·:[ The Judy Niemeyer Team Blog ]:·
• • • • •

Rising Commodities Will Lift Mobile Bay Home Prices 

Mobile Bay home prices tend to rise with commodity prices over the long term. Currently, the Producer Price Index for construction is up 39 percent over the past five years, and prices for commodities like oil, copper, steel and cement are sky-high. Sooner or later the increasing costs of these raw materials will push home prices higher. 

As the supreme commodity, every home is full of materials like steel, wood, and copper wiring. Presently, an oversupply of homes, along with an excess of foreclosures is keeping prices low, but home prices are rooted in hard costs and will eventually adjust to reflect the price of production. 

Learn what your Mobile Bay home is worth.

Search all Mobile Bay homes for sale.

Baldwin County AL Real Estate For Sale in Daphne

437 VILLAGE DRIVE – MONTROSE VILLAGE IN DAPHNE
BAYFRONT ELEGANCE IN 6, 132 SQ FT 4 BR/5.5 BA HOME IN PRISTINE MONTROSE VILLAGE WITH INCREDIBLE BAYFRONT VIEWS AND MAGNIFICENT YARD & SITTING AREAS. Designer was Fritz vonOstoff, renowned New Orleans landscape artist. Built by Bill Purvis in 1991. Over 103+ front feet on the Bay. Sought-after area. Incredible floor plan. Unbelievable views.

Enter the custom solid mahogany door to this incredible mansion and find yourself inside a huge formal marble foyer, with incredible Bay views and perfect for greeting guests. French doors lead to the oversized walnut-paneled Study with custom-built mantle. Entertain your guests in the formal elegance of the large Dining Room and Living Room or in the oversized, chic Library. Or, you may prefer the casual grandeur of the gourmet Chef’s Kitchen, with stylish custom Siematic baked-on lacquer cabinets and Mexican granite countertops to match.

This Kitchen has all the amenities, including high-end stainless steel appliances, and is open to the equally large and airy Breakfast Room. The incredible Master Suite will be your private retreat and your guests will love the elegant Guest Suite with marble floors and built-in cabinets. Two other large bedrooms complete the upstairs, along with a stylish Upstairs Sitting Room.

Outside, you have an oversized 40 x 18 Gunite pool with shallow ends at both ends and deep center, as well as heated spa jets. The pool area and bath house include magnificent sitting areas with a huge flagstone patio and decorative lion’s heads around the pool itself. omplete pool bath with shower and granite counters. Gas grill for easy outdoor entertaining. You and your guests will enjoy incredible views of Mobile Bay in true style.

Custom-designed courtyard was designed for beauty and privacy with many trees, including four Japanese Maples, and custom-made statue. Unbelievable oversized storage room with built-in cabinets / sink. Double garage with attic storage and complete 12 x 20 attached workshop, with window heat pump unit, sink with 6 gallon water heater and both 220 / 110 electrical wiring.

For more information on 437 Village Drive or other Baldwin County AL real estate, visit JudySells.com or give us a call, 251-990-0569

Search all Baldwin County AL real estate and homes for sale.

Mobile Bay Real Estate: Do I Really Want to Own Rental Property?

Investing in Mobile Bay real estate and owning rental property sounds glamorous, but it isn’t for everyone.

Be sure you know what you’re getting into and understand what you are getting into before signing on the dotted line. Here are some questions you should ask yourself before purchasing an investment property:

• Where will the down payment come from for this property?
• Do you have cash reserves so you handle periods of vacancy, i.e. no income?
• How about reserves for unexpected repairs and other expenses?
• Do you need property to rent immediately or do you have time and money for a “fixer-upper”?
• Will you make needed renovations and repairs or hire someone else for the job?
• What type of property do you want: single family, apartment, duplex, condominium, or vacation property?

Thinking it through ahead of time assures that you won’t get caught making a rash decision you will regret later.

If you decide now is the time to take advantage of lower market prices and invest in Mobile Bay real estate and rental property, visit JudySells.com or give us a call, 251-990-0569.

Search all Mobile Bay real estate and homes for sale.

Mobile Bay Real Estate For Sale

16265 Scenic Highway 98 in Point Clear

GORGEOUS BAYFRONT ESTATE IN POINT CLEAR—COMPLETELY RENOVATED! THIS 4 BR/6 BA, 6,472 SQ. FT. HOME HAS SPECTACULAR BAYFRONT VIEWS AND INCREDIBLE POOL AND PAVILION. Over 170 Front Feet on Mobile Bay with approximately 2 acres of land in sought-after Point Clear. Bordered by Bailey’s Creek to the South. Phenomenal open floor plan with Travertine floors throughout. Unbelievable views.

As you drive up to this grand Bayfront estate, you’ll fall in love with the beautiful tree-filled grounds with a winding private drive to the Regional Bay House with a Contemporary Flair. Four imposing two-story columns frame the Porte-Cachere in front. Inside, the light-filled, expansive Foyer is just as magnificent—it invites you to wander through the spectacular main level or take the hand-crafted curving iron staircase to the upper level. On the main level, the Foyer opens up to the spacious Dining Room with coffered ceilings. To one side of the Dining Room is the generously proportioned Living Room, with even taller coffered ceilings. On the other side, you’ll discover the ample Family Room and the substantial gourmet Kitchen, with every amenity a chef could desire.

There’s a large Guest Bedroom and Bath on the main level as well. Upstairs, you’ll find the oversized Master Suite and two additional roomy Bedrooms, each with its own Bath, that are connected by a big, comfortable Den the entire family can enjoy together.

Back downstairs, exit French Doors to a sizeable Courtyard off the Family Room that is perfect for entertaining or just reading and relaxing. Or you may be tempted to go through the double Bayfront doors to the extraordinary Saltwater Pool and Pavilion—it’s truly a separate living space all its own, with a Kitchen, walk-in Shower and Bathroom. There’s also a huge Backyard, where, from virtually every angle, you have breathtaking views of Mobile Bay and Bailey’s Creek. You will want to call this exceptional house your family’s home forever.

Learn more about 16265 Scenic Highway or other Mobile Bay real estate at JudySells.com.

Search all Mobile Bay real estate and homes for sale.

Al Eastern Shore Real Estate: Welcome to Fairhope

Description to follow will allow you to take a driving tour through the Eastern Shore. Please remember this is a partial list but we want to share our natural beauty with you.

Founded in 1894 by a group of idealists from Iowa seeking a Utopian quality of life focused on common ownership of the land, Fairhope has evolved rapidly into one of the main centers of the Eastern Shore’s commercial and cultural activity. Its founders believed that their progressive project had “fair hope” of coming to fruition and indeed the city’s prominence in the area may well be due in part to its heritage of fortitude and perseverance.

Bright flowers, brick walkways, downtown galleries and shops all add to the small town charm of this beautiful city. The public pier with its rose garden, beach area, and duck pond is the hub for most of the year. Activities from sailing to sunbathing can almost always be viewed from anywhere along the bluffs and waterfront in Fairhope. Even a potential “Jubilee” can be spotted, under rare conditions of course, in the summer. There is a wide variety of public and private schools as well as two colleges located in Fairhope.

Residential areas run along the bay, wrap around the downtown area, and branch out further from town in a more country setting. From small garden homes to huge estate homes, with bay views or with lush gardens, it is all available in Fairhope.

Fairhope has the quaintness and the atmosphere to allow you to stroll through Downtown. Downtown is locally called Fruit and Nut District and The Bluff Area, which both are walking distance to town and the Bay.

Subdivisions featured:

Quail Creek Built in conjunction with the municipal 18 hole golf course	Rock Creek Surrounding an 18 hole golf course and spectacular tennis facility plus fitness and swim.
Audubon	Trentino
Flying Creek	The Woodlands of Fairhope

HAVE FUN ON YOUR DRIVING TOUR!!!
EMAIL US  WITH YOUR WANTS, NEEDS AND PRICE RANGE

AL Eastern Shore Real Estate: Your Tax Dollars At Work

There’s been a lot in the news recently about the government takeover of government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But what does that mean for the AL Eastern Shore real estate market?

These agencies guarantee more than 40 percent of the nation’s mortgages and own or guarantee more than $5 trillion worth of mortgages, so assuring their continued operation is crucial in the current economic environment. 

The government’s actions aimed to restore confidence and bring stability and continued liquidity to the nation’s mortgage market. Interest rates came down immediately after the takeover, and it’s likely that this will keep them low for some time to come. 

Buyers benefit from lower rates, and sellers benefit from the increased demand created by buyers entering the market.

Learn more about AL Eastern Shore real estate at JudySells.com or give us a call, 251-990-0569.

Search all AL Eastern Shore real estate and homes for sale.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac both announced they will not impose the loan fee increase scheduled to go into effect next month. Fees were to have increased from .5% to .25%, making it even more difficult for Mobile home buyers. The biggest obstacle many ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Mobile home buyers face is the necessary cash needed for a down payment and closing costs.

Both companies, now controlled by the federal government, had decided to increase fees to boost their finances during difficult times.

Freddie Mac, however, will raise fees next year for riskier loan products, including mortgages that allow interest-only payments for the first few years. Freddie also will require higher credit scores for “piggyback” loans that allow borrowers to make smaller down payments by taking out two mortgages.

Taken together, Freddie Mac said the changes would provide “some relief from the challenges in the current market environment,” but added that it is following lending practices “that are prudent and largely applicable in all market conditions.”

Learn more about Mobile home loans at JudySells.com.

Search all Mobile and Eastern Shore homes for sale.

The National Association of Realtors, yesterday, praised the Senate for passing the Economic Stabilization Act. Below is what the NAR President had to say (keep in mind, this bill still needs to pass in the house):

WASHINGTON, October 02, 2008

The National Association of Realtors^®  commends the U.S. Senate for passing the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The Senate’s bold action will help the country emerge from the current credit crisis and put the economy back on its way to improved financial and housing stability.

“This far-reaching and meaningful legislation would go a long way in helping restore confidence in the nation’s financial system,” said NAR President Richard F. Gaylord. “Provisions in the bill would directly benefit Main Street by making financing more available. The legislation would not only help make home mortgages more available, which would help stabilize home sales and prices, but also help families who are trying to secure a car loan or borrow money to send their children to college. It would help protect Americans’ retirement savings and small businesses across the country.”

The act would require financial institutions to work with lenders and mortgage servicers to find ways to avoid foreclosures. It would also create a Troubled Asset Relief Program to purchase and guarantee the troubled assets from financial institutions that hold mortgages or mortgage-backed securities.

“If done right, the cost of such a plan will possibly be below the figures that have been widely reported,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “In fact there is a very good chance that taxpayers will reap a positive return on this investment over the long term.”

“By unclogging the financial pipeline, liquidity will be greatly improved and mortgages will become more accessible and affordable, allowing families who dream of owning a home to do so and at the same time help current owners keep the home they have,” Gaylord said.

“There will not be an economic recovery without a housing recovery, and this ambitious legislation is what our economy needs. We will work hard with the House of Representatives and the administration to ensure a quick and smooth enactment and implementation,” said Gaylord.