When associate broker Joseph Frady of RE/MAX Paradise in Alabama and Florida made the move 15 years ago to Orange Beach, Alabama, he never looked back. “We have 32 miles of beaches and I’m told they’re some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and for sure in the country.”
It's such a popular place, he says, because property values are reasonable compared to the rest of the country, there are endless things to do, and crime is almost nonexistent.
“It's just a really nice place to live and own property,” says Joseph. “I live here with my two little boys, 7-year-old William Charles, who goes by Charlie, and 6-year-old Jackson Ward. Other than the usual boating, fishing, taking the kids to the beach, or visiting a water park, some weekends we'll just act like tourists and play putt-putt golf and ride go-karts.”
Originally from Marion, Alabama, Joseph came home on college breaks and worked with beach services at Orange Beach. “That's really when I decided I was going to move down here,” he says. “Everyone comes down here to relax and live on ‘island time.’”
For people wanting to buy, says Joseph, there are some great homes and condos. “We have everything someone could want down here. We’re the largest county in Alabama and we have so much land. That comes with a lot of opportunities -- buyers can find everything from small homes to multi-million dollar homes.”
It’s also a great place to enjoy in the fall. “The traffic has slowed down a bit, the water is still warm and the weather is cool,” he says. “In October alone, we have Freedom Fest, Bird Fest, Shrimp Fest, Oktober Fest, Arts Fest, German Sausage Fest, along with daily live music and tons of Halloween activities.”
When not selling real estate or playing with his kids, Joseph stays busy with locAL, his clothing line. “It’s about loving where you're from,” he says. “My buddy and I wanted to have a clothing line that was started here along the Gulf Coast. People love where they're from and they take pride in it. That's something we believed in, and we obviously love where we live, so it just took off from there.”
JosephFrady.com and locAL-Rootz.com