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Housing Market Data For Huntsville & Surrounding Areas

Brought to you by Jenn Gates at Legend Realty

256-755-4989




Huntsville and Local Area Listings (by city)



Looking for a local reator? Needing to buy a house out-of-state or selling locally? I would love to help you find your perfect dream home or make your selling experience smooth and pleasant. For more about me, see my five star reviews below.



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Jennifer Gates at Legend Realty

Contact Me: 256-755-4989

5 stars

Jennifer Steiger, 03/2024 - There are not enough words to express how AMAZING Jenn Gates is. We have purchased several homes in our lifetime and Jenn by far is the most thorough, caring and compassionate realtor we have ever had the pleasure of working with! She was constantly looking out for us and always had our best interests at heart. She was never pushy or impatient and sincerely just wanted us to have the home of our dreams. She showed us over 50 homes and with each one she treated us with the same excitement, enthusiasm and detail as if it were the first home. She was extremely knowledgeable about not only the market but the region as well and was able to bring things to our attention that we would not have considered otherwise moving from a different state. She truly is one of a kind and in a class all of her own.

5 stars

Kira Ritter, 01/2024 - Absolutely would use Jen over and over again. She puts literally everything into helping you find a home. She goes way absove and beyond for her clients and assures that everything is done correctly. She is such an amazing person, you really wont find anyone better!

5 stars

Janet Lynch, 05/2023 - Jennifer is AMAZING and took care of us above and beyond the scope of a realtor. She jumped in and helped clear our house. And she heard me receive the worst news one can hear while assisting us…. A death of a parent. Words can not express the gratitude I have for her. She deserves high praises. May God bless her.

5 stars

Andrew Lang, 04/2023 - Undoubtedly the most reliable, well informed, and honest realtor in my experience buying real estate. Jenn answers your questions before you ask them and never failed to respond to my direct text or phone call at any time. If your looking for real estate in Huntsville, AL and surrounding areas, Jenn is the right choice.

5 stars

Ken Huffman, 11/10/2022 - Jennifer is the best agent I have ever worked with. Her knowledge and approach to any question or situation is amazing. If you need a outstanding Real Estate agent who cares, you can't go wrong.

5 stars

Reece Reed, 11/08/2022 - Very helpful, very friendly! Very highly recommended!

5 stars

Ryan McGreevy, 08/12/2022 - Ryan McGreevy - Working with Jennifer Gates at Legend Realty was great! She was professional, knowledgeable, and very easy to work with. Coming from out of the area she was very familiar with all of the communities in which we were looking, which ultimately helped us settle on a property. I highly recommend Jenn and her network of partners!

5 stars

J. Travis Edwards, 05/13/2022 - Professional and very thorough! An eye for detail and follow up. Would highly recommend. Not only found a realtor, but a lifelong friend.

5 stars

Jason Russell, 02/22/2022 - Jen is one of the most considerate professionals I’ve ever met. Going above and beyond to ensure we were satisfied at many touch points during our building process. She is very well prepared and a heart of gold!

5 stars

12/18/2021 - Jennifer is a fantastic realtor who goes above and beyond for her clients! We were relocating from out of state and needed to maximize our time for our house hunt. Jenn understood our criteria, narrowed down a great list for us and helped us find our home that first weekend! Throughout the process she was a wealth of knowledge both of all things real estate, and of the local area. We are thrilled with our new home and now our new friend. I can't recommend Jenn highly enough!

5 stars

k. teach, 09/27/2021 - We were from Virginia and didn’t know the area but we were looking for a house for our son moving to Huntsville. Jenn was so much help showing us all the areas and various houses available. We finally settled on a home and she has been so much help with all of our questions she’s great!

5 stars

Keri Lynn, 07/15/2021 - Jennifer has worked with us in several transactions. She is an outstanding agent and helped us with a purchase that had 14 other offers! She goes above and beyond and is outstanding!! 5 STARS all the way!

5 stars

02/01/2021 - Jen Gates has been the most thorough realtors that my husband and I have ever worked with. Our process from start to finish was a piece of cake. We were so thrilled with the process of selling our home, that we are using Jen to assist with building and purchasing our new home.

5 stars

12/20/2020 - I have sold a couple of homes and worked with several realtors. Jennifer, has been the best by far. Not only did my house sale in less than 24 hours, but Jen was in constant contact with me along the way and helped out in every way she could. My entire experience was not only pleasant, but it was a blessing. I highly recommend.


WHAT'S YOUR HOME WORTH

INTERACTIVE HOUSING DATA CHARTS

I have listed below several interactive charts, displaying current prices, trends, and inventory of homes in the Huntsville area to help you better understand our market. The median sale price (first chart) is the sales price in the middle of a data set when you arrange all the sales prices from the low to the high, unlike the average sale price which is calculated by adding all the home sales in a particular area during a defined period then dividing that total by the number of properties sold. Another great tool used by realtors to sell your home is calculating the median number of days on the market (second chart). Realtors also use this number to help determine if the buyer should be aggressive on making a bid on an existing home. Generally, the longer a house sits on the market or listed on the multiple listing services (MLS), the bigger the discount a home may sell for. The opposite is also true, the shorter the days on market, the more aggressive buyers tend to be, thus allowing for higher prices. The amount of homes for sale (third chart) is a good indicator how stressed or healthy the housing market is. The more houses to choose from, the better it is for buyers. A low housing inventory means that buyers can increase their price as the competition for homes are much lower. Sellers can be a lot more aggressive in their asking prices if the housing inventory is low but must factor in selling the home at or below the appraisal price if the buyer is getting a mortgage loan. Price per sqft (fourth chart) is a great tool to determine how much a seller should list their house for. In some cases, this can be misleading as homes in certain neighborhoods and school districts can determine the average cost of the home. The age of the house and amount of new or improved amenities can also determine the sale price of the seller’s home. Realtors will also use price per sqft when looking into new construction or trying to pinpoint a certain price in a particular neighborhood. This, along with housing comps (recently sold homes similar to your own house) helps determine a good selling price point.

HUNTSVILLE HOUSING MARKET

Huntsville

Huntsville is the fastest growing city in Alabama. It added more people to its population than any other city in Alabama in 2018. In 2010, the metropolitan area had a population of 417,593, making it the fourth most populous metropolitan in Alabama. Eight years later, Huntsville metropolitan grew to 462,693 which propelled city's population beyond Montgomery making it the second largest city in the state. Forecasters believe Huntsville's strong growth will surpass Birmingham in the next five years to become the state's largest city.

According to Rentcafe.com, October 2021, the typical rent for the Huntsville area was $1,064 a month, for a 937 SQFT two-bedroom apartment. This is about 11% higher than last year. With the sudden growth of the city's population and skyrocketing job market, the demand for new construction and rental units have driven the prices for both rental and home ownership.


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

MADISON HOUSING MARKET

Madison

The city of Madison is the sister city to Huntsville. While Huntsville is the most recognized name between both cities, Madison in its own right is a popular and fast growing city in the state. It is known for its great school, high concentration of well-educated professionals and an influx of high paying space, defense and engineering jobs. Many consider Madison a great place to start a business or somewhere nice to settle down and to retire due to its low cost of living.

"Madison is a city located primarily in Madison County, near the northern border of the U.S. state of Alabama. Madison extends west into neighboring Limestone County. The city is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area, the second-largest in the state, and is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 42,938. Madison is bordered by Huntsville on all sides." 2

1 Wikipedia


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

HAMPTON COVE HOUSING MARKET

Hampton Cove

Hampton Cove is becoming one of the most popular areas to live in the Huntsville area. Surrounded by Cumberland Plateau hills and beautiful valleys below, a lot of people are finding Hampton Cove as a desirable place to live. Many of the communities and subdivisions in the Hampton Cove area feature paved walkways, neighborhood parks, attractive ponds and golf courses. For those who love the outdoors, the area includes the Flint River, Hays Nature Preserve, and Goldsmith Schiffman Wildlife Sanctuary as recreational opportunities. Commute to the downtown Huntsville or the Redstone Arsenal is within 20 - 30 minutes.


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

DECATUR HOUSING MARKET

Decatur

Decatur expands in two counties, Morgan County and Limestone County. It is nicknamed as “The River City” as it sits along the banks of Wheeler Lake and the Tennessee River. The 2016 census recorded Decatur as having 55,419 residence. Recent numbers have shown the growth of Decatur as being stagnant but lately, with the growth of nearby Huntsville, Decatur home sales are starting to pick up at a fast pace.

Decatur is the busiest river port on the Tennessee River and boast twelve Fortune 500 companies who operate their plants at or near the river ports. Manufacturing makes up about 20 percent of the jobs but many professionals who live in Decatur commute to Huntsville.

For those who have not visited Decatur, the historic neighborhoods and downtown area along with Cook’s museum, Point Mallard Park and Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge is a must see. Decatur also offers two popular and free events each year. Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon is hosted at Point Mallard Park every Memorial Day weekend and Corn Day Festival is held each July.


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

ATHENS HOUSING MARKET

Athens

Athens is a fast-growing small city just northwest of Huntsville. It sits about 15 miles south of the Tennessee line and lies in Limestone County. It had a population of 24,461 people in the 2016 census but has grown tremendously with the opening of the new Mazda/Toyota plant and the expansion of space and defense industry at Cummins Research park. Athens is still a quiet and peaceful place to live but has grown out of its rural roots as Huntsville and the city of Madison has expanded its border into Limestone County. Commutes times from Athens is about 45 minutes to downtown Huntsville making it a desirable destination to live.

"Founded in 1818 by John Coffee, Robert Beaty, John D. Carroll, and John Read, Athens is one of the oldest incorporated cities in the state, having been incorporated one year prior to the state's admittance to the Union in 1819. Limestone County was also created by an act of the Alabama Territorial Legislature in 1818. The town was first called Athenson, but was incorporated as Athens after the ancient city in Greece. The town's first mayor was Samuel Tanner, and the Tanner area, south of Athens, was named on his behalf." 5

5 Wikipedia


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

OWENS CROSS ROADS HOUSING MARKET

Owen Cross Roads

Owens Cross Roads is small and fast-growing town just east of downtown Huntsville. It was named by the Owens family who settled there in the 1850’s. It had a population of 6,454 people in the 2016 census but probably has grown much higher due to many expanding neighborhoods and new construction growth. Owens Cross Roads is one of the prettier areas of the Huntsville area and sits in the valley surrounded by rolling hills. A lot of nature parks and walkways are located throughout the area. The commute to downtown Huntsville, the Redstone Arsenal and Cummings Research are all within a 30 minutes’ drive, making it a popular destination to live.


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

HARTSELLE HOUSING MARKET

Hartselle

Hartselle is located in Morgan County, about a 45 minutes commute to Huntsville, AL and few miles south of Decatur. It was named after George Hartselle in 1870, an owner of one of Alabama’s largest railroad companies. For those who are having trouble finding a home in the Huntsville area, Hartselle is a great place to live, especially for those who do not mind the short commute. It is growing area due to the historic and charming downtown center and great schools.


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

GURLEY HOUSING MARKET

Gurley

"Gurley is a town in Madison County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 801."

"The community takes its name from the Gurley family, who settled in the area in 1817. The town gradually formed around a water and coaling stop of the Memphis & Charleston Railroad and was originally known as Gurley's Tank. In 1866, the post office opened, and the name was changed to Gurleysville; it was later shortened back to Gurley. Gurley was incorporated in 1891 with 250 residents. Soon after, the population peaked at 1,000. The business district was nearly destroyed by fire in 1923, when a bucket brigade was able to save only two businesses. Most of the town is now included in the Gurley Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004." 8

8Wikipedia


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

GUNTERSVILLE HOUSING MARKET

Guntersville

Guntersville is home to one of the best bass fishing lakes in the US. Lake Guntersville covers over 69,000 acres of pristine water. The 2016 census records Guntersville as having a population of 8,360. Many of the home in the city either have homes on the river or a beautiful lakeside view. Commute times to Huntsville is about 1 hour.

"Guntersville was founded by John Gunter (1765 - 1835), the great-grandfather of American humorist Will Rogers. John's own great-great-grandfather, of Welsh-English descent, had emigrated to the New World in 1644. John Gunter was the wealthy owner of a salt mine in the early 19th century. In order to obtain more land to mine, John struck a deal with the Cherokee tribe that inhabited the area to use in his household as servants. As part of the deal, John married the daughter (Ghe-No-He-Li, aka Katy and Cathrine) of the tribe's chief (Chief Bushyhead of the Paint Clan) and agreed to give salt to the tribe. A town sprung up next to the mine and was named after Gunter." 9

9Wikipedia


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

HARVEST HOUSING MARKET

harvest

Harvest is unincorporated community and a large and growing suburb of Huntsville. It lies on the west side of downtown Huntsville and within a fifteen-minute drive to research park, the Mazda/Toyota plant and the main gate of Redstone making it a popular choice for home builder to construct new subdivisions. Due to the rapid growth of both Huntsville and Madison, many people are finding Harvest as an attractive place to live.

"In the late 1800s through early 1900s, Harvest saw growth and development due to extension of the Fayetteville, TN rail yard along the existing Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis (NC&StL) Railroad. In the early-mid 1900s Harvest was centered around the railroad, between Capshaw and Toney, presently known as Old Railroad Bed Rd. Many early settlers in the Harvest area were from the Fayetteville, TN. April 20, 1929, the NC&StL Railroad Company sold the property and roadbed running through Madison County to the County Highway Department with a quitclaim deed. Today, the roadbed is marked as a two-lane roadway that continues to serve as a vital link in the modern day-to-day transportation network, and carries the seemingly appropriate name "Old Railroad Bed Road". Elder members of the Harvest community recall a significant Native American presence in the area, primarily along the railroad areas." 10

10 Wikipedia


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

MERIDIANVILLE HOUSING MARKET

Meridianville

Being an unincorporated community, Meridianville is more considered as a large suburb of Huntsville. It lies just north of the city of Huntsville and has mixture of both large housing developments and farm land. Due to the growth of both Huntsville and Madison, many people are moving to the outskirts of the city, making it an attractive place to live.

"Meridianville first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as an unincorporated community of 105 residents. It did not appear again on the census for a century (1980), when it was designated a census designated place (CDP)." 11

11 Wikipedia


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

NEW MARKET HOUSING MARKET

New Market

Being an unincorporated community, New Market is more considered as a large suburb of Huntsville. It lies just north of the city of Huntsville and has mixture of both large housing developments and farm land giving it still a rural living feel. Due to the growth of both Huntsville and Madison, many people are moving to the outskirts of the city, making it an attractive place to live.

"In the early 19th century, several persons from Tennessee explored the area just across the border in what eventually became Madison County in Alabama. Isaac and Joseph Criner also explored the area and, in 1804, settled in the northern part near what is now called Mountain Fork of the Flint River. George Smith, landowner of town site, built first log house and established a mercantile business in 1814. John Miller excavated millrace, erected gristmill and sawmill in 1819. Later settlers gave the name New Market to the community." 12

12 Wikipedia


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

NEW HOPE HOUSING MARKET

new hope

New Hope is mid-size town, 15 minutes south of the Tennessee border and just east of Huntsville, AL. It was formally known as Cloud’s Town in 1829 by its founder William Cloud but later changed to New Hope in 1883. Growth in the New Hope area has been positive with 2016 census estimate population of 2,808 residence. It is very quiet town just outside of Owens Cross Roads making it a short 30 minutes commute to Redstone or Downtown Huntsville.


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

BROWNSBORO HOUSING MARKET

new hope

Brownsboro, named after John Brown in 1824 is an unincorporated community and lies just east of Downtown Huntsville. It is sprawling area with a lot of new home being built to the pretty landscape of the Cumberland Plateau surrounding the area. Due to the growth of both Huntsville and Madison, many people are moving to the outskirts of the city, making it an attractive place to live.


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

TONEY HOUSING MARKET

new hope

Toney is an unincorporated community and lies just north of Harvest. The census population for Toney is estimated at 12,666. It is sprawling community and popular for those who want to live out in the rural area but within a short commute to Huntsville, Research Park and the Redstone Community.


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

HAZEL GREEN HOUSING MARKET

new hope

Hazel Green is an unincorporated community and more or less known as a large suburb of Huntsville or Madison County. The 2019 census population for Hazel Green is estimated at 3,901. For many years this community has been branded as the cotton and corn farms of North Alabama due to its rich soil. With the large growth in Huntsville area, many people are finding Hazel Green as a great place to build their homes in Hazel Green, especially if you are considering buying raw land or a small hobby farm in Madison County.


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

ARDMORE HOUSING MARKET

new hope

Ardmore is about 40-minute north of Downtown Huntsville. It is located in Limestone County and just south of the Tennessee border. It had a population of 1305 in the 2018 census. Originally it was name Austin after Alex Ausin but was later renamed to Ardmore in 1922. Like the New Market area, it lies just north of the city of Huntsville and has a good mixture of homes and farm land, still giving it a rural feel. Due to the high growth of both Huntsville and Madison, many people are moving to the outskirts of the city, making it an attractive place to live.


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

SCOTTSBORO HOUSING MARKET

new hope

Scottsboro is a beautiful city located in the Cumberland Plateau overlooking Guntersville lake. It is the largest city in Jackson county and has 2010 census population of 14,770. For those are looking for affordable raw land or a farm, it is the perfect destination who do not mind a longer commute (50 -55 mins) to Huntsville..


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

UNION GROVE HOUSING MARKET

Union Grove

"Union Grove is a small town in Marshall County, AL, about 5 mile south of the Tennessee River. It sits between South Huntsville and Guntersville Lake making a perfect destination for those who do not want to commute too far away from Huntsville and for those who like the rural outdoors and would like to own some affordable land.


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

PRICEVILLE HOUSING MARKET

Priceville

Priceville is a small and charming town south of Huntsville and just off I-65 making it a short commute to the western part of Huntsville. A great location if you are working at the Mazda/Toyota plant or near the Huntsville International Airport. The 2016 census list Priceville as having 3,060 residence but with the growth of Huntsville and the local job market, it will continue to grow strong.


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989

SOMERVILLE HOUSING MARKET

Somerville

Somerville is a small and quiet town in Morgan County, AL. The town was named after Lt. Robert Summerville but later the spelling changed to Somerville. It is still home to Alabama’s oldest standing Courthouse built in 1837. Somerville is located between Decatur and Huntsville making it an attractive place to live. For those who like the country with affordable land to build but also desire a short commute to Huntsville, Somerville is a great place to build your perfect hobby farm.

"Somerville was the county seat of Morgan County from 1818 to 1891, when the seat was moved to Decatur. The town was named for Robert M. Summerville, an officer killed in 1814 during the Creek Indian War. Initially incorporated on December 3, 1819,[2][1] it is a few days older than the state. After its loss of the county seat in the 1890s, its incorporation lapsed. It was reorganized (reincorporated) on December 1, 1955." 15

15 Wikipedia


Jennifer Gates, Legend Realty (256)755-4989


MADISON COUNTY HOUSING STATS


MADISON COUNTY NEW HOMES STATS


MORGAN COUNTY HOUSING STATS


LIMESTONE COUNTY HOUSING STATS


MARSHALL COUNTY HOUSING STATS





About Huntsville


Since the Space Race of the 1960’s, Huntsville has grown from being a rocket city, to defense, biotech research, hypersonic propulsion, cyber security, radar, aerospace engineering, weapons, combat systems, rotor-wing technology and intelligence. What was once known as the capital of rocket science has now become a mecca for many STEM careers. It is also home to the Toyota and Mazda car plant and owns one of the largest Biotech Research Facility, the HudsonAlpha Institute. Some of the biggest and most well-known defense and technology companies operate out of Huntsville, they include companies such as; Boeing, Blue Origin, Aegis, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Leidos, Jacobs Technology, Aerojet-Rocketdyne, BAE Systems, L3 Harris, Huntington Ingalls, Facebook, SCI Technology, SAIC, DRS Technology, NTS, Colsa, Booz Allen Hamilton, Bell Textron, Sikorsky, Kratos, Sierra Nevada, Radiance Technology, Teledyne Brown, Dynetics, Torch, Intergraph and Adtran just to name a few.

Huntsville is the fastest growing city in Alabama. It added more people to its population than any other city in Alabama in 2018. In 2010, the metropolitan area had a population of 417,593, making it the fourth most populous metropolitan in Alabama.1 Eight years later, Huntsville metropolitan grew to 462,693 which propelled city's population beyond Montgomery making it the second largest city in the state. Forecasters believe Huntsville's strong growth will surpass Birmingham in the next five years to become the state's largest city.

Job Market

Forbes list Huntsville as the No.1 place for engineers with an average mean salary of $102,766. 2 Over 20,000 residence hold an engineering degree in the area and almost 40% have a four-year degree. Most of Huntsville's engineering work is done at Cummings Research Park, the second largest research park in the country and the fourth largest in the world.3 It is also home to over 300 hundred tech companies. Some of its newest members include the Amazon's Blue Origin Rocket Engine Factory and Facebook's Data center. Cummings Research Park spans across 3,843 acres and employs over 30,000 people. To keep up with the demand for STEM educated employees among the local talent, Huntsville recently built a new school for future STEM students, The Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering. This will be free to qualified 10th and 11th graders across the state. 4 Also chipping to help the effort in luring more high tech individuals, Decatur, Huntsville's neighboring city has implemented a plan to repay $3,000 each year of a STEM graduate's student loan, up to $15,000 if they choose to live in Decatur's city limits. 5

While Aerospace and defense make up the heart of the job force in Huntsville, a growing presence in biotechnology and manufacturing is also making an impact on the local economy. There are over 10,000 people employed in the biotech industry in Alabama with almost 600 companies, many of which are located in Huntsville. Most of Huntsville's biotech industry is located in Cummings Research Park Biotech Campus called the Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology. Over 40 different bioscience companies work at the Hudson-Alpha Center generating 700 jobs and indirectly creating another 1500 jobs in the local area. According to hsvchamber, "HudsonAlpha is a world-class genomics research center developing targeted and more efficient diagnoses and treatments. Among the areas of study by the 16 research labs are projects related to cancers, Parkinson’s, molecular diagnosis and renewable energy. Other Bioscience industries include Aviagen, Nektar, and the new Paul Propst Center, a 105,000 square-foot research laboratory building next to the HudsonAlpha Institute.”

The auto and manufacturing industry is a growing and thriving part of Huntsville’s economic landscape. Based upon the 2018 Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau, Huntsville is now ranked the 13th best city for manufacturing jobs. Is also ranked #6 in the nation for future job growth and #2 for the highest salary and low cost living. Alabama has become the auto capital of the south with Huntsville having both Toyota and Mazda building their manufacturing plants here.

Life Style and Cost of Living


While Huntsville is considered to be the melting pot of technology of the south, the city is diverse with a multi-cultural feel. Most Huntsvillians are known for their southern hospitality and generosity. In some sense, Huntsville does not feel like the rest of the great state of Alabama. What I mean is, no other place in Alabama do you find such a diverse group of people but yet a friendly atmosphere than in the beautiful city of Huntsville.

In most cities, traffic jams have become a normal disruption in life, but surprisingly this is not so in Huntsville as there are shorter commute times and congestion compared to most cities of similar size. The average commute in Huntsville is 19 minutes, which overall beats majority of U.S. cities which averages 26.4 minutes.

Affordability continues to be Huntsville’s best attribute. According to U.S. News and World Report, Huntsville was ranked #1 as most affordable city to live. While low home prices, taxes and cost of living are great reasons to move here, Huntsville also host a variety of high tech jobs with many technological companies making the average pay scale much higher than the rest of Alabama and surpassing much of the Southeastern region of the US.

As of December 2019, the typical rent for the Huntsville area was $877 a month, an average of $857 for a two-bedroom apartment. With the sudden growth of the city's population and skyrocketing job market, the demand for new construction and rental units have driven the prices for both rental and home ownership. Just last year, rent increased to over 12% and home prices were 6.6% higher than the previous year. This shortage of homes has caught the attention of many national home builders. While most of these builders see the Huntsville as a great opportunity to expand here locally, some were frustrated with the shortage of local construction laborers. This has led to a new initiative called, North Alabama Homebuilding Academy, funded by $20 increase in the building permit fee. The academy offers free training to 18 or 17-year-old with a high school diploma. Graduates are expected to earn around $16 per hour. 6 Each class runs 4 weeks during the day or 8 weeks for evening classes. This includes $200 of free gear and equipment to jumpstart their bright future. With classes already being full by the first day of school, it has brought a welcome hope to new home builders. A few months ago, I interviewed one of the home builders from the Tennessee area. He had hoped to start a small home building operations in the Huntsville area, but said there was just not enough talented construction workers to get his business off the ground. He hinted that he would like to try again if talent was more available. Let's hope these programs become successful in the short term.

Darin Buelow, a global location strategy leader for Deloitte gave a presentation which, according to his numbers, Huntsville area must fill about 25,000 new jobs by 2023. This demand comes at a time when the area is seeing a historic unemployment rate of 2.1 percent. Many of these jobs will come from engineering, cyber and the technology industry. Not only will these jobs be new positions but also the area is dealing with a local aging and a retiring workforce. Although University of Alabama Huntsville is known for their top-notch STEM programs, which boast an 88 percent job placement, there still seems to be a short fall in finding good talent. Huntsville has no choice but to expand their outreach in search for experience talent from other states across the U.S. While this is being advertised by companies that have a large footprint in other tech states such as California, a greater effort needs to be made among state and local leaders. 7

In a local interview by AL.com, Huntsville mayor Tommy Battle was quoted as saying, "It is a challenge. As we continue to grow and we continue to prosper, we'll be able to keep up with the growth and we'll be able to build ahead of the growth so that we can keep that same quality of life tomorrow that we have today. Our greatest asset is our (average) 18-20-minute commute to and from work. If we can keep that and keep those other quality of life issues in place, we'll grow and we'll prosper." 8 A few years ago, John Cooper, director of Alabama Transportation recommended $250 million to improve traffic flow in the Huntsville area. While this sounds like a lot of money for improvement, Huntsville was on the hook to raise $125 million in own local taxes to pay half of the road improvements. 9 Also dipping in our newly increased gasoline tax, Governor Ivey did allocate some money to expand an additional lane on interstate 565, but in all honestly, this was a drop in the bucket as the cost ($17 million) to widen the road was minimal, especially when comparing Mobile's request for a billion dollars to build a new bridge. All this money being proposed to the fourth largest city with a declining population.

Real Estate Market


The demand for both existing homes and new construction are strong and will continue to be so in the near future. In November 2019 the median number of days on the market was 13, but now, one year later, Huntsville sits at a historical low of 5 days. In many cases, homes in the Huntsville area sell within the first few hours of being listed on the MLS. Huntsville’s months’ supply of homes for sales is also sitting at a historical low of 1.4 months. To gauge how low this is, an even market is 6 months of inventory. There should be no doubt, we are in a seller’s market and with thousands of new jobs moving into this area such as a new FBI headquarters, expanding space and defense companies and the Toyota/Mazda plant being opened, there is no telling how much prices will increase this year.

The good news, Price per sqft in the Huntsville area is still pretty low compared to many parts of the U.S. In November 2019 price per sqft in the Huntsville area was averaging around $101. One year later, price per sqft has rose around $111, about a 10 percent increase. For new construction, this may be misleading as mid to higher end luxury homes can sell for anywhere between $150 - $200 per sqft. New Construction will likely continue to rise as the Coronavirus has affected the building supply chain. This most likely will have a trickle-down effect to existing homes.

Other Useful Links for Huntsville

Summary


Huntsville, once considered as being one of the most affordable cities to buy a house has now become more competitive. Supplies and inventory are at a historical level, meaning there are fewer houses on the market than ever before bringing supplies to record breaking lows. This in turn has led to higher prices and less homes for buyers to choose from.

For those who are interested in moving here, Huntsville has a lot to offer and enjoy. Our list of recognition seems to grow each year. Recently we were rated the 4th lowest cost of living city in the US by Business Insider and the 10th best city to buy a home by Niche. Livability ranks us #1 tech Hotspots for STEM jobs and U.S. News has us listed as the 3rd best city to live. Nerd Wallet list Huntsville at No. 2 for the best place to find tech jobs. Up one spot, Trulia ranks Huntsville as the #1 best tech city to live in America while Wallet Hubs rates Huntsville as the 23rd best place to live.

National Recognized City Awards for Huntsville



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Real Estate Resources

Building Permits and Inspections

    Health Department
  • Huntsville - (256) 539-3711
  • Madison - (256) 539-3711
  • Athens - (256) 232-3200
  • Decatur (256) 353-7021
  • Inspection Department
  • Huntsville - (256) 427-5336
  • Madison - (256) 772-5644
  • Madison county - (256) 746-2950
  • Athens - (256) 233-8715
  • Decatur (256) 341-4570
  • Planning Department
  • Huntsville - (256) 427-5100
  • Madison - (256) 772-5630
  • Athens - (256) 233-8723
  • Decatur (256) 341-4570
  • Line locator
  • Alabama Line Location Center 811

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Jennifer Gates has a reputation as a hard working professional and conducts her business with honesty and personal integrity. She prides herself on customer service and repeat businesses. She consistently strives to improve her services so you can experience the very best there is to offer. When you choose Jennifer as your real estate professional, you will receive 100 percent dedication.

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All about Alabama and Huntsville

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(1) Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsville,_Alabama

(2) Forbes, The Top 10 cites for engineers, https://www.forbes.com/pictures/fjle45leeg/no-1-huntsville-alabama-2/#3f7521bb39cc

(3) https://cummingsresearchpark.com/about

(4) Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering Makes Milestone Announcements, June 28, 2019, https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/alabama-school-of-cyber-technology-and-engineering-makes-milestone-announcements/

(5) Huntsville area facing labor market crunch, analysis says, Updated Nov 27, 2019, By Paul Gattis, https://www.al.com/news/2019/11/huntsville-area-facing-labor-market-crunch-analysis-says.html

(6) Shortage of homebuilders leads to new construction school, BY ELIJAH BAKER, OCTOBER 8, 2019https://whnt.com/2019/10/07/shortage-of-homebuilders-leads-to-new-construction-school/

(7) North Alabama homebuilding academy exceeds class demands, Updated: Jan 17, 2020 By: Alexis Scott https://www.waaytv.com/content/news/North-Alabama-Homebuilding-Academy-exceeds-class-demands--567086251.html.

(8) Huntsville area facing labor market crunch, analysis says, Updated Nov 27, 2019, By Paul Gattis, https://www.al.com/news/2019/11/huntsville-area-facing-labor-market-crunch-analysis-says.html

(9) State highway director offers $125M for Huntsville roads -- but there's a catch, Updated Mar 07, 2019; By Steve Doyle, https://www.al.com/breaking/2013/12/aldot_director_offers_125m_for.html





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