First Time Home Buyer in Mobile Alabama | YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS

although we weren't born and raised in Alabama we love it and we wouldn't want to be anywhere else when it's springtime and everyone else in the country is thinking about going to their summer beach houses we're already here we see families from all over load up their Minivan and their big SUVs and Drive South towards the Gulf of Mexico and their destination is our backyard Gulf Shores Orange Beach prior to moving here Tony and I visited the Gulf Coast a lot we actually had our destination wedding here back in 2010 we were stationed here at the military and when we weren't living here we were visiting every chance we got so it really got to this point where a summer visit just wasn't cutting it and we were like what are we doing suffering in Illinois let's just move to the place that we love and so we did I've got to say the low cost of living down here also really helped push us towards making that plunge it's not only better for your bank account but it's also better for your sanity saving money is a common objective for families and young professionals alike but now you have warm weather beaches and beautiful coastal towns to the mix and it's a recipe for packing up those bags and moving to the Gulf Coast of Alabama off shores in Orange Beach are well known all over the South as a relatively inexpensive family-friendly Beach destination and since we're not originally from lower Alabama we've come to realize that much of the rest of the country is totally clueless about this area our family's been to beaches all across the country and the world and we came to realize Alabama's white sandy beaches and calm turquoise Waters were our absolute favorite so if you're considering a move to Gulf Shores or Orange Beach this video has everything a first-time visitor needs to know so many people especially those who live outside the southeast don't even realize that Alabama is a beach destination the panhandle of Florida eats up most of the real estate just southeast of us so Alabama swath of coastline is often missed after a quick glance at the map so Alabama has two counties along the coast Mobile County on the west Border in Mississippi and then the very popular Baldwin County and the east border in the Florida Panhandle when most people refer to Alabama's beaches they're mostly referring to two of the most well-known cities in Baldwin County and that's Gulf Shores and orange beach now there are a few other beaches in the area particularly the beaches along Dauphin Island and Mobile County but they don't have a lot of lodging or dining options the Alabama beaches in Baldwin County lie along 32 miles of Coastline stretching from the Florida border all the way to the tip of the Fort Morgan peninsula majority of the major attractions are located right on Alabama State Route 182 which serves as the primary East-West connection along the Alabama Coastline of the Gulf of Mexico between Gulf Shores and orange beach major cities in the region are going to be Gulf Shores Orange Beach Fort Morgan Foley and Fairhope and the last two aren't on the Gulf Coast but they're close by and I'm gonna break down why I mentioned them but first let's start with Gulf Shores it's older more established Beach area that is still the center of most of the action a 3-2 home in Gulf Shores sells for around 375 to 600 000 depending on the area and what type of finishes you get but home prices within this price range are going to be a little more Inland if you're looking for a 55 plus Community The Village at craft Farm starts at 3 20 but it depends on the lot in the model so on and if you're thinking Inland Gulf Shores and you'll be pleasantly surprised that it isn't far north by any means at all you can get to the water in less than 15 minutes from pretty much any direction so know that that when we say Inland we aren't far from the beach now if you want to live on those white sandy beaches then you can definitely expect to spend more money but you can find condos within that price point and the HOAs can be more expensive so it really just depends now moving on to Orange Beach which is a stretch of beach that extends from Gulf Coast State Park over to Perdido Key Florida this area is developed later than Gulf Shores and feels a bit smaller and is definitely a little bit more quiet but with all that continued development it's getting busier with each passing year that's true and the homes are going to be a little more expensive in this area just for that reason here you're going to be looking at 600 000 and up for the most part now that's not to say you can't find anything for below that price but they can be far and few these days now let's jump into the peaceful and quiet Fort Morgan if you keep heading west from Gulf Shores you'll travel along the Fort Morgan Peninsula and the very tip is the historic Fort Morgan itself of the site of a Civil War battle and if you're a military or if you're a veteran just present your ID at the entrance and they'll let you in for free and in case you didn't know that goes for any national park there can sometimes be a long line to enter Fort Morgan but you can Cruise right past if you're military and it's absolutely beautiful and the gulf Highland neighborhood is right there which is a popular area that has a really nice vacation properties all right next we're sharing information about the city of Foley with y'all while not on the beach itself the Inland city of Foley is definitely worth mentioning Foley is located about 12 miles due north of Gulf Shores on Highway 59 a lot of visitors to Alabama beaches will spend time in Foley because it's home to some popular shopping a regional amusement park and a number of restaurants Foley is so appealing because of the location the amenities and the home prices It's Quickly becoming a major hot spot for people who are relocating Alabama one place I have to mention because I'm literally obsessed um it's called quails Landing the Builder is Lennar and we've been familiar with Lennar our entire real estate career and they just deliver the most gorgeous new construction houses these houses are super luxurious and they're super affordable prices are going to range from around 299 000 to about 452 000 so your dream home can legit be built for under 450 000 we're talking four beds three bath two and three car garages between two thousand twenty eight hundred square feet and the lots are super spacious so if you want more info on quails Landing reach out because we can tell you everything about these new gloves because we love them so much and already built homes are very reasonably priced too you can find more beautiful modest homes for around 265 000 a lot of ranch homes are for sale which are perfect for retirees looking for a place with no stairs and you'll get so much bang for your buck living in fully all brick houses with over 4 000 square feet can be purchased for 500 000 or if you have a boat and you like to fish then you need to know about homes in the Sunset Shores Community on Bon Secour Bay right in Foley these houses on the water can be found under 800 000 you'll have your own boat launch a dock appear in this particular neighborhood does not have an HOA all right before this turns into a fully only video we're gonna jump over to another major city in the area that we want to talk about and that's fair hope the popularity of the city is right up there with Gulf Shores and orange beach Fairhope sits right on mobile Bay and it's just a short drive to Gulf Shores so what makes their hope so popular pretty much everything the location the schools the Southern Charm downtown Fairhope is one of a kind Southern Living actually listed Fairhope as the South's best small town it's filled with Rich history and undeniable charm that you just don't find anywhere else downtown has flower line streets unique shops and local eateries the streets are covered with canopies of moss covered oak trees and the Mobile Bay has sunsets most people only see in pictures it's true all right well we have to mention this area can come with a higher price tag in fact it's actually known as a a very expensive area there are established communities where you can find modest homes for the 400 000 range but the average home price is going to be in the mid 500s downtown Fairhope and several luxury communities will have homes um price starting around 700 000 and easily above 1 million dollars I mentioned earlier schools here and public schools in Fairhope are known to be the best in all of Baldwin County private schools are a big thing here as well too like Bayshore Christian Academy um St Michael's Catholic High School in Fairhope and then we have they also have a wait list at the Michaels yeah there's waitlist at both of those schools all right moving on from those major cities in the area let's touch on some important things you'll want to know before moving here first let's talk about the airports if you like to travel have to travel or you just want family and friends to come visit you then you'll be happy to know there are plenty of airports within the vicinity and more options will be coming soon you have Pensacola International Airport is the closest commercial airport for flying to Gulf Shores or Orange Beach and is actually just across the border in Florida the Pensacola International Airport is served by Southwest Delta American frontier I don't know all of them so this small airport is the best because you can get dropped off or park your car walk in and be at your terminal very quickly I typically arrive an hour before my flight and arrive at my terminal just as we are about to board yeah and I do not recommend that because you never know if there's gonna be a Slowdown and you're gonna miss your flight I've never experienced a line at this airport but you definitely want to give yourself a little more time Tony is just a lot more riskier than I am um but I have to say it's way better than any other International Airport where you have to write like three hours early and next we've got Mobile Regional Airport which is Mob and the next closest airport within the state of Alabama to the Alabama beaches is Mob as the name suggests this airport is smaller than Pensacola and served by just three Airlines Delta United and American the airport is located on the far west side of Mobile making the drive from Mobile to Gulf Shores about one and a half hours long this is a good airport if you're living in Fairhope or anywhere on the Eastern Shore and it's going to be the same distance as Pensacola Dustin Fort Walton Beach is another viable option in a pinch VPS is about a two hour drive to Gulf Shores but if you can get a non-stop flight there it would be quicker than booking a connecting flight into either Pensacola or mobile a VPS has service on Delta Americans Southwest and Allegiant it's pretty small and easy to navigate and the general aviation airport and Gulf Shores is just a couple miles from the beach and recently got a new air traffic control tower and a new name Gulf Shores International the airport Authority is in talks of bringing this commercial service to the airport as early as next year there are plans to construct a new Passenger Terminal as well so we'll all keep our fingers crossed and hope that happens and the mobile Airport Authority is also in the early stages of rebuilding another airport in the region the mobile downtown airport into what will become the Mobile International Airport So eventually all commercial service in Mobile will be moved to this Airport from MLB because of its location closer to the Central City area and it will be closer to Alabama's beach destinations at about an hour away I'm especially excited for this airport because when friends and family come to visit us the Airport Drive will be cut in half for us yeah so we've talked about some of the well-known cities close to Orange Beach and Gulf Shores homes airports what else can we share for new homeowners in the area before we wrap up this video so we need to just touch on the congestion this is a huge topic of discussion for locals who live in Orange Beach Gulf Shores and then the Inland cities that we just mentioned to like Foley and Fairhope everyone complains about the excessive growth that is causing more traffic more housing subdivisions going up everywhere you look there's a new store a grocery store popping up on literally every corner so if you're moving here you're going to experience all of this yeah and this is something you need to be aware of Baldwin County remains one of the fastest growing counties in all of Alabama and that growth has propelled the Daphne the Fairhope the Foley metropolitan area right there up to the list of the fastest growing metros in the U.S the United States people that's the entire country little old Us in lower Alabama is the fastest growing I honestly love hearing that to me it means we live in a great place like a place where everyone wants to move to and we know why the quality of life here is on another level living in this climate and being around the southern charm and becoming a part of this Coastal Life Community has improved our entire family's mental health physical health our attitudes everywhere we go whether it be the church the girls who are walking in the neighborhood everyone is just more pleasant and they engage in conversation with you and it's just like really really refreshing if Disney World was a community it would be here in lower Alabama it's the happiest place on Earth and it comes with a growing population so streets are crowded and there's traffic from the beaches to the Farmland new housing seems to just pop up everywhere in Baldwin County and the area is drawing in new families faster than anywhere in the country it's very exciting yeah but when you move 50 000 people within a decade to your community you're creating a substantial economic impact for businesses for new business creation and for the existing businesses that are here to thrive so there's definitely pros and cons so when moving here be prepared the locals aren't necessarily thrilled about the growth they're concerned about infrastructure and over development there are a lot of new people in lower Alabama most of the people are from out of town as a newcomer educate yourself on the area so you really know what to expect okay I think that's enough for today's video thanks for tuning in with us and we hope you found this info helpful and of course call us when you're ready to find your next house in lower Alabama we'll see y'all later bye [Music]

Channel: Living in Alabama_Your Real Estate Fam_eXp Realty

Views: 545

Keywords: moving to mobile alabama | the pros and cons for 2022, moving to mobile, moving to mobile alabama with family, moving to mobile alabama advice, what to know before moving to mobile alabama, living in mobile al, living in mobile alabama, living in mobile alabama pros and cons, moving to mobile alabama, mobile alabama, cost of living in mobile alabama, First Time Home Buyer in Mobile Alabama | YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS, moving to lower alabama, your real estate fam, Alabama Homes

Id: K6gbnRMyjUc

Length: 13min 18sec (798 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 26 2022