image credit: sxc.hu plane photo

The Baldwin County geographic information system will be updated soon, as new aerial photography has been underway for a few weeks now.  Starting on Monday Jan 26th, and still in the works, aerial photos of the area are being taken to offer a better way for the county to keep track of various geographical information.  These photos will be used to create maps that can be viewed publicly free of charge as well as zoning, tax and wetland information; businesses will be able to use the data on conditions of summiting a request and paying a specified fee.  Other uses for the data include natural disaster preparedness and related relief efforts, law enforcement, infrastructure development, and planning projects and zoning.

Aerial photos are updated every 4 years in Baldwin County Alabama to ensure accuracy in their records.  Residents have been asked not to do any outside burning over the next few weeks to allow for the best possible photos to date.

For more information on real estate in Baldwin County, including Fairhope, Daphne, and Spanish Fort as well as Mobile and West Mobile AL, contact your local realtor Barbara Reeves via email or by clicking on the “Talk Now” feature of this page.

Daphne

It is no surprise that there were fewer homes sold in Daphne in 2008 compared with 2007. The average price per square foot of living space dropped by 5.6% and the average sales price is down by 5%. Compare these figures with the rest of the U.S. According to Case-Shiller’s 20-city index in November, prices dropped 18.2% on an annual basis.  Going back to the high price point in July 2006, homes in these 20 cities have lost up to 25% of their value. Phoenix, San Francisco and Las Vegas have each lost more than 30% in the last year.  The bright side is that with both home prices and interest rates low, renters and others who have been on the fence, can finally buy a home with a lower mortgage payment than they previously dreamed of. BarbaraSellsDaphne.com has all the listings in Baldwin and Mobile Counties for your viewing. Or give Barbara a call on the Click to Talk button!  

Baldwin County saw a total of 1109 home sales in 2008, compared with 1312 sales in 2007. This is a drop of 15.5% in the volume of sales transactions. Average price per square foot of living space dropped by nearly 14% during the year. The time spent on the market surprisingly dropped in the 4th quarter after spiking in the 3rd quarter of the year.  However, the number of sales, the average price per square foot and average sales price all saw dramatic drops during the last 3 months of 2008.

It has been a bumpy ride, but with interest rates at historic lows and the inventory of homes so high, consider getting off the fence and taking advantage of conditions to make your homebuying decision. barbarareevesrealtor.com has all the listings in Baldwin County to help you find your perfect home at a very competitive price!

In most locations of the country, winter has set in; but in Alabama’s Gulf Coast seasonal visitors have been coming out for the warmer climate.  “Snowbirds,” as winter visitors are referred to, have flocked to the Baldwin county beaches for some recreation and to get away from the harsh weather conditions in other parts of the country.  Dauphin Island is also showing signs of winter visitors for brief periods of time here and there for family vacations.

But with golf courses, dining options, and the fresh coast air, ‘snowbirds’ know how to spend their time on the Gulf Coast.  The local economies also benefit considerably from the business, and the seasonal visitors are happy to have a place to be home away from home.

For more information on real estate in the Baldwin County AL area, including Fairhope, Spanish Fort, and Daphne Alabama, contact local agent Barbara Reeves via email or by clicking the ‘talk now’ button on this page.

The Comprehensive plan for Baldwin County is steadily coming along.  Last night the Baldwin County Planning and Zoning Commission work session was held to talk about how the Horizon 2025 document would be implemented.  The Genesis Group prepared the report based on input from political leaders in 2007 and residents; the current questions for the proposed plans include which suggestions will actually be implemented by the county officials and which ones will not.  The slowing down of the housing market could prove to be beneficial as now officials can really look at planning how to make their county grow responsibly and be in the best interest of the local economy.  The Baldwin County Planning and Zoning Commission will have a special meeting on December 11th to present recommendations to the county commission.

For more information on available real estate in Baldwin County, including Spanish Fort, Fairhope, and Daphne AL contact your local agent Barbara Reeves via email or by the “Talk Live” button at the top of this page.

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.

sxc.hu home stock image

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.