Blue Water Realty

Gulf Shores, Orange Beach Fourth of July tourist numbers expected to be ...

GULF SHORES, Alabama — Upending expectations that last year’s BP PLC oil spill would spoil Alabama’s vacation market for years, real estate officials reported Wednesday that coastal condo and hotel bookings for this July 4 weekend are extremely high.

Rental companies in Gulf Shores, Orange Beac h, Fort Morgan and Dauphin Island reported occupancy rates of between 90 and 100 percent for the weekend.

“We’re about as full as we can possibly be,” said Bill Brett of Brett Robinson Real Estate & Development Co. in Orange Beach. The company’s more than 2,000 rental units are 95 percent booked, compared to 80 percent in 2009.

“The oil spill last year is a non-issue. There’s no indication otherwise,” Brett said.

Missy Zak of Meyer Vacation Rentals in Gulf Shores said properties are 97 percent booked for the weekend, compared to 66 percent last year and 93 percent in 2009.

“Things are picking up this year and going strong,” Zak said.

Herb Malone, president of Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism , credited the “strong loyalty of our consumer base” for the quick resurgence.

The Island House Hotel and Young’s Suncoast Vacation Rentals are 100 percent booked for the weekend, according to tourism bureau spokesperson Kim Chapman. Kaiser Realty reported 93 percent occupancy, compared to 88 percent in 2009, she said.

“Reservation calls began to increase dramatically in the last 2 weeks, and we were still getting guest inquiries at the beginning of this week,” said Connie Bryars, director of marketing at Young’s Suncoast Vacation Rentals.

“Spring break and the Hangout Music Festival really opened the floodgates for us this year, I think,” Brett said. “They got the momentum going.

Realty and Fishing update for Pine Island Florida — BlueWater ...

March 2011 was a busy month with us and our fellow Realtors showing the lovely island properties that are currently on the market.  We had 21 residential sales and six vacant land sales.  The residential sales were as low as $31,500 up to $575,000 being the highest.  The vacant land sales were as low as $5,000 and as high as $130,000.  After talking with many of our fellow Realtors and appraisers, the general consensus is that our market has leveled out.  So if you are considering buying a property on Pine Island, now would be a good time to begin your search.  You can see what has sold in March by clicking the “View Listings” below.

View Listings

Thanks to all of our customers for making this our best year to date. Safe travels to all of you who are getting ready to depart to the cold and rain…… Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

As the water temps creep into the low 80’s, the spring migration is just heating up. We have had a few tarpon and shark reports and they should increase over the next couple of days. Large Kingfish have been falling victim to live shiners. Also, offshore snapper reports continue to come in.  Check out the pics on the wall of some of the catches when you come in.

Inshore fishing has been steady also. Some large snook and oversized redfish have been reportedly caught on YoZuri suspending 469 lures in gold and chartreuse. The bone colored Paul Brown corky lure was the bait of choice for a 5 lb trout caught this week.  Three-inch Gulp shrimp in new penny and pearl white are just about impossible to keep stocked. Sorry if you came in and we were out. I have been doubling orders in an attempt to keep up with the demand. Sometimes our suppliers don’t send what I order because they also run out during this time of year.

Bait is becoming readily available so make sure you carry chum and a net with you if you bait fish.  Also, if you go offshore, don’t ever go without a couple of Sabiki rigs. They are an easy way to get some good live bait in a hurry.

We have recently had a chance to use the Avet reels. I can tell you from experience that they are everything we hoped in a quality reel. They are American made and super smooth. I am using the small single speed SX model. It retails for $150 and I love it. Large fish don’t seem to be any problem with this small reel either. I have rigged mine with 25 lb Trilene mono and have caught several keeper gag grouper. Jesse and I are planning to try them on some big tarpon and sharks after work over the next couple of weeks. I will let you know if they held up to the test.

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