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South Padre Island is a beach resort town located off the southernmost tip of Texas. This sub-tropical paradise is one of the fastest growing island destinations for vacationing families, spring break college students, honeymooners, and retirees alike. Without the high costs, it is now ranked among the top beaches in the United States for being au natural. For a relaxing respite or adventure-filled excitement, Padre has something for everyone.

It’s easy for investors to find information on vacation homes. By visiting respectable websites, travelers can quickly find the vacation home that’s right for them.

Texas Gulf Coast Online’s network of respectable real estate professionals make it possible for almost anyone to find affordable rentals on the Texas Coast. Vacation homes tend to be less expensive than hotel rooms. This is especially true if you’re traveling with extended family or a group of friends.

When airfare gets expensive, people start taking road trips instead. Even with gas prices relatively high, it’s still far cheaper to drive a couple hundred miles to your mountain cabin than to fly to some lavish vacation destination. “Even with the bad economy, people need to take vacations,” says Karpinski. “In fact, psychologically, they may need to get away more than ever. A fairly inexpensive stay in a nearby vacation home is the perfect solution.”

The weak dollar makes U.S. tourist destinations attractive to European travelers, whose currency is still strong. “On my recent trip to Hawaii, I noticed a lot of German tourists,” notes Karpinski. “And when I speak to many of the vacation homeowners I work with, they confirm that they’ve encountered a surprisingly high number of European travelers lately.”

Business travelers still need a place to stay. When corporations must meet with business associates -- who increasingly hail from overseas -- they need good lodging solutions. Enter the vacation home. “More and more executives are putting their guests up in vacation homes instead of cramped, impersonal hotel rooms,” notes Karpinski. “It’s a far more comfortable option; plus many companies work out deals with homeowners whereby they can get ‘volume discounts.’ It’s a win/win for all parties involved.”

Six Reasons to Buy a Vacation Home Now

As the real estate market continues its bumpy road toward recovery, the vacation home market is heating up, causing homeowners around the country to seriously consider buying the vacation home they’ve been eyeing. Margaret La Grange and Christine Van Tuyl, an award-winning mother-daughter team with Prudential offer the top six reasons why now is the best time to buy a vacation home.

“Whether you’re looking for a charming beach bungalow or a high rise condo with spectacular views, a host of market conditions have come together to make buying a vacation home a smart move,” said Christine Van Tuyl. “The drop in home prices, incredibly low interest rates and the increase in demand for vacation rentals make it an optimal time to explore a second home purchase.”

1. Prices down 20-40%. you can pick up a beach cottage or high-rise condo at extremely low prices. That’s only the beginning. Lower prices and less competition are the tip of the iceberg-sized list of factors that make it a good time to consider a vacation home buy.

2. Interest rates. Rates, of course, are at historic lows. Lock in a good rate, buy a vacation home in a desirable location, and watch your asset appreciate over the long-term.

3. A relatively safe investment. Real estate has proven itself to be a safe place to park your money for the long-term. (Long-term is key). Stock market woes have always pushed people to look for alternate investments, and real estate is a consistent stronghold.

4. Make a profit. Or, better yet, make your vacation home pay for itself. Only planning on using your vacation home a few months out of the year? Rent it out short-term to vacationers looking for a great place to stay. Many homeowners make a killing listing their homes on VRBO.com. (Vacation Rental By Owner). When your monthly mortgage payment is less than or equal to one peak week rental, twelve weeks of rental will cover your mortgage payments for the entire year.

5. Vacation rental demand is heating up. Overall, vacation rentals are less expensive than hotel rooms, especially for longer visits and for families. Savvy travelers know this, and are heating up the demand for vacation rentals. In addition, the weaker dollar makes U.S. destinations attractive to travelers from countries with stronger currencies.

6. The pressure of bidding wars is off. Sure, you may not get bargain basement prices on a beachfront cottage—but you might if you’re willing to buy a few blocks away. Houses aren’t exactly flying off the shelves these days, but buyers now have less pressure to make a hasty decision. Buyers looking for deals on vacation homes can really do their homework.

Comments

Party Animal @ Friday, September 10, 2010 9:05 PM

Ya Baby, Party on! Forget all of the economic doom-and-gloom! The beach is THE place to be! Buy a beachfront condo to HAVE FUN YEAR ROUND....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlmQyL3vsxI&feature=related

Or, if you're not the party animal type, how about a nice slow sailboat ride along the shore of South Padre?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAry6eIro-E&p=F5550E2EFC05E01C&playnext=1&index=53

Or, maybe you like to fish. We got that too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjo__iqzfsg

P.S. I heard an unconfirmed rumor that the "fishing companion" in the above video (dressed in white) used to work for Alice. Clearly Alice has the best real estate office on the island, no doubt about it.

Beach Advocate @ Saturday, October 16, 2010 11:42 AM

Yes, South Padre has the best beaches in all of Texas, no argument there!

I do however wonder if South Padre's close proximity to Mexico is slowly turning into more of a liability than the asset it once was. Nuevo Progresso was once a great side trip for island visitors, but for the first time I can ever remember, Homeland Security is now telling people to completely avoid Mexico:

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/top_stories/Texas-Issue-Travel-Warning-for-Mexico-20101015-ktbcw

On the bright side, the USA economy is slowly recovering. It seems to be recovering at a snail's pace, but clearly the economy is better than it was a year or two ago. That will help counteract the impact the deteriorating Mexico situation is having on the South Padre real estate market.

Fair or not, this recent increase in Mexican violence will impact island tourism and the local real estate business. The situation in Mexico is getting worse, and there is no end in sight. What that means for potential buyers is that the deals are great, so seriously consider buying your island condo NOW. One of these days you will be telling your grandchildren about how you managed to steal a beautiful beach front condo for such a rock-bottom price, when everybody else was running away scared. Seriously, unless this situation in Mexico drags on indefinitely, it's hard to imagine the island property deals getting much better than this. You can be sure that when the economy recovers, and the spare change returns to people's pockets, tourists are going to be spending big bucks $$$ again on beautiful South Padre Island. We may be in the middle of the worst economic mess of a lifetime, but the island's aesthetic value endures through all economic cycles.

Peltier @ Saturday, October 16, 2010 8:24 PM

I will make you a wager. I will go to Mexico and you go to East St Louis. We will report back in a week. What does Fox News know about anything? They are foreign owned entertainment group. Second biggest shareholder is a Saudi and Rudy tore his million dollar check up after comments he made after the WTC. Only problem violence causes is it makes it hard for Mexicans to get to SPI via car. The plans to remedy that by charter air are already in the works. SPI is safer, more affordable, and a better value than any coastal property in the USA. Those Aussies and Saudi's who own Fox News should do stories about something they know something about. I am personally telling you from first hand knowledge. There is not one person in SPI who even worries about violence.

Mexico is no different than any foreign country. You can get into trouble if you don't know what you are doing. Alice goes to Mexico all the time. There are parts of Houston I won't even drive through and Fox News is worried about SPI?

Beach Advocate @ Friday, October 22, 2010 5:28 AM

I guess you could blame the news outlets for less than balanced reporting of the Valley's problems associated with being so close to the drug battles in Mexico, but that is a tricky argument to make. It's true that sensationalism sells newspapers and TV ads, so those reporters are always going to be hunting for the most grizzly stories they can find. On the other hand, when I look at how constrained the news outlets in Mexico have been in reporting all the local violence, I am glad to live in the USA! Reporting on crime down there has become a very dangerous occupation, and citizens are forced to depend on social networks like Twitter to get the latest information.

Perhaps we should challenge all media outlets to report at least 3 good stories about the island for every bad story they report. I don't know about you, but I really appreciate the recent coverage of Sand Castle Days, which I consider one of the premier events of the year for the island. South Padre has the best beaches in Texas!

Peltier @ Friday, October 22, 2010 7:23 AM

Well it's a full moon, my birthday and for some odd reason, which happens about every 6 months,I haven't slept in about 29 hours. Since I know Mike and Alice are asleep I will drink this coffee and suggest something. Sometimes you have to create your own news. Now I am not any way shape or form anything less than an expert on all subjects having been cursed with a mind that never forgets anything and I mean everything since I was about three years old. What SPI needs to do is throw some sort of festival slap dab in the middle of the worse month for business on the island. Bolivar and Galveston have their Mardis Gras. I have an idea for one that in my honest opinion will rent the entire place and fill every business to the brim.

I saw this light show video on the side of a building in Vegas which was truly amazing.

I also met a man in Houston a long time ago, notice I said met I'm not claiming to be a friend of his or anything else. His name was Townes van Zandt.

So there is my idea for a SPI festival. A Townes van Zandt music festival with some sort of giant projector like they had in Vegas showing videos of Townes on a giant building with a sound system.

Most likely the greatest American folk songwriter of all time. Chamber of Commerce needs to "make their own news". That's my idea or come up with your own. But fact is in winter months you need something. I know one thing Townes is not a bad idea. There are people from all over the known world who love the man's music. Now something like that may cost to much that I admit I don't know. Trust me on one thing, if they could pull that off it would eventually grow to enormous proportions.

Every successful endeavor always has a person or persons behind it that made their own news.

Do you have an idea for a festival weekend?

Beach Advocate @ Friday, October 22, 2010 11:54 AM

Dan Q. is a good man, but from what I can see his CVB lacks the effectiveness anybody would expect from a commercial enterprise. That's not to suggest he's totally wasting our money, only that we need a bit more accountability. Obviously many of the factors which affect his success are beyond his immediate control (i.e weather, economy, Mexico problems, etc.), but that doesn't mean we should just continue to shovel money into his organization and continue to wish him luck.

I don't know about the laser show idea. That might be more expensive than you can imagine, due to coordination with the FAA, and any other government organizations that regulate high powered lasers. It might be worth looking to though. They do that at Fiesta Texas, and people really like it. Along those lines that big light coming out of the Luxor pyramid in Vegas certainly attracts a lot of attention, and doesn't cost much.

Every time they haul one of those old WWII submarines or warships into Brownsville to be scrapped it makes me upset. Putting a big WWII submarine in the middle of town for tourists to crawl through would be a great tourist attraction, and wouldn't cost much. (Look at how many tourists the Lexington attracts in Corpus) Or, you could simply sink one of them offshore and turn the island into a diving mecca. It might even help with beach erosion.

Another thing we could do is find some way to diversify the local economy, away from tourism. Galveston has had a lot of luck with that medical school. (that was a real catch!) Or perhaps SPI would make a good home for some kind of oceanagraphic research center - start developing the north end of the island a bit more. A serious sailing school. A scuba diving school. A seafood culinary school. Boat sales/repair. Botanical garden. Race track. (Anything but gambling!) The list of possible commercial businesses goes on and on. A few tax breaks for the right kind of businesses would help get the ball rolling.

Another idea is to sell/lease the convention center to some business that has a direct financial interest in attracting more visitors. If run better, that convention center could even help turn a profit for the city, instead of the bonds being a constant liability.

The cruise ship idea is cute, but to make that work would require a clever "good ole boy" network to deal with the cruise lines. I like to keep it simple. Sponsor a bikini contest in front of the Radisson every few months, like they have with Spring Break, that wouldn't cost much. Have the local brewery sponsor it, and you've got a winning combination - beer and broads.

How about some kind of seafood festival - like the "Shrimp Fest" that happens this month on the Alabama coast. Prizes for who has the best shrimp recipe. Or "Clamfest", or whatever highlights the unique island atmosphere.

That kite surfer event we had a while back was pretty cool. Attract a group like that, and the tourists will come. The trick is to find an activity that FORCES people to come, as they are part of a larger group, whether they like it or not. After they get here they'll fall in love with the place, and we'll get more reliable future business. If CVB could offer a "bounty" to ANYBODY who sells beds, that could work well.

Another thing I would like to see is South Padre breed some kind of beach erosion control research center. Beach erosion is a HUGE problem worldwide, and I suspect every country in the world with an oceanfront beach would be interested in contributing to a formal research center. Let those scientists turn our island into their laboratory, and we reap the benefits!

In other words, I think CVB should redefine their mission. Instead of "running the show", they should hunt for commercial businesses to "run the show", and compensate them for MEASUREABLE results.

No, I'm not running for Mayor, but this town needs some serious fresh new ideas. It's easy to drive with the cruise control on when times are good, but when you hit a rough patch in the economy you have to reevaluate the way you do business. We have the most beautiful beach in Texas, and this place has tremendous potential. We just need new management. Bring the people, and real estate sales will follow...

Peltier @ Friday, October 22, 2010 2:58 PM

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein

Harry D. @ Tuesday, November 02, 2010 8:19 PM

This recent article about South Padre beaches caught my attention:

http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/articles/spi-118537-island-lawsuit.html

Everybody knows that daytrippers from the valley mess up the public beaches on both ends of the city. That's indisputable. It's sad, but by law island day trippers are also entitled to use the island's beaches.

Over the years, development on the beach side of Gulf Blvd has effectively choked off most public access to the island's central beaches, at least from a practical standpoint. Officials get around this by the so called skinny "beach accesses" along Gulf Blvd. Consider the dinky one that is little more than an exit to the Inverness parking garage, and you can see why day trippers are getting upset. Combine that with the recent parking restrictions on side streets, and it's just like throwing gasoline on the fire. Daytrippers are mad as hell. (Personally I think most of the anger is directed at the police who are now handing out parking tickets, where they didn't before.)

My fear is that if somebody really challenges the island's implementation of the Texas Open Beaches Act, south padre doesn't stand a chance. Read the law for yourself:

"The public... shall have the free and unrestricted right of ingress and egress to and from the state-owned beaches bordering on the seaward shore of the Gulf of Mexico ... extending from the line of mean low tide to the line of vegetation bordering on the Gulf of Mexico."

South Padre can't stand a serious challenge to their implementation of this law. Access to SPI central beaches by the public become a sick joke decades ago. I don't see how any reasonable judge could rule in the favor of current island restrictions. The only question I have is whether the general public will ever mount a SERIOUS challenge to the existing laws, and what would happen if they did. The government obviously can't tear down existing beach condos to increase beach access, but I can quite easily imagine them allowing public parking on many of the streets adjacent to the beach. They might even be able to force the city to buy empty lots and turn them into public beach parking lots. Who knows.

Will this nightmare scenario for property owners really happen? I don't know, but I can tell you that with the poor economy the pressure is going to increase on the local government to increase public access to the beaches. For every person who can no longer afford a beach condo rental due to the poor economy, there will be one more visitor to the island's public beaches. That can't possibly be good for island property owners.

If you doubt the determination of the daytrippers to "take back the beaches", then just look at all the angry feedback that has been posted below the above article. All it takes is for one clever politician to pick up on all the public anger, and mount a serious challenge to the existing beach access restrictions. Then watch property values go down, down, down.

Just envision the Franke Brothers having to open up the gates to their private beach development. That would be wild, now wouldn't it?

At this point I'm not sure what property owners can do about this new wave of public anger. Perhaps lobby the mayor to get the police to stop handing out parking tickets, or repeal the new parking restrictions altogether. That would be a good place to start. And do it ASAP, before this whole matter gets out of hand, and backfires on property owners.

Beach Swimmer @ Sunday, November 28, 2010 3:44 AM

Want another excuse to buy South Padre property? Despite being located only about eight miles north of where the highly polluted Rio Grande empties into the Gulf, The Natural Resources Defense Council claims that South Padre has the cleanest beach water in the state! Check out the data for yourself:

http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/200beaches.asp

In general, it looks like the further north you go up the Texas coast, the lower the water quality. For example, South Padre's water is rated "four stars", while Galveston's water is only rated "two stars".

In all fairness, it looks like you can't get a "five star" rating unless the water is tested (and passes) more than once a week. In other words it is is quite possible that South Padre already has "five star" beach water quality, we just don't test the water frequently enough to claim the higher rating.

I wonder how much it would cost to test the water a little more frequently? If we could obtain that highly coveted "five star" rating, it could really help island tourism and increase property values. Or maybe we don't want to start a daily testing program, because we would never pass? Really, I have no idea, but it's a fair question.

Last year there was only one "five star" beach water quality rating on the entire Gulf Coast, at Gulf Shores Beach in Alabama, and I bet their final rating this year will significantly diminish due to the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill. One thing for sure, the water here at South Padre is a lot warmer here than it is up there in Alabama! Seriously, I think South Padre would have a good chance to be the only "five star" rated beach water in the entire gulf, if we just made the required daily testing effort to obtain the title.

The bottom line is that right now beach water quality should be a source of great pride for South Padre. So why don't you realtors advertise it a bit more? This is free publicity. Call the newspapers today! When the surf is calm, that water has a beautiful and very inviting aqua-blue color to it, like you find in a Carribean resort.....

Giby W. @ Tuesday, November 30, 2010 10:56 PM

If you're interested in South Padre beach erosion, here is a fascinating article regarding the current Cancun beach erosion situation:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101130/ap_on_sc/lt_climate_cancun_s_eroding_beaches

I thought I heard all the reasons why SPI's beach is eroding, but the above article mentions some unusual reasons for Cancun's beach erosion that may well apply to SPI's beach:

"Tall hotels force winds downward onto the beach, creating eddies that encourage erosion."

"...the very weight of big hotels might be pressing the unstable sand peninsula downward."

I'm not a wind expert, so I can't comment on the first theory. The second one however sounds plausible, especially considering the recent Ocean Towers fiasco. Could it be that putting all those tall heavy condos on top of a sand bar is actually slowly sinking the sand bar? It's an interesting thought to ponder. The truth is that we have so many tall high rises on the beach that you can't even see the sun set in most places on the beach. But is all that weight so close to the water also contributing to beach erosion?

It's also interesting how much more attention the Mexicans seem to be giving their own resort beaches, compared to the minimal annual renurishment project on SPI. I think we got the Corp of Engineers to spend about $6M renourishing SPI's beach last year, yet the Mexicans spent $70M to renourish their beach last year. I guess if SPI tourists were having to deal with a Cancun style "beach cliff", we would probably also be spending more heavily on beach projects:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlOwjyY2Peo

Valley Morning Star @ Sunday, December 19, 2010 11:24 AM

It looks like Washington forgot to allocate money to rebuild South Padre beaches this coming year:

http://www.asbpa.org/pdfs/BeachFundingTableStartingFY11.pdf

Perhaps the town should hire a lobbyist to make sure we don't get left out again next year. 2011 could be a tough year for South Padre Beaches, as discussed below in an article from the Valley Morning Star. It looks like they're going to rob the sand from in front of the old Radisson, and give it to the La Quinta. I guess "Coca Cola" beach is going to be a little smaller this coming year when the Spring Breakers get here. What a shame.

How in the world did the Hilton and La Quinta get priority over the Radisson? That sounds kind of fishy to me.

To me this whole project looks like a desperation tactic on the part of local officials to make sure every part of the island has a beach this coming year. (OK, I can rationalize that.) But how would you like to be staying at the Radisson right now, also paying the extra tax earmarked in part to rebuild the beaches, when in fact they are removing part of the beach in front of your hotel!!! Sad.

I don't believe for a minute that any kind of natural beach replensihment is taking place in front of the old Radission. The reason they have the biggest beach is because they have the biggest setback. And now our local officials think the Radisson needs to share its wealth of sand. If I was a Radisson condo owner right now I would be furious.

Folks, here is something to think about. Put aside for a minute any argument of who's entitled to the island's remaining sand. Overall the beaches can only be neglected for so long before the tourists stop coming. To me, this latest "Robin Hood Beach Project" looks like more evidence that our beaches are slowly eroding away. It takes many years to develop a reputation for great beaches, and only a single bad season to destroy that reputation. If we don't rebuild our beach EVERY year, it could be really terrible for property owners. Please let your elected officials, both local and national, know that South Padre's beaches deserve more attention.

................................

Project will replenish South Padre dunes

December 18, 2010 8:12 PM
Valley Morning Star

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — Town officials here have approved a major dune-building project that will move sand from the south end of the Island to shore up beaches on developments north of the town.

Reuben Treviño, the Island’s coastal resources manager, explained that officials plan to move more than 4,000 cubic yards of sand north to create a system of dunes near the Hilton Garden Inn and La Quinta Hotel. Sand near the Isla Grand Beach Resort, where Treviño said the beach naturally replenishes itself, will be hauled toward the north end of the Island, where the beach starts to erode every year.

The system of dunes the Island has built along beachfront properties protects buildings from high tides and surges during the hurricane season, Treviño said.

“For private property and public infrastructure, these dunes are essential. When we get major storms, they’re the first thing that stops these buildings from taking on major damage from rising water,” he said.

Once the dunes are finished, officials will replant native vegetation and monitor the system for one year, he said.

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