area), but we won't be paying state income tax or shelling out $12-15K a year for private school like we do here so our cost of living isn't really going up much or even at all in the grand scheme of things. Plus, we won't be spending thousands of $$ every year visiting 30A since we'll live there

Growing up my family and I vacationed in upstate NY to the lakes around the Adirondacks and Lake George. That's why when I saw the Draper Lake development I loved it. The Adirondack style lake houses 1/4 mile to the beach is incredible to me. Of course, like a lot of families I'm sure, its daunting to make the move to a "vacation area" full time with kids. But we figured, hey, if they are really unhappy in a few years we can always move elsewhere so I think we are gonna give it a shot. We'll definitely take a peek at the Watersound neighborhoods as well, but I am really drawn to the Draper style houses on the lake. We have also always wanted to build a house so buying a lot and building is very appealing.

Great story -thanks! Draper would be a good choice and I like the style as well - Craftsman influenced - Sharks Tooth Golf Club just over the Bay County line on Lake Powell also has that style. I know a husband and wife in Grayton who are ex navy pilots. I think she was the first woman to land on a carrier.

Hi Dawn,
Well here it goes....
My wife and I (early 40's) both have jobs that allow us to live where we want. I am a retired military pilot now flying commercial and she is in medical device sales. When I retired from the military last year, I realized this is the first time in 20 years we can actually choose to live wherever we want. We both love the area. At first we were just going to buy an investment property to use and rent throughout the year but recently we seriously started to consider just moving full time. Now I'd say we are almost definitely gonna take the leap within a year or two, max.

Cost of Living: I guess I don't really consider SoWal "high cost of living." Yes, compared to other parts of Florida it's more expensive, but not really compared to what I am used to. I grew up in northern NJ just outside NY City and lived in California for 10 years and those areas are crazy crazy expensive. Florida has no state income tax and real estate taxes are on par or even lower than most states at 1%. Yes, my house purchase price will be double what we paid here for our home in Louisiana (N'Awlins area), but we won't be paying state income tax or shelling out $12-15K a year for private school like we do here so our cost of living isn't really going up much or even at all in the grand scheme of things. Plus, we won't be spending thousands of $$ every year visiting 30A since we'll live there

Growing up my family and I vacationed in upstate NY to the lakes around the Adirondacks and Lake George. That's why when I saw the Draper Lake development I loved it. The Adirondack style lake houses 1/4 mile to the beach is incredible to me. Of course, like a lot of families I'm sure, its daunting to make the move to a "vacation area" full time with kids. But we figured, hey, if they are really unhappy in a few years we can always move elsewhere so I think we are gonna give it a shot. We'll definitely take a peek at the Watersound neighborhoods as well, but I am really drawn to the Draper style houses on the lake. We have also always wanted to build a house so buying a lot and building is very appealing.

Hi Mark,
We, too, are moving to the area soon, and, oddly enough, my husband is a retired military pilot (F-16 and 22) and now a commercial pilot (American), as well! We just sold our house in Virginia and will be doing a tour of the western U.S. before buying in SoWal. We still have two kids in the house (ages 10 and 14....our older three have fled the nest) and are researching non-stop for the best neighborhood to settle in. I would love to know where you guys settle down, as well as what other neighborhoods you strongly considered.

Cheers!
Kelly

Hi Mark,
We, too, are moving to the area soon, and, oddly enough, my husband is a retired military pilot (F-16 and 22) and now a commercial pilot (American), as well! We just sold our house in Virginia and will be doing a tour of the western U.S. before buying in SoWal. We still have two kids in the house (ages 10 and 14....our older three have fled the nest) and are researching non-stop for the best neighborhood to settle in. I would love to know where you guys settle down, as well as what other neighborhoods you strongly considered.

Cheers!
Kelly

What are your criteria?

Hey Mark! If considering Draper Lake keep your eye on the development being proposed there by D.R. Horton.

Hi there, Bob1-
Well, let's see. We're all runners, so backing up to the state park would be really nice. I'd like to be near (not in) some non-rental neighborhoods so our kids can be near other kids their ages. We plan to rent our house during the summers while we travel elsewhere, hence being near -- and not in-- non-rental neighborhoods. I'd prefer, of course, that many of the neighbors are year-round residents, but I know that's asking a lot! We like walking to restaurants, coffee shops, etc (that's a big one for us) and would like to be no more than .5 mile from the beach.

The neighborhoods we've focused on, thus far, are The Preserve at Grayton Beach, the Seagrove Beach area (close to Seaside but not in it), and the Seacrest Beach area just west of Kaiya.

I'd love to hear your opinions.

Thanks!
Kelly

Hey Kelly.

We recently built a home in Seacrest (west of Kaiya) and really enjoy it. We're in SoWal every 2 or 3 weekends. We ride our bikes to eat and drink! Check out Magnolia Cottages by the Sea. They started Phase III Dream Cottages...1/2 mile to beach and it backs up to Deer Lake State Park!

Good Luck!

Hi Mark,
We, too, are moving to the area soon, and, oddly enough, my husband is a retired military pilot (F-16 and 22) and now a commercial pilot (American), as well! We just sold our house in Virginia and will be doing a tour of the western U.S. before buying in SoWal. We still have two kids in the house (ages 10 and 14....our older three have fled the nest) and are researching non-stop for the best neighborhood to settle in. I would love to know where you guys settle down, as well as what other neighborhoods you strongly considered.

Cheers!
Kelly

Sounds great Kelly, we are headed to Santa Rosa Labor Day weekend to scope out a lot. If you want to shoot me your email I can keep you in the loop with where we end up. Safe travels to you guys

Hey Mark! If considering Draper Lake keep your eye on the development being proposed there by D.R. Horton.

Thank you, I was reading about this. Are there any updates on the development?

Updates on southwaltoncc.org. Also, be careful in Seagrove around Eastern Lake. Major development going in on 30A - Greenway Station and the Lodge 30A. Good luck!

Thank you, I was reading about this. Are there any updates on the development?

See this thread and join in! - DR Horton project on 36 acres on Draper Lake

Sounds great Kelly, we are headed to Santa Rosa Labor Day weekend to scope out a lot. If you want to shoot me your email I can keep you in the loop with where we end up. Safe travels to you guys

Definitely, Mark. That would be great!

We're headed there next week to look at one house that looks promising, but we're also staying open to building. I'd love to hear your thoughts/findings on Draper Lake and the proposed Horton development, as well as any general thoughts about other neighborhoods you guys consider.

We look forward to meeting you both someday!

Take care,
Kelly

Hey Kelly.

We recently built a home in Seacrest (west of Kaiya) and really enjoy it. We're in SoWal every 2 or 3 weekends. We ride our bikes to eat and drink! Check out Magnolia Cottages by the Sea. They started Phase III Dream Cottages...1/2 mile to beach and it backs up to Deer Lake State Park!

Good Luck!

Thank you! We will check it out!

Hello Mark,
I fly for UPS and have lived in Watercolor full time for 10 years. My wife and I do love WC but being patient with the summer renters is a must. We love the WC amenities, beach access and ability to go to Publix, Seaside and restaurants via bicycle, especially in the summer when traffic is heavy.
Don’t know where you are domiciled but commuting can be challenging during spring break and the summer as flights are full.
(We also lived in NOLA)
Cheers
Joby