Miramar Beach w/ Area Director Wanda Jackson

What’s really happening in the Miramar Beach market? In this episode, we sit down with Miramar Beach Area Director Wanda Jackson to get an inside look at one of the Emerald Coast’s most dynamic real estate areas.

Wanda shares her perspective on current market conditions, how pricing and inventory are shaping agent strategies, and the unique factors that make Miramar Beach such a sought-after destination for buyers and investors. We also talk about the challenges REALTORS® are facing, the opportunities still available, and what professionals should be paying attention to as the market continues to shift.

Whether you work in Miramar Beach or just want to better understand what’s driving this important part of our region, this conversation is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome to Keys to the Emerald Coast, the voice of the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors. Join us as we amplify member voices, share market knowledge, and strengthen our real estate community.

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Welcome back, Ecar. Thanks for joining us for another episode of Keys to the Emerald Coast. I am Chad Nelson, Marketing Communications Director with ECAR, having a great time in studio with Maria Howell.

SPEAKER_02 0:24

Yes, we are. Hello.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

I won't put out there on the air what we're laughing about because I don't want to embarrass my friend.

SPEAKER_02 0:31

We're laughing about old school music and how I pronounce one of the artists.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

We are at JVC Broadcasting as always, and we've got uh another amazing guest. Uh we've had her on the podcast before. Yes, we want to bring her back for for a different role here, but Miss Wanda Jackson. Hello, hello. How are you? I'm doing well. Thanks for joining us again. Thanks for having me. Yeah. New newly appointed board member.

SPEAKER_02 1:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:01

Very excited about that. Miramar Beach, Area Director. So wanted to kind of bring you in, give you an opportunity to kind of highlight the area, talk about some trends and what's going on, all that kind of stuff. We'll get into that. But let's let's remind remind our listeners kind of who you are, where you're from, little real estate background.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

So I am a licensed realtor at the Premier Property Group, which has two offices. The one I sit in is in Myanmar Beach at the Seascape Resort Town Center. So that is where the hub of my world in real estate is. And I have been a realtor for seven years now. The only place I've ever been a realtor is here locally. And my husband's retired Air Force. And when we landed here, I decided my kids are old enough to not need me to drive them everywhere. And I thought I might be a realtor for a little bit. So I love what I do. I have a great passion for the fact that you can collaborate, that you can help people's real estate dreams come true, both in primary ownership and in secondary market, which is the beauty of Myanmar Beach. It has a mix of both. I became the Women's Council of Realtors president this year in 2026, and in tandem became the Myanmar Beach director for Ecar in 2026. So I w wear a couple hats this year, which have been working well together. And um that's kind of me in a nutshell. I love what I do. Um, but I love giving back and I love helping to equip other realtors make their real estate journey successful. So that's why I serve.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

There we go. Love it. Love it. Always kind of enjoy you know being involved in in the room when when you're there. I think you always have fantastic insights and bring kind of uh in tandem, I guess, with Maria as well. Just that that servant heart, that that heart for people, for other realtors, and just always want to give you your flowers for that. Well, thank you. Yeah, one does it right.

SPEAKER_02 2:59

Mentor coach.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

That is my goal. Pour into others. Without a doubt. Well, well, let's talk a little bit Miramar Beach. Obviously, you kind of alluded to it a little bit, uh, unique characteristics within the Emerald Coast market, um, from you know, kind of that prime location between Destin and South Walton kind of.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

Yeah, it's a nice middle spot. Yeah. So that that geographically is what I do love about Miramar Beach. We're not 30A, we're not Walton County, we're not Destin in the heart of all the Destin busyness. Yeah. We are in this beautiful stretch in the in-between. So Myanmar Beach starts when Walton County, when Okaloosa County changes to Walton County, and then we end when 30A starts. But inside that little pocket of maybe, I don't know, six to eight miles, um, we have four distinct gated resort communities specifically, which is very unique. Uh, one of them being Sandeston, which is 3,000 acres of gated resort community, both north and south of 98. The other three that I think are worth mentioning are Seascape Beach and Golf Resort, and then Topsoil, which is very tennis-centric and beach resort. Okay. And then Hidden Dunes, also lots of tennis and pickleball and the beach front resort part of that. And all four of those gated communities have multiple things that attract buyers and sellers and vacationers to them. So again, I could talk forever on that. But those four gated communities, I think, set Myanmar Beach off a bit. In tandem with that, we also have neighborhoods north of 98 that are very primary residence-centric. Um, and so some of those are gated, some of those are golf communities. Um, but they're all just like 30A and Destin, very lifestyle-centric. So I think the pocket there has been drawing people to it for the last three years because of some overcrowding and some beach restrictions that happen more prevalently around along 30A than in Myanmar Beach. We have good public beach in Myanmar Beach, but the gated communities solve that problem. So that is the benefit of those four resorts in Myanmar Beach. You don't have to fight for beach. I mean, you have to fight the people in those communities, but not like the homeowners around you. So it gets crowded in July no matter where you are. Yeah, that's so true. That's I think that to me is the uniqueness of Myanmar Beach real estate. So it's good.

SPEAKER_00 5:25

I I I think you know that, like you said, that consistent tourism drives demand, uh, really keeps kind of that real estate market active and like I mean opportunities for short-term rentals, long-term. So yeah, it's a it's a unique area.

SPEAKER_02 5:39

Yeah, it's got a lot to do if you think about it. I mean, you have the outlet mall, there's you know, you've got grocery stores, you have the restaurant, I mean, there's a bookstore, Chick-fil-A.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Yeah, uh, you know, like yeah, there's there's a lot in that little several dining opportunities there that are both chains and locally owned restaurants. In that little stretch of six to eight miles, you can do anything and everything you want to do. Yeah. And you can do it via your golf cart.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

Let me just talk to the little golf cart. I am. I I know myself, like traveling to this area for the longest time. We tend to always we skipped over Destin and got more to the mirror bar because we thought, I mean, it was more options. It was maybe a little less crowded and didn't have to fight the the kind of touristy little area for the most part. But yeah, I went to the went to the the um the outlet mall a lot when I was traveling here.

SPEAKER_02 6:32

But oh and grand boulevard too. And Grand Boulevard, that's all forgot that.

SPEAKER_01 6:35

Yeah, and yeah, the major hospital is right here in Miramar Beach. So Santa Rosa Beach, but it's right at the edge. Um so it again, it has so much to offer in such a short span of mileage that really if you're looking to plant yourself somewhere in a like it's not a neutral zone, but like in the in-between. Miramar Beach, that's how I describe it to my buyers and we're in the in-between. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:58

Kind of say this.

SPEAKER_02 6:59

Yeah, that's it.

SPEAKER_00 7:00

I say the same thing about Navarre. Like, we're not like you're in between. In the in-between, yeah. You're the calm in between.

SPEAKER_02 7:09

The calm.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

Well, well, what what is happening right now kind of in Myanmar bar in Myanmar Beach? Um, you know, what trends are you seeing right now with the local market, inventory levels, pricing?

SPEAKER_01 7:22

So I think probably in every market in our area, the condos are a little bit challenged in in the turnover and days on market. If I feel like if anything is priced right, it will sell. I feel like we're coming out of the rate the inflated pricing from sellers and and walking into an era where the sellers are more realistic about the value of their property in the market today. Not that it wouldn't appraise out for what their inflated value is, but it's got to sell, right? And so I feel like we're coming out of that inflated price market and coming into a place where the rental market has picked up a bit this year. And I I have conversation with rental management people all the time because of what I do, and that is their feedback. Their bookings ahead of time have picked up, their dollars per night has picked up. And when that happens in this industry, especially in Miramar Beach, then you see an increase in buyers because they can make their ROI make sense. Um, that's secondary market and investment market. I see that trend in Miramar Beach significantly in the resorts in Sandeston and in Seascape and in Topsoil and Hidden Dunes. But I also see that in all of the smaller communities along Scenic 98. So you have again pocket communities that aren't acres and acres of resort, but are right there along the beach coastline. And as the rental market picks back up, which it's doing, thankfully, then we can sustain those prices the sellers want a little bit because the buyers are willing to pay them. So I I think that's an uptick in our market. Yeah, that's great. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:56

What what um you know, growth, development, what's going on? You know, we talk about this destination for for visitors, but what what do we see possibilities uh of some growth and development in that area that might attract buyers or sellers?

SPEAKER_01 9:12

Uh there are a couple of neighborhoods that are new development, which is rare nowadays, and especially in Destin and Myanmar Beach. 30A will will build as much as they can build. But Destin and Myanmar Beach are pretty established communities, being that Sandest and the largest resort, was established in the 80s and 90s. Um Seascape was established beginning in the 70s and 80s. So you only have so much dirt to build on, right? So I've seen some repurposing of dirt.

SPEAKER_03 9:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:36

Right. So there's a single-family home complex that's being built in the heart of Myanmar Beach, I think by uh Abbott Group. Yes. Yes. And those are going to be gorgeous, million-dollar plus homes, uh, some of them with views, some of them without, but all of them within walking distance to the beach. So that is a beautiful thing because we don't have a lot of that new development stuff, right? And then on Seascape Resort, uh we I'm part of the development team actually, sales team. We have taken nine of the 18 holes of their golf course and we're developing the Grove at Seascape Resort, which are luxury-level condos, low density, so they're four stories. And the price range of those is the most attracting thing because we start at right at 500,000 for a one-bedroom with a bunk and go all the way up to a million for a four-bedroom corner unit. So the the the feasibility of purchasing there is almost possible for anyone that's in the market for a second home or an investment property. In addition, they're they're restructuring the golf course that remains into a PAR 318-hole golf course, which has been needed for years. Yeah. So they're refurbishing that whole resort and repurposing land. And that's what I see in development in Myanmar Beach is is developers, whether it be Abbott Martin Group or the Seascape team, um, they're repurposing things. And if you can do that, then not only do we inject our Myanmar Beach beautiful in between with new construction, which is always highly desirable, but we take away some of the worn-out things. And that's always a good injection of robust growth.

SPEAKER_02 11:15

Yeah. I think, yeah, and even with Sandest and Resort, I think there's they still have a little bit of room. I think to build some new construction.

SPEAKER_01 11:22

And I've seen that ebb and flow. Oh, and hidden dunes too has built some new things recently. So again, that is the main trend in Miramar Beach is repurposing of space that someone else already owns. And so that is a beautiful opportunity to own new.

SPEAKER_00 11:37

I think my mind is racked on this idea. So they're repurposing the golf course by turning it into a par three course as a golfer myself. So I mean, maybe you can help me. Is that based off of kind of some more turnover? They're getting people through and golfing out of I think it's a multi-purpose thing for seascape specifically.

SPEAKER_01 11:58

One, I would say that the nickname for that golf course for at least the seven years I've been in real estate is the Goat Ranch. So it was worn out. Understood. Yeah. Um when you take nine holes of that and build gorgeous luxury condos on it, and you take the other nine holes and need to improve upon it, it is the time to pivot. And the the the family that owns Seascape Resort also owns Emerald Bay's golf course. Okay. And so what they're seeing is a dual purpose that they own both of, right? Yeah. And so they have the 18-hole regular course, and then they'll have this par three Tiff Eagle Greens, beautiful, brand new, new, new obstacles and new experience that you can golf in half a day. Yeah. Which makes your wives and kids happy when you're vacation if you can go to the beach. Yeah. Because you're not gone the whole day.

SPEAKER_02 12:44

And also Seascape has those concerts.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

Oh, 100%. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:47

Have you heard those concerts?

SPEAKER_01 12:49

They have done a beautiful job of creating destination events in tandem with Topeka music experiences. So they have Moon Crush, which they do four to six weeks in the spring in the shoulder season, and they do four to six weeks in the fall shoulder season, which brings artists like Luke Combs. Um, and a couple years ago, Noah Kahn was the headliner. Um, old school artists for me like Styx and Old Dominion, and and and so they become these destination weekend concert events. So they have concerts every night for three nights, and you book your tickets and you book your room at the same time. So Seascape has this corner on this event so that everything that's on their rental market rents on those weekends when normally you're not necessarily booked every weekend. You you aren't quite in snowbird season, you're no longer in fall break, you're out of spring break and not quite in summer, and that's when they schedule those events. So it keeps us flowing, it keeps that tourism going. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:50

Well what other I mean, talk about you know those kind of opportunities. What else is going on in Myanmar Beach? What what else, you know, is attracting people? Well, the locals, I guess, what what do they have to look forward to in terms of their area?

SPEAKER_01 14:02

I think the locals really love the public beach access. Okay. Um, I think we have goodness, I'd have to actually look to know, but I'm sure we have at least four public beach parking access put ins in Myanmar Beach, um, which have ample parking. And when you live north of 98 and you're driving to the beach, that's always a nice thing, right? Um, I do think some of the neighborhoods in Myanmar Beach that are more concentrated on um primary residents have access to the bay, which is a beautiful thing because we want a boat here. I mean, we're not Destin, but we're still our neighboring the richest fishing village in the world. So they have that access to the bay. It's a little less crowded on the bay side of Mirmar Beach than it is in Destin. So they have that opportunity. Um, most of it is golf cartable and walkable. That's the beauty of Myanmar Beach. You have a beautiful boardwalk. We are in Walton County. So if you have a dog, you can take your dog on the beach with a permit. Um, those are some of the perks of Mirmar Beach without taking it so far away from Destin that it's a drive. Like we're we're we're easily accessible to both to both airports because it's in the in-between, right?

SPEAKER_02 15:07

Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 15:08

Um, so I think that's a draw. I think I've seen in my world in real estate a lot of retirees coming and making their permanent home Mirmar Beach area because they are so centrally located, it's easy to get to their kids and their kids to get to them because the airports are a little closer. Uh, cost of living isn't as high in Miramar Beach as it is is on 30A, but you can still drive right down there. So I feel like that is the biggest draw for primary residents. There's a little bit more flexibility with public beach access. There's a little less um a little less of a crowd, I guess. There's all again, always gonna be a crowd in June and July, but but there's a little less of a crowd on the roads for the primary resident people, even during tourism season. We have a little bit more area to drive up and down.

SPEAKER_02 15:55

Yeah, and I think with that, you know, the road, um, widening that that road really helped too. 100%. Yeah. It's easy to get around, so you're not stuck on the beach road with the two lanes you can get off of that.

SPEAKER_01 16:04

Yep, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 16:06

As as area director, uh I think you know, you serve as that that voice, that that go-between between, you know, the realtors and e-car and how do we serve our clients better? What are some ways that um you know you're seeing? What are some questions that they're asking? What are what are ways that eCar can serve um you know the realtors in your area better?

SPEAKER_01 16:32

So I think um goodness, eCar does a really good job of serving the realtors. I think the knowledge needs to be there for the realtors to understand what they have already at their fingertips for their convenience, for their success. I think e-car is doing a really good job of upping their game, getting out there and getting seen. And honestly, I think any question that I've ever been asked by a realtor that says, I need this from my association, I've been able to say, well, this is where you find it. Um, so I feel like my goal as Miramar Beach director, no matter how long that role might be, is to make sure that when I am in the places and spaces of Miramar Beach Realtors that they do know exactly how we can equip them. Because I really don't see any gaps in that. I really do know I do think the only gap is the bridge between what the realtor knows is there and what we're providing, because that that's where I see the gap. And the best way for realtors to understand that, I think, is to show up at the MLS tours. Yeah. Yeah. Show up and understand your market and understand what's out there and to network with those realtors. Yeah, without a doubt.

SPEAKER_02 17:36

Yeah, because Marimoir Beach has their own tour as well. And Sandest. And Sandestin, too. So they split theirs into what, two, three areas? Two areas? Two areas. Two areas. Two areas. So that's good.

SPEAKER_00 17:46

Yeah, I know Melissa Skineki and myself and Wendy, we've been trying to get out and find, you know, carve out some time to make for sure that we get to those those area property tours. And uh, but yeah, we I mean, anytime you know our listeners, you you're at those tours, please take pictures, send me highlights. We would love to to kind of highlight each area, highlight those tours. Um I I agree. I I I think we have the tools in place. It's a matter of pointing people in the right direction.

SPEAKER_01 18:16

Just saying, here they are, remember the QR code. Right? Here's so that's my answer to most realtors that are complaining. Yeah, show up and you'll have a different perspective because typically the lacking is not necessarily in the association, it's in the effort on the one that thinks we're lacking. And I don't mean that in any negative way. People have time and space for what they have time and space for, but but we provide as an association everything that we need to be as realtors successful with.

SPEAKER_02 18:44

Okay. So yeah, just gotta figure out a way to get it.

SPEAKER_01 18:47

Just find out to know what they are. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:49

Sometimes we just don't know what we don't know. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:51

Getting out there and that's why I say those tours, because that's when you start to learn.

SPEAKER_00 18:55

Yeah, without a doubt. I I think now that I mean, I don't know if they were in the past, but and having the board meetings are open to our members. I know just as a staff member, being in board meetings, I'm getting an opportunity to hear exactly what they're wanting to know, what they want to see, and it helps me a lot. And I I encourage all of our membership to just be a part of something. Yes, that's the key.

SPEAKER_01 19:18

Just be a part. Because doing this alone is not the way it's meant to be done.

SPEAKER_02 19:22

Without community.

SPEAKER_00 19:24

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining us. Yeah, thank you. It's been my pleasure. Fantastic to have you on again. Um again, as always, we love to hear from you. Reach out, send us an email, give us a call. Um, this this podcast is for you. We want to hear from you, we want to deliver, um, we want to help you know what you don't know, exactly what we're talking about. But um, until then, you can find us on Apple, you can find us on Spotify, wherever you're listening, and we will talk to you soon.

SPEAKER_02 19:54

Yes, goodbye.