Hello wonderful clients and friends!

I wanted to share a quick word with you as we approach the holidays and the end of 2020.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!  We truly have so much to be grateful for this year -
Navigating through the unknown territory of the CoVid 19 pandemic led to adjustments and changes in the way we have traditionally operated our 
businesses.  It certainly made for a different type of spring market.  Every cloud has a silver lining however, and my team and I took the opportunity to
explore new (and often exciting) ways of marketing our properties and providing service to our clients. 
Then came a "long-lost" and certainly unwanted - "old friend" -  Hurricane Sally.  It has been 16 years since a storm devastated our coast so directly.  
As my minister said last Sunday, "Nature can be cruel."  Indeed, a hurricane during a pandemic just before a national election was (I hope!)
a once in a lifetime event.  But adversity builds character, too.  Our coastal communities and especially our local leaders have learned so much 
from previous disasters.  Our city had electricity back in just two days! The courage and charitable spirit of our neighbors made my heart swell with pride.
Meanwhile, back to work!  The faith that you, our clients, placed in us was amazing. 5 of my 5 pending transactions closed following the storm. It is clear:
People still want to buy and sell property. And our team is working harder than ever to get it done for you!

 If you have not checked for available properties since Hurricane Sally.  While we did have substantial damage from the storm, most of the condominium
associations in Orange Beach are moving rapidly to restore and improve the condo buildings.  Listed Inventory is still rather low, but more and more properties are coming onto the market gradually.   

Meanwhile, my team and I are diligently looking for specific properties that meet our buyers needs. 

 

So if you do not see what you are looking for, don't give up!  Just let me know your "ideal property wish list" and we will get start scouting around and find what you are looking for.

I hope you will continue to use this site and study our market reports.  Meanwhile, feel free to reach out and let me know if we can help in any way at all.

Here is to the beginning of a season of gratitude!

All the best, Leigh

 

October 1 - The Fourth Quarter of 2015 is Here

 

It is fall - and fall is for BEACHING!  2015 has flown by - We have been blessed with beautiful summer weather, record rentals, and a flurry of fantastic summer events.  Now as Labor Day is past, we look ahead to the Annual National Shrimp Festival. School has started,  but there is still lots of action on our beautiful Gulf coast.  And even as temperatures cool, the beach buys are heating up.  Take a look at a truly exquisite property....

Best Luxury Beach Buy on the Gulf Coast

And there is so much more... Preconstruction is available, and there is more planned.  Mortgage interest rates remain low, and there is still time to get your dream property.  Stay tuned for more information!

All the best,

Leigh

A friend of mine commented at lunch last week that "It's a buyers' market."  Without thinking, I replied, "No, it's not."  
But as I gave it more thought, I thought about the dilemmas I had been facing recently when working with Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Alabama beachfront buyers.  Everyone wants a deal - and there are still very, very good deals to be had. BUT - there has been a major shift in the past year. And my personal business experience in the past 3 months is a microcosm of our  beach market as a whole.  My points are listed below:

• Inventory is WAY down.  For the past 5 years, we hav struggled with a glut of overpriced properties.  The numbers show that we only have about 5 months of inventory now - as opposed to 24 months worth just a couple of short years ago. 
• Signs in my own business:  I have recently sold or put under contract listings that I have had for as long as 2 years - and the contracts went quickly and very close to list price.
• Prices are steadily moving up - in a continuum - rising about 3%.
• And happily for buyers who want to borrow money: Interest rates, for both primary and second homes, are still very, very low.

All these things point to one end:  If you have ever dreamed of buying a beach or bayfront getaway or profitable vacation property in Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, or Perdido Key, Florida, the time is NOW!  The beautiful Gulf Coast is a wonderful place to vacation, escape, relocate, or invest in.  Call me today before the opportunity is gone.

There are 336 active units currently listed in Orange Beach - priced from 82,500 up to over $4M. With interest rates still at historic lows, there are great opportunities available now.  Call or email  me to discuss investment or second home opportunities.  It is an exciting time to be a buyer.

Closed 2 short sales Friday. Very very difficult process... I am so grateful for my CDPE training.  Short sales are becoming more and more common and I am staying ahead of the game by continuing my training and watching for updates in the banking and real estate industry at large.

Off to a busy start - my sales volume for 2010 is already over $1 million..... 

As we approach the end of the 2nd month of 2010, I note a continued shrinking of inventory, especially in the better buildings..  As we look back on 2009, we see that prices continued to fall from the highs reached in 2005 and 2006.But when we look at volume, the number of units sold in 2009 was up 30% from 2008, putting a significant dent in a bloated Gulf coast inventory. In some very desirable buildings, there are NO active listings where there were listings in double digits just 6 months ago. Prices per square foot have gone from nearly $400 per square foot in 2005 back down to an average of $217 per square foot.  There has never been a better time than NOW to purchase a gulf condo. Don't wait until the inventory shrinks more and the loan interest rates go up!  

Experts foresee more beach bargains, a pickup

in home sales in the $150K-$200K range,

and a brave new world for mortgage lenders

By KATHY JUMPER

Real Estate Editor

The real estate crystal ball shows more beach bargains in 2010, with low rates on commercial leases and home sales activity picking up, especially at prices from the $150,000s to $200,000s.

Sellers faced reality that if they had their property priced right, it sold, said Bob Shallow, owner of REMAX Paradise in Orange Beach. His reported sales volumes are almost twice as good in 2009 as 2008, and said he expects 2010 to be better. We have hit somewhat of a bottom and there is some stability, he said. (Tourists)

are here and want to buy. Inventory in Baldwin County is slowly being absorbed, according to the Center for

Real Estate Studies at the University of South Alabama. It would have taken about 7.8 months to sell the inventory on the market in September compared with 10.1 months in September 2008. The National

Association of Realtors says a healthy market has between six and eight months worth of inventory.