Tagged : gulf shores

Selling in the Fall or Winter.

Fall and its typically cooler temperatures and lower humidity brings a new season of house hunting to South Alabama.  Everywhere from Spanish Fort to Orange Beach will notice a pick up in appointments during this time of year.  Everything starts with the all-important first look;  curb appeal may be the most important factor in selling anything from a house to condominium.

Seller's should understand that the first time a prospective buyer walks through the door, it's really the second showing.  The reason I say this is simple.  Most all buyers in today's market begin their search for property using their computer.  If they're serious about the real estate their viewing, they've already seen it;  possibly many times. 

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Under the qualified mortgage rule, from the Dodd- Frank legislation, mortgage lenders face greater legal liability if they make loans without ensuring the borrowers’ ability to repay.  Mortgage lenders who originate “qualified mortgages” enjoy greater legal protections should those mortgages default.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are already requiring more documentation of income and credit history of our borrowers due to the pressure of the pending QM.  Bottom line, if the lender closes a loan that falls outside the parameters of QM, they are left with no protection from Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.
A few examples of the pending changes for QM:
-     Loans cannot exceed 43% debt to income ratio (this effects how we calculate income)
-    Loans must be fully

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In 2009, Austal USA, located on Mobile's waterfront, set a goal to create 4,000 jobs for its U.S. base of operations.  The goal is on pace for realization by the end of 2013 according to representatives from the Australian ship builder.  When met, this will make Austal the largest private sector employer in Mobile County. "Our game plan is to level our to support both of our programs going forward," said president Craig Perciavalle, discussing the two different classes of ships currently being assembled at the sprawling facility on the waters of Mobile Bay. The employment figures are approximately five times higher than the 800 of the initial year in 2009.  Austal made a commitment to double its workforce in a two year window to facilitate the…

After three straight years of increases in the numbers of visitors and the economical benefits associated, Baldwin County is obviously gaining in popularity.  More people are visiting and spending more while they're here.

Over five million people visited the Alabama Gulf Coast in 2012 and spent $2.9 billion while visiting Baldwin County.  That's an increase of over 4 million visitors and over $100 million since 2011;  this year (2013) is slated to break these number and establish new record marks.

It's estimated the coastal cities of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, AL will generate an estimated $343 million in rentals this year, an increase  from $323 million in 2012 and $280 million in 2011.  These numbers were based from the Gulf Shores and Orange

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Local tourism officials expect the flights to boost the economy and none as much as the Alabama / Florida beaches along the Alabama Gulf Coast.  The trip to the beautiful white-sandy beaches of Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Perdido Key, FL will be be much more accessible and from a variety of new locations with fewer lay overs for those flying in to the area.  The city of Pensacola is only 45 minutes East of Gulf Shores, closer still to Orange Beach and a mere 20 minutes to Perdido Key, Florida.  Mobile, AL is approximately an hour from Pensacola International Airport.  City officials from the beaches of Alabama are excited about the new option for people to reach their vacation destination.   Southwest is now offering twice-daily nonstop service…

According to Dr. Don Epley, director of the center for real estate and economic development (CRES) at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL, business and real estate activity along the Alabama Gulf Coast should outpace that of the U.S. average.  While speaking at the recent seminar, Epley cited reports from the Federal Reserve bank in Philadelphia which studies economic indicators for the region including parts of South Alabama including:  Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Spanish Fort, Daphne, Fairhope and Mobile, AL.  According to these reports, Epley and others believe Alabama will grow at a rate of 4.6 percent placing them in the top 5 U.S. states in terms of growth.  By contrast, the U.S. economy as a whole is expected to grow at a rate between 2

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Real Estate Rebound

     The local economy is moving in the right direction and this is partially due to the real estate market, according to Lee Lawson, president of Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance (EDA), based in Robertsdale, AL.  Lawson's recent comments were received at the Coastal Economy Outlook VI, the annual seminar produced by the University of South Alabama's Center for Real Estate Studies and Economic Development at which he outlined the various areas where Baldwin County experienced economic growth.
     Baldwin County had a “good solid year coming out of the recession,” having a population growth rate of over 2% bringing the total to approximately 190,000;  a 30% increase over the last 10 years.
     The Alabama Gulf Coast beaches of…

     Another Festival is in the books.  Another successful turn out and condos were hard to come by this year as potential patrons were again waiting until the last minute to make reservations.  We received numerous calls in the days leading up to the event.  The Gulf Shores Shrimp Festival has added things over the past few years and has a multitude of things to do, see and even participate in while attending.

     The weather could not have been better.  The temperatures ranged from the mid 60's early in the day and peaked in the low 80's with low humidity.  Patrons joined in from all over the U.S. and made this year's festival crowd one of the largest on record with over 300,000 visitors.

     This year's festival was like its predecessors in many

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Not everyone has beach fever.....many of the vacationers and especially local residents would rather be on the water.  Whether you're just cruising the back waters or fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, here is information for some of the better condos with deep water access.  We'll start in the Fort Morgan area and move East toward Perdido Key, FL.  You can view pages with all of the condos using thumbnails and brief descriptions for location using the following links:  Gulf Shores condos with boat access | Orange Beach condos with boat access | Perdido Key condos with boat access.

Approximately 17 miles down state hwy. 180 or Fort Morgan rd. is Navy Cove and the Rookery, which is actually a group of cottages on Mobile Bay and only minutes from the Gulf of

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When the Lighthouse condominium was released for pre sale, there were over 1,000 people vying for 253 units.  Needless to say, there were a lot of disappointed investors that day.  Shortly after the release, the fortunate few that reserved units began to list them for sale to make a quick profit.  This was a great opportunity to pick up a condo with plenty of time left in the construction phase, hold on to it for a while and sell it before closing.  This is referred to as "flipping" and was an extremely popular idea at the time.

When the Lighthouse was finished, price per square foot was around $500.  Currently, the price per square foot is under $300 which is a seven year low.  With proper exposure and a little effort, cash flowing is not that

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