Beach House Hunting

I thought it might be fun to share the selection process of beach house hunting.

Once I decided to go forward, I searched online and looked at hundreds of listings from Destin, Florida all the way to Gulf Shores, Alabama. My criteria was a minimum of three bedrooms and absolutely must be located directly on the beach. I didn't want a fixer upper, but I didn't mind purchasing something that needed a little TLC or redecorating. After all, that's the fun of making a home your own -- putting your own personality into the design.

Ray and I had our agent line up appointments with a few strong contenders, all in the Gulf Shores area.

House #1

This house was a very strong contender. It was located in a gated community off Beach Blvd. in Orange Beach, Alabama. It was a very spacious four bedroom home set back at an angle from the beach. Unfortunately, it was very close to the busy main road and the traffic noise could be heard in the house. I was not a fan of the kitchen, but it was not a deal breaker -- the noisy highway was. The tennis courts and pools were also in front of the house, so in peak season, it would be a busy area.

House #2

I was very curious to see this house. It was located in Fort Morgan, Alabama very near the historic
Fort Morgan site and the Dauphin Island ferry. It was huge (too big, in all honesty) and was better suited to big group renting. It had a fantastic third floor sun deck that had uninterrupted gulf views for miles. It was also a raised home and just steps from the water -- and that frightens me. Too close to flooding for comfort.

The best thing this house had going for it was the fabulous roof-top sun deck. Ray is surveying his kingdom.

House #3

This cute yellow house (right) was also located in Fort Morgan. Nice beach views, but again, raised and in a flood zone. That's a no-go for me.

House #4

This house was located in Gulf Shores in a gated golfing community. The prime lots face the beach with the golf course in the back. This house has a prime view of both the beautiful beach dunes, gulf, and the golf course. It had the "beach cottage" vibe that I was looking for.


And the house we chose was..............House #4!!

By the way, if you're a fan of HGTV and have been watching Beach Flip, the houses on the show are also in Gulf Shores.