Properties for Sale in Fairhope, AL

Fairhope was founded in 1894 as a “single tax” colony, and the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation still owns land in and around downtown that it leases on long-term, renewable 99-year leases. On a leasehold lot, you own the home but lease the land, and the annual lease payment works differently than a standard property tax bill. Many buyers happily own leasehold homes, but it changes how financing, title, and resale work. We confirm leasehold status parcel by parcel before you write an offer so there are no surprises at closing.

Downtown Fairhope is one of the most walkable small-town centers on the Gulf Coast. Shops, galleries, restaurants, and the French Quarter are clustered around Fairhope Avenue and Section Street, and the Fairhope Municipal Pier and park are a short walk west on Mobile Bay. Homes close to downtown and the bluff carry a premium for that walkability. Neighborhoods farther east, including golf communities like Rock Creek, trade walkability for more space, newer construction, and amenities.

Fairhope has golf for every style, from established neighborhood courses to some of the most exclusive private clubs on the Gulf Coast.

Point Clear Club is the newest and most anticipated. It’s a private, members-only club and community on more than 650 acres in the historic Point Clear area just south of downtown Fairhope, built around an 18-hole championship course designed by Tom Fazio. Plans include a clubhouse and grille overlooking the back nine, championship practice facilities, a resort-style pool, fitness center and spa, tennis and pickleball, croquet lawns, and boating and fishing access. Play is limited to members and their guests. The full 18 holes are expected to open in 2027, with about 310 homesites for custom homes.

The Lakewood Club in Point Clear is the area’s historic private club, with 36 holes on the Dogwood and Azalea courses. The original course dates to 1947, and both courses were renovated by the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail team. Local golfers consider Lakewood’s greens the best around, rolling as fast as 13 on the Stimpmeter for special events.

Rock Creek Golf Club is an Earl Stone-designed course east of town with tree-lined fairways, real elevation change, and established neighborhoods around it. It’s a favorite for golfers who want golf-course living close to everyday Fairhope.

Each one feels very different, so we tour them with you to find the right fit.

The Lakewood Club is affiliated with the Grand Hotel Golf Resort and Spa in Point Clear, the landmark resort on Mobile Bay. Lakewood members don’t just get the golf; they also use the Grand Hotel’s amenities. Membership includes Lakewood’s pools, tennis courts, and fitness center, plus member discounts on food at the hotel and club restaurants, services at the Grand’s 20,000-square-foot spa, and the resort shops. Members also get resort perks like free seasonal kayak and paddle craft rentals and a place in the Grand’s daily cannon-firing tradition on the bay. For many buyers, it’s like having a resort as your country club. Membership requires an application and club approval.

Fairhope gives you two very different fisheries within minutes of home.

On Mobile Bay, anglers fish the piers, wharves, and flats for flounder, speckled trout, redfish, and white trout. Fall is mullet season, when locals throw cast nets along the shoreline, and many residents cast-net their own shrimp from the bay.

Just south of town, the backwaters of Weeks Bay, Fish River, and Magnolia River are a different world: quiet, protected, tree-lined water where the Fish and Magnolia Rivers flow into Weeks Bay, a protected National Estuarine Research Reserve. Because the water mixes fresh and salt, you can catch speckled trout and redfish on one cast and largemouth bass on the next. Lately there’s a new surprise: the occasional snook. Snook are a tropical fish usually found in South Florida, but Alabama anglers have reported more than 150 in recent years, and the Alabama state record was caught by a local teenager in Baldwin County waters.

Waterfront homes on these rivers, many with their own docks, are some of the most sought-after properties on the Eastern Shore for anglers and boaters. Remember that you need an Alabama saltwater fishing license, and cast-netting shrimp from a boat requires a recreational shrimp boat license.

Fairhope’s biggest event is the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival, held the third weekend of March since 1953. It draws nearly 300,000 visitors to downtown over three days. Beyond that, the downtown calendar stays busy most of the year with Mardi Gras parades, art walks, and holiday events. If you live near downtown, expect festival traffic a few weekends a year; most residents consider it part of the charm.

Fairhope public schools are currently part of the Baldwin County Public School System. As of fall 2026, the City of Fairhope is studying whether to form its own city school system, as Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have done; under current law the City Council, not a public vote, would make that decision. Because school assignments depend on the specific address, we verify zoning for any home you’re considering directly with the school system.

The Eastern Shore has three well-established private schools, all within an easy drive of Fairhope:

– Bayside Academy in Daphne is an independent, nonsectarian college-prep school for pre-K through 12th grade.

– Bayshore Christian School in Fairhope is a Presbyterian Christian school for pre-K through 12th grade.

– St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope is a Catholic high school for grades 9 through 12.

Tuition, admissions timelines, and openings vary by school and grade, so we recommend contacting each school early in your move, ideally before you choose a neighborhood.