NARRATOR: You step out of your
house and right onto the sand -- a morning swim,
afternoon fishing, sunset, and cocktails by the surf. This is beachfront living,
and it's only for the rich... or so you thought. $139,000? DOT: That is
an incredible bargain. ALISHA: It's like we're stealing
a piece of paradise. I know. Oh, wow. I never thought we could afford
something like this. NARRATOR: Today we're
beachfront bargain hunting on Dauphin Island, Alabama. Houses here can cost
well over $1 million, but we're looking
for a little slice of paradise for a budget of $215,000, and we want to be
right on the water. Sold. That's it. You ready? [ Laughs ] The price is great. NARRATOR: Get ready
to beachfront bargain hunt. We're gonna throw our rod
out there towards that pole. You got it, dude. I'm Daniel George. And I'm Alisha George. We've been married
for seven years. We have two beautiful children,
Daniel and Grace -- twins. Aw, man! We went in
for the ultrasound and the technician touched her
belly and then pulled it away. It was like...
[ Gasps ] "Did you see
two heads?" Thankfully,
it was two different children. [ Both laugh ] We live
in Mobile, Alabama. We load the kids up
almost every weekend, head down
to Dauphin Island. Dauphin Island is about
45 minutes south of Mobile. It's a barrier island
that protects Mobile, Alabama, from the Gulf of Mexico. I pretty much lived
on Dauphin Island while I was growing up.
So did she. It's a nature lover's paradise. I mean, you have
a huge bird sanctuary. It has gorgeous white
sandy beaches. We can go swimming.
We can ride our bikes. We go out fishing. I want to catch a fish! You want to catch
a fish? Fishing is a big part
of our lives. It's what we do. He stole our bait! The kids are growing up
pretty quick, and I want them to have the same
experiences that we had. We really want a house
on Dauphin Island, but hopefully there's one
we can afford. Look at that one!
That is nice. I don't even want to know
how much that one costs. We've been driving around
the island for awhile, looking for a beach house
that's affordable. We both work hard
all week. I'm an automated
welding programmer. And I'm an office manager. So, we're not millionaires
at all. We're looking for something
that's gonna be affordable. It may be difficult
to find a place in the budget
that we've set for ourselves, but we're about to meet
with a Realtor, and hopefully she'll be able
to find us something. Well, tell me
some of the things you're looking for
in a property. Well, it has to be
on the water. I would love to have
easy beach access. Yeah. That's not
as important to me. I'm all about fishing. I want easy access
for the boat to the Gulf. You want a boat slip then.
You want a dock. Well, we want
a boat<i> lift.</i> We're also looking for a place
with about two bedrooms that would be easily rented
all the time. So, what is your budget
for this property? About $215,000. Maybe
just a hair more. Okay, well, that's gonna cancel
out the east end of the island, because most of the properties
there are $1 million. Oh. [ Laughs ] That's okay. I can already think
of several properties that could work for you. Hey, great.
That sounds like a plan. We never thought
in a million years that finding a beachfront home
as a second place would be a possibility
for us. This is the street
right here, honey. [ Tires screech ] Glad you were
paying attention. Yeah. Always. We're really excited
to see a house Dot's gonna show us
in Sandpiper. Might be tough
to find one in our budget, but we're hoping that
if we look hard enough, it'll be there. Hey, is that it?
With the green roof? Great. Look at that! Look at the porch!
Coming up both ways. That is a big deck. This house is listed
for $224,900, and it's a bargain
for this area. It's located on a canal, but there's beach just down the
stairs, so they can have it all. I love this little beach area
right here. The kids would have
so much fun! I know! You guys ready
to look at Sandpiper? BOTH: Sure are. Okay.
Well, follow me. Okay. Great. Look at this great view. We have water over there.
We have water over here. Perfect place
to put your boat. DANIEL:
Well, there's no boat lift. But it has a lot
of great features. You're gonna love
this house. It's a 3-bedroom, 2-bath. It's a little more
than we had talked about. It's $224,900. Oh. But as far as beach-house
bargain hunting goes, this place is a winner. There are several other rentals
on this street, and I think you could
probably expect somewhere between $1,000
to $1,500 a week during the prime season. Hey, that's great. That is. And further down the street,
last year, one of the houses
sold for $600,000. Wow! Really? Yes. So, $224,900, if you can be
in a neighborhood where houses sell
for over half a million dollars. ALISHA: I really like
this dock. Yeah, I like it. It's long.
There's a lot of space. You can just see the kids
fishing right here. Probably would.
I don't know, though. A boat lift is gonna
be expensive. I know, right? But once
we put one in... Yeah. Pretty big hike
to get to the sound. The fact that it doesn't
have a boat lift makes this house
way over our budget. Eh, budgets
can be stretched. I'm gonna push you
in the water. [ Sighs ] DOT: Oh, this is a great deck.
You're gonna love it. I love the size. Look how big it is. Think of all the parties
you can have up here. You sure could. Go take a seat. Okay. Just imagine
yourself here. Just the two of you
and the kids are playing, got a beer
in your hand. Sounding better
all the time. Come on, Alisha.
Get into it. Yeah. Relax. She's trying not to like
this house. I can tell. We're gonna have to get her
past that budget thing. Alisha is a little more serious, and I think she's the practical
one in the family, so she's the one we're going to
have to convince. And, see, you have
this great covered area. Wraps
all the way around. It's got
all kind of deck space, but that's a lot
of maintenance. That's a lot of upkeep. It is, but if the kids are playing
on the beach there, you just read your book
over here so you can sort of
keep an eye on them, and the water's shallow
over there. DANIEL: You can see so much
from right here. Everywhere you look.
Water, water everywhere. So, why don't you guys
take a look? Okay. Great. Let me know
what you think. Wow. DANIEL: Wow! This is really nice. Look at
how open it is. I like the paneling
on the walls. Never thought I'd say that,
but I do. I like it. Tons of people in here,
out on the deck. Yeah. I like how you've got
the sliding glass doors on both sides. You can
just open them both, have a nice breeze
going through here. Wouldn't have to run
the air condition as much. ALISHA:
I like how big the kitchen is, but we have to update it
a little bit, though. Yeah. Let's go look
at the rest of the house. Oh, the kids
would love this bedroom. Access to the deck. That's very attractive
to folks, you know? You don't have to walk
through the house and disturb other people
to get outside. The second bedroom. DANIEL:
Oh, all right. As far as renting it out,
it'll sleep a lot of people. Oh, I know. The master bedroom
is really large. It's huge. DANIEL:
Plenty of room in here. Have a big, huge, like,
painting of a seagull. I could do that. Mm-hmm. [ Laughs ] I love how
the vanity's right here. I like it, Alisha. I do, too. Tough decision. DANIEL: I know. After seeing the house, I was
very surprised at the price, even though it was
a little bit more than we had talked
about spending. It's an excellent deal
at that price. What do you think? I really like this house. I do, too. But, you know,
they are asking more for it. We'll have to figure out
how much it's gonna cost to get the lift put in,
add that to the price. We'll just have to see
if we can swing it. We'll see. DOT:
This is the Fish Camps. Each house comes
with its own boat slip. Priority number one. And the price is great! Oh, wow. Hey, kids.
What do you want to do? BOTH: Swim! All right,
everybody, hold on. We load the kids up
almost every weekend, head down
to Dauphin Island. Come on, babe. [ Twins laugh ] A lot of times,
we just go to some of the more
remote beaches around Dauphin Island, spend the day,
eat lunch, come back later. ALISHA:
We love the island. Our "paradise." Yeah. So, buying a place isn't
just an investment for<i> us.</i> It's an investment
for the kids, too. Coming home to our own vacation
home on Dauphin Island -- That's the dream. We may be able to make
our dream come true, even on
our tight budget. Dot showed us the house
on Sandpiper. I love the fact that
it's got a lot of space, but it doesn't have
the boat lifts. Other than that,
great place. The fact that
it doesn't have a boat lift makes the price
way above our budget. Not<i> way</i> above
the budget. Yes.
$215,000 is our budget. Okay. Yeah.
It's above budget. [ Chuckles ] Oh, this is it here? Right at the base
of the bridge, huh? Yeah.
So, soon as you come on. Yeah, first thing you see when
you get to the island, right? This is the Fish Camps
of Dauphin Island. It's a condo complex,
and it has a lot to offer. Look at all these
beautiful colors. DANIEL: Look like a bunch
of Easter eggs side by side. DOT: So, this house has
one bedroom, one bath. It's 600 square feet. Oh. 600 square feet? That is small! And one more thing. It's $139,000. What?! $139,000?
That's it? Yes. Really? Goodness.
It'd be hard to find a lot -- just a lot without a house --
for $139,000 on the water. It would.
You're right, Daniel. We had no idea it would
be almost $100,000 less
than our budget. What do you think, babe?
You like the view? I do.
I really love the view. Look at the sound
over there. I know. You can see the marina. Yeah. But look how close
the houses are. They are. They're extremely
close together. Is that good or bad? It can be both
good and bad, I guess, depending on
who your neighbor is. Oh, wow. This is nice. This place
is like brand-new. I know. It's all modern. I like the modern.
Look at the floors, babe. I know. No carpet. You know sand
is coming in with the kids. Come up the stairs.
It gets on the floors. Vacuum it up,
sweep it up, you know? There's no carpet
to ruin. Oh, wow. Is it bunk beds? This is the bedroom? Mm, where's
the rest of it? This is really small. Look. This is the end
of the camp. Does it keep going? Oh, doesn't go
very far, does it? I guess we were
just in the bedroom. I'm gonna see if these beds
are long enough for me. [ Sighs ] Oh, yeah. But I think we were actually
just in the bedroom. [ Both laugh ] With the couch. You might have been
in<i> your</i> bedroom. I'm not sleeping
on a fold-out sofa. Yep.
It folds out. This one folds out,
too. Mm. Even though the Fish Camp
is priced great, if it doesn't meet
our needs for our vacation property
and a rental property, it's just not gonna work. What did you think? Hey. This is a great piece
of property right here. But it's small. It is tiny. This is gonna be
a tough decision with our kids
only being 6 years old. As they get older,
the size may become an issue. We're gonna need
more room. But what this unit
lacks in size, it makes up for
in amenities. This one's not
all about the house. There's a lot more
that I want you to see. Each house comes
with its own boat slip, and this house
even has a lift. DANIEL:
It does have a boat lift. Priority number one,
right? ALISHA:
That's great. And you can drop
your boat and be out in the sound
in like two seconds. I know. It's not
very far, is it? No. If you want
your own private beach, just hop in your boat,
and within minutes, you can be in a little
piece of heaven. Now, Dot, let me ask you. How do these rent compared
to the houses on the island? DOT: Well,
people like to rent them for a weekend
or a long weekend. Okay. The dock
at the Fish Camp wraps all the way around
the property. You can walk anywhere
you want to on the docks. It's almost like
a resort. Other houses don't have all
the amenities that we have here, and one of the things
is this beautiful pool. Whoa. ALISHA:
This is just great. Bring the kids here
and come swimming. Good way to cool off
on a hot summer day. Check out
the temperature, babe. You want to get
in there? Is it heated?
For the winter? No, it's not heated. Okay. Oh, yeah. It's --
It's very cold right now. Is it really? [ Laughs ] Here?
You want to feel it. I'm good. No? Okay. It's like a real vacation,
you know? You have a pool and you still
don't have to keep it up. It's looking
better and better. DOT: There is something out back
that I think you're gonna love. That's nice! All right. Sold.
That's it. You ready? ALISHA: [ Laughs ] Pop said it was
part of a ship! It was part of a ship. Y'all stand over there
and let me take a picture. Now that
we're house hunting, we have an opportunity
to explore everything that the island
has to offer. ALISHA:
Stand up. Stand up. Bad idea! Bad idea! DANIEL: Fort Gains
is a Civil War-era fort. It was actually used
in the Battle of Mobile Bay. Who wants them
to shoot the cannon? Me! DANIEL:
Lots of history here, yeah. "Damn the torpedos,
full speed ahead" -- That came from
the Battle of Mobile Bay. Fire in the hole! Wow! [ Laughs ] Was that fun or what? Oh, man! ALISHA: We're looking
for a beach house on Dauphin Island, Alabama, in the price range
of about $215,000. DANIEL: Dot showed us
a house on Sandpiper. The beach was just
right across the street. But it didn't have a boat lift,
and it's over budget. The Fish Camp
is really small, and the price is
also pretty small. Now we're headed
to the house on Polaris. The neighborhood
looks really great. I like how the canals come
right from the sound and then they just
dead-end right here. DOT: This area of the island
is very popular, and a lot of the houses
go for twice the amount that they're asking
for this one. Here it is. Polaris. All right.
I love the color blue. It's a 3-bedroom, 2-bath.
It's $229,000. Hey, does the boat
come with it? No, the boat
doesn't come with it. But there is something
I want you to see out back that I think
you're gonna love. Hey, hey!
A boat lift! That's nice! All right. Sold.
That's it. You ready? Let's go sign
the papers. That's all we need.
We don't need a house. I knew
you were gonna say that. I knew you were. And besides the boat lift, you have a fish-cleaning
station, and you're only 50 yards
from the Mississippi Sound. Oh, yeah. This looks like
a perfect location. Boat hits the water
and we're gone. The dock at Polaris is pretty
much everything we need. Figure this out. Just please don't. Why? 'Cause you're
gonna break it, and then we're gonna
have to buy it. Buying a place
with a boat lift -- It's a good investment. That one works. I think
that's enough, honey. We're good. That's a pretty expensive
piece of equipment. So, don't you love this? ALISHA: I do. I love
the size of this deck. DANIEL: This is nice. Look how
much room there is up here. Is there public access
to the Gulf right there? DOT: There is. You can just walk down
the street, maybe 800 yards. Maybe? Yeah. Ready to take a look
on the inside? Yeah. Go ahead. Mm.
This is pretty old. It looks like we'll probably
have to redo the kitchen, babe. Eh, I don't know.
I like how it's kind of open. I can sit on the couch
and watch you cook. [ Both laugh ] Look at
this coffee pot. You ever seen
one of those? I haven't. You're probably
too young. It looks like
it may have a roof leak, too. Oh. I'd say so. All right. Already got
a nice beach theme. Big windows in the front
looking at the water. It is a little bit bigger
than I was expecting. It has potential. I would want to replace
the carpet and do hardwood. Yeah. All the floors so far
need replacing. So, we're already looking
at having to gut just about everything
in here. Yeah. Go in this bedroom
first? Bedroom number one. Two kids here,
two more kids here. You can get a lot
of folks in here. Rental income
is important, especially if we have to
increase our budget. Bedroom number two. DANIEL: It's a little bit
bigger, isn't it? Crack the windows at night,
and we can hear the waves. Hear the water? Yeah. One bath. Wow. Kids will be fighting
over that, as well. Well, yeah.
There's just one. We're a bit confused. Dot just told us that
this place was a 3-bedroom, but we only see two. All right, Dot.
[ Sighs ] Not quite
as excited anymore. Oh. This is the part
to be excited about. I know, I know. The outside is great. And you haven't seen
everything yet. Oh, really? Come on in. Ooh,
it's another bedroom. ALISHA: All right. And a washroom. This bath's nicer
than the other bath. It is a good place, though,
to have your washer and dryer. I mean, you're gonna be
washing beach towels and you're gonna be hanging
swimsuits out on the deck. Hey, if it floods,
it's a concrete floor. Exactly.
Just sweep it out. Yeah. So, you had a look around.
What do you think? Well, first of all,
I love the boat lift. Love the location. Everything about
the outside is great. But it's still on
the high end of our budget. Even at that price,
this location -- I mean,
that's a value there. Once we make
the cosmetic repairs, it's really everything
that we want. I think we got
a lot to think about. We do. Very excited about getting
a place down here. I know. I love it. Well, we got a few good places
to choose from. Yeah, we do.
Sandpiper had that big deck. It has the best view. It does. Really love the fact that it's close to the beach
on either side. What I love about Sandpiper
is how big it is. That'll bring in
a lot of renters. But we did say that a boat lift
was a priority, right? Right. I mean, that's gonna add
to the cost and it's already
over the budget, right? Yeah. Without the boat lift,
I just don't see it feasible. Are we crossing
that one off? Might as well. Yeah. So, we got Fish Camps
and Polaris? One thing I love
about Polaris is it already has a boat lift
and a fish-cleaning table. It's really set up
for having a boat and fishing. The inside
is just outdated. Yeah, it's pretty old, but, you know, it's got
a nice, big deck on the top. And that
downstairs bedroom for family members
you don't care for. [ Laughs ]
Well, there's a few of those. I don't know. The Fish Camps
was all modern, up to date. As far as staying there
with two 6-year-olds? It's the least practical. Right. We would be packed inside
like sardines in a can. We're gonna outgrow
that place quickly. But look how far
below budget it is. Yeah. We could always sell it
in a few years if we decide that
it's just not big enough. As far as fishing
and the boat goes, it has a boat lift
that's right by the marina. I know which one I want. I know which one I want. Are you thinking
of the same one I'm thinking? I hope so. DOT: Hi! Hey, Dot. Hey, Dot. Did you make
a decision? We did. We did. And which one
did you choose? Well, we picked... The Fish Camps. Oh, that's great! It has everything
we wanted. It has the pool. It has
the dock all the way around. It has the price. [ Laughs ] And the unbelievable
price. Especially right
on the water, huh? Exactly. Yeah. I've been a Realtor
for eight years on this island, and that is
an incredible bargain. We're real happy
about it. Welcome
to Dauphin Island. All right! All right! [ Laughs ] What we loved the most
about the Fish Camp is that it's gonna
make it so easy to do the things
that we love to do. Y'all having fun? Yes! After we got settled in,
size really isn't an issue. You do
some jumping jacks. The kids absolutely
love the place. You know, they don't
want to come inside. Tell her to sit.
Now shake. We've met great people
that live here, and although the houses
are close together, we still all get along,
and... It's a great community. ...it's a great community.
