[The Island Concierge]

I currently live in Orange Beach and I absolutely love it here. It is true that it is expensive to live here. I am a single mother and I struggle but I wouldn't change the environment that I am raising my child in for anything. I could afford it better if the shops here weren't so great and the restaurants weren't so inviting. As far as finding a job here is concerned… They are here. We are always looking for people that want to work for a fair wage.
The people here are wonderful! Yes, it is true that the traffic can be brutal during the season but if you know the short cuts, you can get around. (We do have street maps here). We also have an abundance of monsters of the deep. This is nothing new. Sharks are in the Gulf of Mexico just as much as in the Atlantic Ocean. Jelly fish stings hurt but can be quickly consoled with a cotton ball and vinegar and you need to be careful when in the ocean. There is a purple flag that alerts you if there is dangerous sea life rampant but the number of attacks are spread out from here to Destin and very few (I think I have heard of two) and there are places that might be safer then others. Knee-waist deep on a clear blue water day is my recommendation.
Waking up in the mornings and stopping by Dizzy Bean for a cup of coffee to take and sit on the beach before I take a walk with my dog after my daughter gets on the school bus and before my employees are ready to come to work is my idea of heaven. I vacationed here for many years before moving here, I have been hit by not one but two hurricanes. I started at a penthouse on the beach, evacuated and came back to no home, I moved twice to find a place to stay long term, only to be hit indirectly again by Katrina. I evacuated and came back! After moving off of the Island from Ivan, I moved back on the Island after Katrina. Living here is like living on a vacation. The risk is worth the adventure.
Today I found myself absorbed in Fairhope! It is a very nice quaint town and so much to do! I highly recommend Fairhope.
As far as the Bama Bayou is concerned...Go to the website! www.bamabayou.com It will be amazing when it is complete. The Wharf www.thewharfal.com seems to have something new everyday and although I only live 1.5 miles from it, I have yet to take advantage of it all. We have an amphitheater at the Wharf also that has great concerts and the schools here are great! Go Dolphins!
If you are looking for a small town to raise your children then I think that Fairhope is as close to heaven as you can get without living on the beach! Oh! We do have alligators and rattle snakes also, we also have mosquitoes and love bugs. The weather can be sweltering at times in the summer but that is why we have AC in our homes and in our cars and the fall is wonderful. We have crisp mornings and comfortable days. We do need coats on occasion but you can wear the same one for 5 years and not wear it out!

[ex64060]

get data on all areas and I would choose school district with smaller enrollment myself!

[Lorrieiam]

I recently moved to Daphne from just south of Tampa Bay. I actually grew up here, but have been in Florida for the last 15 years. My parents are getting older...yada yada...

Anyway, as I am still in recovery mode from the culture shock (3 to 1 ratio in population for one thing), I can tell you that there are indeed many "lawn care" businesses here.

I have a very good friend here who is doing fine, and it's only his first year. By the way, he's not even spending money on media advertising. I made some flyers for him, and when he is mowing a lawn with his wife along helping, they are ready to hand an estimate to any approaching neighbors.

You would be surprised how your biz could grow by the street. Just be sure that you do a great job and your client's yard looks just a little better than the rest. Oh, and stay away from my friend's jobs! lol

If you do move here, Daphne, Fairhope, Where Ever, my best wishes to you and your family.

Oh yeah, please beware! If you want to build a house, or buy property, BE VERY CAREFUL. I have a buddy here who is in dire trouble right now because of EVERYONE involved. From the real estate agent, to the lender, to the builder, to the builder's lawyer, to my friend. DONT do/SIGN anything without consulting with a real estate atty.

Good luck!

[wildchildboutique]

We lived in Spanish Fort for 3 years. It's a great place to raise a family. Rockwell Elementary school was excellent. The new high school, Spanish Fort High School should be a good environment also as everything is new.

I agree, you should not have a problem doing residential lawn in the area. I contacted several lawn care companies and was told by all of them they basically did not have time to mess with residential accounts as their commercial ones kept them too busy and it just wasn't worth it.

Not sure about pool halls as it's more of a 9a-9p town and 9-6p on Sundays..kwim?

[wildchildboutique]

I think I can answer some of your questions. First, the housing I would not say is "booming" at all. It is expensive to live there, but that depends on your interests and tastes as does anywhere you are going to move. There is a very large subdivision in Daphne called Lake Forest, there are probably over 100 homes for sale in there so that would be a good place to start. Honestly though if your house foreclosed on I doubt you would be able to purchase a home for at least 5 years, and you may have a hard time renting. Most landlords will pull credit reports and not rent to foreclosure couples.....and keep in mind so will apartments and if you do get approved be prepared to pay at least $1000 or more up front deposit because of financial risk.

There is a huge difference between Mobile and Daphne/Spanish Fort/Fairhope, you need to come to the area to really understand it. Spanish Fort is great, the schools there are great(in my opinion) and it's still a tiny town, with a big outdoor shopping center. The thing is you will be strapped to find new construction 3br under $250,000 probably more close to $300,000. Just being honest, it sounds like you may be better off in Daphne. Keep in mind the majority of the people I knew would only send their high schoolers to a private school, probably even the middle schoolers, so keep that in mind.

I think you will find the general work industry to not be that great in the admin field, unless you think $8/hr is acceptable, which it was not for me because I have a degree and 10 yrs experience. Thus, the reason we moved from the area. I personally think if you can start your own business this would be a great area for you, that is what most of the people do there. There is a good medical industry if you are okay with commuting to Foley or Mobile, but again probably under $10/hr unless you are certified RN or something like that. Construction should be a good area, hard to find skilled workers, but not sure what they pay.

In my opinion Biloxi would be a risky place to go, they have not developed a lot after the hurricane and securty/crime would be my main concern if I were to move to that area. Ocean Springs is not far from Biloxi and would be somewhere you probably want to look at. If you are looking long term make sure to check greatschools.net for school info. HOpe this helps. Good luck with your move.

[gregorj]

I am also looking to buy down here, right now I am staying with friends and I love the Spanish Fort area, but my job is in Fairhope. So I am looking for something close to my friends, but at the same time close to my job. Any recommendations?

[gailtoo]

Originally Posted by Lorrieiam

Oh yeah, please beware! If you want to build a house, or buy property, BE VERY CAREFUL. I have a buddy here who is in dire trouble right now because of EVERYONE involved. From the real estate agent, to the lender, to the builder, to the builder's lawyer, to my friend. DONT do/SIGN anything without consulting with a real estate atty.

Hello Lorrieiam,

I will be going to Fairhope within the next few days or next week to look at houses. Could you please tell more about what happened to your friend? We got into a bad situation in our our current home and it involved the lawyer, seller and someone in Government. Our neighbors are in the same boat we are in. I never want to get into a situation like that again. If you don't want to post it here, could you pm or email me? my email address is
bvigorda at yahoo dot com (I've typed the email address this way as I'm told it prevents spam programs from picking it up). If you use pm or email, I'd also appreciate names of the lawyer, real estate agent and builder so I can be sure to avoid them.

I hope you'll be able to reply as soon as possible as I may be leaving in just a few days.

Many thanks,
Gail

[webbnancy]

My husband and I are getting ready to retire in a few months and are debating between Pensacola area and Alabama area...we are concerned with proberty taxes and home insurance in these areas since we will be living on a fixed income. What can we expect regarding home owners insurance in Fairhope or Daphne for around $200,000. home...is that possible for a 3bedroom3bath home in that area?

[Keeper]

Property taxes will be MUCH less in AL. however, there is a state income tax but most pensions are not taxed, but some are taxed. SS is not taxed.
HOI depending on where you live may be through the state insurance just like in FL. However, if you don't live directly on the water it should not be too bad. The further away from the water you live the less $$ for HOI.

You can get a house for that amount but maybe not directly in the 'city' of Fairhope, but a little away from downtown which is closer to the bay.

[humacaena]

We live in Fairhope in a 2600sf home. Our insurance is $2,200 a yr. as our home is west of 98, intown. The taxes should be about $1,200 on a home valued over $500,000.(I say should, as we moved 6 mos. ago to this brand new home)

There are plenty of nice homes in the $200 to $250,000 range, in the subdivisions 5 to 10 minutes outside of intown areas. Please understand that we have one of the lowest property taxes in the country, and it is a very charming and safe town. Our sales tax is 6% in Fairhope.