Asking $25 Million, This Beachfront Spec House Is Northern Florida’s Priciest Listing - Mansion Global

A beachfront spec house on Florida's Emerald Coast is asking $25 million, making it the most expensive home listed for sale in northern Florida, according to listing agent Jonathan Spears of Scenic Sotheby's International Realty. If it sells at or near the listing price, it will be the most expensive home sale recorded in the area.

The under-construction, eight-bedroom home is located in Seagrove Beach, about a mile from the resort community of Seaside, Mr. Spears said. There will also be a one-bedroom, roughly 800-square-foot guesthouse on the property. Both houses are slated to be completed by early 2023, according to the developer, Ben Giles, who purchased the lot in 2018 for $3.605 million. The homes will be sold furnished, with the interiors designed by Mr. Giles' wife and business partner, Christel Giles.

Mr. Giles, who has been building high-end homes in the area for nearly 30 years, said the home is part of the Sanctuary at Seagrove development, which will have four homes when completed.

This one, the most expensive of the bunch, is being designed to take advantage of the views of the Gulf of Mexico. Vegetation leading to the beach can't be cut, he said, so the base of the home is slightly elevated to provide views of the ocean from the ground level.

The lot spans about a quarter of an acre, with roughly 50 feet of beach frontage, Mr. Giles said. 

The house will have about 2,000 square feet of outdoor living space, including second and third-level balconies overlooking the swimming pool below. "The adults can be on the balcony looking out over the pool and watching the kids swim," Mr. Giles said. 

A purchaser who buys the home before completion could alter the plans if they wish, Mr. Giles said. 

In the first quarter of 2022, the average sales price on the Emerald Coast was $1.85 million, up from $1 million during the same time in 2021, according to Mr. Spears.