Huntsville Real Estate Blog

Huntsville has ranked second in Moody’s Economy’s latest report on expected employment growth. Read the Huntsville Times report:

HUNTSVILLE — Huntsville was ranked second out of 387 metro areas – and Mobile was No. 4 – in Moody’s Economy’s latest report on expected employment growth.

The Huntsville economy is beginning to recover from the recession, bolstered by the federal economic stimulus, the increased demand for durable goods and the ongoing relocation of federal and military jobs resulting from the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission decision, according to Martin Soler Garcia, an assistant economist for Moody’s Economy.com.

In his analysis, Garcia predicts employment in Huntsville will grow 2.5 percent this year and 4.3 percent, 4.8 percent and 4.4 percent for the following three years. Personal income will increase by 3.1 percent this year, and grow by 5.4 percent, 7.3 percent and 7.1 percent over the following three years, according to the report.

Garcia forecasts the Huntsville area jobless rate, which in December was 8.1 percent for the Huntsville metro area, which includes Limestone County, will be 9.1 percent this year, then 8.2 percent in 2011, 6.5 percent in 2012 and 5.7 percent in 2013. The Madison County jobless rate was 7.7 percent in December.

Other Alabama communities’ rankings in anticipated employment growth were Auburn-Opelika area, No. 23; Montgomery, 29; Birmingham-Hoover area, 53; and Tuscaloosa, 61.

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It’s that time of year again, when the temperatures fall and the costs of heating your Huntsville home go up.  Do you worry about the increasing cost of heating oil and the rise in energy prices?  Then you may want to try these suggestions for saving on your home’s heating costs:

• Check all your home’s air vents to see that they are clean and free from any blockages.  Replace your furnace filters to keep the system running efficiently.
   
• Weather seal your home.  Look around all the door and window frames on your house for obvious gaps and spaces that could let cold air into your house.  Fill in the gaps with a silicone caulking, sold at all hardware stores.  For high traffic areas like the doorway, you may want to apply a vinyl or metal weather-stripping to help block the cold.
   
• Set your thermostat lower.  Find the lowest setting that will keep you warm and leave it there.  Keeping your thermostat at a consistent temperature helps avoid unnecessary energy losses from changing temperatures.  

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       ”The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.”
                                                                      ~ Burton Hillis

Christmas is one of the most widely celebrated festivals globally and is no longer viewed as a purely religious holy day. It is now a time enjoyed by people of many countries and faiths, and there are numerous universally recognized icons which we associate with the yuletide. In fact, these symbols have become so commonly associated with the celebration of Christmas that when we see Santa riding on a reindeer, a mantle hung with stockings, coniferous green trees decorated with tinsel and ornaments, or houses festooned with evergreen wreaths and mistletoe, we know that the magic spirit of the season is upon us.   

The tradition of the Christmas stocking dates back to approximately 250B.C. in Asia Minor. There Nicholas, rich man who became a very generous Christian priest and a saint, is said to have secretly filled the stockings of three poor sisters with gold, thus giving them a dowry and allowing them to marry. Legend has it that after that “miracle,” neighbors of the fortunate women followed suit with their stockings, and the tradition slowly spread across the globe. Children throughout the world now hang stockings–or even put out shoes–to be filled with small gifts and food by Santa (Saint) Claus (Nicholas). Many people create their own stockings, personalizing them for themselves or for others and often providing a family activity that is fun for all. Find instructions for making your own Christmas fireplace stockings.

Along with the Christmas holly, laurel, rosemary, yews, boxwood bushes, and, of course the Christmas tree, mistletoe is an evergreen displayed during the Christmas season and symbolic of the eventual rebirth of vegetation that will occur in spring. But perhaps more than any other of the Christmas evergreens, it is a plant of which we are conscious only during the holidays. One day we’re kissing under the mistletoe, and next day we’ve forgotten all about it (the plant, that is, not the kisses).

THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE! THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE! 

And ’tis the season to decide what presents to give, to buy the presents, to wrap the presents, to mail and/or deliver the presents.  Whew!–time-consuming and somewhat exhausting unless you’ve discovered online shopping. Here are just a few ideas: EasyXmas.com, Gifts.com, Overstock.com, Amazon.com, Fragrance.net. There are hundreds of other sites just waiting to display their wares and ship them for you. Some even offer free holiday shipping or will do the gift wrapping for you.   

Want something a little different? Check out the top ten present picks for 2009.     

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Yesterday, I was driving through the city, wondering if a potential buyer was going to show up to look at some Huntsville condos I’m showing. I’d had a bad day; the car didn’t want to start, what I’d planned to wear was dirty, I’d run out of milk and so on, and so on. Needless to say, I wasn’t in the best of moods. 

As I stopped at a light, grouching because the light would make me late, I happened to look over and see a woman with her daughter. The little girl had holes in her coat, a ragged hat, torn up shoes and a teddy bear missing an eye that she clutched as she smiled up at her worried mother – who had a “Please help” sign in her hands. As I drove on to show the Huntsville condos, and further throughout the day, that little girl’s smile stuck with me. 

Last night, I came across a news broadcast about a family of five living in a one-room apartment after losing their house and I remembered that little girl. All of this comes down to one thing… 

It’s coming up on Thanksgiving, people are searching turkey recipes, decorations are being pulled out… and the current problems in the world make it hard to find something to be grateful for. However, they’re there if you only look. 

If you have a home and you’re trying to sell it, it’s understandable that you might be upset if it’s not moving. As hard as it may be, however, remember that at least you have a home to sell. 

If you’re looking for a home to buy and you can’t afford the fancy one you wanted but you can afford a slightly smaller one, remember – at least you can afford something. 

If you’re upset that your job isn’t paying enough, you’re working long hours or not enough, remember the millions that no longer have a job. 

Whatever your problem that may be weighing you down when Thanksgiving rolls around, remember that it truly could be worse. It is worse, for so many people. 

I’ll even start the list: I’m grateful for all of my clients. I’m grateful that I have Huntsville condos and homes to show and potential buyers that want to see them. For my readers, my friends, my family and my own home… Happy Thanksgiving, and may you always have something to be grateful for!

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There are 1,362 Madison County AL foreclosure homes for sale with 128 new foreclosures in September 2009. 1 in every 18,634 housing units received a foreclosure filing in September. The average sales price of a Madison County AL home was $189,756 and the average foreclosure sales price was $162,566, a $27,190 savings, according to RealtyTrac.com.

Madison County AL Foreclosure Activity and Home Price Index

Madison County AL foreclosure activity is based on the total number of properties that receive foreclosure filings – default notice, foreclosure auction notice or repossession notice – each month. Home price appreciation is based on month-over-month percentage change of the Home Price Index. The Home Price Index is calculated from home sales records. 

Madison County AL Foreclosure Geographical Comparison

Madison County AL foreclosure activity is lower 0.18% lower than national statistics and 0.02% lower than Alabama statistics.

Madison County AL Foreclosure Activity by Month

The number of both the Bank-Owned properties properties fell from 53 to 48 in September, while Auctions incresed from 71 to 80. Pre-foreclosure activity decreased, indicating a falling trend in foreclosure activity.

Are you or someone you know behind on your mortgage payments and facing a Madison County AL foreclosure? You do have options. A short sale may be the answer to saving you, your family and your home. Give me a call for a private consultation.

Learn more about Madison County AL real estate.

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It isn’t just Huntsville residents who appreciate what a great place Huntsville is. Huntsville has recently been recognized by Kiplinger as one of their #1 Best 2009 City and is now being recognized by Relocate America as one of their Top 100 Places To Live. Huntsville ranks #7 behind Tulsa OK, Dallas Tx, Fort Worth TX, Pittsburgh PA, Durhan NC and Raleigh NC.

Here’s what Relocate America has to say about Huntsville:

Huntsville, the “Rocket City,” is in the heart of the South, 300 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico, 100 miles south of Nashville, and 100 miles north of Birmingham. Our history encompasses the earliest Native Americans, Alabama’s first English-speaking settlement, the Civil War, the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement, and the accomplishments of American space-age research. And we are truly an international city, home to immigrants from many lands, who bring their cultures and their dreams and their languages-more than 100 languages are spoken here-to enrich all of us. Huntsville is home to many international corporations, who are eager to employ our educated workforce and to take advantage of the easily accessible Huntsville International Airport.

The economy of Huntsville is relatively stable, and our unemployment figures are well below the national average. Huntsville/Madison County is home to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, and the Redstone Arsenal is one of the U.S. Army’s most important strategic posts. Several Japanese-owned companies operate manufacturing plants here. About one-fifth of our workers are employed in manufacturing, including technology-based precision manufacturing. Other major employers include Huntsville Hospital System Health Care, the Boeing Company Aerospace and Defense, and the Huntsville City Schools.

Real estate offerings in Huntsville are varied, and homes here are holding their value well. From urban condos and lofts downtown to houses in family-friendly subdivisions and larger homes on beautiful wooded lots, Huntsville has what you’re looking for. Low taxes and a low cost of living are just two reasons why Huntsville continues to be one of the fastest-growing areas in the United States. Our community enjoys a taste of all four seasons, from the brisk winter winds, the flowering trees in the spring, the warm summer sun to the foliage in the fall. The average annual temperature is 60.3 degrees Fahrenheit.

We offer a wealth of education opportunities, sports and cultural activities. Driving into town, you can’t miss the Saturn V Rocket looming over the Alabama Space and Rocket Center. Our pride in our history is on display at the EarlyWorks Museums complex, comprising Alabama Constitution Village, the Historic Huntsville Depot and EarlyWorks Children’s History Museum. We’re also proud of the nationally accredited Huntsville Museum of Art, North Alabama’s leading visual arts center, the Huntsville Botanical Garden, a great place to take a class or host a wedding, and the historic Weeden House and Burritt on-the Mountain. We offer several public and private golf courses, including the Hampton Cove Golf Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones. And our state-of-the-art Von Braun Convention Center hosts major concerts, Broadway performances, ballets, symphonies and a full range of sporting events.

The beautiful Alabama Mountain Lakes region has proven to be a wonderful place to work, to live, and to set down roots. Come for a biscuits and gravy breakfast or a catfish lunch finished off with a piece of pecan pie-we think you’ll want to stay.

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If you are relocating to Huntsville, AL or Madison County, you will be interested in the area demographics. Below is information provided by the Chamber of Commerce.

For more Huntsville relocation informaiton visit MoveToHuntsville.com or give me a call at 256-508-0211.

Search all Huntsville homes for sale.

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Forbes.com has ranked Madison County, AL 1 in the latest survey of the Top 10 Affordable Places To Weather The Downturn.  Forbes considered factors such as well-priced homes, enviable job growth and proximity to vibrant cities when deciding where the best places are to live in these recessionary times.

Madison County, AL is an easy commuting distance to Huntsville with a population of 312,734.

Last year unemployment reached a 20-year high of 6.5%, but Madison County experienced 3.4% job growth.  

Moody’s Economy.com provided an affordability index for each county. A score of 100 indicates that a family earning the median income in the surrounding metropolitan area can afford to buy a median-priced home. The higher the score, the higher the affordability. Madison County’s score was 221.02.

The median property tax is $577 and the per capita income (in 2006 inflation-adjusted dollars is $27,065.

Learn more about Madison County real estate at MoveToHuntsville.com or give us a call, 256-508-0211.

Search all Madison County homes for sale.

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Real Deal – Experience Huntsville’s best businesses at a Half-Off Price!

Channel 19, WHNT-TV if offering half off deals with local businesses. 

They’ve worked out deals with some of our area’s best restaurants and businesses to give you 1/2 off gift certificates – That’s right, 50% off food and more!

Each week they will feature a business of the week. At 8:30 AM each Friday, they’ll open up the ONLINE store for that week’s business. But you have to be fast – there are only a limited number of gift certificates per week.

Have fun and Happy shopping! And keep checking back for more half-off certificates from Real Deals!

I can’t offer you half off your next home Huntsville pruchase, but I can promise to get you the best deal possible.

Search all Huntsville homes for sale.

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Existing-home sales increased last month as buyers responded to improved housing affordability conditions, according to the National Association of Realtors^®.

Existing-home sales – including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – rose 5.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate¹ of 5.18 million units in September from a level of 4.91 million in August, and are 1.4 percent higher than the 5.11 million-unit pace in September 2007.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said more markets are seeing year-over-year gains. “The sales turnaround which began in California several months ago is broadening now to Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri and Rhode Island,” he said. “The South was hampered by much lower home sales in Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.”

Let’s take a look at the sales statistics for September 2008 to see how the Huntsville AL real estate market looks: 
  
Huntsville/Madison County Real Estate Sales Statistics 

Huntsville and Madison County real estate saw a 2% decrease in average sales price over September 2007.  There was a 10% decline in home sales this September, when compared against September 2007. The average list price has seen an decrease of 2% over last year.  Likewise, the sales price to list price ratio remained constant.  The average price per square foot saw a 1% decrease.  Homes remained on the market an average of 2 days longer than last year.  

There are lots of good things happening in Huntsville and Madison County real estate. I encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities. 

For the latest Huntsville AL real estate market conditions in your area, please call me at 256-508-0211 or visit MoveToHuntsville.com.

Search all Huntsville real estate and homes for sale.

Statistics are based on information for the North Alabama Association of Realtors and are deemed reliable but not guaranteed.  

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