The median home price in Carrabelle is well above the national average, but homes in Seaside Village start at $159,900 (1,334 sq. ft.) and these are site-built homes, not manufactured homes.   Started in January, 2008, there are just four model home designs, the most expensive (with 1,649 sq. ft.) selling for $249,900.  All homes come with an open floor plan, DSL and security system pre-wiring, air conditioning, ceiling fans, a 40 gallon water heater, 9-ft. ceilings, metal roofs, CertainTeed Fiber Cement Siding and walk-in closets.  The least expensive dwelling does not have a garage, but the three other designs do.  Upgrades include increasing energy efficiency and wind resistant construction, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, wood flooring, crown molding and an installed security system.  Call for 888-697-6970 for more information.

Of the 270 homes that will be here, 80 of them are reserved for residents 55+, and while the more mature residents have access to all of the community's amenities (a community center with a 3,000 sq. ft. clubhouse, an oversized kitchen, a pool with a cabana, walking trails and a BBQ courtyard), they also have their own pool and clubhouse.   Seaside Village is not gated, but there are concierge services, including housekeeping, airport transportation, house sitting, drive-by security checks, meal delivery, notary and more.   Homes here have no stairs, and there are extra handicap parking spaces throughout the community and a place to park a boat on the side of each home.  Residences are also built in such a way that no flood insurance is required.

HOA fees are $40 per month, which is hard to beat, but there are additional fees because Seaside Village is a Community Development District (CDD), meaning that instead of the developer paying for infrastructure (streets, lighting, etc.) and passing the costs onto homeowners in the form of more expensive homes, the homeowners pay for the infrastructure through annual assessments, which re-pay the original loan money used to install the infrastructure when the community was built.  This may be seen as a drawback, but a benefit, aside from affordable homes, is the consistently high levels of facilities which are managed by a hands-on Board of Supervisors.  Seaside Village's annual assessment is $1,620, which can be paid monthly ($135/month).   CDDs are very common throughout Florida.

Where Carabelle is located is known as the Forgotten Coast because the area was left off of state maps by tourism officials in the mid-1990s.  As a result, sleepy Carabelle has escaped much of the over-development that plagues many parts of Florida, including Destin and Panama City to the west.    Despite its small size, Carabelle has a grocery and a pharmacy and will soon have a new medical clinic.   Oh, and the phone booth police station came about because the police department's phone was outside and kept being used by tourists.  So the town did the logical thing and enclosed the phone in a booth, thus creating a very small police station.

Despite the aforementioned map oversight, the Carabelle area is rich in recreation opportunities.  There are several uncrowded beaches (Alligator Point and Carabelle Beach are just a few minutes away from Seaside Village), and three state parks are within 20 minutes.  Dog Island, a great nature get-away, is accessible only by boat, and the nearby town of Apalachicola has more than 900 historic structures, including picturesque Victorian homes, dotting the wide, tree-lines streets.  

The climate here is hot and humid.  It's Florida!