Fairhope Real Estate: my favorite homes for sale

For a small town in Alabama, fairhope has a thriving, albeit expensive, real estate market. Any home downtown, on the bay, and near the polo fields can run well over $1,000,000, which for a town of 12,000 people, is quite a hefty price tag. But judging by the massive influx of new residents the town has seen over the last few years, there are certainly people willing to pay the price to live in such a wonderful community.

House 1: This home is located in the posh Point Clear Polo Club. It was built by Bill Purvis, who is a well known local builder famous for his amazing craftsmanship, attention to detail, and beautiful designs.

This beautiful home is located on 7+ acres features 5 bedrooms, 5 full baths and 2 half baths, a four stall horse barn, and is currently listed a $2,295,000.

The library

The great room

I love the painted wood ceiling and the stone fireplace.

The formal dining room. The wide-plank floors are gorgeous.

This is one of the few kitchens with white cabinets and marble in Fairhope, I like the blue island.

The luxurious master bathroom.

This home has great views of the Point Clear Polo Fields,

as it sits right next to them. many other homes in the area have their own private

Polo fields.

See more photos and listing information here.

House 2: This newly built home is in the heart of downtown Fairhope and features 4 bedrooms, 4 1/2 bathrooms, a back alley garage, and views of the bay.

Front porches are very prevalent in Fairhope, especially with 2nd story balconies.

Though you can hardly see it, this view of Mobile Bay is the main reason

this house is so expensive.

Light interiors and high quality millwork seem to be the trend in Fairhope new builds.

Probably the only other white kitchen in Fairhope,

the normal kitchen trend in a new build around here seems to be pecky

cypress cabinets and dark granite. homes around here have cypress cabinets and dark granite.

See more photos and listing information here.

House 3: This unique Mediterranean bay front home is situated on two acres and features a guest house, wharf, pool, and boathouse. It is listed at $2,900,000 and has 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, and 2 half baths.

The front facade. I love the huge gas lantern.

The backyard features a terrace, pool, boathouse, and a wharf. Landscaping by Howard design studio.

The carriage house. I love the iron work over the garage doors.
The charming ivy covered guesthouse.
A close-up of the back facade. Most bay front homes treat the back facade as the true "front" as it can be seen by the many boats in the bay.

This has to be one of my favorite fireplaces ever. It goes perfectly with the house.
The gourmet kitchen. I love the stone hood.

Such great paneling! Very unexpected in a bathroom.

And finally, the amazing view of Mobile Bay.

See more pictures of the home and listing information here.

All images courtesy of Coldwell Banker Reehl Properties

A Walk Around Fairhope

As I have said in previous posts, I am fortunate enough to live in Fairhope, Alabama, a small town on the shores of Mobile Bay. Fairhope was founded as a utopian single tax colony, and soon became a favorite summer haven for artists and intellectuals. Here are just a few of the famous names who have resided here: Jimmy Buffet, winston Groom (author of Forest Gump), and Fannie Flagg. The city was named on of the top fifty places to retire in The New York Times, and the best small town by Southern Living magazine.

The beautiful Fairhope Pier

If you have not yet visited Fairhope, I highly suggest you make a trip. In the spring, the city hosts the Arts and Crafts Festival, where artisans from across the country showcase their work. Last year, it attracted over 250,000 visitors. If you take the trip, I suggest staying at the Grand Hotel Marriot, a local landmark that has been around since 1847.


The Fairhope clock, another local landmark.

Many of the buildings in downtown fairhope are historic, but quite a few were built recently.
This building, The Lyons Share Art Gallery, was a beutiful design by the local architect firm Walcott Adams Vernuille. The owners reside on the second floor. Photo courtesy of Walcott Adams Vernuille

Walcott Adams Vernuille's office; a modern take on west indies architecture. Photo courtesy of Walcott Adams Vernuille

A charming store front. Notice the iron balcony, a detail very prevalent downtown. Also designed by Walcott Adams Vernuille.
Another downtown building in the final stages of construction. Once again, notice the iron balconies.

Now for some houses. Driving along the treelined streets of Fairhope, you never know what you are going to find!




This charming home, which us locals have dubbed simply "the castle house" is hidden just blocks away from downtown. The home was hand built with mostly recycled materials. This home was on a house tour a few years ago, but unfortunatly, you were unable to take pictures.

A shot of the castle's almost identical guest house:

Most larger homes are either on Mobile Bay, where lots, at the cheapest, are usually around two million, or in the Point Clear Polo Fields.

A beautiful plantation style estate in the Polo Fields. I love the gate!

Another large home in the polo fields, currently for sale. The house totals more than 9,000 square feet.


A beautiful bay-front home. The board-and-batten siding, working shutters, and front porch seem to be required for a home on the bay!

The homes downtown maybe a little smaller, but they are definitely just as beautiful.

A charming cottage right of Church Street. (one of the main streets in Fairhope)

Architecture by Walcott Adams Vernuille.

A historic home built in the 1930s. (I think) Recently renovated by, you guessed it, Walcott Adams Vernuille. No I did not purposely choose buildings by this firm, but their work is all over Fairhope. This lot itself is worth well over one million , because it is located on the bay bluffs. Mobile Bay is right across the street.

One of my favorite houses. I love the iron balcony and ivy covered columns.

This has to be my favorite home, which I used to pass daily. It is on an extremely large, private wooded lot. In the back, there is a beautiful pool and a pool house very similar in appearance to the main house.

I hope you enjoyed your tour of Fairhope! More pictures to come!

Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects

Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects is a nationally recognized firm in Fairhope, Alabama. I am extremely familiar with their work, since I reside in Fairhope, a small coastal town on Mobile Bay.

The firm designs beautiful homes where quality and craftsmanship is paramount. They have been featured in Southern living seven times, Coastal Living four times, and Better Homes and Gardens twice. They have also been featured in This Old House, Southern Accents, From House to Home, and Garden and Gun. Two of their designs, a Mobile riverfront home, and an Irish Country cottage have been featured on HGTV's "Homes Across America"

No detail is overlooked in the design of any Walcott Adams Verneuille home. One of my favorite homes are Lea Verneuille's personal home, a french country cottage:

I also love the Reynolds residence, featured in Southern Accents. The Reynolds use it as a beautiful summer retreat.

The kitchen is beautiful, with classic white cabinets and a dramatic wood ceiling.

The firm also designed many of the buildings on the grounds of the beautiful Grand Hotel Marriott Resort in the nearby community of Point Clear.

Another one of my favorites is the Couch Residence, A bay front Estate in the nearby town of Daphne. The From House To Home article describes it as a "Georgian Revival Mansion."




To see more beautiful photos of these and many other homes, visit the Firm's website.

All images courtesy of Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects