National Association of Realtors responds to legal settlement

The way people buy and sell real estate in America has changed dramatically, as the National Association of Realtors (NAR), has reached a legal settlement that will, among other things, end the “even-split 6% commission model.” Additionally, the agreement would resolve claims against NAR, over one million NAR members, all state/territorial and local REALTOR® associations, […]

ServisFirst Huntsville announces new First Vice President, Mortgage Production Manager

HUNTSVILLE, AL – ServisFirst Bank, a subsidiary of ServisFirst Bancshares (NYSE:SFBS), announced the addition of Tammy McCurry as First Vice President, Mortgage Production Manager for the ServisFirst Bank Huntsville region. “We are thrilled to welcome Tammy to the team. Her dedication and wealth of experience in guiding homeowners through the mortgage lending process makes her an ideal […]

Will Huntsville real estate always be affordable?

Huntsville, AL has been a media favorite from US News and World Report, Southern Living, Money Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. A common thread amongst these reports has been the uncanny affordability of homes within our city.  A few years ago, you could purchase a nice starter home in one of the area’s best […]

Real Estate Update: NAR discusses Biden’s SOTU proposals, local sales increase

During his 2024 State of the Union Address, President Biden made a number of policy proposals aimed towards addressing the ongoing crisis of housing affordability.  Biden’s proposals included the establishment of a tax credit towards mortgages over the next two years, the elimination of title insurance fees for federally-backed mortgages, and an initiative to build […]

Huntsville office spaces see uneven resurgence in interest and retention

National trends indicate that the rise of telework is hurting commercial real estate as an industry, leaving many office buildings empty. Here in Huntsville, this trend is a bit more shaky, as some areas across the city are seeing proportionally more workers returning to offices than in other areas. Though telework has surged in popularity […]

Huntsville bucks real estate trend with pending sales

Across the country, pending sales have stalled, as interest rates have not only failed to decrease in accordance to the schedule established by the Federal Reserve’s planned scale back of its anti-inflation measures, but have actually ticked back up slightly, reaching 7% at the end of February.  According to Redfin’s national survey, this has caused […]

Huntsville’s ValleyMLS ranked among the Best in WAV Group’s Customer Experience Index

ValleyMLS was named a BEST MLS for 2024. The award was presented by WAV Group, the industry’s leading real estate consulting and research firm, conducting their second annual Customer Experience Index (CXI) for MLSs. WAV Group’s Customer Experience Index program scores MLS organizations on seven standardized key performance indicators (KPIs): overall satisfaction, customer service, training, technology, data quality, responsiveness, […]

Monthly report shows prices rising as mortgage rates stabilize

The monthly report for the month of January 2024, as compiled by the Huntsville Area Association of Realtors (HAAR), shows indications that the local real estate market is beginning to shrug off the sluggishness of the end of the year.  The addition of housing inventory continues apace, with 1738 units on the market in January, […]

The Beach Company unveils Merit Bank’s new headquarters at The Range

The Beach Company has officially completed Merit Bank’s newest location at The Range, a commercial office building situated at Huntsville’s western gateway on Governors Drive. Serving as the anchor tenant since its announcement in early 2023, Merit Bank, a full-service bank headquartered in Huntsville, offers a comprehensive suite of commercial, consumer, and private banking services, […]

Rate cuts likely delayed as economy hotter than projected

The Consumer Price Index, tracking the economy during the first month of 2024, suggests that the Federal Reserve will be unlikely to cut interest rates until late spring at the earliest.  Data for January showed that the annual inflation rate registered at 3.1%. While this is a noticeable decrease from the 3.4% of December, economists […]