The rental market in Baldwin County is showing signs of stabilizing after nearly two years of climbing demand (and prices), property managers say.

Rachel Romash-Reese, owner of Elite Real Estate Solutions, who also manages property, said that following Hurricane Sally, demand for rental properties in Baldwin County increased, likely as a result of property damage from the storm. It remained high for the next two years, she says, but in the last few weeks, inventory has increased and there’s been less turnover.

“It’s just been recently, the past month, that we’ve had more inventory,” Romash-Reese says. “It could be the season; people don’t want to move.”

Rental prices have steadily increased in that time. Data from Zillow shows that rents in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley area increased after Hurricane Sally. In August 2020, average rent in the metropolitan statistical area was about $1,200. At the end of October 2020, average rent had climbed slightly to $1,212. But by March 2021, average rent had jumped to $1,314. In May 2023, average monthly rent in Daphne-Fairhope-Foley was about $1,680.

Vacation rentals have largely followed the same pattern, says Hunter Harrelson, who runs Beachball Properties in Orange Beach. But he said the hurricanes in 2020 didn’t have the same effect on the market. After the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns in early 2020, the vacation rental market rebounded quickly, Harrelson said. From there, the market skyrocketed in 2021 and 2022, as international travel restrictions and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic drove up tourism in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.