Janet English Realtor Mobile Alabama's Eastern Shore Suburbs

A couple of Sundays ago, I got this text: "Did you get tickets to Buffett."

Church and Wal-Mart had suddenly shifted into church and Buffett on the beach.

This Son of the South was playing in Gulf Shores, Ala., a free concert to help draw tourists and Save Our Gulf from the encroaching oil with nothing more than good vibes and a bunch of T-shirt sales. For weeks, this had been THE event to be at, whether you stood in line for a handful of free tickets at the local pawnshop (true!) or snagged them online or rented a condo just to get the package, even though you lived 30 minutes away.

Two tickets to Margaritaville in the land of the Parrot Head faithful. (Thanks Teresa King)

After a couple of hours in the sun watching a sea of people, including men in grass skirts and coconut bras and women in LA chic (Lower Alabama straw hats, swimsuit tops and cutoffs) - most swilling down Jimmy's own Land Shark (the only beer sold), Buffett performed a slick, acoustically perfect, tight set, which was broadcast live on Country Music TV.

We witnessed it and then we watched the replay ... and watched the replay.

So, why, when I get out of the shower, do these words drift through my head?

"Come Monday, it'll be all right. Come Monday I'll be holding you tight. I spent four lonely days in a brown LA haze and I just want you back by my side."

Or ... the dreaded: "I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and French fried potatoes."

But the words of this troubadour that keep circling my head are from a "Pirate Looks At Forty." We were wading through this barefoot crowd as Buffett struck up the song and it seemed everyone sang along:

"Mother, mother ocean, I have heard your call.

"Wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall.

"You've seen it all, you've seen it all."

Home sales on the Eastern Shore of Mobile, Ala., in the first half of 2010 posted their best numbers since 2007.

And the 2nd quarter home sales between Spanish Fort and Point Clear helped put the numbers over the top with 294 sales, compared with just 157 this time last year and 227 in 2008.

Finally, all the factors seemed to work together:

• the home buyer tax credit

• low interest rates, which continue today

• plenty of homes to choose from

• realistic sellers who corrected prices in tune with the market

• pent-up buyer demand, which burst as either time or economic fortunes eased buyers' anxieties

So, we no sooner get to the point that finally things appear to be turning around and the BP Deep Water Horizon explodes, killing 11 and unleashing a toxic and uncontrollable spill into the Gulf. Meanwhile, the stock market starts gyrating again. Everyone starts talking double-dip recession. And hurricane season starts.

Now everybody's sniffling and coughing and wondering if it's the oil spill dispersants ... or maybe just hysterical allergies. Will a hurricane pick up said oil and/or dispersants and deposit them over the Southeast, killing our crops?

We've got worries! (Hey, my homeowners insurance was cancelled and the new premiums are going to cost me a cool $2K more a year.)

If you're developing a nervous tic, raise your hand.

The solution to all this is, of course: football. Just focus on the upcoming season because there's little to be done about everything else except to hold on for the ride. Oh, and please buy a house from me and buy a newspaper from my husband ... we have to pay our homeowner's insurance.

On to the numbers for the 2nd quarter:

Eastern Shore: 294 homes sold. Average price was $223,353, down from $230,261 in the 1st quarter. Foreclosures and short sales represented 8% of sales; 24% were new homes. Average time it took to sell: 167 days. Sellers trimmed an average of 4.5% off list to sell.

Daphne: 133 homes sold, up from 101 in the 1st quarter. Average price was $180,884. Average days on market: 167 days. Sellers took a little more than 4% off their list prices to sell. (Note: The separate MLS area of Lake Forest was incorporated into Daphne so those statistics will no longer be broken out. Because this change happened this quarter, I cannot retrieve valid sales price statistics for comparison.)

Fairhope: 114 homes sold, up from 54 in the 1st quarter. Average price was $259,943, down from $266,308 in the 1st quarter. On average it took 168 days to sell. Sellers sliced an average 5.5% off list price.

Spanish Fort: 47 homes sold, up from 29 in the 1st quarter. Average price was $254,780, up from $235,173. It took on average 168 days to sell and sellers took on average 2.63% off their list price.

Home sales on the Eastern Shore of Mobile, Ala., in the first half of 2010 posted their best numbers since 2007.

And the 2nd quarter home sales between Spanish Fort and Point Clear helped put the numbers over the top with 294 sales, compared with just 157 this time last year and 227 in 2008.

Finally, all the factors seemed to work together:

• the home buyer tax credit

• low interest rates, which continue today

• plenty of homes to choose from

• realistic sellers who corrected prices in tune with the market

• pent-up buyer demand, which burst as either time or economic fortunes eased buyers' anxieties

So, we no sooner get to the point that finally things appear to be turning around and the BP Deep Water Horizon explodes, killing 11 and unleashing a toxic and uncontrollable spill into the Gulf. Meanwhile, the stock market starts gyrating again. Everyone starts talking double-dip recession. And hurricane season starts.

Now everybody's sniffling and coughing and wondering if it's the oil spill dispersants ... or maybe just hysterical allergies. Will a hurricane pick up said oil and/or dispersants and deposit them over the Southeast, killing our crops?

We've got worries! (Hey, my homeowners insurance was cancelled and the new premiums are going to cost me a cool $2K more a year.)

If you're developing a nervous tic, raise your hand.

The solution to all this is, of course: football. Just focus on the upcoming season because there's little to be done about everything else except to hold on for the ride. Oh, and please buy a house from me and buy a newspaper from my husband ... we have to pay our homeowner's insurance.

On to the numbers for the 2nd quarter:

Eastern Shore: 294 homes sold. Average price was $223,353, down from $230,261 in the 1st quarter. Foreclosures and short sales represented 8% of sales; 24% were new homes. Average time it took to sell: 167 days. Sellers trimmed an average of 4.5% off list to sell.

Daphne: 133 homes sold, up from 101 in the 1st quarter. Average price was $180,884. Average days on market: 167 days. Sellers took a little more than 4% off their list prices to sell. (Note: The separate MLS area of Lake Forest was incorporated into Daphne so those statistics will no longer be broken out. Because this change happened this quarter, I cannot retrieve valid sales price statistics for comparison.)

Fairhope: 114 homes sold, up from 54 in the 1st quarter. Average price was $259,943, down from $266,308 in the 1st quarter. On average it took 168 days to sell. Sellers sliced an average 5.5% off list price.

Spanish Fort: 47 homes sold, up from 29 in the 1st quarter. Average price was $254,780, up from $235,173. It took on average 168 days to sell and sellers took on average 2.63% off their list price.

Home sales remained steady in June, 2010, compared with May in Spanish Fort, Daphne and Fairhope.

Ninety homes closed, just as 90 did in May on the Eastern Shore of the Mobile, Ala., metro area. Average sales price improved tremendously, as did the median sales price. List-to-sales price showed a healthy improvement with sellers getting 96.13% of asking price on average.

However, the months ahead point to more uncertainty: Pending sales as of July 8, show a 16% decline over the number of homes under contract during the first week in June.

Two known factors are at play here: fears of a double-dip recession and the economic impact of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Here are the stats for the Eastern Shore:
Total houses for sale: 1,270
Spanish Fort: 155
Daphne: 462
Fairhope: 653

Pending sales
Total: 123
Spanish Fort: 14

Daphne: 62
Fairhope: 47

Closed sales for June 2010
Total: 90
Average sales price: $252,933, up from $220,403 in May and $204,151 in April.

Median sales price: $219,033, which is up from May's $176,950 and April's $186,500.

List to sale percentage: 96.13%, which is an improvement from 95.16% in May and 95.25% in April

Spanish Fort: 15
Daphne: 37
Fairhope: 38

*Note: The Baldwin Board of Realtors has combined the market area of Lake Forest into Daphne.

(Data from the Baldwin County Multiple Listing Service)

Home sales remained steady in June, 2010, compared with May in Spanish Fort, Daphne and Fairhope.

Ninety homes closed, just as 90 did in May on the Eastern Shore of the Mobile, Ala., metro area. Average sales price improved tremendously, as did the median sales price. List-to-sales price showed a healthy improvement with sellers getting 96.13% of asking price on average.

However, the months ahead point to more uncertainty: Pending sales as of July 8, show a 16% decline over the number of homes under contract during the first week in June.

Two known factors are at play here: fears of a double-dip recession and the economic impact of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Here are the stats for the Eastern Shore:
Total houses for sale: 1,270
Spanish Fort: 155
Daphne: 462
Fairhope: 653

Pending sales
Total: 123
Spanish Fort: 14

Daphne: 62
Fairhope: 47

Closed sales for June 2010
Total: 90
Average sales price: $252,933, up from $220,403 in May and $204,151 in April.

Median sales price: $219,033, which is up from May's $176,950 and April's $186,500.

List to sale percentage: 96.13%, which is an improvement from 95.16% in May and 95.25% in April

Spanish Fort: 15
Daphne: 37
Fairhope: 38

*Note: The Baldwin Board of Realtors has combined the market area of Lake Forest into Daphne.

(Data from the Baldwin County Multiple Listing Service)