Found 43 blog entries tagged as meredith folger.

Rock Creek (Fairhope) – Commercial Site Plan Approved: My First-Person Take

 

My quick overview

The Fairhope City Council approved the Rock Creek Commercial site plan on roughly 2.23 acres along Rock Creek Parkway, just east of U.S. 98. The property is a long-standing PUD dating back to the 1990s and has been re-subdivided several times. This approval consolidates two platted parcels into a single lot and adjoins the existing bank building at Rock Creek’s main entrance.

Plans call for a 20,000-square-foot, two-story commercial building with four tenant spaces—three ground-floor retail/office suites and one 10,000-SF second-floor space. The architecture notes brick façades with upper-level balconies, and the site’s topography allows…

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Alamo Circle Flex Buildings, Gulf Shores: My First Look at a New Commercial Node


 

ALAMO COMMERCIAL GULF SHORES ALABAMA

My quick overview

The Planning Commission has approved a site plan on Alamo Circle for three office-warehouse buildings and one professional office building on an 8.5-acre parcel zoned BG (General Business). The site sits north of County Road 10 East at the northern edge of the Gulf Shores city limits. Each of the four one-story buildings is planned at about 2,600 square feet. Parking totals 42 spaces, exceeding the minimum of 33.

I like the balance here: modest footprints, generous parking, and attention to the landscape. The plan preserves two protected trees and two heritage trees—credited toward landscaping—and handles drainage with …

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Morning Light on Ole River: A November Walk on Ono Island


This morning on Ono Island, I did what I love most before the day fills with calls, showings, and construction conversations. I grabbed the leash, my camera, and walked the water. November on the island is a softer month. The light sits lower, the air carries that clean salt-and-pine blend, and Ole River looks like brushed metal before the sun climbs over the horizon.Ono Island luxury homes for sale

As I rounded the bend by the boathouses, the sky opened. The sun rose in a low amber line over the far shoreline, and the clouds began to streak in layers of gold, rose, and blue-gray. The docks and pilings became silhouettes. It was the kind of Gulf Coast sunrise that makes you stop and just stand still, even if the…

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Assumable Mortgages on the Gulf Coast: How They Work, What to Watch, and When They Make Sense



As a Gulf Coast real estate advisor serving Orange Beach — https://www.searchthegulf.com/orange-beach/, Gulf Shores — https://www.searchthegulf.com/gulf-shores/, and Ono Island — https://www.searchthegulf.com/ono-island/, I’m often asked whether an assumable mortgage is a smart path for buyers and sellers. When rates are higher than a seller’s existing note, the answer is sometimes yes. The key is knowing how assumptions really work, how the down payment and equity are handled, and what the lender will require.

Assumable Mortgages Orange Beach Alabama

What is an assumable mortgage?

An assumable mortgage lets a buyer take over the seller’s existing home loan—same interest rate,…

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Boating the Gulf Corridor: Orange Beach, Perdido Key & Ono Island

Boating the Gulf Corridor: Orange Beach, Perdido Key, Ono Island

On the Gulf Coast, our lives follow the tides. From Orange Beach to Ono Island and east to Perdido Key, I match buyers with the right home and the right water. Depths and drafts matter as much as porches and views—because your dock is your front door to adventure.

Quick Links: Ono Island listings · Orange Beach listings · Boating accommodations

The Waterways That Shape Our Days

Bayou St. John

Broad, protected water on the north side of the corridor. Steady depths and a forgiving lee make it ideal for year-round moorage and family cruising.

Old River

The south ribbon between Ono Island and Perdido Key. A scenic, reliable channel with sandbars along the inside…

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Boating in Orange Beach, Alabama: A Complete Guide to Depths, Navigation, and Vessel Compatibility

Orange Beach Alabama Boating Guide

The Heart of Gulf Coast Boating

In Orange Beach — https://www.searchthegulf.com/orange-beach/, boating isn’t just a pastime; it’s the pulse of daily life. From early-morning anglers easing out of Terry Cove to sunset cruisers drifting past Robinson Island, the water is where our community gathers, explores, and connects. Over my years living and working along these shores, I’ve come to appreciate how uniquely diverse Orange Beach’s boating waters are — from deep-draft channels for sportfishing yachts to shallow coves perfect for pontoons and skiffs.

Understanding the Waterways

Orange Beach sits at the junction of several navigable bodies…

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How to Build Equity with New Construction on the Gulf Coast


Along the Gulf Coast, building a home isn’t just about creating a place to live—it’s about crafting equity from the ground up. I’ve spent years helping investors and homeowners turn land into legacy.  In markets like Orange Beach and Ono Island, new construction offers one of the most rewarding paths to long-term appreciation. Whether it’s a spec build, a second home, or a custom coastal retreat, strategic construction can significantly outperform the resale market when planned thoughtfully.

Build Equity with New Construction on Gulf Coast

My Investment Strategy: Buy, Build, Hold (or Sell)

The strategy is simple in principle but powerful in execution: purchase the right parcel of land, build smart with proven…

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Orientation: Light, Breeze, and View — Living with the Elements on Ono Island



There’s something deeply Southern about the way Ono Island breathes — the salt air, the sway of marsh grass, and the rhythm of tide and light. Here along Old River, the sun and wind dictate the day as surely as the church bells do in small coastal towns. The island’s southern exposure creates its own microclimate — breezier in summer, slightly warmer in winter — and orientation becomes the invisible design element that shapes how life unfolds.

Ono Island Orientation Home Building Construction

Morning Light and Evening Glow

When I walk a vacant lot with buyers, I suggest: paying attention to the light. The direction your home faces can define the feeling inside it.

East-facing lots welcome the first light…

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Flood Preparedness on the Gulf Coast: What Every Orange Beach and Ono Island Homeowner Should Know


Orange Beach Alabama Hurricane Preparation

Living along the Gulf Coast means embracing the water—its beauty, its rhythm, and sometimes, its challenges. Whether you own a home in Orange Beach — https://www.searchthegulf.com/orange-beach/ or on Ono Island — https://www.searchthegulf.com/ono-island/, understanding how to prepare for potential flooding is an essential part of coastal living.

The Baldwin County Building Department recently sent letters reminding property owners that areas like ours have experienced multiple flood events and claims filed with FEMA. As part of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Community Rating System (CRS), Baldwin County helps…

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Homes and Waterfront Properties on Old River, Ono Island

Old River Homes and Vacant Land For Sale on Ono Island

Life Along Old River: The Southern Edge of Ono Island

As a homeowner and real estate advisor on Ono Island — https://www.searchthegulf.com/ono-island/, I’ve always been drawn to the quiet rhythm of Old River, the southern edge of the island where the light shifts like silk across the water. The river bends gracefully between Alabama and Florida, a ribbon of calm that catches the morning tide and the afternoon breeze. It’s a place where the days feel longer — not because of time, but because of how gently life moves here.

Homes and vacant lots along Old River line Ono Boulevard and River Road, tracing the waterfront with private docks, shaded porches, and long, open views. Here,…

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