Real Estate Blog

Can You Believe It’s Almost July 4th? Here are some places to watch the fireworks. 

Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration
When: July 4, 2017 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Where: Gulf State Park Pier, 20800 E. Beach Blvd., Gulf Shores, AL 36542
Fireworks will be shot from the Gulf State Park Fishing and Education Pier beginning at 9pm.

Independence Day Celebration
When: July 3, 2017 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Where: Main Street at the Wharf
Dress in your patriotic gear for an afternoon of fun with lots of children's activities with a small fee for some. Fireworks will begin at 8:45.Celebration at Perdido Beach Resort

When: July 4, 2017 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Where: Perdido Beach Resort, 27200 Perdido Beach Blvd., Orange Beach, AL 36561
Enjoy a spectacular fireworks

A big thanks to Vicki Lynn and her staff with Realty 1st for all the time, effort, hard work, expense and experience in selling our property in Orange Beach, Alabama  We thank you, Vicki for your professionalism and dedication to us as sellers.  It has been a blessing knowing you. You've gone above being a realtor. We are grateful.  You are a successful realtor and our prayers for you are continued success along with good health, much happiness, and many friends in the future.

We made many memories in our home and hope that the new buyers will love it as much as we did.

Thanks again,

David and Barbara S.  Hattiesburg, Ms

Do Oil Prices Affect The Price Of Real Estate On The AL Gulf Coast? 

Let Us Analyze The Historical Price Of Crude Oil In Comparison To The Prices Of  Real Estate In Our Area At The Same Time.

When Reviewing Oil Prices vs Real Estate Prices, We Can See The Last Time Oil Was At $20/Barrel(see chart below) Our Market Was Really Starting To Pick Up. 

The Last Instance Oil Was At $20/Barrel Was Late 2001, Early 2002(The far left white shaded oval). This Is When Our Market Really Gained Traction, Then With The Help Of Hurricane Ivan, Seemed To Propel Our Real Estate Market Further Into The Stratosphere! If Hurricane Ivan Wouldn't Have Hit So Hard, Would The Market Have Went To The Heights It Did? Arguable And Debatable.

The Second Shaded Area Represents The

Madi Gras is cranking up and getting into swing. Here on the Gulf coast we take our responsibility to party very seriously. As the title to this piece explains, "Let the good times roll!" You need some beads or want a parade full of cool floats to delight the kids? We got em. Dozens of them. Mobile, Fairhope, Gulf Shores, Bay Minette, Orange Beach, Dauphin Island, Pensacola all participate. Music acts are performing up and down the beach. Ft. Morgan is conducting tours and firing cannons. The dauphin viewing boats are plying the bays. The zoo is open and the animals are frisky. You get the point. We are OPEN FOR BUSINESS! 

A lot of folks think that the Gulf coast is only fun in the summer. Au contraire! There are things going on all over. And, the

My wife is English. She decided after almost 15 years to get her US citizenship. First we had to go to New Orleans. Next we had to appear in Atlanta. Having lived in Denver for a good part of our lives, being in the "big" city was just normal for us. Heck, Jill had even lived in London and Paris at one point. But, on this last trip to Atlanta a sudden realization befell us. Simply put, we were done. Done with the insane traffic. Done with the clutter. Done with the noise. Done with the pollution. Done with the crowds. Done with life at 75 mph.

As we topped the Foley Expressway Bridge by The Wharf I said to Jill, "Honey, you're back on the island." She teared up and said "I've never lived anywhere else that gave me such a sense of peace as Orange

Okay, so I won't bore you with all of the specifics, but here are some high-level things that will look differently next time you buy or sell a home (primary or secondary).

• The ubiquitous HUD-1 form that has been used for years which shows both sides of the transaction is out, the new Closing Disclosure ("CD") showing only one side of the transaction is in 
• The CD is prepared by your lender (not the title company) and you must receive it 3 days before scheduled closing (not 1 day like before)
• Because the CD contains confidential personal information, your lender cannot share it with your agent
• The information needed to prepare the CD must be provided to the lender 10 to 14 days prior to closing and is typically compiled by the title company

In case you missed it, tripadvisor.com, the top travel Website in the world awarded Orange Beach, Alabama, it's prestigious 2015 Traveler's Choice Award as "Top Destinations on the Rise -- United States."

TripAdvisor stated "A great family beach vacation spot, the Alabama Gulf Shores and Orange Beach offer wonderful dining experiences, dolphin siting cruises, championship golf courses, fishing charters and nature hikes. Choose from national hotel and motel chains, camping or a variety of beach houses for your stay. There are numerous options for nightlife, from family entertainment to rocking roadhouses, enjoy your pick of plays, free concerts, dancing or just listening to any number of musical stylings at a local hot spot." You can find the link here:

Most of us dream of having that special place to escape to with our families. But, who can afford to carry a second home? Actually, if you are selective, you can. It takes a down payment, true. The trick, though, is not to just cash flow the cost of a vacation home, but to earn a return on the amount of your down payment as well as sheltering your rental income so that it does not impact your taxes. Is that even possible? Yes, absolutely! Does it work for every property? No! Absolutely not. You have to be selective and choose those properties with a solid and proven rental history. You also have to be smart about it and not use the place yourself to such an extent that you defeat your financial plan. Working with people that know the different complexes

Have you ever had a "pinch me" moment? For my wife and me, these have become weekly occurrences. Why should that matter to you? Because, we have lived in and visited many places around the globe, our most recent home being in Costa Rica. As great a reputation as Costa Rica has, it doesn't hold a candle to Orange Beach, Alabama as a place to call home. Orange Beach is a quite town. A friendly town. It is a cost-effective town with great services and low taxes. Let me give you a concrete example. Our community health facility is $75 per person per year for residents. The facility rivals what we used to pay $30 a month per person to attend in Denver. The golf membership for residents is only $125 per person per year, all you can play (carts are extra). The

Get Ready Folks!  October 8-11th will be the upcoming National Shrimp Festival located in beautiful Gulf Shores Alabama.  If you've never been to this annual event, you should definitely make plans to visit Gulf Shores for this spectacular weekend.  Food, Crafts and Music will fill the streets of Gulf Shores Alabama.  The Seafood is my favorite part of this event.  You will find anything your palate desires and don't forget to try the Cajon Pistols!  No way to explain that delicious delectable!

Don't miss Dr. Zarr and the Funk Monsters on Friday evening.  You can "get down" to the 80's disco band that will have you rocking all night long.  

This festival will be held on the beautiful beach in Gulf Shores so it just doesn't get any better than this.