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NARRATOR: Family gatherings on the coast,
sand castles, sunscreen,
and swimming in serene blue waters.
This is beachfront living, and it's only for the rich...
or so you thought.
This view is a million-dollar view.
KEVIN: I wouldn't ever think that we'd be able to get
a view like this for $299,000.
Today we're beachfront bargain hunting
the shores of the deep South --
St. Simons Island, Georgia.
ROBIN: There's my beach.
I can sit right here, and I can see the ocean.
Gonna have to move a little bit. [ Laughs ]
This golden isle is known for its pace of life,
winding marshes, and family beaches.
This is amazing. Wow.
I can't believe how close it is.
NARRATOR: Beachfront homes here
sell for as high as $10 million.
KEVIN: It's like your own private beach right here.
NARRATOR: But we're searching for a piece
of shimmering shore in the low-$300,000 range,
and we want to be right on the water.
Yes.
This is it.
NARRATOR: Get ready to beachfront bargain hunt.
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
The sun looks awesome on the water.
My name is Kevin Cottone. This is my wife, Robin.
We've been married 21 years now. We have three children.
Brendan is 19, Corey is 16, and Allie is 13.
We live in Flourtown, Pennsylvania,
right outside of Philadelphia.
We have a very busy and active lifestyle.
Our kids play sports. They're musicians.
I work in the legal field. Robin is a schoolteacher.
We're constantly running to practices and lessons.
St. Simons is beautiful
because it's much more than just the beach.
It's just a nice, quaint area.
Excellent restaurants.
It just has a much more laid-back lifestyle.
Growing up in the Philadelphia area,
obviously, we have the Jersey shore.
I grew up coming to St. Simons Island.
Kevin speaks so fondly of his vacations here as a boy,
and I just would love for our children
to experience that Southern feel.
The island is unique.
It's coastal, but it has a different feel.
ROBIN: Looks like the beach is up this way.
Is this close enough to the beach for you?
Yeah. [ Chuckles ] I think this is close enough.
ROBIN: We started driving around St. Simons Island
looking at some single-family homes.
Do you think those houses over there are like $1 million-plus?
Yeah.
But we quickly realized
that's probably out of our budget right now.
KEVIN: This is a single-family home.
I can tell that this is clearly not in our budget.
That is not. [ Chuckles ]
Spectacular.
We could keep dreaming.
KEVIN: We're gonna need some help in trying to find a property,
so we've reached out to a real-estate agent, Judy Ballard.
And hopefully, she'll be able to help.
Tell me, why did you choose St. Simons
for your vacation home?
Well, Kevin's been coming here
since he was a little boy with his parents,
and we want to start putting down some roots here, too.
So, tell me what you guys are looking for.
Well, we're looking for two to three bedrooms, two baths.
We'd like to have enough living space for our entire family.
I think we would also look for something
that would have good rental potential.
And I really would like to be on the beach.
That's everybody's dream. You got to be on the beach.
I understand. So, tell me your price range.
It'd be $250,000 to $350,000.
To find something, you know, close to the ocean
in that price range,
definitely single-family would probably be out.
Yes. Absolutely.
So, let me get to work,
and we're gonna find just what you want.
Thank you.
This is the Beach Club.
ROBIN: Looks like it's kind of like a resort.
It does look like a resort.
Tennis courts coming up over here on the left.
I think it looks nice.
Yeah, I like the exterior.
I wonder how close we are to the beach over here.
The first property I'm gonna show Kevin and Robin
is the Beach Club.
The Beach Club is a great location.
It's a short bike ride to the village and to restaurants,
and it's right at the ocean.
Hi, Judy.
Great to see you.
So, what do you have for us?
We're here at St. Simons Beach Club.
Wow. Love the name. [ Chuckles ]
I think you're gonna be excited.
It's right on the ocean. It's a two-bedroom, two-bath.
It's $349,900.
Wow.
It's less square footage, but other units in here now
are selling for over $400,000,
so this is a real bargain, and it won't last long.
Why don't you go in and take a look?
And I'll meet you down at the ocean.
This is nice. It's nice, beachy feel.
Nice bright colors.
Doesn't look like it's big, but I like the layout.
The windows over here definitely seem to give us good light.
ROBIN: It's really bright.
Kitchen looks a little small.
It's got everything we need,
but it's not like I'm gonna use it very much anyway.
Well, this looks like one of the bathrooms.
It's a full bath. It's a good size.
And the same color scheme comes through the kids' room.
Cheery, bright.
Another beachy feel.
KEVIN: It's not the biggest room,
but I think it's large enough for...
Yeah.
Looks like a great door headed out to the balcony.
Kids will love this.
Let's see the view.
This is nice. And there's my beach.
It is.
I can sit right here in the morning with my tea.
And I can see the ocean.
Gonna have to move a little bit. [ Laughs ]
Let's go check out the master bedroom.
Let's do it.
I love how we can go straight to the master bedroom.
ROBIN: This is a great size room.
Yeah, this is nice.
I like how the colors are consistent through.
It just makes it appear bigger.
I really like the fact that we're here
and the kids are on the other side of the living space.
It's like we have our own separate living areas.
The place is on the smaller side, but I think it'll work.
We have our own bathroom,
which is something that we really wanted.
Big huge soaking tub.
Oh, wow. Look at that. Huge closet.
KEVIN: And a shower stall, which I like.
Perfect. Well, I think we've seen it all.
Hey, Judy.
What do you think about the pool?
This outside area is gorgeous.
To have a pool over here, too, would be fabulous.
The kids would definitely get a lot of use out of that.
It's tough not to fall in love with this.
Well, let's go take a look at the ocean.
Okay. Great.
Okay, guys, I couldn't let you leave
without showing you this beautiful beach.
And it is beautiful.
This is what you wanted, right?
This is it. [ Chuckles ]
Couple steps away from the beach.
There you go, and you got it.
What do you think of the Beach Club now?
Well, it is at the top of our budget,
and I was disappointed by the size of the condo.
Definitely would be a little tight
for our whole family to be there at once.
A little disappointed with the views,
but we are on the beach,
which was really important to me.
I understand. So I'll keep looking.
We'll find something else.
Okay. All right.
Wow. Look at this. Great shot of the ocean.
KEVIN: This is beach living right here.
St. Simons just has so many great things to do.
MAN: That would be a lot of shrimp.
It's great being here with the kids
because we don't have any other outside influences,
other responsibilities.
Where else can you go shrimping?
Please take a look at him.
Go ahead. [ Laughs ]
You may never have this chance again.
It gives us an opportunity to do things as a family unit.
ROBIN: Uh...these houses are not in our budget.
I love that St. Simons is not a traditional beach town.
You know, you don't have that craziness
of a boardwalk and all that.
It's just a quaint beach area.
The next condo I'm gonna show Kevin and Robin
is the Riverwatch.
It's at the marina, so they get
beautiful marsh-front views right out their window.
It's listed at $299,000, which is under their price point,
and I really want them to see it.
Okay, guys, we're at Riverwatch.
Riverwatch offers beautiful views.
You're close to everything.
So I think you really will like it.
It's a two-bedroom, two-bath.
Good rental potential here, also.
ROBIN: I'm a little concerned that it's not on the beach,
but it looks nice, and the views are beautiful.
Willing to take a look.
What's the listing price?
The listing price on this unit is $299,000.
No, that sounds good.
Great. Thanks.
Wow, this place is big.
Definitely a lot of room.
Yeah, the kitchen is a great size,
and tons of countertop space.
I like the breakfast bar.
Plenty of room for family to sit down and eat together.
This place is great.
It's large enough we can invite people down
to be with us at the beach.
Except that we're not on the beach.
It's a little far from the beach, don't you think?
Yeah, true, but the view is spectacular.
Check this out.
I would never think that we'd be able to get
a view like this for $299,000.
It's a beautiful marsh view,
but I thought we were here to find our beach home.
I know, but you have to consider
the size of it, the price of it.
There's a lot of things that we need to think about.
I promise not to rule it out,
as long as we look at some other places
that are on the beach or at least near the beach.
Okay.
I got to tell you,
I was pleasantly surprised about how big it is.
The rental potential of this place
is an A-plus-plus in my mind.
So, did the marsh views win you over?
The marsh views are spectacular,
but it's just not on the beach,
so I'm having a hard time with that.
But it is a beautiful place, it's certainly big enough,
and, like I said, the views are wonderful.
Well, keep it in mind, and we'll continue to look.
Okay. Great.
Thanks, Judy.
Cute little neighborhood.
This is a good location
in terms of being close to the village.
So, this is one of the places
that Judy has made arrangements for us to see.
You know, here, I think this is Oglethorpe
up here on the right.
Oh, yeah. I see it.
As long as I can walk to the beach, I think I'll be happy.
The next house I'm gonna show Robin and Kevin
is the Oglethorpe beach house.
This condo is such an amazing price this close to the ocean.
Most of the condos that are directly on the ocean
are way over $1 million.
Hey, Judy. How are you?
Great. Good to see you.
Welcome to the Oglethorpe beach house.
ROBIN: Has a nice little Southern-charm feel to it.
I think it looks beautiful.
This condo is 2-bedrooms. It has 1 1/2 baths.
We're hoping for two, but most importantly,
how close is it to the beach?
That's the good part.
You're right across the street.
And you have beach views from your porch.
It's only eight units in this complex.
One rarely comes on the market,
so it's really a great bargain at $369,500
and fully furnished.
Can't believe this is in our budget.
It's not quite within our budget.
I know, it's a little above our budget,
but maybe it's something we could work with.
Why don't you go in and take a look around?
Then we'll go down and see the best part.
Sounds like a deal.
ROBIN: Wow. This looks nice.
There's enough room for all of us and the dog.
Yeah, it's a good space.
I think the whole family could sit here comfortably.
Check out the view.
Wow. Look at this.
Great shot of the ocean.
KEVIN: I definitely love the porch.
Nice space here to entertain.
The location of this place is perfect.
This is what it's all about.
This is beach living right here.
Okay.
This is a nice dining area.
Room enough for all of us to sit and eat.
But this kitchen is big enough for our purposes.
We all know how much I love to cook.
Here's the bathroom.
I don't know if I'm a fan of it being off the kitchen.
But it's a bathroom,
an extra bathroom, so that's great.
KEVIN: And more storage.
This is where they have the washer and dryer.
Great to store beach stuff --
chairs and Boogie Boards --
and keep it out of the way.
And they have a desk in here, too,
so maybe they use it as an office space.
I like it.
I guess this is the master bedroom.
It's nice.
It's decent size.
Neutral colors.
A lot of space for renters
or just to store our own stuff.
Well, here's the bathroom.
I think this is the only full bath.
I mean, it's great. It's nice.
But I don't know about sharing a bathroom
with kids and guests.
Definitely don't want to share the bathroom
with another couple, for sure.
This is nice, too.
I don't know. Bad for the kids.
We'd have to get either bunk beds or twins or something.
Not a super large room.
All three of our kids in here is not realistic.
I think they'd just be happy to be at the beach.
I think you're right.
Okay, guys.
ROBIN: That was a great condo.
The views are fabulous. Love 'em.
It's very nice.
Okay, let's go see the best part.
Absolutely. Let's go.
This is amazing. Wow.
I know.
This is perfect. Just what I was hoping for.
Look at this.
KEVIN: It's like your own private beach right here.
ROBIN: Great view. I mean, this is fabulous.
The kids would love this.
Early morning with the dog.
Mm-hmm.
Well, I can't get this close without going down.
Let's go.
ROBIN: Amazing. Yes.
I could sit here with my book in my hands.
That's my favorite thing to do.
What about the tide when it comes in?
Do we lose a lot of the beach?
You do.
At this location, when the tide comes in,
it'll be water up to the rocks.
You will not have any beach.
What do you think?
KEVIN: I really like the place. I like the location.
I think it's great, but it's not quite on the beach.
The only concern is that there was only 1 1/2 baths.
There wasn't two full baths.
The price is a little bit of a concern.
It is above our budget.
I understand.
I think there may be a little wiggle room.
That was one reason I wanted you to see this,
because look behind you.
These condos right on the ocean go for $1 million-plus.
Sure is a million-dollar view.
It is, so, at one block off,
it's quite a deal to be able to get something at that price,
but I understand your concern,
and we can certainly look at some others
and give you an option here.
Perfect.
Could be a great view.
I don't know what's with this tree.
KEVIN: This is crazy.
What do you think?
ALLIE: I love it.
KEVIN: The St. Simons beaches are great
because of the tide differential
between high tide and low tide.
So it's great for riding bikes.
These tide pools are really cool.
I bet you when the tide's completely out,
you can probably find a lot of cool creatures in there.
ROBIN: It's great being here.
We can come down, relax, ride bikes on the beach.
It just brings us closer together as a family.
We'll have to swim out to the sandbar sometime.
Well, that is if you guys can handle it.
I'm up for the challenge.
I'm not. [ Chuckles ]
I'm in.
That's beautiful.
KEVIN: Now, this is the best beach on the island, I think.
It looks like this place is close to the marsh.
How do you feel about that?
I certainly wouldn't mind being near the marsh.
I just hope that it's not so far from the beach.
I'm showing Kevin and Robin the Tree Top Condos.
I'm asking Robin and Kevin to meet me at the ocean first
because this condo is
just a couple-minute walk from the ocean.
ROBIN: This is a beautiful day.
Oh, it is lovely.
Great little spot on the beach here.
Absolutely.
Are you telling me you're gonna show us
a place right here on the beach?
Not quite, but it's about a two-minute walk.
I can't quite get one of these for you in your price range,
but I want you to see the beach first,
and the unit we're gonna look at is a little bit larger.
It's a 3-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath townhome.
Wow.
It's a bike ride to the village.
Being sold fully furnished at $356,000.
Does it have more than one floor?
It does -- it's a three-level condo,
and the master is on the top level.
It is.
That was pretty close.
Yeah, it was pretty quick, wasn't it?
Only a few steps from the ocean,
you can have the best of both this time.
Why don't you go take a look?
Let me know what you think.
Thank you.
Let's check out the downstairs first.
This is a nice room for the kids.
Nice size. Twin beds.
They have their own patio.
Their own patio. This is pretty.
Nice little private outdoor area.
Yeah, this is cool.
I love the oak tree with the Spanish moss.
There's a gate right there,
so this is where we come back from the beach.
To the great outdoor shower -- no sand tracked in the house.
No.
Can't beat that.
Let's check it out.
I like the fact that there's tile on the floor here.
Yeah, especially with them coming in and out of that door.
This is a closet.
Oh. Interesting use of space.
I hope that's not the third bedroom.
So, which one of the kids are we sticking in there?
[ Chuckles ] The one who annoys us the most.
The funny thing is, I think the cousins
would fight over who gets to sleep in here.
You're right. They probably would.
Nice bathroom.
It joins the next bedroom.
Great size.
Certainly big enough for the kids to share.
And here's the third bedroom.
Looks great. Nice size.
Twin beds.
Great little apartment, really, for the kids down here.
Wow, it's huge up here.
Love the hardwood floors.
Yeah, this is a great room.
The kitchen looks great.
I mean, look at how spacious it is.
We could be cooking in here,
and we can enjoy our company and the kids --
not that they want to hang out with us, but you know.
This is much more than I ever expected.
I know. I agree. It's...huge.
Well, here's the master suite.
This is huge.
It is a big room.
Space all to ourselves.
Wow, look at this, Kev. Our own private terrace.
Could be a great view.
I don't know what's with this tree.
This is crazy.
I love the fact that we have our own balcony,
but the tree would definitely have to go.
Yeah, I mean, we'd have a clear shot at the marsh from here.
And at night, the sunsets are gonna be beautiful.
Yeah, it'll be great sitting here,
just the two of us, bottle of wine.
Nobody to bother us. Kids two floors below.
This is definitely Tree Top condos. That's for sure.
Hey.
Beautiful.
It's not on the beach, but it does have
a lot of the other qualities that we're looking for.
And it has plenty of space for our family.
We could probably live in something like this long term.
Yeah.
Well, I guess we have a lot of thinking to do.
Well, just give me a call when you've made a decision.
Okay.
Well, let's talk about the one right on the beach --
the Beach Club.
KEVIN: The size of the unit is a concern,
but when I went out to the back and saw the pool area,
I think the unit would definitely appeal to renters.
It doesn't feel small when you're in there.
The way that they have the bedrooms set up
on both sides of the living room...
We would have privacy, as would our guests or the kids.
I like the beachy feel and the balcony.
We have a view of the ocean.
Great little spot for me to have my morning tea.
At $349,900, it is at the top of our budget,
so there's no wiggle room if you want to do any improvements.
Let's talk about Riverwatch.
I was pleasantly surprised by how big the unit is.
It was the cheapest we saw and well within our budget.
However, it's not by the beach.
Had a lot of Southern charm.
I think it's a good investment.
It had water views from that terrific balcony.
I really did love that view.
The two bedrooms were pretty close to each other.
The living space is certainly big enough,
but I'm concerned about the 1 1/2 baths.
At $369,000, that's at the top of our budget.
That's not at the top of our budget. That's over our budget.
It's over.
So, what did you think about Tree Top?
I really liked Tree Top.
And I can't believe that we can
get so much beach house for $356,000.
I know. The place is massive.
I like the fact that we would have
our own separate living quarters up on the third floor.
And the kids are downstairs.
There's not much of a view now,
but once someone comes in and takes the tree down,
the view will be spectacular.
It'll be gorgeous.
So, I think we just have to make a decision.
Are we on the same page?
I'm always on your page.
You didn't make it easy for us.
We've been dreaming about having a home at the beach forever,
and you showed us such great properties.
What did you choose?
You're teasing me!
[ Laughs ]
We decided on Beach Club.
Perfect. I think you made a great decision.
I wanted property that had good rental return.
I just can't wait to get my feet in the sand.
Oh, I know.
And I can't thank you enough for your help.
You were wonderful.
Oh, thank you, guys. You've been a pleasure to work with.
They're having a great time.
The Beach Club is the perfect vacation home for us
'cause the kids can just pick up and go to the beach
whenever they want.
KEVIN: Corey and Allie play with the soccer ball.
I like throwing the football around with the kids.
Go.
I like to just sit there with my book in my hand,
enjoying them having a good time.
Hey, Rob.
Why don't you go long? I'll hit you in the water.
I don't think so.
Yeah, I was very happy
with the end purchase price for the condo,
particularly what the units are selling for now.
Kevin doesn't think anything's a bargain
unless he can do some negotiating,
so I think we did great.