Spend Memorial Day in the beautiful Gulf Coast AL this year and find out why it’s a vacation destination for so many each year.

If you love being outdoors, then the Gulf Coast offers great options.  Choose from biking, canoeing and kayaking, fishing and sailing, coastal beaches or beautiful parks to pass your leisure time and feel energized.

For those that are history buffs, there are many historic house museums including the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion and the Conde-Charlotte Museum house (Mobile’ s first official jail) in Mobile, and Civil War history sites such as the Civil War Trail -Battle for Mobile Bay.

Arts and entertainment are also a large part of the Gulf Coast culture with local art shows and galleries as well as live concerts, summer festivals, and plays.  Also experience the fresh tastes of organically grown produce and local seafood as well as unique southern dishes at the many restaurants and eateries in the area.  Check out the BlueGill Restaurant in Spanish Fort for fresh seafood and live music or The Harbor Room that offers a great dining experience and beautiful views of Mobile Bay.

So plan your vacation to Alabama’s Gulf Coast today and have the time of your life!

For more information on attractions, restaurants, and things to do in Gulf Coast AL, visit mobile.org.

And for more on buying or selling real estate in Gulf Coast AL, including Mobile, West Mobile, Spanish Fort, Daphne, and Fairhope AL contact experienced local realtor Barbara Reeves today.

The U.S. Surgeon General, Regina Benjamin, visited Alabama’s Mobile County Health Department last week and announced grants totaling $1 million to be given for the expansion of two local health clinics.  Benjamin, who is a Baldwin County native and founded a clinic in Bayou La Batre, reported at the recent news conference that Franklin Primary Health Center received a $500,000 grant, and the county Health Department also received a $500,000 grant as well.  These grants were allotted in an effort to expand services and enhance patient care.  Susan Stiegler, a director who oversees primary care for the Mobile County Health Department, relayed to the press that they would be using the grant to renovate the Citronelle clinic and she estimated that after these changes the clinic could treat 5,000 additional patients per year.

For more on this or other new developments in Mobile AL, visit al.com.

And for more on buying or selling property in Gulf Coast AL, including Mobile, West Mobile, Fairhope, Spanish Fort, and Daphne AL, contact your local agent Barbara Reeves today.

Finding that perfect first home is often a stressful, but rewarding experience.  Consider these first-time home buyer tips when looking for a new home in Mobile AL:

• Be ready to tour homes with your realtor.  Put on comfortable shoes and bring a camera and something to take notes with.  Don’t expect to see 20 or more homes per day, but be ready to tour 5 – 7 and take good notes on each so you can refer back to them without getting confused.
• Look at the home’s surroundings.  Is it near a park or a business?  Are there noises such as trains or airplanes that could be a daily factor?  Take note of unusual features inside and out, such as colors or design elements that may or may not be to your tastes.
• You’ll likely remember a few homes that really stood out to you.  Ask to see these homes again before you make a decision to buy.  Looking at a home for the second time will give you a different perspective than the first run through and allow you to notice things you may have overlooked before.

For more tips on what to expect as a first-time home buyer, visit homebuying.about.com.

And for more on buying or selling real estate in Mobile AL, contact Barbara Reeves today.

Theatre 98 in Fairhope AL’s new production of “Clue: The Musical” runs from now until May 6^th.  This creative production has the stage floor set as the classic Parker Brothers’ “Clue” game, with the usual suspects and weapons; the set spins around to depict six different rooms, one of which Mr. Boddy will meet his unfortunate end in.  The audience is sure to love the twists and turns of the plot as the ‘detective’ attempts to solve the classic ‘whodunit.’

This fast-moving play will be showing from May 2-6, with show times of 8 p.m. and a matinee at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.  The Theatre 98’s playhouse is located at the corner of Church Street and Morphy Avenue in Fairhope and tickets are $20, with reduced rates for students.

For more on this or other things to do in Fairhope AL, visit Gulfcoastnewstoday.com.

And for more on buying or selling real estate in Gulf Coast AL, including Fairhope, Daphne, Spanish Fort, and Mobile AL, contact Barbara Reeves today.

The first annual Old Time Country Festival will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 28th at Baldwin County Bicentennial Park.  This great event will be a “Celebration of Baldwin County’s Farming Heritage” and include a wide variety of vendors providing products and demonstrations with farming themes.  There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony and opening for the new 19th century Blacksmith Shop at the Park, an antique tractor display, blacksmith demonstrations, mule and horse demonstrations and classic children’s games and activities.  Festival goers will also be able to view the park’s various exhibits including a 1910 country store, Indian lifestyles exhibit, 1800s trade house, and the Veteran’s Memorial Park.

For more on this or other great events in Baldwin County AL, visit gulfcoastnewstoday.com.

And for more information on buying or selling real estate in Baldwin County AL, contact local realtor Barbara Reeves today.

Relocating to the gorgeous Gulf Coast area in Alabama is an exciting endeavor!  To make your move as smooth as possible, consider these tips when selecting a moving service:

Obtain written estimates from at least three different moving companies as this will help you decide on the lowest price for your move.  Although you can get price quotes over the phone or on the internet, these quotes may not take in consideration other unexpected factors.  In-home estimates are the best route if you don’t want to be surprised by the actual pricing after you’ve already started your move.

You may receive better service if you move during the ‘off-season.’  Peak moving season is from June to September and if you avoid these times you may receive better service.  If this is not possible, then try to move mid-week.

Take all valuables with you such as jewelry, cash, coins, and important papers.  You do not want these to get lost during the move, and some valuables can easily be shipped to your new location ahead of time via the mail.

Stay available by phone so that you can save time and avoid storage costs.  It’s also a good idea to write down the driver’s full name, id and truck number for fast and efficient communication with the moving company.

For more tips on relocating to Gulf Coast AL, visit frontdoor.com.

And for more on buying or selling real estate in Gulf Coast AL, including Mobile, West Mobile, Fairhope, Daphne, or Spanish Fort, contact local realtor Barbara Reeves today.

Although freight trains are the current standard in Mobile AL, if lobbying efforts are successful, there may be a return of Amtrak passenger trains to the area.  Mobile’s Mayor, Sam Jones, and other Gulf Coast leaders believe that bringing back Amtrak passenger trains will “improve the transportation arteries into Mobile,” as reported at WKRG.com.

Passenger train service ended in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, shutting down stations from Mobile to Louisiana.  In 2009 Amtrak did a study looking at various ways the rail service could be restored from Florida to New Orleans; their concerns about bringing it back to Mobile would be the cost and ridership when AL residents commonly use cars as it is cuts the time of travel almost in half as compared to by train.  Jones believes that the original train schedule, specifically having the train arrive in Mobile a 3 am, was just an inconvenient time and that they would have more passengers by changing the schedule.  Also, Jones believes that there would not be any extra costs to the city to put the train terminal at Gulf Quest since they are already planning on one, though there will be some funding needed for other aspects of the project.

For more on this issue and other community news in Mobile AL, visit wkrg.com.

And for more on buying or selling real estate in Mobile AL, contact Barbara Reeves today.

There are some great activities coming up in Mobile AL.  Take a look at what’s in store:

Mobile Opera presents “Turnadot” at the Mobile Civic Center on Friday, March 30^th and Saturday, April 1^st.  “Turnadot” is a great tale set in Peking of love, loss, and courage, sure to delight music and theater lovers.

Running from now until May 6^th is the IMAX experience of “Sea Rex: Journey to a Prehistoric World” at the Gulf Coast Exploreum.  Adults and children will enjoy this exploration into the prehistoric universe of Liopleurodon, Elasmosaurus, and Shonisaurus – all impressive sea dwellers seen in photorealistic imagery.

An Easter Egg Hunt will be held on March 31^st at Bellingrath Gardens and Home.  This annual event will send children hunting The Great Lawn for thousands of Easter eggs.  Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. with admission prices at $12 for Adults, $6.50 for kids 5-12, and free for children 4 and under.

For more on community activities in Mobile AL, visit downtownmobile.org.

And for more on buying or selling real estate in Mobile, West Mobile, Fairhope, Daphne, and Spanish Fort AL, contact Barbara Reeves today.

Selling your home will involve ‘showing’ your home to potential buyers, and many home sellers do not know where to start to get their home ready.  Give home buyers a good experience by keeping these tips in mind when showing your Mobile AL home:

• Allow agents to show your home to buyers without being present or try to stay out of the way of viewing if you need to be there.  Many home buyers feel uncomfortable about viewing the home or asking questions of the realtor when the owner is present; remember you hired a realtor to help sell your house and they are the ones to deal mainly with the buyer to do just that.  If you cannot leave during the viewing, at least stay out of the way (e.g. stay in one room) and only add information when appropriate.
• Use lighting to your advantage.  Get ready for a showing by turning on all lights indoors and out.  A well-lit home will be viewed as cheerful and inviting.
• Pets should be out of the way and safe during a showing.  You will not want your pets getting in the way of the tour or getting scared and running away, so you will need to contain them in the most appropriate way.  Sometimes keeping them in the backyard, with you at a park, or at a trusted friend’s home during the showing is best.
• Regularly tidy up your home.  When you are in the process of selling your home and it can be shown to buyers on any particular day, be sure to keep things neat and tidy each day in anticipation.  Doing the huge task of cleaning everything just before a buyer comes will be exhausting and stressful; that’s why keeping things dusted, vacuumed, swept, and picked up on a regular basis will make the task easier to manage.  Also remember to take out all trash, even if it isn’t full.

For more tips on selling your Mobile AL home, visit realestateabc.com.

And for more on buying or selling homes in Gulf Coast AL, including Mobile, West Mobile, Fairhope, Spanish Fort, and Daphne AL, contact local realtor Barbara Reeves today.

The Daphne Museum in AL will be hosting a reception for the book “Images of America, Daphne” this Saturday.  This highly anticipated new book will feature over 200 historical pictures of Daphne, Spanish Fort, and other Gulf Coast AL locations from Daphne’s Museum as well as from other contributor’s collections.  Also included in the book are never before published photographs with short descriptions that will highlight the significance of each photo, giving readers a visual exploration into the historic significance of the beautiful Gulf Coast area.  Penny H. Taylor, co-author of “Images of America, Daphne” will be at the event to sign copies of the book.  The event will be from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday March 24^th.

For more information on this or other Daphne AL community news, visit gulfcoastnewstoday.com.

And for more information on buying or selling real estate in Gulf Coast AL, including Daphne, Spanish Fort, Fairhope, Mobile, and West Mobile AL, contact Barbara Reeves today.