GO ZONE Information

EXCLUSIVE “GO-ZONE” BUYING OPPORTUNITY IN THE #1 GROWTH MARKET IN THE COUNTRY
Wednesday, September 17th, 6pm PST (9pm EST)

Deal Overview & Conference Call Number:

http://maverickinvestorgroup.com/deals/charmont
(Access is by invitation only. You must RSVP with the discount code: “cal carter“)

EXCLUSIVE “GO-ZONE” BUYING OPPORTUNITY IN THE #1 GROWTH MARKET IN THE COUNTRY
Wednesday, September 17th, 6pm PST (9pm EST)

Deal Overview & Conference Call Number:

http://maverickinvestorgroup.com/deals/charmont
(Access is by invitation only. You must RSVP with the discount code: “cal carter“)

This is Saturday night, after we first arrived.  We made a couple of tequilla sunrises (Andy's favorite) and then headed down to the beach for a walk.

Over to the right here, we have a wonderful photo of a rather cute lad drinking a a tequilla sunrise on the shores of Ft. Morgan beach.  September 2008.

Walking on the beach makes Andy tired.  (I'm sure the tequilla sunrise had nothing to do with it.)

Looking at the current path of Hurricane Gustav, I plan on staying here in Orange Beach for the duration.  I'm no fool though, if the track changes so will our plans.  The gas tanks are full and we are ready to go to Northeast Georgia if necessary.

4:00 P.M.  09/01/08 Final Update -

The wind blew some and it rained a little.  Water standing on the side of Canal Road was less severe than we have seen from winter rains.  Drove Canal Road, Beach Blvd., and Martinique Drive, saw no downed trees, no downed power lines, no shingles on the road.  Summary - we are very fortunate, we hope and pray all our friends to the West fare as well.

11:00 A.M. 8/31/08 Pictures of Perdido Pass and Back Bay Condo boat slips from Bayshore Towers - storm preparation -

[gallery] 

8:00 A.M. 8/31/08 From City of Orange Beach Website -

Saturday, August 30, 8:09 PM: The Gulf Coast is currently under a Hurricane Watch due to the size and potential destruction of Gustav. Expect the Governor and the State EMA to issue some type of evacuation on Sunday August 31, with the emphasis being Gulf Shores south of Fort Morgan Road and all low lying areas of the Gulf Coast. For info call: 980-INFO. You can find the latest Hurricane Gustav updates here: THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER WEB SITE
City Offices will be closed for Labor Day, Monday September 1, 2008.

Note to self - just in case from Alabama DOT:
Alabama Hurricane Evacuation Guide

Alabama Hurricane Evacuation Routes

Alabama Emergency Road Closures

MORE...

This blog entry is a history of the progression of Gustav in regards to Orange Beach, AL and any information shown should not be relied on in making life and death decisions by you and your family 

National Hurricane Center - Gustav Updates

The best local private source of current Orange Beach weather is from a home weather station in Lillian, AL which is just a few miles North of Orange Beach - Lillianweather.com (be sure to check out their lightning strike detector - really cool).  I especially like their Virtual Weather Station gauges as a monitoring platform. 

Check here for current information and updates from:

Convention and Visitors Bureau

City of Orange Beach

Sportsman Marina Cam

Predicted path from the National Hurricane Center at 11:13 on 8/30/2008:

Hurricanne Gustav predicted path on 08/30/08 at 11:13 AM

As you can see Orange Beach is presently East of the cone, but we expect to get significant rain and wind.  I intend to update this blog entry or create new ones as the storm progresses.  Please use the comments section below to add information or to ask any questions.

Presented to You By Your Personal Mortgage Consultant:

Rob Smith, Mortgage Banker - HMC - Home Mortgages Company

Serving borrowers in Spanish Fort, Daphne, Fairhope, Point Clear, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Fort Morgan, and all areas of Baldwin County, Alabama. 

Call Rob now - (251) 422-5710    
Apply online for a loan now! 

A Guide to Understanding the Mortgage Process

Index

Margin

Caps

Termite Inspections

Walk Through Inspections

Rob Smith

e-mail Rob

FORT MORGAN, Colo. - I had a hunch that we wouldn’t be able to make it all the way across the country without running into rain somewhere.

And so it was overnight, as I rolled over at one point and saw two bright flashes out the window. Once my ears woke up, I could tell that it was raining out quite hard. I don’t know what time it was because I didn’t check my watch, but we were probably somewhere between Lincoln and Hastings, Nebraska.

In general, I try not to check the time when asleep. I’ve often found that I feel better in the morning if I wake up in the middle of the night and don’t know how long it is until the alarm clock goes off.

That was of particular consequence today. I had set my alarm clock for 5:45 a.m. Mountain Time so that I could get to breakfast right when the dining car opened, and succeeded at that.

But I didn’t fall asleep until 12:30 a.m. MT, or more properly 1:30 a.m. Central Time after we rolled into Omaha, Nebraska. That’s three hours late, and the reward for staying up was a nice view of the city skyline.

Unfortunately, I had to watch a lot of trees go by in the distance before we got there. Only when I could see reflected streetlamp light on the trees did I realize we were finally arriving. I guess all the things to see were on the other side of the train.

Now, back to that rain. When the conductor came on to make his morning announcements, he said that there had been flash flood warnings for the areas we passed through overnight. We lost another hour overnight - we’re supposed to get into Denver at 11:15 a.m. MT, four hours behind schedule.

But now we’ve stopped here at Fort Morgan, and everyone had a chance to get off the train for a minute and stretch.

I took a few pictures, including this reminder that the sky in Colorado is bluer than anywhere else I’ve ever been:

Breakfast was scrambled eggs and grits, one of the only foods I would put in the category of “mass-produced delicacy.” It’s easily available in many parts of the country, but hard to find in the Northeast.

After breakfast, I tried to give the aircard a spin and got to watch a few minutes of the U.S. women’s soccer team’s game against Japan. I found it on Telemundo and it was tape-delayed, but at least the picture was moving.

I’m not one of those people who refuses to hear a result until after I’ve seen it on TV. I’m more than happy to find out the information and watch the event later to see just how it happened.

With that, it’s time to go back to looking out the window. This day asks nothing more of us than to sit back, put our feet up and take in the calm of nature.

I leave you with a photo of some horses we passed by earlier this morning. I’ve seen a fair number of animals so far, but this was the first time I could get a good shot.

It’s a sad time as Fort Morgan Police K-9 officer Tim Malone readies to retire his partner, “Sorbon.”

Yet it’s an exciting time, too, as Malone prepares to become the Fort Morgan School District school resource officer.

Malone found out in June that his canine partner has come down with “atrophy,” a retinal deterioration which will eventually blind the 7-year-old dog, he said.

Over the past six years, Sorbon has assisted in a number of drug finds and tracked suspects, Malone said.

Read entire story here.

Saturday, August 9th BANK ORDERED AUCTION

Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Fort Morgan, Point Clear, Fairhope, Daphne, and Spanish Fort, AL.

We have created two new pages on www.gulfshoreslife.com to help investors that are looking for opportunity in the current market. The pages are specific to foreclosures and bank owned property or REO.

The listings on these pages are all tagged as “Bank Owned” in the MLS (note: Bank owned property is also commonly referred to as REO or Real Estate Owned)

The listings on these pages are all tagged as Baldwin County Foreclosures in the MLS (Note: Foreclosed properties are those that have been taken back by the lender after default has been made on the loan by the borrower)

Short sales currently are not permitted to be entered into the Baldwin County MLS.

Let us know if we can help you with your search and be sure to forward this page to friends and family that may have an interest in opportunities to purchase discounted properties on the Alabama Gulf Coast.

Thanks for visiting www.gulfshoreslife.com!

A Market View

• Beachfront - 2/2 recently built condo's starting in the high 300's
• Some Quality developments .....Selling at 35 - 40% off high selling price
• Buyers looking for PRICE... AND... QUALITY
• Lowest priced units in specific developments are being "picked off" first
• Large investor groups are buying remaing developer inventory
• Only two new Beachfront developments coming on line in 2008 - both high priced
• Many units are now being sold at less than building replacement cost
• Buyers are monitoring specific developments and buying at certain price points
• 2007 was the strongest rental year ever - 2008 is on pace to exceed 2007
• Rental Income versus Purchase Price ratio's are now much more balanced
• No new developments are being started

• Many Sellers are ......highly motivated AND have to sell..... many own multiple units
• Excellent selection of quality resale units at value prices

• Determine your criteria..... primary use - personal or rental, beachfront, #bedrooms, price range, type of amenities (some deveopments have year round amenities)
• Focus in on specific developments
• Contact us and .....ASK QUESTIONS!!!
• Get pre-approval from a mortgage lender
• Monitor the market - recent sales & new offerings
• Write a clean contract with .....QUICK CLOSING!!!   
• ....OUTSTANDING BUYING OPPORTUNITIES!!!

By JESSE CHANEY

Times Staff Writer

The Fort Morgan Museum has speculated that there were problems with desertion at the original Fort Morgan, from which the town of Fort Morgan was named. But a recently acquired letter written by a soldier at the fort confirms that desertion was an issue, according to museum Educator Andrew Dunehoo.

To read the rest of the article visit the Fort Morgan Times website or click here.

Sabtu, 29 April 2000, jam 12:00 siang saya baru meninggalkan 16^th Street Mall Denver untuk selanjutnya melaju ke timur melalui jalan bebas hambatan Interstate-76. Ini memang perubahan rute secara mendadak. Semula saya akan langsung ke utara melalui Interstate-25 menuju kota Cheyenne, ibukota negara bagian Wyoming. Namun mempertimbangkan masih punya cukup waktu menuju Rock Springs dimana sebagian rute akan melalui jalan bebas hambatan, saya memutuskan untuk memutar ke arah timur terlebih dahulu. Memutar jalan guna memenuhi ambisi untuk menambah jumlah negara bagian yang akan saya lewati.

Tiba di kota kecil Fort Morgan saya keluar dari Interstate-76 lalu menuju ke arah utara melalui jalan kecil beraspal. Ini adalah jalan terpendek yang saya perkirakan akan menembus kota Kimball di pojok barat daya negara bagian Nebraska. Di kota Kimball ini saya akan ketemu dengan jalan Interstate-80 yang selanjutnya akan saya lalui lurus ke barat menuju Rock Springs. Di Interstate-80 saya akan bisa memacu kendaraan untuk tidak kemalaman tiba di Rock Springs.

***

Keputusan mendadak saya untuk merubah rute dengan memutar melewati Nebraska ini memang keputusan sepihak, dengan tanpa merundingkannya terlebih dahulu dengan istri dan anak-anak. Akibatnya begitu istri saya melihat peta dan tahu rutenya berubah, langsung protes dan saya dinesoni (dimarahi). Sebenarnya dia hanya khawatir kalau nanti kemalaman saat memasuki kota Rock Springs dimana kami merencanakan untuk bermalam. Merasa salah, "yo wis aku meneng wae..." (ya sudah saya diam saja). Meskipun sebenarnya saya punya pertimbangan dan perhitungan tersendiri (yang nantinya terbukti membuat istri saya lega).

Pertama, jarak dari Kimball ke Rock Spring yang sekitar 320 mil (sekitar 512 km), saya berspekulasi melalui jalan Interstate akan bisa saya tempuh dalam waktu 4 jam dengan kecepatan rata-rata 80 mil/jam (sekitar 130 km/jam). Kalau saya tiba di Kimball jam 3:00 sore, artinya sekitar jam 7:00 malam akan tiba di Rock Springs, hari masih cukup terang dan saat itu matahari belum tenggelam.

Kedua, ya alasan keinginan ambisius itu tadi. Meskipun hanya sebentar, kami akan sempat "pernah" merasakan berada di wilayah negara bagian Nebraska, meskipun hanya di bagian pojoknya saja. Apa yang menarik dengan Nebraska, kok sampai dibela-belain mengulur waktu perjalanan? Justru karena tidak banyak yang menarik dari wilayah ini makanya saya menyempatkan untuk numpang lewat.

Setahu saya negara bagian Nebraska ini tidak terlalu terkenal, tidak sebagaimana California, Florida, Texas, Washington atau New York, setidak-tidaknya bagi sebagian orang luar Amerika. Jarang sekali orang yang sengaja datang ke Nebraska, karena memang kurang populer di sektor pariwisata, pendidikan, industri dan pemerintahan.

Dengan kami "pernah" melewati daerah itu, kami akan bisa cerita kepada orang bahwa kami pernah berada di Nebraska, meskipun hanya untuk numpang lewat saja (sebenarnya lebih tepat kalau saya sebut, maaf, numpang kencing saja). Lha wong nyatanya demikian. Belum jam 3:00 sore sudah tiba di kota Kimball. Agar perjalanan berikutnya bisa melaju, saya sengaja berhenti di pompa bensin untuk kencing, ya terpaksa sekalian beli bensin biar tidak sungkan dengan tukang bensinnya. Memang sudah umumnya tempat orang jual bensin di Amerika, berlokasi di pojok-pojok perempatan jalan, membuka toko dan mempunyai toilet.    

Eh, kok ndilalah..... (kebetulan) di toko tukang bensin itu ada dijual cendera mata dari Nebraska, ada gelas dan piring hias yang ada tulisannya "Nebraska". Mendadak sontak istri saya bersemangat melihat, memilih dan lalu membelinya, Memang cendera mata semacam itulah yang sangat dicari dan disukainya. Cukup berhenti 15 menit, lalu kami melanjutkan perjalanan lurus ke arah barat.

Ketika dalam perjalanan meninggalkan kota Kimball, saya nyeletuk bercanda kepada istri saya : "Ya....meskipun hanya numpang kencing, tapi kita pernah ke Nebraska, buktinya kita punya piring hias dari Nebraska....".  Istri saya tertawa. Diapun lega ketika saya beritahu hitung-hitungan saya bahwa sekitar jam 7:00 malam kita akan sampai di Rock Springs.

Hitung-hitungan spekulasi saya ternyata agak meleset. Begitu memasuki wilayah negara bagian Wyoming, hujan deras turun hingga berlangsung selama hampir setengah dari perjalanan saya. Akibatnya saya harus mengurangi kecepatan laju kendaraan. Saya sempat was-was juga kalau sampai kemalaman tiba di Rock Springs. Bukan soal kemalamannya, melainkan khawatir kalau protes istri saya siangnya tadi menjadi terbukti.

Akhirnya baru sekitar jam 19:30 kami memasuki kota Rock Springs, terlambat sedikit dari yang saya perkirakan sebelumnya, dan hari memang masih terang. Mencari hotel murahpun tidak susah. Rock Springs adalah kota kecil berpenduduk hanya sekitar 25.000 jiwa berlokasi pada ketinggian sekitar 1.911 m di atas permukaan laut. Di bulan April, suhu udara masih cukup dingin, sehingga malam itu berada di luar tanpa mengenakan jaket rasanya tidak tahan berlama-lama. Sebagaimana kota-kota kecil lainnya di wilayah Sweetwater County, ini adalah kota tambang.

***

Sore itu juga kami mencari makan malam lebih dahulu sebelum istirahat di kamar hotel. Tidak jauh dari hotel, tepat di jalan keluar dari Interstate-80 kami ketemu rumah makan Cina. Memang ini yang dicari, karena pasti akan ketemu nasi. Rupanya itu restoran langganannya para sopir. Pantesan yang parkir di luar jarang mobil kecil, melainkan truck-truck trailer yang membawa kontainer-kontainer raksasa.

Anak-anak saya sempat terbengong melihat yang makan di restoran itu umumnya laki-laki berbadan gempal, bertato di kedua lengannya, berambut awut-awutan dan di antaranya brewokan. Ya, sekedar gumun (heran) saja dengan pemandangan yang tidak biasanya.

Yang mengherankan saya justru pelayanan di restoran itu. Untuk ukuran restoran dengan kapasitas tempat duduk sekitar 40 orang, hanya dilayani oleh seorang perempuan saja. Dia yang mencatat pesanan, dia yang mengantarkan pesanan, dia yang menjadi kasir, dia juga yang membereskan meja saat orang sudah selesai makan. Tidak terkesan grusa-grusu (cepat tapi ceroboh), dan semua itu berlangsung dengan rapi dan lancar. Pelayanannya juga cukup memuaskan. Lho, kok bisa?

Inilah, satu lagi ilmu management sederhana yang saya dapatkan. Terlepas dari soal isu mempersempit lapangan kerja, tapi ada sistem kerja yang sangat praktis, berdayaguna (effisien) dan berhasilguna (effektif). Dan sistem kerja itu terbukti berfungsi, meskipun barangkali si pelayan restoran tadi tidak pernah pusing-pusing memikirkan soal management restorannya.- (Bersambung)

Yusuf Iskandar

Take advantage of Exclusive GO ZONE Buying Opportunity in gulf shores and Orange Beach, Alabama..........In addition to the standard 27.5 year depreciation,there is a first year 50% Bonus Depreciation available through the Gulf opportunity Zone (GO ZONE) legislation..........For Alabama, the go Zone Act ends December 31, 2008.......... Time is running out!

Also Available

• Residential developments off the beach.
• Shopping centers.
• Strip malls.
• Apartment complexes.

(See below properties for GO ZONE tax benefits for Real Estate Agents!)

GO ZONE ACT

Take advantage of Go Zone real estate opportunities in gulf shores and Orange Beach, Alabama........

(Gulf Opportunity Zone Act)
Passed-December, 2005

                                                      ==============================================================

Exclusive - GO ZONE Real Estate Opportunities

Contact us for aditional information.

The Pendulum Effect

Depending on the data you are looking at, national average home prices are down significantly. On average, this trend will continue, but consider three things. First, the hardest-hit markets drag down the average depreciation. Second, mid to high priced homes were more inflated than entry level housing. When those homes depreciate, they have farther to fall than a lower priced home. This also brings down the average. Finally, because panic can create a knee-jerk reaction among sellers, and market perception can create a hesitance among buyers, prices can be lower on the way down than they will be at the bottom.

What does this all mean? It's a GREAT time to shop for a moderately priced home. When the market has found a solid bottom and the demand returns, there will be a lot less ambiguity about what a home in your area is really worth. Sellers will be less willing to entertain offers, and selection will decrease.

Mortgage Meltdown?

The news might have you thinking that no one can get a loan these days. This is far from true. Hindsight has given us a clear picture of the kinds of loans that shouldn't be offered again. But the loans that have performed more consistently are still abundantly available, and you might be surprised what you can qualify for.

Banks like to see to see strength in at least 2 of the 4 areas:

1.       Credit Score

2.       sufficient verifiable income for the payment amount

3.       equity in the property or down payment

4.       Liquid assets (money in the bank, stock market, IRA's, 401k's, etc...)

The items that will make your loan more difficult to obtain:

1.       Non-Owner Occupied (investment property)

2.       Stated or No Income (meaning you can't prove it with W2's or Tax Returns)

Bottom Line: If you can legitimately afford to make a regular house payment, there's a very high chance that this can be proven to a lender, who will in turn be happy to give you an excellent loan.

To make things better, interest rates are historically low. At the very lowest point in mortgage rate history, a 30 year fixed conforming loan danced around the 5.0% range. In the last several weeks, it has dropped to 5.625%. (Follow day to day changes in mortgage rates with our.)

There's even further impetus to act on this information. Even if prices decline another 10%, due to the market panic, there are sellers out there right now selling for 20% under current appraised value. So you might find a house for $160,000 today that will end up being worth $180,000 when the market bottoms out. A paradox, but true. This also means that your value is likely to be at it's highest as far as refinancing is concerned, and remember that EQUITY is one of the positive factors banks consider.

If you think you might be in your current home for more than a few years, have an adjustable rate mortgage, or have an interest rate that's over 6%. Or if you are a potential home-buyer, it is "OK to come out now," and doing so could save you lots of money.

Contact:

And once they arrive, they find a Gulf coast that is both progressive and environmentally friendly - with thousands of acres preserved for bird and animal wildlife as well as miles of beaches. 

Hi all, feel free to come here and touch base in the comment section below.  Let us know what is going on in your neighborhood, where you are, or where you are going and some alternative contact methods if needed!  You can have this as a backup contact point in case you get seperated from your loved ones in traffic or relocation.

All Baldwin County agents are welcome to use this as a means of alternative contact - just remember gulfshoreslife.wordpress.com !  Go ahead and send to your family!  Anyone that leaves a comment should receive an e-mail whenever someone else leaves a comment.

Keller Williams Agents:

www.kwcares.org will have a website ready and they ask that all Keller Williams agents "check in" when you have safely reached your destination.

Keller Williams Gulf States Region Community Message Board  

We wish you and your family a safe week with little impact from Gustav.

Cal Carter
Keller Williams Alabama Gulf Coast
gulfshoreslife.wordpress.com
www.gulfshoreslife.com

Go ahead and leave a comment below and get an e-mail of everybody elses when they leave one!