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        <title>Huntsville, Al Real Estate Blog</title>
        <link>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/2022-09/</link>
        <description></description>
<item>
    <guid>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/interest-rates--where-are-they-heading.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/interest-rates--where-are-they-heading.html</link>
        <author>leadrouter@mattcurtisrealestate.com (Matt Curtis)</author>
        <title>Where Are Interest Rates Heading? | Huntsville, AL Real Estate News</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Where Are Interest Rates Heading?





The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the fifth time in 2022 at their September 21st meeting. The Fed continues to be aggressive in raising rates with a 0.75 rate hike this time around to put the federal funds target rate in the 3 to 3.25 range.


If you’re looking to buy a home in Huntsville, AL, you might be wondering how that’s going to impact real estate interest rates over the coming months. As a quick reminder, the Fed funds rate does not directly affect the mortgage rate, but it does have a major impact. 


When Will The Fed Raise Interest Rates Again? 





The Fed is predicting that they're going to continue to increase interest rates at their two remaining meetings in 2022 with an end target rate in 2023 of 4.6. Most of the smart money was predicting rates would begin to fall in 2023, now predictions are that rates will likely not begin decreasing until the 2024 time frame.





Quantitative Tightening by the Fed





The Fed fund rates are definitely a part of the equation of why 15-year and 30-year interest rates are rising right now. The other part of the equation that's not getting nearly as much press as the Fed funds rate is the fact that the Fed is also doing what's called quantitative tightening.


Whereas quantitative easing is when they're buying bonds to artificially deflate the interest rates so that interest rates are lower, quantitative tightening is when they're becoming sellers of bonds. They're letting these bonds fall off and go back into the open market so there's more supply out in the marketplace which is pushing up the interest rates. The Fed is looking at doing $95 billion worth of quantitative tightening right now.


What to Expect with Interest Rates in 2023





As mentioned earlier, rates are expected to stay elevated throughout 2023. Fannie Mae is also predicting that rates will stay high throughout 2023 before potentially beginning to cool off in 2024.


How Do 2023 Interest Rates Affect Homebuyers?





We're likely going to start to see more of a balanced market going forward in the next 12 months. A balanced market is 4 to 6 months' worth of supply. Since we're likely to see a balanced market, you’ll potentially be able to negotiate more on a home than we've seen in previous markets in previous years. So what a lot of people are doing is marrying the home and dating the rate. Over the next year, I'd be looking at finding the home that you're interested in, getting it for the right price, and then looking to refinance as rates are likely to begin to soften in the 2024 market.


 



 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Fri, 30 Sep 2022 10:51:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<item>
    <guid>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/sneak-peek-listings-for-september-30th.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/sneak-peek-listings-for-september-30th.html</link>
        <author>leadrouter@mattcurtisrealestate.com (Matt Curtis)</author>
        <title>Sneak Peek Listings for September 30th</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Sneak Peek Listings for September 30th | Homes For Sale in Huntsville, AL Area





340 Lofton Road - $425,000


340 Lofton Road NW, Huntsville, Alabama 35806


3 Bed | 3 Bath | 2,409 sqft | .96 Acre Lot Size


Talk to an MC Agent today for more info or call 256-270-9393











104 Bedford Lane - $230,000


104 Bedford Lane, Harvest, Alabama 35789


3 Bed | 2 Bath | 1,300 sqft


Talk to an MC Agent today for more info or call 256-270-9393



 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Fri, 30 Sep 2022 09:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<item>
    <guid>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/madison-street-festival-2022.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/madison-street-festival-2022.html</link>
        <author>leadrouter@mattcurtisrealestate.com (Matt Curtis)</author>
        <title>Madison Street Festival 2022</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Madison Street Festival 2022





The Madison Street Festival is held in downtown Madison to celebrate the people, art, food, and music of Madison. The MSF kicks off at 9am with a parade immediately followed by the opening ceremonies at the Church Street stage. Throughout the day there will be plenty to do as you enjoy the artist alley, view the car show, taste delicious food, listen to live music, and more


While attending the MSF, be sure to stop by our Matt Curtis Real Estate booth at the corner of Church Street and Front Street. We’ll have over $1,000 worth of prizes up for grabs as well as a chance to have your child’s billboard design featured on an ACTUAL BILLBOARD for a day


Billboard Design Contest





Children 12 and under can stop by the MC tent to create their own billboard design, the winner will have their billboard design featured on a digital billboard for a day around Madison


Prize Giveaways


We’ll be taking registrations all day for our prize giveaway, one person will win the Grand Prize Cooler and another will win the Prize Basket:


Grand Prize Cooler




Navy blue Yeti Cooler


Yeti Bottle


Huntsville Havoc tickets - Family 4 pack


Flow Huntsville - Family 4 pack with putt putt, game room, and the jump area


Early Works Children’s Museum - One year family membership


Phaze 3 Fitness - A month of free membership


Terrame Salon &amp; Spa - Two blowouts


Grimaldi Pizza - Pizza vouchers


Urban Cookhouse - Gift Card


Stylish Matt Curtis Hat




Prize Basket




Yeti Bottle


Cook’s Museum - Three passes


Phaze 3 Fitness - A month of free membership


Terrame Salon &amp; Spa - Two blowouts


Grimaldi Pizza - Pizza vouchers


Urban Cookhouse - Gift Card


Stylish Matt Curtis Hat




Madison Street Festival's Mission


The Madison Street Festival is put together by an all-volunteer committee that not only throws a free, fun family event but also helps to provide grants to the community. The MSF awards grants to groups or organizations that provide educational opportunities and increase literacy in our community. Grant recipients must be organizations that provide educational services. By providing community grants to deserving groups or organizations, MSF supports students of all ages and abilities as they seek access to education or continuing education programs.


Learn more


 



 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 28 Sep 2022 09:43:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<item>
    <guid>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/are-huntsville-alabama-homes-overvalued.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/are-huntsville-alabama-homes-overvalued.html</link>
        <author>leadrouter@mattcurtisrealestate.com (Matt Curtis)</author>
        <title>Are Huntsville, Alabama Homes Overvalued? | Huntsville, AL Housing Market News</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Are Huntsville, Alabama Homes Overvalued?





There has been a lot of hype and clickbait articles predicting what will happen in the housing market not only nationally, but locally as well. The latest clickbait article that came across my desk was titled “Housing Correction Coming to Alabama: See the State's Most Overvalued Real Estate Market”. 


They made two points in the article: 


1) Home prices have outpaced income growth and 


2)  Huntsville is at the top of the state's list at 37.12 overvalued compared to the area's income levels.


 


Are Huntsville homes overvalued and is a housing correction coming to the market? Let’s look at the facts:


Rising Cost of Living


Overvalued is probably not the right term, higher cost of living is actually more accurate in this situation. When you compare two different cities, it's very similar to what you would call a price-to-earnings ratio for stocks. You're going to pay a higher price-to-earnings ratio on a growth stock versus a stock that's declining in value.


The same thing goes for cities as well. Since Huntsville is now becoming that growth stock, unfortunately, we're going to have to continue to pay higher pricing for houses because it’s a great place to live in. We’re the number one city to live in the US, we have great entertainment venues, desirable school systems, plenty of recreational opportunities, and a strong job market; with all of that comes a higher cost of housing.


Factors Affecting Home Valuation


There are several other factors that are affecting home valuations, not only in Huntsville but across the US. One of those factors is all the money that's being printed in our economy. We haven't had so much home appreciation as we've had dollar devaluation. In the above video at 1:25, take a look at the chart that plots both the number of dollars in the market versus home values across the US. You'll see that there was a vast difference back in 2008 between home values and money supply in the market, which caused that housing market crash. Whereas in today's market, 2022, both home values and money supply are actually lining up. 


Another thing that's affecting home valuations right now is supply and demand. First, we have a 5.5 million home deficit in this country that’s not going away anytime soon. Second, Redfin recently reported that new listings are down 18 which is the biggest decline since May of 2020. The reason that listings are down is likely due to the increase in interest rates, there are going to be fewer sellers willing to sell their homes when they have a 3 rate locked in whereas buying a new home is going to be at around a 6 plus rate.


 Should We Expect a Housing Crash?





Redfin recently reported that 24 of homes went under contract within one week, and 35 of those homes sold above list price with an average listed sales ratio of 99.7 of all listings. The reason that is important is I survived the last housing crash that we had in 2008, it’s the only housing crash that we've had in the last century, in 2008 we did not have a 99.7 list to sales ratio and homes were not selling within one week back in that timeframe. This just shows that we are not in a housing crash, which is what this article's leading us to believe. 


Let's take a look at what the smart money is predicting. Goldman Sachs is predicting that home values will continue to appreciate in 2022 into early 2023 before beginning to flatten out. They will likely flatten out over the next year, but they are not predicted to decrease nationwide. So in conclusion, don't believe all the hype and the clickbait. Home values are likely to start to level off in 2023 and over the next 12 months but it's unlikely we see anything close to what we saw back in 2008 with home values crashing.


 



 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Tue, 27 Sep 2022 13:30:00 -0500</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
    <guid>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/sneak-peek-listings-for-september-23rd.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/sneak-peek-listings-for-september-23rd.html</link>
        <author>leadrouter@mattcurtisrealestate.com (Matt Curtis)</author>
        <title>Sneak Peek Listings for September 23rd</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Sneak Peek House Listings for September 23rd











111 Autumn Cove - $399,000


111 Autumn Cove, Madison, AL 35756


4 Bed | 3 Bath | 2,200 sqft


Talk to an MC Agent today for more info or call 256-270-9393








1409 Liberty Drive - $149,900


1409 Liberty Drive, Madison, AL 35758


2nd Floor Condo | 2 Bed | 2 Bath | 1,002


Talk to an MC Agent today for more info or call 256-270-9393



 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Fri, 23 Sep 2022 15:11:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<item>
    <guid>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/selling-a-home-in-huntsville-al-real-estate-agent-vs-for-sale-by-owner-fsbo--whats-the-difference.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/selling-a-home-in-huntsville-al-real-estate-agent-vs-for-sale-by-owner-fsbo--whats-the-difference.html</link>
        <author>leadrouter@mattcurtisrealestate.com (Matt Curtis)</author>
        <title>Real Estate Agent vs. For Sale By Owner (FSBO) | What's the Difference?</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Real Estate Agent vs. For Sale By Owner (FSBO) 











When selling a house, there are two main routes you can take; using a real estate listing agent or selling the house yourself. The second route is called “for sale by owner” or “FSBO”. According to the National Association of Realtors, NAR, FSBOs only accounted for 7 of home sales in 2020. The real estate market has been a hot seller’s market recently which has more homeowners thinking about selling their house themselves in order to avoid paying a commission to a listing agent.


Here are the top five reasons you should consider hiring a real estate listing agent instead of doing a FSBO when selling a home in Huntsville, Alabama: 


1 - Marketing


What do you think will help you sell your home more, having a $1,000,000 marketing budget or staking a ‘For Sale’ sign in the yard? 


At Matt Curtis Real Estate we've been investing over $1,000,000 a year for several years which has accumulated a database of over 100,000 potential buyers. That gives us a marketing database to help find buyers for your homes, which will help generate more showings. More showings will help generate more offers, more offers can help generate a higher sales price for you.


Going the FSBO route means you will have to dedicate time to marketing your home and finding potential buyers. This can lead to fewer offers which may mean a lower sales price than you were originally expecting when you first listed your home. In a tough, competitive market this can mean the difference between selling your home and not selling your home.


2 - Paperwork Issues


As a FSBO seller, you will have to pay an attorney to get a contract done. Worse, using a contract off of the internet may not satisfy your needs and could leave you vulnerable to real estate scams. There are also many real estate scams that go along with FSBO sales. Real estate laws vary significantly from state to state and the paperwork that the Board of Realtors uses has been used in thousands of contracts.


3 - Cost of Not Closing on Time


If there are delays in closing on the sale due to paperwork issues or not having the experience to put a transaction together, there are holding costs associated with that. What’s it going to cost you to have an extra mortgage payment, an extra utility bill, an extra insurance payment, an extra tax payment, or an extra HOA payment?


Extra costs can quickly and expensively add up by not hiring the right expert.


4 - Cost of YOUR Time


It’s going to be your job to do everything involved in selling your home. You’ll have to put the ‘For Sale’ sign up, do the marketing, do the showings, take the phone calls, schedule the inspections, and negotiate the contracts; what is the cost of your time in associating that into the transaction?


5 - Expected Reduction of House Price


The reality is that a lot of buyers who shop for FSBOs know that you're not paying a real estate commission so they expect an additional price reduction on your home. So you go and do all of this work, probably don't get the highest price, and then they even hit you up for another reduction because there's not a buyer's agent or that listing agent involved.


In conclusion, is it worth going through all of the headaches, hassles, and time spent with selling your home FSBO when you can instead hire a real estate listing agent to get you a higher price and more importantly net you more money?


 



 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 21 Sep 2022 13:45:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<item>
    <guid>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/selling-a-home-in-huntsville-al-real-estate-team-vs-solo-agent-whats-the-difference.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/selling-a-home-in-huntsville-al-real-estate-team-vs-solo-agent-whats-the-difference.html</link>
        <author>leadrouter@mattcurtisrealestate.com (Matt Curtis)</author>
        <title>Real Estate Team vs. Solo Agent | What’s the Difference?</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Real Estate Team vs. Solo Agent | What’s the Difference?








When you’re looking to buy or sell a home in the Huntsville, AL area, hiring a real estate agent is essential to your success. The benefits of using a real estate team versus using a solo agent can be the difference between the results you expect and the results you actually end up with. 


There’s a simple analogy to explain the difference between using an entire real estate team versus using a single agent. Let’s say you're going out to eat for dinner, could you imagine going into a restaurant and the person that greets you is also the exact same person that shows up at your table to take your order? Not only are they taking your order but they're the person that's cooking your food, busing all the tables, doing the marketing for the restaurant, paying all the bills, and everything else that goes with running a successful restaurant.


You would probably never go back to that restaurant. Unfortunately, that's what happens every single day in real estate. The exact same agent does everything, whether they're good at that particular role or not. They do the marketing, they do the listing coordination and the closing coordination, they do the showings, and they even put the signs out in front of the house. If they have multiple clients, the actual time they spend focused on selling your home or finding you a home to move into may not be the quality of service you expect or deserve. 


Real Estate Done Differently





At Matt Curtis Real Estate we do things differently. If we're meeting for a listing appointment with you, if the agent is polite, they're going to silence their phone during the meeting. For a single agent, a silenced phone means business stops for the duration of the meeting. But with Matt Curtis Real Estate, business never stops.


As we're meeting with you and we're talking about listing your home for sale, things continue to happen on our team. For example, people are calling in wanting to see your home or other people's homes during that meeting; those calls are getting answered by our buyers agents. If clients are calling in and have questions about their closing or a closing needs to be coordinated with the attorney's office or the lender, all those details are being handled by a team member who specializes in that area. Another client had their home become an active listing so a ‘For Sale’ sign is going out during that meeting. 


When you have a real estate team concept like Matt Curtis Real Estate, things continue to get done and business never stops. When you hire us, when you hire a real estate team, you get more than just a real estate agent. You also get a marketing department that has over a $1 million dollar budget each year. You get a closing team that's closed thousands of homes, it's almost like getting closing insurance on your contract. You get a listing department, you get a running department to put signs out, and you get a full admin team to make sure that you get the best five-star service possible. 


At Matt Curtis Real Estate we believe that 50 is greater than one and as a team, Together Everyone Achieves More


 



 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Fri, 16 Sep 2022 11:44:00 -0500</pubDate>
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<item>
    <guid>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/matt-curtis-real-estate-website-wins-a-2022-summit-creative-award.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.mattcurtisrealestate.com/HuntsvilleAlRealEstateBlog/matt-curtis-real-estate-website-wins-a-2022-summit-creative-award.html</link>
        <author>leadrouter@mattcurtisrealestate.com (Matt Curtis)</author>
        <title>Matt Curtis Real Estate Website Wins a 2022 Summit Creative Award</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Matt Curtis Real Estate Website Wins a 2022 Summit Creative Award





Matt Curtis Real Estate and Real Estate Webmasters have received an international award for website design The Summit Creative Awards received over 3,400 submissions from more than 19 countries, out of all of those entries, www.mattcurtisrealestate.com received bronze for the 2022 Top Summit Creative Award.


With the Matt Curtis Real Estate team - real estate is done differently. A dedicated team boasting over $1 billion in real estate sales partnered up with tech giant REW to create a real estate experience that makes buying your home something to look forward to. Just taking a look at the Matt Curtis site, and you know right away that the user experience is the priority.


The new website was launched in early 2022 and was designed to provide seamless site navigation while serving as an easy-to-use source of information for buying and selling real estate. The partnership between Matt Curtis Real Estate and REW not only achieved those goals but also delivered a gorgeous design that is vibrant with colors and visuals that embodies the Matt Curtis vision. It’s never been easier to find homes for sale in Huntsville, Alabama and the surrounding areas


About Summit International Awards


The Summit Awards organization has dedicated itself to recognizing excellence in the communications and marketing industry for 28 years. The Summit Creative Award is held annually with a focus on awarding those who exemplify true creative innovation and celebrates those dedicated to showcasing their passion through brilliantly designed platforms. It is independent and not tied to any advertiser, magazine, trade association, ad club, or other outside influences.


The Summit Creative Award recognizes advertising and marketing companies with billing under $30 million. Includes all media and industries.


About Real Estate Webmasters


Real Estate Webmasters Inc. is the world’s largest custom web development, marketing, and CRM company specializing in real estate. REW has won many awards for other websites and their designs through other organizations but this is their first Summit Award.


 



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    <pubDate>Tue, 13 Sep 2022 14:54:00 -0500</pubDate>
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