Thread: Maybe retiring to Gulf area to be within few miles of pier/beach.... need some info

Finally talked the wife into retiring to gulf area. She likes beach and I like the pier. Win/Win What are pros and cons of Foley and Summerdale vs Gulf Shores/Orange Beach. I don't know anything about: hurricane impacts; flooding; insects. I like the sound of a house for children (maybe grandchildren some day) to visit. Does anyone have advice or know good real estate people?

The housing market is pretty decent right now, even better for buyers. The cost of living (homes) is very reasonable. As far as prices, well you know what you can and can't afford. That being said take note of where you're looking and what insurance coverage you'll need. Obviously the closer to the H2O you are the prices go up. That's when you'll decide real quick how much you like the beach or not.

Although gh you may not be required to have flood insurance, you may have to have wind. My situation, I'm not required to carry flood, I do and the $$ is very minimal. On the other hand I'm required to carry wind and it's not something they give away. Hopefully I'll never need either but it's there if I do.

Most realtors can tell you pretty quick about flood/wind prone areas and the coverages required. A few of the county roads are referred to as boundaries as far as where rates may increase or decrease. Hwy 98 is one but there's more that I can't recall. I'll attach a few pics for a quick overview of Baldwin County.

Heres a link to the PDF
http://www.co.baldwin.al.us/uploads/...ent%20plan.PDF

There's plenty of nice areas to live.

GS
OB
Fairhope
Daphne
Robertsdale
Magnolia Springs/Fish River Area

Theres many more, just mentioned a few off the top of my head.

Thanks for some great data. It helps tremendously!

Insurance is very high but taxes are very low.

Just last month we moved from a long-term rental on western Ft. Morgan Road to a home we purchased in Foley so we just went through this ourselves. The market is definitely improving with desirable homes not staying on the market for very long. We had narrowed our search down to 6 properties and all were under contract within a month of us touring them. Just had an appraisal done and the market prices seem to be on an upswing with several homes on the Baldwin County MLS site reflecting a price increase as opposed to reduction. I think part of this has to do with how many foreclosures have been bought up in the last 6 months so the absence of their lower market prices have served to increase the average home value in the area.

Wind coverage is probably the biggest pain in the butt right now as the majority of the major U.S. insurers have exited the wind market and are now refusing to write wind policies on the coast after Ivan. Surplus lines are the predominant players south of US-98 (and creeping northward) and the rising cost of wind coverage has left many to opt into the "wind pool" aka AIUA coverage which offers little coverage at a premium price. My advice for insurance would be to shop around as much as possible because the premiums I was quote varied from $1600-over 3,000/year for hazard and wind for a very modest home. Insurance agencies are a dime a dozen along the coast so take your time and shop. Property taxes were much less than I was accustomed to where I grew up in central KY so you do get a significant break there. Flood is not required in many areas out of the storm surge zone, but like PNG said above, it is a cheap way to not have to worry about it.

The thing I love about Baldwin County is how many great towns there are here and it is hard to get a feel for them without taking a day or two to just drive around and get a feel of things for yourself. If you're serious about buying then don't hesitate because a handful of the homes we really loved moved fast and were under contract before we decided to make a move. Good luck.

Don't be afraid to be off the beach, like up in Daphne, Spanish Fort, Robertsdale, Silverhill, Loxley & Malbis.
It might be a 30 minute drive to the beach but your insurance will be a lot cheaper. A
nd there are a lot of housing options. Housing prices are still pretty reasonable, but they are slowly creeping back up. You might be able to still find a foreclosure pretty cheap, but I think most of them have been snatched up by now. I have a rental in Loxley, if my tenant moves out in the spring, it will be available.

Down in OB & GS, even parts of Foley, you will have a hard time getting wind coverage and it will be expensive.
I recommend staying out of any house you are required to have flood insurance unless you can really afford it. Changes to the National Flood Insurance Program are coming and rates will go up, some places they will go up a lot.

G_Mc, I just moved to the area in mid-June from around Birmingham and I love it. I snagged a house in Robertsdale, and I am about 25 minutes from the pier. 23 if I cheat, take the expressway, and use the "secret" cut through to 59 above the toll booth. Someone I ride bikes with showed me this one and it is great.

I can choose to deal with traffic and tourists... or blast west and hit Walmart in Daphne. The area north of Foley is terrific... but Foley/GS/OB has its perks as well. I used to drive five hours to fish our pier. Now it's way, way less and I am content. Highly recommend the WHOLE area.