West Palm Beach, Florida, is known for its lavish lifestyle, fine dining spots, luxury boutiques, and its high-end real estate market. If you are planning to make this place home, you’ll be glad to know that West Palm Beach offers plenty of attractions worth exploring during the day and night. Those who want to get out in the sun can head east to the location’s beautiful, scenic beaches. If you’re looking to go on a shopping spree, Worth Avenue is the best place to go.
Florida’s West Palm Beach also has a lot for art lovers, with the Norton Museum for Art being a hub for thousands of art enthusiasts. Job growth in Palm Beach County has been on the rise for the past few years and is expected to rise further. If you work in the hospitality or entertainment industries, you will find plenty of employment opportunities here.
Spectator sports and performing arts jobs are expected to experience a massive growth of 49%, while the hospitality and leisure industry could grow by 31% in the coming years. Similar to a lot of Florida locales, West Palm Beach has a slightly high cost of living compared to the national average. Fortunately, however, it isn’t as high as South Florida and other major cities. It would be fair to say that Florida is a quite moderately priced location for those who want urban amenities and beach living.
The schooling system in this area provides numerous options, making West Palm Beach a great option for those with kids. Besides the plethora of charter, private and public schools in this area, West Palm Beach also has the Dreyfoos School of Arts for students who want to excel in an arts-centered career.
The Team Visits Worth Avenue
Robert Slack LLCs Dan Walters and Cat Flanagan started their trip to West Palm Beach by watching the beautiful sunrise near the Worth Avenue clock tower. After that, they made their way to meet the team leaders for Robert Slack, Palm Beach, Chris, and Brittany Mason. Of course, Cat wanted to take a good look at the variety of luxury boutiques that made her feel right at home.
After meeting Chris and Brittany at one of the scenic courtyards at Worth Avenue, Dan explained how the place looks phenomenal. Chris goes on to talk about how, besides the fine dining spots and boutiques, Worth Avenue has various hidden courtyards where visitors can enjoy privacy along with everything the neighborhood has to offer. Not to mention, the beach is only a five-minute walk away.
Together Brittany and Chris lead a team of 50 agents, who Brittany expresses is like family to them. The high-end real estate market at Palm Beach Island offers a variety of expensive properties. It’s also home to Billionaire Row, where 33 billionaires own properties on the street. Combined, their total net worth is over $262 billion, making the area the 3rd richest zip code in the US. With many billionaires moving to the area to buy properties, the average price for homes starts at around $10 million.
Of course, these properties only represent a small fraction of the properties in West Palm Beach. The market also offers condos, with those in Palm Beach Island starting at $1 million. As you go into other areas like Wellington, Jupiter, and Stuart, the average price for homes is around $541,000.
Chris and Brittany explain that they were captivated by the scenery when they moved to Palm Beach County. In fact, the top three things they love about the area include the A-rated schools, the amazing restaurants, and how close it is to places like Juno Beach and Ocean Reef Park. Chris also mentions that there’s a great entertainment district downtown near Clematis, like the Kravis Center, which hosts various performing arts shows. Dan sums it up by saying that West Palm Beach is close to the beach, has a great nightlife scene, and you don’t have to be a Billionaire to live there.
Checking out the Jupiter Listings
After taking a sneak peek at Worth Avenue, Cat Flanagan headed to check out a real estate listing in the Jupiter residential area. Cat caught up with Michelle, the property’s realtor, and Robert Slack LLCs agent. Michelle shared her experience working in the Robert Slack team, stating that she was incredibly happy about how family-oriented the culture is at the company.
After that, Cat and Michelle got to work exploring the listing. Cat noted that the property was very spacious, with a huge ceiling and windows, giving it a grand look. The large windows let in plenty of natural light, giving the home a serene and peaceful feel. One of the most notable things about this property was that it was six thousand square feet under air, along with a lot of special touches like quartzite on the wall and a gas fireplace, making it a great entertainment home.
The agents then moved on to the property’s dining room, where Michelle revealed that the home had hosted plenty of parties. She also mentioned that her in-laws own the home and that they’ve hosted plenty of family functions there. This property features a massive chef’s kitchen, and Cat noticed that the kitchen island was big enough for the whole family to sit down and have breakfast.
Cat also noticed that the concept of natural lighting was consistent throughout the home, including the kitchen, which has a peek-a-boo window over the sink. The agents then made their way toward the living space, which was characterized by a neutral color scheme and an artistic flair.
Michelle explains that her father-in-law’s father was a sculptor, so many of his pieces are placed throughout the property to give it an artistic ambiance.
Upstairs, Michelle showed off the spacious en suite bedrooms along with a media room. The media room was designed like a mini-home theater with room for 7 to 10 people, with some nostalgic retro posters.
As the agents enter the property’s backyard, Cat mentions how the home is truly an entertainer’s dream. With a massive saltwater pool, a beautiful spa overlooking the lake, and an outdoor kitchen, this listing once again proved that it could be the ideal place to relax and enjoy the amenities of the Jupiter Country Club.
After leaving the impressive property, Cat and Michelle talk about the exclusive Jupiter Country Club, which has a variety of amenities like fitness centers, a clubhouse, a restaurant, a golf course, tennis courts, and a lot more. What’s best about the entire Jupiter area is that it has almost everything that one would want and is only ten minutes away from the beach.
Exploring the Historic Inn
While Cat was looking at the Jupiter listing with Michelle, Dan went down to the Palm Beach Historic Inn, where he was greeted by Priscilla, the general manager. This small boutique hotel has only thirteen rooms and is located in the heart of Palm Beach, right at the center, with the Town Hall right across the street and the beach a short walk away. Only a block away from Worth Avenue, the Historic Inn has been around since 1923 and was originally known as the Buckley building.
Priscilla explains that the hotel’s management has been renovating and making improvements for many years, making sure that it is up to guests’ standards. Most of this hotel’s guests are from New York, who love Palm Beach and want to stay on the Island.
As the hotel is only a few steps away from the beach, it offers beach chairs, towels, and other items. Historic Inn’s management makes sure that the stuff is easy to carry and guests don’t even have to check in with them.
Dan noticed that the hotel’s courtyard had a very European look, to which Priscilla responded by telling him that it was indeed the case. Priscilla, who came to the US from Portugal, designed the courtyard to make it feel more homely. Historic Inn serves continental breakfast and coffee, offering guests a European dining experience.
Discussing Florida Funding with a Seasoned Expert
Cat interviews Gary Crowder, the Senior Loan Officer at Florida Funding, to talk about the supposed housing bubble and whether the interest rates will ever stop rising. Gary starts off by saying that he doesn’t believe that it’s currently a doom-and-gloom scenario.
Instead, the main issue revolves around whether house prices are increasing or decreasing. Historically, housing prices have always increased, and there are only a couple of scenarios where the prices have mirrored inflation. In every other scenario, however, properties have appreciated much faster than inflation.
Gary stated that it is a given that inflation will only grow, so houses will continue to appreciate. Hence, it takes out the question of whether it is a bubble or not. The crux of it all is that you shouldn’t try to time the market because if you don’t invest in real estate now, there is a good chance that you will eventually end up refinancing the mortgage, which will make the cost go down. So, now is a better time than ever to invest in Florida real estate and benefit from the price appreciation that’s set to follow.
Grabbing a Bite – Florida Style
After exploring different parts of West Palm Beach, Florida, Kat and Dan went to grab a bite at one of Florida’s most famous restaurants, Plant Based Mafia. Upon meeting the restaurant’s owner, Daniel Costanzo, Cat stated that she has been to loads of restaurants in Florida, but this really stands out. The co-owner mentioned that the restaurant serves 100% plant based dishes, so no matter what item you choose from the menu, you wouldn’t be able to tell that you’re eating a plant-based dish.
This restaurant’s menu includes plenty of Italian dishes, which are a favorite for people from Long Island, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. While Plant Based Mafia is a relatively young company and has only been around for one year, it has gained a fair bit of popularity, so much so that they are already opening several branches in the Orlando-Tampa area.
Just like Robert Slack, Plant Based Mafia is all about family and gives its chefs creative freedom to try different ingredients and combinations, some of which have made it into their menu.
The idea of opening a plant-based restaurant came to Daniel Costanzo’s mind when he suffered some cardiovascular issues back in 2014. After recovering, Daniel adopted a plant-based diet to support his health, which eventually led to a passion for making the foods he loved, but with plants.
Conch Cruise with the Crew
If you want to explore the turquoise blue waters of West Palm Beach, you cannot miss out on the Conch Cruises. This cruise runs all day and costs ten bucks a person. Visitors can hop on, and the captain will take them around Jupiter Island and back. While the trip may be a little short, it offers people a lot to see. If you want to enjoy a longer cruise, you can always book a custom trip. The longest custom trip booked so far has been eight and a half hours.
You can customize your trips to stay on the water for a long period, or you can ask your captain to take you somewhere to see the manatees, sea turtles, and other local aquatic life. On the cruise, you will also get to see the Jupiter lighthouse, which is the oldest and tallest structure in Palm Beach County. The lighthouse is so big that you can see it twenty-four nautical miles away offshore.
Why Move to West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach’s warm Gulf weather is among the biggest reasons why so many people plan on moving here. The warm river that enters from the Gulf of Mexico gives West Palm Beach’s waters a gorgeous turquoise color. This makes the location a fantastic choice for people who love swimming and other water-based recreational activities, even when it’s cold.
The area is very family-oriented, as Brittany and Chris pointed out, because West Palm Beach has over 180 top-notch schools, making it the eighth-biggest school district in the US. Besides the exceptional early learning schools, WPB also has prestigious colleges and universities, giving students the opportunity to pursue a bright future in academia.
West Palm Beach’s economy has grown significantly over the years, making it an excellent destination for young graduates and job seekers. The location also has loads of jobs in the food service, healthcare, hospitality, and retail industries. And while it’s easy to spend most, if not all, your time at the beaches in West Palm Beach, there are plenty of other recreational spots too.
These spots attract tourists and locals alike. You can head out for some kayaking and learn about Florida’s ecosystem. Or, you can try hiking, as there are plenty of trails at the Grassy Waters Everglades Preserve. If you want to surround yourself with nature, you can head over to the Big Cypress Natural Preserve to appreciate the natural beauty and enjoy bird watching, off-roading, or canoeing.
And if you’re a baseball fan, you can go see teams train in West Palm Beach, Florida. The destination hosts 4 teams during February and March. Besides watching the teams train and play, you can also get photos and autographs from your favorite players. Watch the Washington Nationals or the Houston Astros at the Palm Beaches ballpark. While you’re at it, why not have double the fun at the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, where you can watch the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals prepare for baseball season?
Final Thoughts
With so much to offer, it only makes sense to want to move to West Palm Beach, Florida. Remember, there is no point in waiting for house prices to go down. If you want to get a property here, the best time to invest is now. Otherwise, you may end up paying higher interest rates and miss out on the appreciation that adds to your home’s resale value.