House hunting in Rockport TX - Winter Home and Vacation Rental Search - Episode 2

Still on the hunt for a vacation home in a Beach Town in Texas, we headed to Rockport, TX for our next adventure. While in the area, we did check out LOTS of neighboring towns before deciding that Rockport was where we wanted to be. Port Aransas, Corpus Christi, Mustang Island - all were great in their own way. But for us, the small coastal town of Rockport really appealed to us.
(***Quick disclaimer! One of the houses we highlighted in this video was purchased after we saw it. The new owner didn't want the inside of their home displayed, and we want to respect their wishes. So we blurred it out!)
In this video, we take you along as we go house hunting in Rockport, TX. We also surprised ourselves on the last day of our one week vacation in Rockport!
Our criteria for a house in Rockport Texas was as follows:
1. Lots to explore! We wanted to be in a town that had a lot of things to do in town, but was also close enough to neighboring towns where we could go on little day-adventures.
2. A home we can enjoy while we're there in the winter, but one that will also make a great vacation rental when we're not there.
3. Single family house. We'd ruled out condos and townhomes.
4. Close to water, but not right ON the water. We don't know what we don't know! We wanted to be close enough to walk to the water, but decided not to back to water until we got to know the ins and outs of owning in a beach town first.
5. Walkability. We wanted to be able to walk or ride our bikes to restaurants, shops, and other fun things to do.
6. Income! We wanted to make sure we found a home that we could rent out for 7 months of the year. We also wanted to make sure that the income for those 7 months would carry the costs of the home for the entire year.
So join us as we go shopping for our winter home in Rockport, Texas.
Book our Short Term Rental on VRBO.com: www.vrbo.com/2225944
To see House Hunting in South Padre Island - Winter Home and Vacation Rental Search - Episode 1, click here: • House Hunting in South...
Here's a video from the first time we experienced Rockport, TX: • Next Stop: Rockport, T...
Legal disclaimer: Mark and Jacki Tait are both licensed REALTORS in the state of Arizona. You can check out our websites www.marktait.com and www.jackitait.com, or see our entire team at www.HomeWithTeam323.com.
(In Texas, we're just consumers. But anytime we talk about real estate online, we do have to link to our professional sites, so we stay compliant with the state regulations of our license!)
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[@dennis78382]

Good morning friend. I am back for a rewatch on this one lovely property that you chose. Very nice yard. I hope you guys are doing well and having a fantastic day. 10:28

[@EmptyNesterLife]

Good morning!

[@tessmcmechan9670]

Congrats on this great adventure! Great video!

[@EmptyNesterLife]

Thank you so much!

[@mikecarignan7002]

Wow that is nice.deck and yard are great thanks for sharing

[@EmptyNesterLife]

You bet! Thanks for watching :)

[@KayKaySmithMedia]

I love all the criteria and the value of the property paying for itself is a great tip. New subscriber!

[@EmptyNesterLife]

Thanks so much Kay-Kay! So excited to connect with you 🥰

[@thomasallen3818]

My wife and I have lived in Rockport for almost 17 years. We went through hurricane Harvey, and if you’re looking for a place to call home, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. I’ve lived all over South Texas, and there are some nice towns, but I’ve never lived where the people are as wonderful under adverse conditions, like when the town has been destroyed. We came together as one, and we were truly, Rockport Strong. So if you’re looking to become one of us, welcome, if you’re just visiting, we hope you enjoy your stay, and come back again.

[@EmptyNesterLife]

Wow, thank you so much for such a warm welcome Thomas! We have purchased a home in Rockport and are truly loving being a part of this town! And even though our vacation home is in Rockport and our full time residence is in Flagstaff, AZ, we have met so many wonderful people who have embraced us into the community. It really feels like home, and I couldn't agree with you more...I couldn't imagine being anywhere else in South Texas.

[@ratherbfishing455]

The town is not the same after Harvey. Too many flippers, renters, and out of staters :( That house would have sold for $125,000 before Harvey.

[@robertstout260]

Nice house ,good idea to be a little away from the water,less problems and a little cheaper too.Get one of those carts like they use in Port A or on Padre to do close running around.

[@EmptyNesterLife]

Thanks Robert! That's a great idea about the cart :)

[@PegLegManlet]

Prices have gotten wild down there. My parents still live in the country club and originally built their house for 120,000 back in the 90s its now appraised for 800,000.

[@EmptyNesterLife]

Real estate prices are up everywhere for sure!

[@Swank69]

I know exactly where that house is!! Very Nice!

[@EmptyNesterLife]

Awesome!! Thanks for watching JS

[@TexasPlugRiches]

Welcome to Rockport!

[@EmptyNesterLife]

Thank you so much!! Just subbed to your channel 😍

[@michaelaxtell7391]

Congratulations from a fellow Rockport vacation home owner! You might consider Turnkey as a management company. They have been fantastic for us. You might be pleasantly surprised to learn that because of the nice Texas coastal weather it still rents out during the "off season" quite well.

[@EmptyNesterLife]

Thank you for the warm welcome and the suggestion for Turnkey!

[@jddurango]

@@EmptyNesterLife Could you share generally how much your wind/flood insurance is? I've been thinking about doing the exact same thing y'all have but the biggest unknown is the cost of insurance and flood. That could make a bid difference in the numbers working or not.

[@richstephens7615]

Did you look at Free Port? What are your thoughts as far a personal visit/vacation rental economics?

[@stevegunn9971]

Great video, thanks! Any idea of the current value now in 2024?

[@EmptyNesterLife]

Great question Steve! We will look into that and get back to you

[@ratherbfishing455]

Hot and dry to hot and humid!

[@angm5266]

Hello, did you find a second home? i am looking to stay in Rockport in January for a month how is the weather that time of year?

[@EmptyNesterLife]

We did! We love it in Rockport. January is nice but can get some cold spells. You'll have some days with highs in the 70s, and others with highs in the low 50s.

[@Fitbyyah]

Are you doing short term housing here ? Airbnb Vrbo? How are the laws with short term in rockport ?

[@EmptyNesterLife]

We are using this as a short term rental. Part of our decision to look in Texas is due to the laws being favorable for short term rental ownership.

[@edmundohillary]

Your insurance must be brutal. It's crazy

[@EmptyNesterLife]

Yes homeowner's insurance is quite high on the coast.

[@offthegridliving3339]

We bought the first houses, the coastal casa. We are moving in .....in 2 weeks!

[@EmptyNesterLife]

I love that!!! How exciting ❤️

[@ratherbfishing455]

One has to be wealthy to live at the Texas coast. The prices have doubled after Harvey.

[@EmptyNesterLife]

Yes prices in real estate have been on the rise quite a bit, especially in the past year or two

[@kathrynhagemeier2505]

Sh.. happens on a constant basis.

[@chermilly]

Good video. I just escaped California and I’m looking for a CONSERVATIVE place by the ocean.

[@EmptyNesterLife]

Come check out Rockport!

[@keithkidwell754]

You filmed my home without my permission. Please remove this video.

[@EmptyNesterLife]

Hi Keith, this video was taken when the property was listed for sale by the previous owner back in October 2020. We're so excited for you and your new home! All of the houses we highlighted were absolutely lovely, so we're sure you're enjoying it!

[@EmptyNesterLife]

Hi again Keith. Even though we filmed the house before you purchased it, we really want to be good neighbors! I've gone through the portion of the video that shows the inside of the house you purchased and blurred it out using the editor. It will take a little while to process, but I just wanted to let you know that we remedied the situation for you. We really love our Rockport community - it's our goal to highlight and celebrate this awesome coastal town. We certainly aren't trying to disrespect anyone's personal enjoyment of their home!! Again, we sure hope you're enjoying your new home as much as we're enjoying ours ☀️ 🎣 🏖

[@fromchopin]

They don’t need your permission. They can film anything that can be viewed from a public area. You gonna ask Google earth & Google street view to remove your house too??