re: Gulf Shores/Orange Beach condo prices

I live in the area. My unscientific observation is that this week is not nearly the number of people vacationing this year as last year. 1 hour waits vs 3 hours at restaurants. Publix is not packed with 5 deep lines on 10 registers, shelves are not out of stock, traffic is not nearly as bad. I have some family looking to come into town in august and still plenty of condos on VRBO, last year there was Zero. Not sure if this will lead to more properties for sale later.
Yes, there is a new Phoenix (Phoenix Key Towers) going up as a luxury place on the Gulf side between the entrance to Ono and Flora-Bama, pre-sale prices 2-3 Million/unit, ~56 units. Caribe also has a new tower near the corner of beach and 161 across from walgreens.

I think a few local folks that are looking feel (or maybe just HOPE) that there is a correction, but no one knows. My agent says Baldwin county doesn't really drop and there are still plenty of contracts over 500k-1.5M that are cash, so interest rates don't matter in those sales. The orange beach website just posted an analysis that you can read for yourself in the link below. Prices have increased, but less on the market.
So I think no one really is in the know.

Coastal Condos

Residential properties sold in June 2022: 162

Average sales price: $677,657

Average days on market: 19

Average sales price change from June 2021: Increased 34.5 percent


June 2022 vs June 2021

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If you believe that then buy.

My bias is we are heading into a recession and higher interest rates. Both of those would lower values and decrease the number of people who can afford a second home.

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Ha, I'm not looking to buy. I'm just saying that a lot of buyers the last couple of years purchased due to the pandemic and the limited options. Having a place you can get away to and out of the city is a new feeling of relief to a lot of people.

ETA: What I was explaining was that in a normal market, like say Huntsville the recession and interest rates are a major player. In a 2nd home market, they are still a player but not as big IMO. A lot of cash buys and second homes, so it may not be affected as much.

Given that, in the mortgage crash of 2008/9 the beach market was hit as hard or harder then anyone.

Got it brother, you can take it down if you’d like. Although this isn’t the OT so hopefully you’re safe ??

I am a Broker down here with 20 years of experience...we are taking a brief pause right now...but the trend is upwards.

Just from living here and watching the influx of people from areas that we've not seen before..say in Bear Point where I live..but hey smart guy, since you have been here on the scene much longer than me I will defer to your judgement. Tell us what you know...

It's cheaper to go to fricking Europe than to spend a week in Orange Beach/Pensacola in a nice, clean place nowadays.


I paid 2K a month overlooking the Med in Southern Spain the last two summers. I’ll do it every year I can handle that flight.

We just got down to Pensacola Beach for our annual family week. At the end of the week we usually talk with the property firm and reserve the same ones next year. Last year the price pretty much doubled.

We came in around 4pm yesterday and headed straight for the WalMart in Gulf Breeze before heading to the condo. There were people shopping, but it looked no different than any other WalMart and there were no lines to check out.

This morning I'm looking out at a somewhat empty beach (emptier than the 2015-2019 norm), my sister and her family are in Destin and the picture they sent is similar (their beach is filled with those private contractor chairs, but no one is in them).

The increases from last year, the continued high price of gasoline and the long-running high inflation seems to be starting to impact the area. I doubt it's time to buy yet, but if this continues through the summer it wouldn't shock me to see prices come down as we are just at the beginning of the beginning of our economic problems.

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Y’all are gouging the frick out of those idiots. If an owner is paying $1100 a month off the gulf then they have more money than sense.

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It depends on what’s included in the HOA fee.

Everything on the coast has exploded in cost and just getting people to quote projects is still very tough.

Dublin Ireland is 3k round trip out of new orleans and 1 connection. Hotel with one bed and one pull out sofa is 450-600/ night, if you can find one. So I guess it depends on which part of Europe. I haven't checked but I would guess the baltics and poland might be having some extra sweet room rates about now. The PIGS (learned this term from a Portugal native: "Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain") have always been cheaper than northern Europe.