Foley's New Indoor Aquatic Center at Max Griffin Park: What's Coming and When

If you've been watching what's growing in Foley, here's one worth knowing about: the city is adding a year-round indoor aquatic center at Max Griffin Park, right next to the outdoor pool that's already there. I get asked all the time what's actually happening in Foley — not the flashy stuff, but the
Read MoreGulf Shores Canal Road Bypass: What the Gulf State Park Land Swap Means for Traffic and Growth

If you've driven Canal Road in Gulf Shores lately, you already know the traffic story. It's gotten busier, especially since the Intracoastal Waterway bridge opened and more cars started funneling through the corridor. So when the city makes a move that points toward a real fix, it's worth understand
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If you follow how Gulf Shores is growing, you've probably heard the word moratorium and felt your stomach drop a little. It sounds like a full stop. It isn't. Here's a plain-English breakdown of what the Gulf Shores Planning Commission actually approved, what it changes, what it leaves alone, and ho
Read More Moving to Pensacola for Work: How Job Growth Like the Birdon Shipbuilding Project Shapes Housing

If a job is what's bringing you to the Pensacola area, you're already thinking about the right things — commute, cost, where you'd actually want to wake up. But there's one piece most people skip until it's stressful: understanding how a region's job growth moves the housing map before you ever tour
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When people ask me what daily life is like on the Gulf Coast, they usually start with the water, the trails, the pace. Then, a beat later, comes the quieter question — the practical one that actually decides a lot of moves: how easy is it to get in and out? If you're relocating from somewhere with f
Read More Magnolia Walk Foley: What a Mixed-Use Development Near the Foley Beach Express Could Mean

Foley keeps growing, and a lot of that growth is pointing toward the Foley Beach Express. One of the clearer signs is a 99-acre parcel at the corner of the Foley Beach Express and County Road 20. It now has a name — Magnolia Walk — and at the June 17 Foley Planning Commission meeting, the developers
Read MoreManufactured Homes in Florida: An Honest Guide for Gulf Coast Buyers

The number stopping most buyers cold on the Florida Gulf Coast isn't the interest rate. It's the sticker price of a site-built home. And when that number gets uncomfortable, a lot of people quietly cross one option off their list before they've ever walked through a single one of them: the manufactu
Read MoreWhat 77°F Actually Feels Like to Your Dog (and How to Keep Them Safe This Summer)

We all know how brutal our summers get down here. By July, I'm walking my dogs before the sun's really up, because I've learned the hard way that "it's not that hot yet" and "it's safe for paws" are two completely different things. Caring for animals was my whole life before real estate — I studied
Read MoreFHA 203(k) Rehab Loans and 14 FHA Changes Gulf Coast First-Time Buyers Should Know

If you're a first-time buyer around Foley, Gulf Shores, or Perdido Key, here's a question I get a lot: can I buy a home that needs a little work, or is that more trouble than it's worth? For a lot of buyers, the assumption is that any house with a dated kitchen or a tired bathroom is automatically o
Read MoreGulf State Park's New RV Resort in Gulf Shores: What's Out There and Why It Matters

Gulf Shores is now home to the largest state park-operated RV campground in America. Gulf State Park added 103 new sites, which brings the park to 607 RV spots total — and the whole resort sits on about 70 acres of what used to be a golf course, with its own entrance off Canal Road at the new rounda
Read MoreFlorida Property Tax Amendment 2026: What Gulf Coast Homeowners Should Know

If you own a home on Florida’s Gulf Coast — or you’re planning to — a proposed change to the state’s property tax system is heading to voters this November. Here’s a clear, no-spin breakdown of what it would do. What the amendment proposes The Florida Legislature approved a proposed constitutional a
Read MoreKayaking in Baldwin County, Alabama: A Local Guide to the Rivers & Creeks

If you're researching what daily life looks like on the Alabama Gulf Coast, here's something that doesn't always make the relocation checklists but quietly shapes the whole week: water access. Baldwin County is one of the easiest places I've found to get a kayak in the water, and once that's part of
Read MoreA Local's Guide to Gulf Coast Summer: Three Rivers I Paddle and the Spots I Send Everyone To

Summer's here, and I've been getting the kayak out more weekends than not. A few people have asked me lately where I like to paddle and what I'd point them to for a good day outside — so I figured I'd just put it all in one place. None of this is a secret, exactly. It's just my actual list: the rive
Read MoreOrange Beach Pirate's Voyage PUD Deferred — What Happened and What Comes Next

On May 11, 2026, the Orange Beach Planning Commission deferred the proposed Pirate's Voyage Dinner Theater Planned Unit Development application. The applicant pulled the project from the agenda before a vote could be taken. Under Orange Beach's planning process, the proposal has to return to the Com
Read MoreWhen and Where to See the Cahaba Lilies in Alabama (2026 Guide)

Each spring, on a stretch of river in central Alabama, the rarest wildflower in the state opens its first blooms of the season. They're called Cahaba lilies — and outside of Alabama, Georgia, and a few rivers in South Carolina, they grow nowhere else on Earth. If you live in Alabama and you've never
Read MoreReady, Not Rattled: A Gulf Coast Hurricane Preparedness Guide for Baldwin County

Hurricane Season on the Gulf Coast: A Calm, Practical Guide for Baldwin County Hurricane season starts June 1. If you've lived on the Gulf Coast for any length of time, you already know the rhythm — the weather forecasters shift into watchful mode, the shelves at Home Depot start thinning out in lat
Read MoreIs Pensacola a Healthy Place to Live? What the 2026 Air Quality Report Shows

If you're researching a move to Pensacola in 2026, air quality probably wasn't the first item on your checklist. It should be on the list, though — especially if you or anyone in your household has asthma, allergies, COPD, or other respiratory considerations. The American Lung Association just relea
Read MoreGulf Shores New Construction 2026: Inside the 256 New Residences Approved in Late April

Gulf Shores moved more than 256 new residences through its approval pipeline in late April 2026 — a single week of City Council and Planning Commission meetings that significantly reshaped what's coming next to the south end of Baldwin County. If you're researching new construction in Gulf Shores ah
Read MoreShould You Price High and Negotiate Down? Why That Strategy Almost Always Costs Sellers Money

If you're getting ready to sell a home and you've talked to a few people about pricing, you've probably heard some version of this advice: price it a little high so you have room to negotiate down. It feels logical. If a buyer wants to negotiate, give them something to work with. If the right buyer
Read MoreHow to Protect Your Gulf Coast Property from Real Estate Fraud (Especially If You Live Elsewhere)

Real estate fraud just hit a record. The FBI's most recent Internet Crime Report tracked $275 million stolen from over 12,000 victims in 2025 alone — up from $173 million the year before. The numbers have nearly doubled in two years. If you own Gulf Coast property — especially if you live somewhere
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