https://www.wkrg.com/baldwin-county/baldwin-county-housing-market-what-to-expect-in-2025-summary-of-2024-trends/
BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) – For years, Baldwin County has been one of the fastest growing metro areas in the nation and one of the most sought-after places to live in Alabama.
But recent data shows while real estate prices continue to go up, the amount of properties sold across the county has gone down.
About 19 people move to Baldwin County daily, according to Susan Shallow with Baldwin REALTORS.
“I love the culture here. I love the people,” Jay Wick, a Baldwin County resident, said. “The homes are very nice, close to the beaches.”
For most residents, seeing “For Sale” signs in front of houses being taken down almost as soon as they’re put up comes with no surprise.
“Being from Arizona and moving out here, it seems to be heavier growth than back in the Phoenix area,” Wick said.
Despite the growth, after analyzing housing market data across the county, Shallow noted some real estate trends in 2024.
“The most interesting trend was a slight decrease in the number of actual transactions, but an increase in the average sale,” Shallow said.
While real estate sales volume decreased by more than 7% in 2024, the average sales price of a home increased by 0.2% to around $493,000.
“Building prices, the cost of wood and windows and all of the stuff that goes into a home that’s gone up,” Shallow said. “What’s being built today may cost more to make, but it’s a far superior product than what we were able to build 10, 15, 20 years ago.”
However, she told WKRG News 5 that the decline in overall sales was expected.
“We had a extremely active market with COVID. I think these numbers are what we saw more traditionally in '17 and '18,” Shallow said. “I don’t look upon it as being in any way negative. It’s more, maybe normalizing.”
Shallow also said they’ve noticed more people are purchasing real estate with cash in recent years rather than obtaining a mortgage.
“With that clientele paying cash, they’re also able to purchase a higher price home than they may have if they were obtaining a mortgage,” she said.
However, more customers opting to pay with cash can create competition and make it more difficult for first-time home buyers to enter the housing market.
“A first time home buyer is actually competing against a cash buyer when purchasing their first home,” Shallow said. “That cash buyer has more leverage potential lead to negotiate a better home price, and someone obtaining a mortgage may not have that same kind of leverage.”
Shallow offered advice for first-time homebuyers looking to enter the housing market.
“Waiting can be expensive. Make sure that you start the process of getting a mortgage, get pre-qualified, find yourself a good realtor to talk to to assist you through the process,” Shallow said. “We have a really good program for first time home buyers to help them get that process going and to also help them with the cost of a home.”
Baldwin REALTORS launched a new grant opportunity for first-time homebuyers at the start of 2025. Visit their website for more information on how to apply and to see if you are eligible. The grant awards $1,000 to non-military and $1,500 to military first-time home buyers after closing.
Overall, Shallow said that Baldwin REALTORS is hopeful for the future of Baldwin County’s housing market in 2025.
“I think we’re going to see a very nice slight increase in prices, sales and transactions. I don’t think we’re going to see anything go dramatically higher,” she said. “There’s going to be a lot of people moving here, but I think we’re in a really good place for Baldwin County.”
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