I was born in a car on the St. Simons causeway. Back then, waiting for the drawbridges to open often made people late when traveling to the mainland. The bridges apparently did not cooperate that day, and my father was forced to pull over and deliver me himself in the backseat of the car, right there in the parking lot of the old Deck restaurant. That restaurant no longer exists on the causeway, nor do the drawbridges. But my family’s original home still sits near the ocean on 9th Street on East Beach and serves as a fond reminder of my childhood on St. Simons.
Today, there are approx. 420 homes on East Beach with 175 full-time East Beach residents. Approximately 60% of all East Beach homes are 2nd Homes. There are 100 families from Atlanta and approx 80 families from other towns in GA. There are approx. 20 families from southern states and 35 families from states as far away as TX, MN, and NY.
Recent East Beach Sales
There have been two (2) East Beach sales since December 1, 2017.
2233 Bruce Drive, Oceanfront, 3 BR, 3 BA, 1,700 SF built in 1938 sold for $875,000 ($514/SF), originally listed for $1,450,000 (60% SP/LP). DOM 2500 Listing information provided by Roland Daniels Properties.
2101 Bruce Drive, Interior, 3 BR, 3 BA, 3,153 SF built in 1972 sold for $810,000 ($262/SF), originally listed for $875,000 (93% SP/LP). DOM 145. Listing information provided by Real Escapes Properties, Inc.
Page's Market Intel.....
There are 3 Oceanfront, 2 Marshfront (one with a dock), and 13 Interior single family homes currently available for sale on East Beach.
There is only one "New Construction" home, a 5 BR, 5 BA home on 4th Street available for sale at $1.65 Million or $368 per SF.
There were 4 oceanfront sales in 2017 compared to 1 in 2016.
Villa De Sueno is the highest priced oceanfront on St. Simons at $5,975,000 or $1,083 per SF.
The highest priced sale was $2.9 Million ($536/SF) for the home next to Matt Kuchar on Dixon Lane, East Beach Ocean Front.
New FEMA Elevation Maps came into effect on January 5th of this year. Now is a good time to review your flood insurance rates and your base floor elevations.
Now is a good time to be a buyer or Seller on St. Simons Island. Home values have recovered to pre-recession highs, however, home values have not accelerated compared to other markets.
For more information on St. Simons, Sea Island & Coastal Georgia homes:
Page Aiken is a 7th generation native of St. Simons and Sea Island, a 30-year real estate professional with international and national sales experience ideally suited for Sotheby's International Real Estate sales. He represents both sellers and buyers of fine homes on St. Simons and Sea Island, Georgia.
Page Aiken
Associate Broker
912-258-6000
page.aiken@gmail.com