South Padre Island - $349K Port Aransas - $278K Galveston - $241K Crystal Beach - $154K

When comparing the four major areas of the Texas Gulf Coast, it is easy to see that South Padre Island has the highest median price. The further north you go the lower the median price. The weather is more tropical-like further south, the sands are whiter and the water a bluer color. South Padre Island is a plane ride away for most of its second home owners and attracts a much higher percentage of its buyers nationwide and internationally - especially Mexico. One very interesting factor is that the short term rental rates and demand are about the same in all the Texas coast resort area markets. We think this is due to the larger population centers within driving distance that increase to the north. This makes short term ROI on investment properties much better to the north. Galveston and South Padre have long been known to attract not only Texas residents but also buyers from around the country. Port Aransas and Crystal Beach Bolivar on the other hand, are two areas that have started gaining attention from buyers and investors nationwide. Port Aransas for its new high-end resorts and Crystal Beach Bolivar for its low median prices and strong rental demand. The Bolivar Peninsula (Crystal Beach) in Galveston county is a relatively new addition to the Texas Gulf Coast resort marketplace as modern utilities such as sewer and internet have just become available within the last few years. Currently there are four resort level developments in progress. Since South Padre Island is influenced more from the national market, the national housing woes and buyer hesitancy that goes with that for second homes has caused a dip in South Padre's median home price and sales volume this year. We see this changing shortly from the huge Security Fence funding dollars coming to south Texas and newer products going in on the Island's new north-end at a lower price point yet with more modern home products. Compare that to Port Aransas which is within driving distance of thriving San Antonio and Austin and Galveston which is within driving distance of the gigantic Houston and Dallas metropolises. These markets continue to climb in median price and sales volume.

The Port Aransas community is primarily driven by the tourist and fishing industries. The area is one of the primary tourist destinations in the state. Thousands of travelers flock to the area's beaches and more than 45 resort facilities during the peak summer months. Eight to ten thousand “Winter Texans” spend three to six months in Port Aransas every winter to take advantage of the great weather.

From its sandy beaches to its historical Victorian architecture, Galveston Island is one of the most delightful destinations along the Texas Gulf Coast. Only 50 miles from Houston, Galveston offers visitors historic landmarks, museums, shopping, fishing, Moody Gardens, an old fashioned trolley and the Galveston Strand.

The Bolivar Resort area, where Crystal Beach is located, will be benefitting from the more than $10 billion being brought in by the various plants and refineries in nearby Port Arthur and Beaumont. We are already starting to get interest from new employees getting ready to relocate to the Port Arthur area and from support firms doing the development of the expansion of the new facilities.

National and Statewide Buyer Interest for The Texas Gulf Coast

Area	Galveston/Crystal Beach	South Padre Island	Port Aransas	Texas Gulf Coast
US Interest
TX Interest

*Request detailed graphs to see some interesting variations in local buyer patterns.

We have analyzed where the visitors to each of our sites come from on the national and state level. The Texas Coast is attracting visitors from all over the country. As you can see from the graphs above, people from California, Florida and the east coast are interested on the Texas Coast. It is no surprise that waterfront property values in those areas have skyrocketed in the past years. It is also now increasingly difficult to find land available for developments in these areas. The Texas Coast, on the other hand, still has large amounts of undeveloped gulf front property at affordable prices. This fact is demanding attention from investors as well as baby boomers throughout the country.

On the state level, interest for each area is mainly determined by driving distance to the nearest metropolis. For example, Houstonians have Galveston and Crystal Beach just a 30 to 45 minute drive away.  It makes sense for most of the website traffic to come from Houston for the Galveston Area.  Just as traffic for Port Aransas is mainly from Corpus Christi, San Antonio and Austin. South Padre Island's local visitors are from the Rio Grande Valley as well as from the second largest city in Mexico, Monterrey.

With a strong Texas economy, growing population and national attention this real estate market is set to be strong for years to come. Prices are expected to continue to rise as demand for beachfront property goes up, which makes this a perfect time to purchase your dream vacation home or investment property!

Read More About The Factors Influencing The Texas Coast Real Estate Market.