The initial step in acquiring a home is to select a location. It is the most crucial factor to consider while acquiring real estate.
Your property’s location, even inside the neighborhood, significantly impacts its value. Once you have decided on the broad region in which you want to live, you may start browsing for specific locations within those neighborhoods.
Make the location of the home your first consideration. Allow us to aid you in your search for a new home through Homes for Sale Baldwin County, AL.
Exploring Baldwin County, AL
Baldwin County, located in South Alabama along the Gulf of Mexico and Bon Secour Bay, is renowned as one of Alabama’s best tourism destinations. Fort Morgan and Fort Blakeley are two notable Civil War sites in the area. It is named after the United States.
Baldwin County was the site of some of the first European discoveries and settlements in the South because of the closeness of its location to the Gulf Coast.
History
Over ten years before Alabama became a state, on December 21, 1809, an act of the Mississippi Territorial Legislature created Baldwin County. Baldwin County, formed from present-day Washington County, is Alabama’s biggest county.
People of the Mississippian culture previously lived in the region, leaving massive burial and shell mounds that may still be seen at the Bottle Creek archaeological site.
Major Cities and Demographics
According to 2020 Census projections, Baldwin County registered a population of 231,767. 87.4 percent were considered white, 8.8 % were African American, 4.7 percent were Hispanic, 1.9 percent were of two or more races, 1.1 percent were Asian, 0.8 percent were Native American, and 0.1 percent were Hawaiian.
The county seat, Bay Minette, had a population of 8,107, while Fairhope, the biggest city, had a population of 22,477. Gulf Shores, Daphne, Orange Beach, Loxley, Foley, Spanish Fort, and Robertsdale are other large population centers.
Economy
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the economy of Baldwin County was primarily based on agriculture and deerskin commerce between Creeks, settlers, and Europeans.
Deerskins collected from the Creeks were sent to Europe and other continents by export businesses based in Mobile. The land was exceedingly inexpensive. Thus, settlers could acquire enormous swaths of productive land for cultivating indigo, tobacco, and rice.
Map of Baldwin County
Baldwin County is located in the southernmost region of the state and covers around 1,596 square miles. It is entirely within the physiographic portion of the East Gulf Coastal Plain.
Mobile County borders it on the west, Washington and Clarke Counties on the northwest, Monroe County on the north, Escambia County, Alabama on the northeast, and Escambia County, Florida on the east.
The county’s southern section stretches along the Gulf of Mexico, while the Tensaw River flows along the western boundary, feeding into Bon Secour Bay.
Events and Tourist Attractions in Baldwin County
Baldwin County is a renowned tourist destination due to its position on the Gulf of Mexico. More than one million tourists visit the beautiful sandy beaches of Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Perdido Beach each year.
Local Parks
Gulf State Park, located on the beaches of Gulf Shores, is 6,150 acres in size and has two miles of sandy beaches.
The park offers modern and traditional campsites, cottages, a marina, hiking paths, fishing, picnic spaces, and a pavilion. The park includes Lake Shelby, a 900-acre lake, and an 18-hole championship golf course.
The Animal Planet network included the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo in Gulf Shores in the series The Little Zoo That Could, which shows its efforts to recover after being ravaged by multiple hurricanes.
The Weeks Bay NERR and Bon Secour National Animal Refuge provide excellent wildlife observation possibilities, with the latter serving as a stop on the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail.
Amenities for Leisure
The Grand Hotel Golf Resort and Spa provides tourists with access to Mobile Bay beaches, restaurants, a pool complex, and a rebuilt and extended historic hotel.
Rich Marine Life
For more than 50 years, fishermen and residents of Baldwin County have witnessed what has come to be known as the “jubilee” phenomena, in which different aquatic species, including crabs, flounder, and stingrays, migrate to shallow water, allowing them to be readily plucked out of the water.
Every October, Baldwin County celebrates the Shrimp Festival, which draws 200,000 guests each year and includes a variety of shrimp meals, arts and crafts, and music.
Historical Sites
As you consider buying homes for sale Baldwin County, AL, try to look forward to several historic sites and districts that draw thousands of visitors annually. Visitors interested in Civil War history can explore Fort Morgan State Historic Location.
It includes some of the historic fort’s original structures from its completion in 1834, the abandoned town of Blakeley, the site of the Civil War’s last fight, and Historic Blakeley State Park.
Museums
The Baldwin County Heritage Museum in Elberta displays Baldwin County history from 1900 to 1950. The Sea Museum and Orange Beach Indian are committed to preserving Gulf Coast marine, Native American, and local history.
The Foley Depot Museum, situated in the 1909 L&N depot building, offers exhibits on the area’s forestry and railroad history, and the Holme’s Medical Museum in Foley, housed in Baldwin County’s oldest hospital erected in 1936, contains displays on medical science and history.
What is the Essence of Location in Real Estate?
The location generates desirability creates demand and boosts real estate values. After learning the essentials of living in Baldwin County, information about the county, and what to anticipate in the region. Let us look at why it is vital to seek a location to reside.
Reverse Engineer the Neighborhood’s Future
Do not purchase in a good or terrible area; instead, buy in a neighborhood with a bright future. Do your study on communities, but bear in mind that most of the most fantastic settings will be more expensive investments.
You want to invest in a piece of land for sale Baldwin County, AL, that is on the threshold of being the “next greatest thing.” Safe places must be investigated; but, it is even more necessary to question, “Where will this area be in five years?”
Schools
Considering schools is an integral part of your house’s location, mainly because several millennials are getting a mortgage to start a family and want a strong school district.
Likewise, schools should be an essential aspect of a town, especially when planning and constructing it.
Local Attractions
Local amenities have a direct influence on local real estate values. If the home you are buying is within a few miles of most of these facilities, amenities can enhance your property’s value
Some buyers make specific facilities a criterion in their house searches, such as grocery shops, restaurants, shopping, and entertainment. These are some of the top amenities individuals seek when purchasing houses for sale Baldwin County AL.
What Effect Does Location Have on Values?
The location has the most significant impact on property prices since it influences the attractiveness of a home. The closer you are to convenient hot areas, the better your location and the more likely your house will rise in value in the future.
Seek to acquire a real estate investment property such as homes for sale Baldwin County AL. Its location will always be your top consideration because you search for appreciation and purchasability.
The greater the site, the simpler it will be to lease out the property, and the more money you may collect each month as it appreciates.
Alabama Home Property Values and Costs
So we know where to look for a place to live through Baldwin County real estate but how much is the value, and how have property prices recently changed in the state? Let us take a look at it next.
To begin, the average property value in Alabama is now $126,000. Homes are advertised for an average of $203,900, with transactions closing for roughly $144,400. The average price per square foot is $101.
In terms of house appreciation, home prices have risen 5.3 percent in the last year and are expected to climb another 1.3 percent by the end of 2018.
Hurricane Insurance is Required
Before settling for Baldwin County homes for sale, you should be aware of any obligatory insurance plans that are particular to the location. Sadly, those heading to Alabama have not escaped this because this state loves hurricanes.
Indeed, Alabama is among 19 states that demand a hurricane deductible as part of a homeowner’s insurance policy.
But what precisely does that mean? You will have to pay your insurance provider a set amount of money before they cover any windstorm damage to your property.
Deductible payments are generally between 1% and 5% of the home’s insurance value. However, this varies greatly depending on where you reside.
Bottom Line
That is all for our brief guide to everything house-buying in Alabama, with some exciting insider information for good measure. While there is always much more to learn about a state than we could cover, we hope we were capable of answering some of your inquiries.
Begin your research with your preferred neighborhood in mind. Find attractive communities online, get referrals from local real estate brokers, and get as much background information as possible at TheShortTermShop.com.
So, if Alabama appears to be the next area you want to call home, we encourage you to check it out yourself. We strongly advise you to check for cheap house insurance coverage via our trustworthy network in Baldwin County, Alabama, real estate.
