Fairhope and Baldwin County Area Real Estate News & Market Trends

You’ll find our blog to be a wealth of information, covering everything from local market statistics and home values to community happenings. That’s because we care about the community and want to help you find your place in it. Please reach out if you have any questions at all. We’d love to talk with you!

Nov. 18, 2022

We are selling homes!!!

https://realestatefairhope.realgeeks.com/active-pages/coldwell-banker-recent-sales/

Nov. 4, 2022

2022 Baldwin County Parade of Homes

 

2022 Baldwin County Parade of Homes

November 5 & 6    and November 10 & 11

All Homes Open 10 AM to 5 PM

25 Homes        11 Builders

2022 Parade of Homes Interactive Map

Homes You Can View

March 6, 2022

Baldwin County 10 Year Real Estate Comparison

Baldwin County Real Estate 10 Years Ago

A lot has changed in 10 years. 3 Presidents and one world wide pandemic for starters. 10 years ago, Baldwin County was just starting to recover from the financial and real estate crash and we were just starting to get our feet on the ground and beginning our recovery. And we haven't looked back since. Here is a really interesting graphic showing some pretty amazing changes in home values, days on market and inventory from 10 years ago.

 

John Fowler

Coldwell Banker Reehl Properties

251-591-2386

 

Posted in Real Estate News
March 6, 2022

Saving Energy in Your Home

Simple Ways to Save Energy and Money  

Going green is a great way to minimize waste, help the environment, reduce your energy bills and just live healthier

Recently our Clothes dryer went kaput. My first reaction was to replace it with the lowest priced machine I could find but my wife, who is smarter than me and definitely thriftier, convinced me that the Energy Star washer was the smart way to go and we would save the additional cost (about $200) in the long run.

Here are some other Energy Saving ideas written and shared by Gustavo Gonzalez and Rachael Carlson.

Are you ready to cut some extra costs and live more sustainably? With just a few small changes, you can make a big impact on the environment and on your energy bills. Going green is a great way to minimize waste, help the environment, reduce your energy bills and just live healthier. To start, here are a few ways you can make your home more energy efficient:

Consider Energy Star appliances.

Replacing your appliances with Energy Star certified appliances is a smart way to save money and reduce your overall energy bill. You’ll also be helping the environment since these appliances are designed to cause fewer harmful emissions. Plus, you’ll still enjoy the same great features, quality and performance you’ve come to know and expect.

Insulate your home.

According to Energy Star, homeowners can save up to $200 a year in heating and cooling costs by air sealing their homes and adding insulation. You can start by simply sealing air leaks, installing weather strips and caulking your windows. If you happen to be doing a home renovation, it might be the perfect time to add more insulation.

Install a programmable thermostat.

Programmable thermostats not only save money but relieve you of having to remember to adjust the temperature when you leave the house, go on vacation, or even go to bed at night. If you get yourself a smart thermostat, you can instantly change the temperature right on an app. These handy devices can save up to 10% on heating and cooling costs. Invest in energy efficient light bulbs. Replacing older incandescent lighting with highly efficient light bulbs or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is one of the easiest and most profitable green technology investments you can make. Although these can initially cost more than traditional bulbs, they use up to 90% less energy, saving about $55 in electricity costs over their lifetime.

Go solar.

You can make a big difference by installing solar panels. Solar power systems have decreased by nearly 70% in price over the last few years, making installation more attainable for homeowners. Plus, many states offer incentives for solar panel installation.

Plant a garden.

A fun way to go green is to plant your own garden. It’s a convenient way to save money on groceries while also enjoying the fruits of your labor. Remember, your garden doesn’t have to be big or even outdoors. From container boxes to indoor grow systems, you can easily create the garden of your dreams while minimizing your overall carbon footprint. These are just a few ways you can save more money over time, minimize waste and help the environment. As you can see, it’s really pretty easy to live more sustainably! Guest post written by: Rachael Carlson Energy Efficiency going green smart home

Posted in Owning a Home
Dec. 8, 2021

New Higher FHA loan limits

MORTGAGE NEWS- FHA raises loan limits

Every so often, FHA makes changes to increase the loan limits to keep them in line with the current real estate market. Today new FHA loan limits have been announced for 2022! If you’re closing on a new home on or after January 1, 2022, you’ll likely have more flexibility with your Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan. The FHA has announced new loan limits for 2022 in response to the dramatic increase in home prices across the country.

Why Did Loan Limits Increase?

Housing prices are on the rise, and the National Housing Act requires the FHA to maintain loan limits at 115% of median home prices, which are calculated using Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and county information. New Loan Limits Floor limits for one-unit properties have increased across most of America, from $356,362 in 2021 to $420,680, in 2022, which is 65% of the national conforming loan limit of $647,200. In high-cost areas, ceiling loan limits have risen from $822,375 to $970,800, which is 150% of the national conforming loan limit. 2022 FHA Loan Limits Old Floor Limit New Floor Limit $356,362 $420,680 Old Ceiling Limit New Ceiling Limit $822,375 $970,800 Want more info? Contact me to learn more about FHA loans and the benefits they offer to homebuyers.

Posted in Real Estate News
Aug. 25, 2021

Baldwin County Estates with Acreage

Announcing New Page on www.realestatefairhope.com

Have you ever wanted to find a place in the country with a few acres or maybe a lot of acres. You are not alone. On my new page

all of the Baldwin County homes for sale with at least 3 acres of land.

 

Posted in Property Types
Aug. 24, 2020

Rock Creek News

Great News for Fairhope residents and Area Golfers 

Rock Creek Golf Course Has New Owners

For several years there has been quite a bit of uncertainty regarding the future of the Rock Creek Golf Course and facilities. The Golf course has been for sale for over a year but it's future is now known. The Rock Creek Golf Course in Fairhope has officially sold to new owners. GolfCoPartners, Inc. of North Carolina purchased the course and clubhouse from Honours/Troon on August 16th, 2020.  Brothers and business partners, Scott and Patrick Schneider, are excited to invest in and serve the Eastern Shore Community by providing a great place for individuals, groups and families to socialize. Their philosophy with Rock Creek is simple and transparent – to operate as a public golf course, restaurant, and social gathering center that serves the local community and surrounding Eastern Shore / Mobile Bay area. GolfCoPartners plans to improve the golf, dining, and social experience at Rock Creek. Already, within 2 days of this purchase, Rock Creek now has a new fleet of golf carts. 

Here is A Letter from New Owners to the Community Members at Rock Creek that was sent on August 16

Today, we are happy and excited to assume ownership of Rock Creek Golf Club.  We know it has been at least a year of uncertainty for the community as it relates to what might happen with the golf club.  We are excited to be the new owners and look forward to serving the community through providing a great place for folks to play golf and enjoy social time together…even in these challenging times.  We are especially excited for the community as we believe through working closely with the community, we can positively impact property values and community spirit.  

To quickly introduce ourselves –   

Scott Schneider – COO at Golfcopartners.  Scott is a lifelong golf professional and operator of courses and clubs including municipals, semi-privates, resort, and high end private throughout the US.  Scott is the former CEO of Ken Venturi Golf Academies where he delivered a high-end destination golf school at locations in the US and Caribbean.  In 2016 he became a co-founder of Golfcopartners and focused on identification of acquisitions of golf clubs.  Recently Scott served as the interim GM at our other club in Fernandina Beach, Florida, The Golf Club at North Hampton.  Over the coming months, he will be spending his time at Rock Creek bringing our culture and approach to this club.  This will include managing and enabling the current and new staff with what they will need to deliver a great experience for everyone and provide Rock Creek as a destination to play golf and gather socially. 

Patrick Schneider – CEO/CFOat Golfcopartners.  After retiring from a 35-year career as a partner with some of the world’s largest management consulting companies, Patrick co-founded Golfcopartners with Scott.  Golfcopartners is a golf company focused on the acquisition and turnaround of golf clubs.  Additionally, Golfcopartners offers a virtual business process outsourcing solution for other clubs in the industry.  Patrick will focus mainly on the business and financial operations at Rock Creek making sure there is sound financial structure and discipline around the operations of the club and how capital will be allocated to projects to enhance the club.  

Behind us are a cache of hand selected individual investors and Board members who support our vision and provide additional expertise to our operations as needed.

Our philosophy with Rock Creek is simple and transparent.  Our intent is to operate as a golf course and social gathering center that serves the local community and surrounding area.  The degree to which the local market financially supports the business will drive our ability to provide more value and preserve/enhance property values in the community.  Ultimately, our mutual success depends upon each other.  We have a proven model that works.

We recently met with representatives of the leadership of the 3 POAs that surround Rock Creek.  There were many questions about what was going to happen and what the future of the club might be.  The following summary illustrates our near-term focus:

Golf Course.  Aligned with our philosophy of providing the right product at the right price point for the market, It will take some time to fully evaluate the course and prioritize projects to introduce areas of improvement.  Scott will be working closely with the maintenance team through this process to develop a list of prioritized projects 

General Manager.  Steve Harris has graciously accepted the challenge of carrying forward as General Manager of the club.  He brings a deep history of experience in the food and beverage industry and over the recent past has been building his understanding of the golf business.  Most importantly, he brings an ‘ownership mentality’ which works well with the culture we like to instill in our teams. ·

Memberships.  For the remainder of 2020, we will continue forward with the existing program that is in place.  We will be evaluating the membership structure, offering, and pricing over the remainder of the year and introduce changes for 2021.  We will be introducing new point of sale technology from day one which will handle the billings and collections of member accounts as well as provide new means to make tee times, research your account, communications, etc. ·

Carts.  We intend on replacing the existing cart fleet shortly after closing.  There will be a temporary fleet for the first few weeks while we wait on the arrival of new carts in September. ·

Maintenance Equipment.  We will be working with the superintendent and our vendor partners to evaluate and prioritize replacement of antiquated maintenance equipment needed for the course.  We know the current fleet is old and needs modernization.  As critical pieces are identified for retirement, they will be selectively replaced.  The desire and outcome is to implement improvements on the course. ·

Clubhouse.  We know the clubhouse is tired.  What we have not determined is which strategic direction to take given the current impact of the pandemic crisis.  We have been working with a strategic partner to help us understand what other clubs in the US are doing, to evaluate the clubhouse/grounds, and determine next steps.  We will be working on this over the next few months to inform decisions on how we will move forward.  We would not expect any substantive change to the club house this year. 

Staffing.  All current employees will be offered positions.  Those who accept to continue will be evaluated for the next 3 months to determine if there is a good fit moving forward for us, the membership, the community, and other customers. ·

Communications.  We will prepare and distribute monthly newsletters and other weekly/daily communications via email to our members to inform them about activities and events at the club.  We anticipate providing the same or similar content to the POA organizations to distribute within their respective community. ·

Programming.  Scott and his team will begin to introduce programming for members as it relates to the golf offering.  It may take some time to get things rolling, but be assured that new programming will be introduced to generate interest and fun for those to enjoy the club  

Feel free to connect with either of us once we get on site.  We probably have as many questions for you as you do for us.  

Cheers!  

Scott and Patrick Schneider 

Golfcopartners, LLC

Facts:

  • The 18-hole Rock Creek Golf Course is open to the Public, seven days a week. 
  • The Rock Creek Clubhouse restaurant is also open to the public.  A new menu will be introduced on Monday, August 24th.   During this COVID crisis, the restaurant hours are from 10am-3pm, seven days a week.
  • The Rock Creek Community Pool is not owned by the Golf Course.  The pool was purchased/built by the Rock Creek POA in 2017 and available only to Rock Creek (Phases 1-4) residents and guests.
  • The Rock Creek community has three neighborhoods/POAs surrounding the golf course: Rock Creek (Phases 1-4, 442 lots), Eastern Rock Creek (Phases 5-6, 177 lots), and Sandy Ford (126 lots) – many houses, of all sizes and price ranges, are currently on the market.
  • Lots are still available for new builds in all three neighborhoods.
  • Here is the Rock Creek golf course website, if you want more information or have questions:  https://www.rockcreekgolf.com/index.php
  • Here is the GolfCoPartners website:  https://golfcopartners.com/
June 2, 2020

Fairhope's Newest Premier Subdivision

Fairhope's Newest Subdivision

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a2DNtl8jnE

 

 

 

Fairhope has a new premier subdivision with beautiful lots available to build your next home. Click here for details and all of the available lots for sale

 

 

 

 

 

May 21, 2020

New Daphne Listing with pool- 801 Pinewood Court

 

801 Pinewood Court, Daphne AL 36526

Great home with a sparkling pool, large .82 acre lot and new roof

 

Click here for details and pictures

 

 

 

Posted in New Listings
Aug. 8, 2019

Baldwin County Property Values Increasing

Baldwin County Median Sales Price Up 6.4%

Aug 02, 2019

The number of homes sold in June was 11.1% above the five-year June average of 605 sales. (iStock)

 

Sales: According to the Baldwin County Association of Realtors/Multiple Listing Service, Baldwin County residential sales totaled 672 units during June, down 8.7% from 736 sales in the same month a year earlier. June sales were also down 8.2% compared to 732 sales in May. Results were 11.1% above the five-year June average of 605 sales. Two more resources to review: Quarterly Report and Annual Report.

 

For all of Baldwin County’s housing data, click here.

 

Inventory: Total homes listed for sale in the Baldwin County area during June were 2,899 units, an increase of 1.2% from June 2018’s 2,865 units but a decrease of 2.5% from May 2019’s 2,974 units. June’s months of supply totaled 4.3 months, up 10.8% from June 2018’s 3.9 months of supply. June’s months of supply increased 6.2% when compared to May 2019’s 4.1 months of supply. June’s months of supply was 14.9% lower than the five-year average of 5.1 months of supply.

 

Pricing: The Baldwin County median sales price in June was $259,200, an increase of 6.4% from one year ago and an increase of 1.8% from the prior month. This direction is consistent with historical data (2014-18) indicating that the June median sales price on average increases from May by 0.6%. The differing sample size (number of residential sales of comparative months) can contribute to statistical volatility, including pricing. ACRE recommends consulting with a local real estate professional to discuss pricing, as it will vary from neighborhood to neighborhood. The average number of days on the market (DOM) for homes sold during June was 83 days, unchanged from one year ago, and an increase of 6.4% from 78 days in May 2019.

 

Forecast: June sales were 51 units, or 5.8%, below the Alabama Center for Real Estate’s (ACRE) monthly forecast. ACRE projected 713 sales for the month, while actual sales were 672 units. ACRE forecast 3,577 residential sales in the Baldwin County area year-to-date, while there were 3,521 actual sales through June.

 

ACRE’s statewide perspective: Statewide residential sales increased slightly in May, extending the streak to 5 consecutive months of year-over-year sales gains. Statewide residential sales increased 1.4% from 6,306 closed transactions in May 2018 to 6,392 in May 2019. Year-to-date, sales are up 3.2% from 2018. Home price appreciation in the state continued to climb as the median sales price in May increased 4.3% year-over-year from $165,688 to $172,864. The statewide median sales price is also up 3.4% year-to-date. Although nationwide inventory levels are trending upward, Alabama’s residential listings decreased 11.6% from one year ago. Low inventory levels were a significant factor contributing to rising sales prices throughout 2018 and in the spring buying season of 2019. With low inventory levels, it is not surprising to see homes selling more quickly than in previous years. Homes selling in Alabama during May spent an average of 88 days on the market, an improvement of 12 days from May 2018.

 

NAR’s national perspective: Existing home sales rebounded in May, posting their first year-over-year gain since August 2018. Nationwide sales increased 0.9% from approximately 535,000 closed transactions one year ago to 540,000 currently. The nationwide median existing-home price increased 4.8% in May, marking 87 consecutive months of year-over-year gains. Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, said, “The purchasing power to buy a home has been bolstered by falling mortgage rates, and buyers are responding.”

 

 

Source: Alabama Center of Real Estate