Ultimate Guide to Moving to Huntsville, Alabama

If you're considering a move to Huntsville, Alabama, congratulations! You've made a great choice. There are some things you need to know before moving to Huntsville though! Known as the Rocket City, Huntsville is home to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and the US Army's Redstone Arsenal, making it a hub for innovation and technology. But moving to a new city can be overwhelming, especially if you don't know much about it. That's why we've put together this ultimate guide to moving to Huntsville, Alabama.

Huntsville's Location in Alabama and the Southeast

Huntsville is located in the northern part of Alabama in Madison County. The city is situated in the Tennessee River Valley and is…

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How to Buy Your First Home in Huntsville, Alabama & Build Wealth

Buying your first home in Huntsville, Alabama, is a great way to build wealth. According to the US Census, homeowners have an average of 40 times the net worth of renters. That's $255,000 versus only $6,300 for renters. Let's jump into the six steps on how to buy your first home in Huntsville, Alabama.

1. Determine Your Budget

The first step is to determine your budget. A lot of that is going to be dependent upon you, it's going to be dependent on your credit, your income, and your overall debt level.

A good rule of thumb is a 28/36 rule. Basically, your house payment should not be greater than 28% of your gross monthly income. The 36 is if you add your house debt and…

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Huntsville Housing Inventory Update

Housing inventory in Huntsville is up and down all at the same time. The housing market is a topic that's on everyone's mind in 2023, and with good reason. With over 28 million Americans hoping to buy a home this year, it's no wonder that demand is high. However, there's a significant supply and demand imbalance, we'll look at the current state of the housing market to help you decide if now is the best time to buy a home or sell your house in Huntsville, Alabama.

Locally, there were 2,642 active listings in the Huntsville housing market for January. This is up 93.4% from 1,366 active listings in January 2022. Nationally in 2023, housing inventory has made a significant jump year-over-year to 625,875 active…

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The History, Growth, & Success of Madison City Schools

In this FAQ video, Erica DeSpain from All Things Madison and Matt Curtis from Matt Curtis Real Estate delve into what makes Madison City Schools one of the best school districts in the state of Alabama and answer frequently asked questions about the Madison City Schools district. As a top-performing district, all schools within the system have received an ‘A’ rating from the state department of education. With equal opportunities for students and appointed school board members, Madison City Schools offers a unique and successful approach to education. Join us as we explore the history, growth, and success of Madison City Schools, and learn why it's an excellent choice for families looking for a…

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Is Huntsville Building Too Many Apartments?

Huntsville, Alabama, is building so many apartments that Scott Turner of AL.com is renaming the Rocket City to the ‘Apartment City’. The number of new apartment units has increased by 65% in the last year, yet the city has only grown by 5.8%.

Huntsville Needed More Apartments

Huntsville did need an apartment upgrade with all the new jobs coming to the area such as Mazda-Toyota, Blue Origin, and FBI, but did we really need this many apartments? Not only did we have a record year with new apartments and a 65% increase in units over the past year. We also have a lot more units coming available as well. We have 44 apartment complexes with 8,800 units under construction and another 34 apartment…

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Common Homebuyer Misconceptions in 2023

Homeownership remains a top priority for Americans, but many are uninformed about the real estate market and have misconceptions that could hinder their chances of successfully buying a home. Don't miss out on your chance to buy a home in the Huntsville, AL area in 2023, and make sure you are informed about the real estate market.

Pent Up Homebuyer Demand

According to a NerdWallet survey, 83% of Americans say buying a home is a top priority for them. That's showcased in the survey results that found 28 million Americans plan to buy a home in 2023. The reason that the stat jumps off the page is that in an average year, 6 million homes are sold across the US. If 28 million buyers across the US plan to buy…

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Soft Landing for Real Estate or Market Crash?

Real estate prices, like all goods for sale, are a function of supply and demand. However, the government and the Fed does try to insert themselves from time to time to manipulate that equation, whether it be from terms like rent control or even manipulating interest rates like the Fed is doing right now. If you're looking to buy or sell a house in Huntsville, AL, predicting what the real estate market is going to do can help you time the market to your benefit.

Lack of Housing Supply

Supply in this country is down 6.5 million homes nationally, which is why you see prices increasing over the last couple of years. Pricing is simply a matter of supply and demand, what the Fed decided to do…

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Matt Curtis Real Estate Website Recognized as 2022 Best Community Page by RealTrends

The Greater Huntsville area is growing rapidly. Matt Curtis Real Estate has been an industry leader in providing community information to new and current residents.

Matt Curtis Real Estate’s website has been ranked a top 10 community page in the nation by RealTrends, an organization providing  industry news for residential real estate.  “Websites that provide quick searches for towns and communities make it easier for visitors to find specific information.  Landing pages should provide emotional insight on each community, such as amenities, things to do, market data, unique imagery, what to expect, facts, maps and lifestyle information.”

This…

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Homebuilder Sentiment Drops Over 50% in 2022

Home builder sentiment has dropped over 50% this year from a high of over 83 down to 38. Rising interest rates are the reason cited for this negative outlook score of 38. The NAHB Housing Market Index measures sentiment among builders of US single-family homes and any score below 50 is considered a negative outlook by the builders.

This is the first year since 2011 that we've had a decline in single-family home starts. This is a big deal because if you look at the 2008 financial crash, builders built fewer homes during that time frame. During the ensuing demographic boom and with fewer homes being built, we saw a deficit of about 5.5 million homes during that period. We’re just now back to a normal…

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Mortgage Demand Hits 25-Year Low

The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates six times in 2022 which has pushed 30-year mortgage rates to the highest levels they’ve been in over 20 years. This has led to a massive decline in mortgage demand hitting a 25-year low, mortgage demand is down 4% week over week and 38% year over year.

Why Mortgage Demand Is Down 

Interest rates are pushing some buyers out of the market due to affordability, which is also pushing out a lot of potential refinances due to the higher interest rates we're seeing right now.

Rates are now back in line with what we have seen historically dating back to the pre-2000 years. This chart shows we're back to rates that we have really been seeing for most of the country’s…

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