Neighborhood updates, market observations, and honest numbers from coastal Alabama and northwest Florida. Mandy Longshore, RE/MAX of Gulf Shores.https://comehomealabama.com/en-ushttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/what-your-condo-dues-actually-pay-for/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/what-your-condo-dues-actually-pay-for/Condo dues on the coast are a stack of costs, not a price tag. How to read the budget, what Alabama law makes the seller hand over, and the one question to ask on the Florida side.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTcoastalcoastal-economicscondo-economicshoa-duesbuyer-guideshttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/utilities-at-the-road-are-not-utilities-at-the-homesite/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/utilities-at-the-road-are-not-utilities-at-the-homesite/A water line or sewer marker near Baldwin County land does not settle the utility question. Here is what to verify before you write the offer.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTcoastallandbuyer-guidesnew-constructionhttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/orange-beach-is-three-different-decisions/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/orange-beach-is-three-different-decisions/Beach access, boat access, and rental rights are three separate questions in Orange Beach. Here is what to verify before you price the property.Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTorange-beachcommunity-profilebuyer-guidescoastal-economicshttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/walk-the-drainage-before-you-buy/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/walk-the-drainage-before-you-buy/A sunny showing cannot tell you where water goes. Four practical checks for a Gulf Coast buyer before the inspection clock runs out.Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTcoastalbuyer-guidesseasonalityflood-zoneinsurancehttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/retiring-on-the-alabama-florida-line/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/retiring-on-the-alabama-florida-line/Florida has no state income tax and Alabama does. But Alabama taxes an owner-occupied home on a tenth of its value. Here is the worked math on both sides of the Perdido Key line.Mon, 07 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTcoastalrelocationcoastal-economicstaxesretirementhttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/fortify-the-roof-before-you-list/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/fortify-the-roof-before-you-list/Alabama will pay up to $10,000 toward a FORTIFIED roof. The catch most sellers find out too late: your home can't be listed for sale while the grant is in process.Fri, 04 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTcoastalseller-guidesinsurancefortifiedcoastal-economicshttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/what-a-coastal-rental-actually-nets/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/what-a-coastal-rental-actually-nets/A projection sheet says gross rent. Your deposit says something else. Here is where the money goes on a Gulf Shores rental, line by line, with the tax and license rules named.Wed, 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTgulf-shorescoastal-economicshttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/fewer-listings-softer-prices-baldwin-county/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/fewer-listings-softer-prices-baldwin-county/Baldwin County inventory is down about 9 percent from last year, but asking prices are down too, and per-foot pricing fell faster. What that means if you're buying or selling this fall.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTcoastalmarket-noteshttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/flood-zone-math-on-a-baldwin-county-lot/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/flood-zone-math-on-a-baldwin-county-lot/What BFE plus one foot of freeboard actually costs you, why fill can't fix a V-zone lot, and the five questions to ask before you write an offer on coastal Alabama dirt.Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTcoastallandflood-zonenew-constructioninsurancehttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/fairhope-is-not-a-beach-town/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/fairhope-is-not-a-beach-town/The bluff, the pier, and the two things nobody warns you about before you buy here: whether the land under the house is leased, and whether a Fairhope address is inside the city limits.Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTfairhopecommunity-profilelandbuyer-guidesrelocationhttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/listing-after-labor-day-on-the-coast/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/listing-after-labor-day-on-the-coast/If you didn't list this summer, you didn't miss your window. Here's what actually changes on the Gulf Coast after Labor Day, and how to price and prep a fall listing.Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTcoastalseller-guidesseasonalityinsurancecondo-economicshttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/tour-the-coast-while-its-crowded/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/tour-the-coast-while-its-crowded/Peak season shows you the traffic, the parking, the noise and the real beach access that a quiet winter tour never will. Then the market gets calmer. Use both.Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTcoastalbuyer-guidesseasonalitycondo-economicsinsurancehttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/pcs-orders-to-nas-pensacola-rent-or-buy/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/pcs-orders-to-nas-pensacola-rent-or-buy/Zero down isn't zero cost, BAH is a ceiling not a budget, and renting it out later doubles your Alabama tax assessment. Real numbers before you sign anything.Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTcoastalrelocationpcsva-loanscoastal-economicshttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/insurance-renewal-season-read-the-letter/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/insurance-renewal-season-read-the-letter/Wind and flood renewals land in late summer here. What to check before you auto-pay, and when a jump means it's time to shop or rethink.Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTcoastalmarket-notesinsurancecoastal-economicshttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/what-a-special-assessment-really-means/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/what-a-special-assessment-really-means/Why condo assessments keep landing, what they signal about your building, and how to decide between paying, appealing, or trading up. Plain numbers, no panic.Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTcoastalcondo-economicsinsurancehoa-duestrade-uphttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/foley-is-where-the-math-works/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/foley-is-where-the-math-works/Ten minutes from the sand without the beach-town price tag. What Foley actually offers buyers, what it doesn't, and who it fits.Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTfoleycommunity-profilenew-constructionfirst-time-buyershttps://comehomealabama.com/journal/buying-land-in-baldwin-county-the-honest-checklist/https://comehomealabama.com/journal/buying-land-in-baldwin-county-the-honest-checklist/Perc tests, power poles, clearing costs, flood zones. The questions to ask before you write an offer on dirt, from someone whose family clears and builds on it.Sat, 15 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTcoastallandacreageland-loansnew-construction