We bring you relevant topics from the AL/FL Gulf Coast real estate world and host special guests to contribute!

Loans, Loans, Loans!

The Gatti Team's Jeff, Meredith, and Katy recently sat down with Mike and Jackson Carey, the fabulous father-son duo on The Carey Lending Team, Motto Mortgage. In this installment of our video series, we take a deep dive into the various types of mortgages that buyers may want to consider when purchasing a Gulf Coast home or condo. We hope you enjoy this information and find it helpful! We are always here to answer any questions you may have and are just a text or call away. 


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It's Mardi Gras time!

For those who do not make the South their home, the holiday, Mardi Gras, is often met with some confusion. What are these days in late-winter that are marked by so much festivity, food, and fun - and why are they so special?

The Mardi Gras holiday is undoubtedly synonymous with the fair city of New Orleans. The first Mardi Gras celebration in The United States is said to have occurred around the year 1700. But did you know that some believe that the first Mardi Gras celebration was actually held in Mobile, Alabama, just across the bay from our Gulf Coast beaches? I certainly won't enter into this debate today, but just know that it is an ongoing topic of discussion!

A Time for Celebration

The tradition dates back…

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Gulf Coast Market Coffee Break

Mortgage 101 with The Gatti Team

Join us for a leisurely coffee break with The Gatti Team, RE/MAX of Orange Beach, and our special guest, Maureen Young of Barr Group Mortgage. In this video on the dock at Little Lagoon in Gulf Shores, we chat with Maureen about the basics, tips, and the timeline of applying for and getting approved for a loan in our Gulf Coast market. A quick market snapshot can be found at the end.

Enjoy! 

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Our Alabama Gulf Coast Beaches

It is a pleasure to live and play along the Alabama Gulf Coast! As Gulf Coast residents, we are fortunate to have our famed white sand beaches, but we can also enjoy the exceptional Gulf State Park and wildlife preserves right at our doorstep! These natural lands provide bountiful recreational opportunities for outdoor fun along our bays, lagoons, rivers, and bayous. They also provide vital habitat and breeding grounds for a rich and varied population of fish, sea creatures, and birds, including bald eagles, osprey, owls, and brown pelicans, and land animals, such as tortoises, lizards, frogs, alligators, bobcats, deer, foxes, and more! Coastal Baldwin County is also home to a few rare plants that exist in only a few…

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Whether you're improving your home for your own interests, or you're beginning the long process of getting ready to sell, selecting which upgrades to make can be a tough choice. You don't want to spend too much, but you don't want to spend too little either. You're excited to see the possibilities of your finished product, but you're worried buyers won't see the value of your investment. Granted, there's no way to guarantee that your renovations will secure you a better price for your property, but if your home is in need of some TLC, there are a few enhancements with which you're more likely to see a return on your investment. Even if you don't profit from your remodeling work, upgrades can certainly give your home an edge on the market. Before you even…

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Looking for an unbeatable way to celebrate Independence Day this year? Head on down to The Wharf in Orange Beach, a sleek and state-of-the-art entertainment district that's home to upscale and boutique retail, extensive dining options, and a wealth of fascinating events year-round.

At this friendly location, you'll have so much to do any day — never mind the festivities you'll experience for a special event like this! This year's 4th of July celebration will actually take place on July 2nd; a Saturday makes much more sense than a Monday. Pass the time leading up to the 8:45 PM fireworks show by enjoying the open-air dining, refreshing beverages, and music. The kids will love the petting zoo, face painting, and bounce castles, and attendees of all…

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Cool and Crisp Beach Days

It’s that time of year again! The heat of summer has transitioned to the blue and blissful days of fall. The white sand on the beaches is visibly smoother, and it beckons for an autumn stroll along the shore. On September 22nd, 2014, at approximately 9:30 p.m., the Alabama Gulf Coast welcomed the Autumnal Equinox. On this day each year, the sun shines directly on the Earth’s equator, heralding days that will grow shorter, the nights colder.

The yearly migration of dragonflies arrived early this year, and we are currently witnessing the influx of slowly-lilting love bugs, our slightly bothersome yet amusing seasonal visitors. I was delighted to see a few monarch butterfly scouts in the past week. No doubt these fluttering…

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Gulf State Park Pavillion

Three of Alabama's beaches were recently awarded the title of "superstar beach" in the Natural Resources Defense Council's 24th annual "Testing the Waters" report.

From a list of hundreds of contenders, the NRDC ranked only thirty-five national beaches as consistently outperforming the others because their 2013 readings did not exceed previous standards by more than two percent between 2009 and 2012. In addition, this year's "superstars" also did not exceed the EPA's new, more stringent water quality thresholds, or "Beach Action Value (BAV)" by more than two percent in 2013.

And now, without further adieu, the awards for the 2014 Superstar Beaches in Alabama go to: 

The Gulf Shores Public Beach in Baldwin County
The Gulf State Park…

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BBQ TRADITION in Orange Beach

Forty-eight years ago, in 1966, an Orange Beach tradition, the annual Orange Beach Fire and Rescue "Cookout on the Coast," was born.

In the early years, pork was slow-cooked over open stone pits, and firemen used shovels to rake the coals and turn the meat in the heat of the summer sun and flames. A bit later, the Department commissioned the largest available custom grill on three axles from Klose BBQ Pits in Houston, Texas. This is the same behemoth you would see belching out fragrant smoke in front of the Community Center on Canal Road today. 

On June 14, 2014, I sat down and talked with Lt. Craig Stephenson, Orange Beach Fire Marshal, about the fundraiser. He spoke with pride about how the event draws people from…

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The Shrimp Fest in Gulf Shores

Alabama is known worldwide for its fresh, delicious seafood, and for many, the jewel of the Gulf's mouthwatering bounty is, without a doubt, the shrimp! This tasty crustacean — plentiful in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico — has been an integral part of the area's economic and cultural heritage for hundreds of years.

The Annual National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama

Every year, the people of Gulf Shores honor this delightful seafood with four days of fun and festivities. The Annual Shrimp Festival is always a major event on the state's calendar, but this year, the event will be even bigger and better than ever as it celebrates its 40th year. Initially conceived as a one-day event to attract tourists to the region outside the peak vacation season, the Shrimp…

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