A Man of Intention

Brad Dahler – At the Top of His Game

By Lisa Marie Burwell

The New Era of 30-A Real Estate: In July 2024, the sale of 181 Paradise by the Sea Boulevard in Inlet Beach, Florida, set a record for the highest single-family real estate transaction in the history of the Destin/30-A market, with a sale price of $28.5 million. Brad Dahler is currently the holder of this record.

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 Passing through the Churchill Oaks brick-and-wrought-iron gate, the car softly vibrated as the tires rolled across the cobblestone pavers. The sun’s rays dappled through the heavy tree canopies of the live oaks that flanked the neighborhood lanes. It was a happy prelude to a spring afternoon photo shoot. Unlike typical photo shoots, the house felt calm. Brad Dahler and his wife, Kristin, had just returned home after picking up their two young daughters, James and Miller, from school. There was no sense of pretense or nervousness, which one might expect with a film crew of three in their home. Despite the disruptions from setting up lights and cameras, the Dahlers maintained their usual family routine, which included their two dogs, Finley and Poppy, and Meatball, their sweet indoor-outdoor cat. Their genuine Southern hospitality shone through as I observed them trading schoolbooks for coloring books.

Brad Dahler is a Global Real Estate Advisor with Scenic Sotheby’s International Realty. As the CEO of Dahler & Co., he has built a dedicated and capable team that shares his vision and ethos: ensuring clients are treated exceptionally well while achieving their goals. A native of Springfield, Missouri, Dahler fell in love with the area while vacationing and eventually made his dream a reality by moving here. “I still remember watching The Truman Show the week before my first visit to Seaside,” he recalls. Around twenty years later, in 2018, he relocated to 30-A. A family man at heart, he is relationship-focused in all his endeavors. Few individuals operate with the level of intentionality that Dahler does. “At our core, we’re committed to keeping our team intentionally small,” he explains, emphasizing the power of a boutique-style team where everyone is aligned and nothing slips through the cracks. “Our priority is to ensure every client receives A-plus service and top-tier representation—regardless of how busy we are or how competitive the market becomes. That’s non-negotiable for us.”

Brad Dahler, Broker/Owner of Dahler & Co., a Scenic Sotheby’s International Realty team | Photo by Mark Little

Blake Morar, founder and broker/co-owner of Scenic Sotheby’s International Realty, has observed Dahler’s remarkable ascent for several years. “Brad’s rise to the top of the market has been incredible to watch,” Morar states. Since joining the brokerage, Dahler’s success has been unmatched in the local market and beyond, setting numerous benchmarks. In 2023, he was recognized by RealTrends’ The Thousand and America’s Best as the number eight small team in Florida, earning a spot in The Wall Street Journal and ranking among the top one hundred individual agents worldwide within Sotheby’s International Realty.

Dahler and his team did not take a moment off to celebrate their success; instead, they continued to reach unprecedented heights. In July 2024, two agents from Scenic Sotheby’s International Realty, Anna LaNeve and Lisa LaFlure, represented a buyer who made an offer to the then-owner, Andy Florance, to purchase the property at 181 Paradise by the Sea Boulevard. This stunning ten-thousand-square-foot Gulf-front residence, designed by architect Tim McNamara, was built in 2017. Florance, the founder of the real estate data provider CoStar Group, had bought the property only four years earlier for $15.1 million. Although Florance had not officially listed the property, a deal was still brokered, with his chosen broker being none other than Brad Dahler, who successfully facilitated the record sale for his client.

When discussing Dahler’s many successes and how such a favorable exposé might be received by other realtors in the area, Morar says, “He’s earned it. Brad is an outlier who performs better than most.”

Over the past twelve months, Dahler & Co. has continued to impress the competition with $259 million in real estate sales as of April 30, 2025. The team achieved an average price point exceeding $3.5 million, which is 430 percent higher than the market’s average sales price. They maintain over a 20 percent market share in the WaterColor community, managing twenty-five or more transactions annually and accumulating over $100 million in sales volume—172 percent more than their closest competitor in the community. Morar credits Dahler’s success to his distinctive business approach and is excited to have him on the Scenic Sotheby’s team. “Brad has a gift for connecting with people and guiding them with clarity and purpose,” adds Morar. “Clients trust him because he leads with heart and skill.”

Ryan Templeton, a good friend and client, praised Dahler for his impressive accomplishments in such a short time. “Brad is exceptional with people and genuinely cares about them from start to finish,” says Templeton, a California transplant who has worked with Dahler on Gulf-front properties in The Retreat, Kaiya Beach Resort, WaterColor, Alys Beach, and Paradise by the Sea. “His insight and knowledge of the marketplace have greatly benefited me, and I trust his instincts.” Templeton continues, “Brad strives to be the best for his clients and serves as a one-stop concierge. He follows through on his commitments. He’s just that kind of guy.”

Roy Sembera, developer of Churchill Oaks—a new, amenity-rich single-family development along the south shore of Choctawhatchee Bay in Santa Rosa Beach—echoed these sentiments. “When I think of Brad, I think of his wife and kids, and I’m thrilled that they live in Churchill Oaks,” Sembera states. “I’m immensely impressed with Brad and the team he has built. We chose Brad to represent our brokerage efforts here because we believe he is the best choice to lead our community into the future.” A future in which Dahler bought into—literally.

“It’s no secret that I’m all in—not just on Churchill Oaks, but on the entire 30-A corridor,” Dahler says. “This isn’t just where I work; it’s where we’ve chosen to raise our family, invest in our future, and be part of something that truly matters. My ‘why’ has always been my wife and our daughters. Investing in Churchill Oaks and along Scenic Highway 30-A is one of the ways we’re building a legacy—one rooted in lifestyle, opportunity, and a place unlike anywhere else.”

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Visit 30ARealEstateFL.com or follow @dahlerandco on Instagram to see listings and learn more.