Buying waterfront · St. Petersburg & the Gulf beaches
The house is the easy part.
The seawall, the lift, the depth at low tide and the bridge on the way out are what you're actually paying for. I check them before you offer.
Buying waterfront in St. Pete
Two houses a quarter mile apart can be completely different boating purchases, and the listings almost never say so. So before we talk about the kitchen, I want to know about your boat: how long, how much it draws, how tall it is with the T-top or tower. Then we shop water that fits it.
Tours by boat
I show waterfront homes by boat, so you see the house, the waterways, the boating access and the neighborhood from the side you'll actually live on. It's also the fastest way to find out how long the run to the Gulf really is.
Free download
Start with the stuff the listing photos leave out. Seawalls, flood zones, docks, boat lifts, water depth, bridge clearance and boating access. What I want my own clients to understand before making an offer. No "10 tips for homebuyers" nonsense.
Tampa Bay Waterfront Buyer Guide
Free PDF. No spam, just the guide.
Where
Tierra Verde is deep water and 65-foot bridges, the serious-boater answer. Treasure Island has a pass at each end and Gulf-front at more price points. St. Pete Beach is the walkable beach town with the deepest luxury market on the beaches. St. Petersburg is a dock and a city, with Snell Isle and Venetian Isles on the bay side. Gulf-front is its own category on all three islands, and I sell it too.
Buying, demystified
The seawall condition, the dock and lift and whether they were permitted, the depth at the dock at low tide, every bridge on the route to open water, the elevation certificate, the flood history, and whether the 50% rule limits what you can do with the house. I pull all of it before an offer goes out.
Yes. You see the house from the water, the route out and the neighborhood the way you'll actually use them. A house can look perfect from the street and be a 40-minute idle from anywhere.
Water deep enough at the dock, with no low fixed bridge between you and open water, so a mast can get out. There's no official definition and listings use it loosely, so check the depth and every bridge on the way out.
Yes. Gulf-front is its own buy: the beach, the view, construction and elevation standards, and in a lot of cases no dock at all. I sell both, and I'll tell you how each one fits the way you want to live.
No. You'll do better with a professional boat broker for that, and I'll introduce you to one.
St. Petersburg (including Snell Isle and Venetian Isles), St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island and Tierra Verde, plus waterfront throughout Pinellas County.
Let's Talk
Where you want to be, what you want to spend and what you're keeping behind the house. I'll tell you which water fits and where I would start.