NEW SMYRNA BEACH — It wasn’t the house itself that made Billy and Randie Jayne Bloomhall decide to close on the $2.82 million home off North Peninsula Avenue.
The “laid-back” beachside community of New Smyrna Beach is what sold them, the Bloomhalls said.
“It is way more about the community for us,” Billy Bloomhall said. “It is not about the value of the house, it’s about the value of the community.”
The Bloomhalls relocated from Iowa. They had narrowed their home search from Melbourne to Ormond Beach, and Erin Schwarb, Realtor with Keller Williams Realty, helped them find their new home. However, a suggestion from Randie Jayne’s mother, an Orlando resident, led the couple to New Smyrna Beach in particular.
“I had asked my mom, if there’s any place in Florida you could live — we’re looking to live somewhere warm — where would it be? And she said, ‘Hands down, New Smyrna Beach. You have to go take a look.’ So, the first day, we pulled down Flagler Avenue, and we were like, ‘This is it.’”
The Bloomhalls’ priority was to find a relaxed, small town in Florida with locally-owned businesses. They wanted to live somewhere that “didn’t feel like corporate America,” they said. The couple owned a motorcycle shop in their hometown in Iowa, where mom-and-pop businesses are prevalent, they said.
“We don’t like anything corporate. It’s nice not to see chains,” Randie Jayne said. “We like locally-owned everything. We support small business, so we love that here.”
The Bloomhalls used to go boating along the Mississippi River, where Billy said he loved stopping by the “unique little local towns” along the river with “their own local vibe.” He wanted to live in a place with the same feel.
“(New Smyrna Beach) is really just like that,” he said.
The Bloomhalls originally considered a home a few doors down, but it didn’t have a dock or water deep enough for Billy's boat, nor a pool for Randie Jayne.
“(Billy) knew exactly what he wanted, and where he wanted to be, it was just a matter of putting the puzzle pieces together to find the right fit,” Schwarb said.
Their desire to live near the water and enjoy an outdoor lifestyle was also partly why they chose New Smyrna Beach, the Bloomhalls said.
“It’s just such a different lifestyle than what we were used to,” Randie Jayne said. “We’ll look out our back window and see dolphins out in the water, and it’s just crazy.”
Schwarb said the area is also relatively safe for children, another concern for the Bloomhalls, who have two teenagers.
“This is a pretty good community,” Randie Jayne said. “We feel pretty safe here.”
SMALL TOWN, STRONG MARKET
The Bloomhalls are not unique in their quest to find a home in a town with few chain stores, said Sylvan McElroy, president of the New Smyrna Beach Board of Realtors.
McElroy said the small-town atmosphere is a definitive selling point for New Smyrna Beach. He noted that the beachside north of Flagler Avenue is vastly residential, with no commercial businesses — which homebuyers seek out, he said.
“New Smyrna Beach has a small town feeling to it, and it has a charm to it, and that’s a very big draw,” he said. “Especially on beachside, we have very few chain restaurants, and we have very unique, local restaurants that kind of give New Smyrna its charm.”
That charm makes the Peninsula Avenue home well worth the price, the Bloomhalls said.
McElroy said the home’s hefty price tag makes this “a very significant sell in New Smyrna Beach,” especially considering its location on the riverfront.
“It’s a very significant sell in New Smyrna, especially when looking at riverfront properties,” McElroy said. “Usually, the houses on the beach are what sell for that kind of price.”
According to MLS data, the Bloomhalls’ home was fourth-highest in closing price in 10 years. It is the highest priced home to sell on the Intracoastal Waterway in the past seven years and the highest priced home to sell on that street in the past 10 years.
The most expensive single-family home sale in New Smyrna in that time was a $3.55 million beachfront home off Beacon Street, which closed in February this year, according to the Multiple Listing Service.
McElroy said many buyers come to New Smyrna Beach from other areas, contributing to the “busy market” locally. Area home sales have been rising recently, McElroy said.
“In our area, it’s a seller’s market,” he said. “We currently have a 4.8 month inventory, which is a pretty low inventory.”
HOME SALE LEADS TO PHILANTHROPIC EFFORTS
In Schwarb’s discussions with the Bloomhalls leading up to the home sale, she learned that the couple, like herself, are philanthropists involved in multiple charities. So, Schwarb introduced them to The Miracle League of Volusia County, a nonprofit organization that serves as a baseball league for children with mental and physical disabilities.
Schwarb and her family have contributed to The Miracle League through Keller Williams for years, she said, and the Bloomhalls plan to work with the charity in the near future, as well.
Philanthropic work is not new to the Bloomhalls, who contribute to charities involving children, education, cancer, veterans and disabilities.
Billy served on the board of directors for charities in Iowa that donates about $250,000 per year to multiple charities — one of which is the Variety Club, which makes specialized bicycles for children with physical disabilities. He also helped raise funds for devices such as iPads and computers to be used in schools.
The Bloomhalls said their drive to benefit charities comes from their love of children, passion for helping people with disabilities and personal experiences within their family in regards to veteran’s issues and battling cancer. The Bloomhalls plan to contribute these passions to the Miracle League “and get our kids involved in it” as well, they said.
Schwarb said the Bloomhalls’ involvement with the charity made the sale “even more rewarding.”
“It felt really good to do this,” Schwarb said. “It’s been great all-around.”