While many Gulf Coast homeowners are concerned about the increasing property taxes, Alabama Revenue Commissioner Time Russell explained last Thursday that these taxes are still much lower than other parts of the country.  Last week’s “Coffee with the Mayor” resulted in a discussion about property taxes to help Baldwin County residents understand the current situation.  Although national trends are seeing home values decreasing while property taxes are rising, Alabama homeowners are still paying considerably less than their neighboring areas.

It was also stated in this meeting that evaluations for Alabama homeowner’s property will go out the first week of December, and the following week they will be receiving the actual bill.  For more information about property taxes on Alabama’s Gulf coast visit Baldwincountynow.com.

For more information on Alabama’s Gulf Coast real estate including homes in Daphne, Fairhope, Spanish Fort, Mobile, and West Mobile Alabama, contact your neighborhood realtor Barbara Reeves via email or by clicking on the “Talk Live” button on the top right of this blog page.

October 2008 MLS data for Daphne AL shows 445 homes on the market with an average sales price of $310,231 which is unchanged from Sepember. The median price of $230,000 is down about 4% over the same time period. The median is the point where there are the same number of prices lower than higher. These homes have been on the market an average of 137 days.

In October, 21 homes sold in Daphne with an average sales price of $224,521, down 6% from last month. The median sales price of $215,000 represents a 13% increase. These homes spent 179 days on the market, which is a slowdown over September’s 123 days average.

The number of homes that are currently under contract in Daphne is 40. The average sales price of $2247,004 represents an 8% recovery, after a 10% drop from August. The median price point, however, is down 10% at $201,750. Homes under contract were on the market for an average of 121 days, a little shorter than in Sept.

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This Thursday, Alabama Revenue Commissioner Tim Russell will be speaking at the Daphne AL City Hall.  The event entitled “Coffee with the Mayor” will begin at 8:30 a.m. and cover topics of interest to city leaders and local residents.  The two major topics of discussion will be property taxes and homeowners insurance.  And although the meeting will be held in Daphne AL, these two subjects really involve all of Baldwin County.

Daphne and Baldwin County AL homeowners will want to see what representatives from Ecumenical Ministries Inc. have to say about addressing affordable and dependable hurricane insurance.  In addition to this week’s presentation, Ecumenical Ministries Inc. will also be sponsoring a meeting on homeowner’s insurance with local senators and other representatives which will be on November 20th.  For more information visit baldwincountynow.com.

For more information on available homes in Daphne AL, contact your neighborhood realtor Barbara Reeves—she’s always happy to help.

Earlier this month, Daphne Alabama officials discussed some options for making the city’s trash and recycling pick up programs more cost effective.  The city has lost money in the past on recycling efforts, as reported in Baldwin County Now online, and officials discussed in a recent meeting how they could make money in order to purchase new equipment for more efficiency; Mayor Small suggested that the program should be handled and run more like a business to solve some of the problems faced.  Other suggestions included saving money by a one day a week pick up schedule, and a small increase in the monthly charge for trash and recycling pick up.

Other Daphne Alabama business discussed in this meeting include an increase in city employee health care costs, and possibly conducting a traffic engineering study to alleviate congestion at the intersection of U.S. Highways 64 and 98.  For more information on these matters visit baldwincountynow.com.

For more information on available Daphne Alabama homes or other Gulf Coast area homes including West Mobile, Mobile, Fairhope, and Spanish Fort contact local agent Barbara Reeves via email.

Recently Baldwin County Alabama officials have been in the midst of a legal battle involving developments in flood-prone areas.  The county’s planning and zoning commission voted last Thursday night 10-0 to appeal a ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court unless it is amended by the judge.  

This decision was based on a previous decision that the commission made to deny proposed subdivision plans for an eight-lot development a little south of Daphne AL due to the concerns for flooding; however, Baldwin Circuit Judge Robert Wilters ruled that this decision had no legal grounds as the county had not formally adopted regulations that prohibit subdivision of land in what is known to be flood-prone regions.  

The Planning and Zoning Commission intend to stick with their decision as they feel it was based on concern for the safety and welfare of future residents; the commission also gave the developers of the proposed subdivision information on how to bring their plans up to their code and be accepted.

For more information on this matter visit the Press Register online at www.al.com.

September 2008 data for Daphne shows 464 homes on the market with an average sales price of $310,003 which is down 3.5% since August. The median price of $239,450 is down about 4% for the same time period.  These homes have been on the market an average of 133 days.  In September, 29 homes sold in Daphne with an average sales price of $237,836, down 4% from August. The median sales price of $190,000 represents a 7% increase. These homes averaged 123 days on the market before selling. Average days on the market is down 36 days since August, a great turnaround as the time on the market has been steadily lengthening in recent months.  September saw 34 homes under contract in Daphne, with an average sales price of $227,649, a 10% drop from August. The median price point, however, is up nearly 9% to $222,041. Homes under contract were on the market for an average of 133 days. With Fall in the air, we still have a strong Buyer’s market with lower prices and a large inventory. As economic growth increases with new industry coming to the metro area, inventory will not stay this large for long. It is a wonderful time to buy your dream home in Daphne AL! Visit http://barbarasellsdaphne.com for more information.

The topic of discussion today at Daphne Alabama’s Public Library was focused on the construction of Baldwin County Bicentennial Park.  This park will include 367 acres of land near Stockton on Highway 225 and will commemorate the area’s 200th anniversary as well as be a pull for tourists.   

Included in the park will be a number of entertaining and educational draws for residents and visitors alike.  There will be cultural and native American exhibits, architectural collections, a reproduction of a 19th century village, beautifully landscaped walkways and gardens at the entrance, 19th century working farm reproduction, and old-style area cuisine as well as a memorial area to honor those that served in the armed forces in history.  Walter Overton’s art collection will also be a welcomed addition to the park, including various watercolor paintings featuring the Gulf Coast of Alabama.  

The park will cost an estimated $6 million and is expected to attract about 300,000 visitors yearly.  This will help boost the local economy as it will bring in more job opportunities for local residents and bring income from tourists for the park as well as local lodging and dining.  The park project is expected to be completed within three to five years.

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At a recent Daphne Alabama Utilities Board meeting, North Winding Brook residents voiced their opinions regarding the board’s plans to develop a portion of the 19 acres of savanna that borders the east side of Village Drive.  The proposed plans are to take four acres to build three home sites, leaving the remaining 15 acres to be preserved as wetlands.  However, local residents are opposed to any development, pointing out at least two major outcomes if even the proposed portion of the land was to be developed; these two outcomes include possible flooding to neighboring watersheds or yards, and a negative effect on the area’s ecosystem.

The Daphne Utilities Board are giving the decision some more time to become better aware of possible effects and to gain input from local residents.

The rich culture of southern living will be showcased this weekend in Daphne Alabama, as the 20th annual Jubilee Festival commences.  On Saturday and Sunday, September 27th and 28th, nearly 100 artists will be displaying their works in this Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce sponsored event.  Artist’s will have booths along Main Street, while children’s activities will be in Centennial Park; kids will have the opportunity to hang their own art on the Park fence which will remain up for display even after the event is over.  There will also be live music, dance performances, and awards given for select winners of the art shows.

This Jubilee Festival has been an Eastern Shore Daphne Alabama tradition for years and draws in both tourists as well as local residents to join in the fun, history, and festivities.  

Click here and see what Daphne Alabama has to offer in great southern living and real estate.

Daphne Alabama city council members put forth a proposal to use some of the city’s lodging tax funds to acquire loans for the redevelopment of their downtown area. This proposal was met with some opposition, however, from hotel owners among others present at last week’s Tuesday meeting. 

The lodging tax was established in 1995 and has brought in approximately $3.3 million, most of which was put towards the purchase and development of waterfront property that has been for public use (e.g. Bayfront Park and Village Point Park); in 2000 council members voted to take out large loans using this revenue, but recent concerns have now been presented that the city’s ordinance that set how the lodging tax would be used has expired. 

Many Hotel owners and others concerned with the economy of Daphne have expressed the need for the city to still invest in waterfront property and parks. The waterfront parks have been a huge attractive for both visitors and residents alike and they hope that this will continue to be how at least some of the 4 percent lodging tax will be spent.

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