Baldwin County, AL Real Estate, Homes For Sale, School & Area Information

If you're considering purchasing a condominium along the beautiful Alabama or Florida Gulf Coast, it's important to understand that it's not just about acquiring a property - it's about embracing a unique lifestyle. With stunning ocean views and vibrant coastal communities, living here offers numerous perks. However, owning a condo also comes with specific responsibilities, including securing the right homeowners insurance. Understanding the essentials of an HO-6 policy is key for both prospective buyers and current condo owners.

An HO-6 policy, often referred to as condo insurance, is designed specifically for condominium owners. Unlike standard homeowners insurance, which typically covers an entire house, an HO-6 policy focuses on the interior of your condo unit. This includes personal belongings, liability protection, and sometimes even upgrades or improvements you've made to your property. While your condo association's master policy may cover the building's structure and common areas, it likely doesn’t cover your personal items. An HO-6 policy ensures that your belongings—furniture, electronics, clothing, and more—are protected against risks like theft, fire, or other covered events. Many condo owners invest in upgrades such as custom cabinetry, new appliances, or upgraded flooring. An HO-6 policy can cover these improvements, helping to protect your investment in the event of damage.

If someone is injured while visiting your condo, your HO-6 policy can provide liability coverage for legal fees and medical expenses, potentially saving you from significant financial losses. In the event that your condo becomes uninhabitable due to a covered incident, an HO-6 policy can help with temporary living expenses, ensuring you have a place to stay while repairs are made.

It's crucial to understand what your condo association’s master insurance policy covers, as this will help you determine the level of coverage you need through your HO-6 policy. There are two common types of master policies: A "Bare Walls-In Policy" typically covers everything from the building's exterior inward, including walls, roofs, and common areas, but does not cover the fixtures, installations, or personal property within your unit. You’ll need more comprehensive coverage in your HO-6 policy to protect these items. An "all-inclusive master policy" covers not only the building structure, but also fixtures and installations within individual units. However, personal property and any upgrades you make to your condo may still require additional coverage through your HO-6 policy.

Living along the Gulf Coast comes with unique challenges, particularly related to weather risks like hurricanes and flooding. When choosing an HO-6 policy, it's important to address these specific concerns. Windstorm and Hurricane Coverage Standard HO-6 policies may not include coverage for windstorm or hurricane damage. It's essential to ensure your policy covers these risks, or you may need to purchase additional insurance, especially if you live in a high-risk area. Flooding is a common concern on the Gulf Coast, and most HO-6 policies don’t include flood damage. Consider purchasing separate flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or from a private insurer. If you own high-value items such as jewelry, art, or expensive electronics, consider adding a rider to your policy to ensure these items are adequately protected.

Tips for Choosing the Right HO-6 Policy
Assess Your Needs: Take an inventory of your personal belongings and consider the value of any interior upgrades.
Review the Master Policy: Understanding your condo association’s master policy will help you avoid overlapping or insufficient coverage.
Compare Quotes: Get quotes from multiple insurers to find the best coverage at a competitive price.
Consult an Expert: Work with an insurance agent who understands the specific risks of living on the Gulf Coast to ensure you’re adequately protected.
Purchasing a condo on the Alabama or Florida Gulf Coast can be a dream come true. Securing the right insurance, including an HO-6 policy tailored to your needs, will help protect your investment and give you peace of mind. As experienced real estate professionals, we’re here to guide you through every step of the buying and selling process.

Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Foley, Magnolia Springs, Fairhope and Point Clear are just a few of the much loved towns in Baldwin County. Choices of living a country or beach lifestyle are plentiful in "Lower Alabama" also known as LA. A place full of Southern hospitality and charm! Orange Beach and Gulf Shores have beautiful white sandy beaches. Fairhope offers great shopping and art! Foley has the OWA amusement park and Tanger Outlet Mall. Point Clear's historical Grand Hotel. And for the golfers--there are golf opportunities throughout Baldwin County.

Steelwood Country Club is one of Baldwin County's best kept secrets. This gem is located in North Loxley, AL and boasts an award-winning Jerry Pate designed golf course, 200 acre private lake, and upscale homes surrounded by pristine, unspoiled woodlands. Steelwood Lake offers some of the finest freshwater fishing in Alabama. The lake was drained in the early nineties, reconditioned, and stocked with an abundance of bass and bream making it one of the best managed lakes in the area. Steelwood's expert staff is always ready to help with a family fish fry or a relaxing bonfire after a day on the trails. If golf and fishing aren't your first choice, the inviting swimming pool or well maintained tennis courts are available. Steelwood Country Club aims to please and you don't want to miss this experience!

We visited the Eastern Shore today. After a successful trip to Shoe Station, we stopped by Olive Garden.The food, as always, was great, and the wine was even better. We experienced something new while we were there - each table now has a "viosk". Viosks are similar to a tablet on a stand, and you can order appetizers or desserts, play games, and pay your bill, all from the comfort of your table. Verrrry fancy! Olive Garden is located in the Eastern Shore Centre, and is open Sunday through Thursday, 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 pm. Bon appetite!

It drives my wife crazy, but every time we have heavy rain, I find myself singing 'When The Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin. So, here we were, experiencing very heavy rain over the past couple of days and me driving her crazy while we drove around looking at how the area performed.

For those that are considering purchasing a home or condo in the area, I say, what better time to see how your potential purchase is going to perform, then now. Schedule a showing and take a look to ensure the property you are interested in performed well during the heavy rainfall. For home sellers, this is a great time to thoroughly inspect your property and resolve any issues that could have a negative effect on selling your property.

Given the extreme rainfall we had, I would say the area performed overall very well. There were some parts that had washed away roads, but the cities responded very well to closing them of and/or getting them prepared to drive back over.