Hangout Fest in Gulf Shores

If you own a home or real estate in Gulf Shores, get ready for a very exciting weekend coming up soon, as it is almost time for one of the biggest beach events of the year – Hangout Music Fest!

This beachfront festival is one of the biggest music events of the year and draws huge names, and crowds, to our shores. If you own a Gulf Shores investment property odds are it has been booked for weeks in anticipation of this event.

The Hangout Music Fest kicks off on Friday, May 15 and runs through the entire weekend. Headliners for the event include the Zac Brown Band, Foo Fighters and Beck, but many well-known artists will be performing. These include Paramore, My Morning Jacket and Foster the People.

If you want to take a break from shopping for real estate on Alabama’s Gulf Coast to enjoy the festivities, tickets are still available.

Treat Mom this Mother’s Day!

Take a break from shopping for Pensacola real estate and treat Mom to a wonderful day out on the town!

There are many wonderful events taking place in honor of Mom’s this weekend, namely delicious brunches around town. What better way to celebrate? After all, no mother wants to cook on her special day!

If you own a Pensacola home near downtown, get out and experience brunch at one of several key restaurants in town, namely The Fish House or Jackson’s Steakhouse. Both locations will be offering up a special menu to include crab cakes with griddled corn cakes, pecan-wood smoked bacon and the day’s local catch.

At Jackson’s, brunch will be served from 10:30am-3pm and costs $32 per person, which include appetizer, entree and bottomless champagne, although that last one is complimentary for all Mom’s. The Fish House will have a range of offerings beginning at 11am and running until 3pm. This includes your choice of several entrees and discounts drinks such as bloody mary’s and mimosa’s.

No matter how you make Mom feel special, we hope you enjoy a wonderful celebration and enjoy your time together. Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mom’s out there!

Spring Concerts at The Wharf

Owning Gulf Coast real estate near some of the biggest beach tourism destinations has it’s advantages. Yes, our beaches may be a little crowded, but the area also draws big names in entertainment, perfect to enjoy at our many venues this spring.

One such awesome venue is The Wharf Amphitheater in Orange Beach. If you own real estate in Alabama be sure to catch one of these terrific shows. Coming to the stage this week is Boston who will be bringing special guests Kansas along to perform in this wonderful open air venue. On May 8, another classic performer will hit the stage – John Fogerty who is bringing his 1969 Tour!

If these shows are playing a little too imminently for you, be sure to check out those coming later this month such as Widespread Panic and May 22. If you rather sway to the sounds of something a little more beachy, then be sure to get tickets for May 23 when The Beach Boys & American take the stage for Memorial Day! Or, wait to get your tickets for Dave Matthews Band, appearing on June 2.

Moving Into Your New Place

After waiting weeks for the keys to your new long term rental in Pensacola, you probably want to treat yourself (and your new home) to something nice. If that’s the case, here are some relatively quick home improvement tips that you’ll likely be happy with:

Tackle practical problems first. Before you ask: “Where’s the fun in that?” Well, think about the impact that little things such as leaky faucets, window treatments and appliances can have on your daily life.

Our Northwest Florida property managers at Pointe South also recommend detailing next. Your new space deserves a deep clean, and while done professionally before you move-in, why not take advantage of an empty space and hire someone to make it really shine?

Just starting the real estate shopping? Contact an agent or manager at Pointe South to help you find the right place.

Check Out a Blue Wahoos Game!

It’s spring and that means it’s time to head out to the Pensacola Bayfront Stadium and cheer on your Pensacola Blue Wahoos! If you own a home on the Gulf Coast, make the short drive to this stadium to enjoy a family-friendly fun day!

The Pensacola Wahoos, which have been named in honor of the popular fish that deep sea anglers in our area are undoubtedly familiar with, is a minor league baseball team and a feeder of the Cincinnati Reds. The Wahoos have called the Gulf Coast home for a couple of years now, so if you have been too busy buying or selling Pensacola real estate to catch a game, be sure to check them out. It’s a blast and the temps are perfect in the spring.

While the Wahoos may be a minor league team, there is nothing minor league about the games! Community Maritime Park holds nearly 5,000 people meaning you can enjoy a big league event with a lot of small town charm, not to mention some delicious food and beverages, including locally brewed beer with your hot dog! Purchase your Pensacola Wahoos tickets and catch a game while living in Pensacola, Florida.

NARPM Pensacola Luncheon

At Pointe South , we try to give our owners, tenants, clients and guests the best of both worlds when it comes to small company service and attention and big company systems, technology and marketing.

Our team is dedicated to keeping current on market trends so that you can sit back and relax. In order to do so, our property management team at Southern attends different meetings, webinars on a national and communal level.

Most recently our residential leasing staff attended the National Association of Residential Property Managers luncehon in Pensacola. Hosted by Brian Birdy, our Gulf Coast property manager learned the importance of different marketing and advertising techniques to help keep your property rented and tenants happy.

Contact us today to learn more about our property management team, our long term leasing services and what all we can do for your Gulf Coast rental.

Real Estate Pricing Guide

If you are a real estate agent in Orange Beach, Perdido Key or Pensacola Beach you are likely asked, “How should I price my home?” That may sound silly to you and you may be thinking not too high, not too low, just right… Right?

Pricing a home is harder than it appears. There’s always a little more strategy to it than you would think, and one very big factor always comes into play: market conditions.

Home prices are up. Mortgage rates are low and housing supply is stretched thin. It’s safe to say we’re in a tight market. In this case, history tells us to price low and spark a bidding war, but REALTOR.com‘s recent study suggests pricing a home higher might end up selling even higher.

The study performed by the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization relates it to a physiological tendency called “anchoring.” For example, if we find jeans with an $80 price tag marked down 20%, we think it’s a steal even if another store sells jeans at $60.

It’s an interesting theory, with some caveats of course, but in the end up it’s to the seller.

Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival

If you own a home in Foley or will be shopping real estate on Alabama’s Gulf Coast this May, be sure to stop in to the Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival! Now in its’ eleventh year, this is a favorite festival for visitors and locals alike.

Stop in to the festival either Friday or Saturday evening beginning May 1, 2015 to head up, up and away – well, almost. Grab a bird’s eye view yourself or simple watch as the multitude of hot air balloons treat festival goers to tethered rides 25 feet in the air. There are a limited number of rides available so purchase yours early!

In addition to the tethered rides and aerial demonstrations that will take place all weekend, there will also be a wonderful carnival for adults and kids to enjoy. The weekend also features live entertainment each afternoon, as well as arts, crafts, delicious food and a petting zoo. Oh, and since it is crawfish season here on the Gulf Coast, you can also head over to the boil to purchase a plate of yummy crawfish! See you at the festival grounds near the Tanger Outlets the first weekend of May.

The Flora-Bama Mullet Toss in Perdido Key

We are just two weeks from the annual Mullet Toss at the Flora-Bama Lounge, taking place near our Gulf Coast real estate sales office in Perdido Key. If you live in Orange Beach or along the shores of Northwest Florida, you know this is a must-attend event!

If you have recently purchased a home on the Gulf Coast and are not familiar with this fun event, let us tell you a little about it. First, it has nothing to do with that once-popular (and maybe still popular) bad hairstyle men in the South sometimes sport. It does have everything to do with throwing a slimy fish from the beaches of Florida across the state line into Alabama.

Yes, this is a fish throwing event. Grab your friends and head out to the Flora-Bama where you will find people not only tossing mullet, but also enjoying the ‘Gulf Coast’s Greatest Beach Party’ which will feature live music, delicious food and great drinks. Dance and dine until it’s your turn to stand in the 10-foot circle and try your hand at throwing your dead fish the farthest!

So, while most of this event is just for fun and somewhat ridiculous, it also benefits great local charities throughout our community. In fact, a portion of the fish-tossing fees charged will be donated to local youth charities that support drug and alcohol education. The Flora-Bama Mullet Toss event kicks off on April 24 and goes each day throughout the weekend. We hope to see you out there and good luck flinging that fish!

Gulf Shores Makes ‘Most Beautiful’ List

If you are considering purchasing Gulf Coast real estate, or even just planning a vacation to the beach, consider choosing Gulf Shores as your destination. It was recently named to the ’10 Most Beautiful Beaches in American’ list by Budget Travel and we couldn’t agree more!

Ok, so maybe we are a little biased and think every town on the Gulf Coast of Florida and Alabama belongs on this list. But, Gulf Shores is truly beautiful, not to mention a wonderful place to buy a home or spend a fun-filled family vacation.

Budget Travel chose Gulf Shores for its list based on the wonderful outdoor things to do and balmy beach breezes that come off our emerald water and over our white sand. And, those are excellent reasons. The extra long days of spring and summer provide ample opportunity to surf the waves, soak in the sun and explore the terrain.

But, there are many other reasons why you may want to buy a home in Gulf Shores and call the Alabama Gulf Coast home. Some such reasons include the amazing food, great annual events, and the friendly atmosphere of this busy beach community. For instance, where else can you eat seafood fresh from the docks while jamming out to local live entertainment with friends any day of the week?