Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Announce Major Changes to Mortgage Financing

New mortgage financing policies from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are poised to shake up the housing market for 2023.  Loan Level Price Adjustments (LLPAs) are determined by a number of factors, most prominently the borrower’s credit score and debt-to-income ratio (DTI), among others.  The new policies concerning LLPAs will reduce the cost incurred for […]

Monthly Figures Kick-Off Sluggish Market for the New Year

The Huntsville Area Association of Realtors (HAAR) has released its monthly figures for December of 2022. The report caps off a year defined by the rapid deceleration of the market via inflation and interest rate hikes.  Nationally, pending sales have dropped by 37.8% from December of 2021, as reported by the National Association of Realtors […]

Applications Live for Second Annual Singing River Trail Launch Tank Business Competition

Building off the tremendous success of the first program, Launch2035 is thrilled to announce the second annual Singing River Trail Launch Tank.  Applicants with big ideas, community solutions, and emerging business endeavors may apply online now. The finale event, which is open to the public, will take place on March 20, 2023 at Athens State […]

Department of Defense Contract Review: December 27 – January 06

This series from the Huntsville Business Journal covers Department of Defense (DoD) contracts awarded to Huntsville-Madison County and Alabama businesses. Every two weeks, the Huntsville Business Journal provides you with an update to the various military contracts that local and state businesses are awarded. This entry covers contracts listed on the Department of Defense daily postings from Tuesday, December […]

Real Estate Tips for Success in 2023

2022 was a year marked with a sharp, shocking rise in inflation and then interest rates, which reverberated throughout the real estate market.  Despite these events, and the subsequent slowdown of the housing market, the prognosis for Huntsville’s real estate market for 2023 is surprisingly positive. As reported earlier this month, the National Association of […]

Department of Defense Contract Review: $1.6B Awarded Between December 12 – 23

This series from the Huntsville Business Journal covers Department of Defense (DoD) contracts awarded to Huntsville-Madison County and Alabama businesses. Every two weeks, the Huntsville Business Journal provides you with an update to the various military contracts that local and state businesses are awarded. This entry covers contracts listed on the Department of Defense daily postings from Monday, December […]

What You Need to Know to Prepare for the 2023 Labor Market

The American workforce has changed dramatically in the past 50 years, though for many, wages have remained the same or even shrunk. Union participation has declined steeply alongside a decrease in employee benefits and retirement packages. The educational requirements for many jobs have increased, while other segments of the market have disappeared entirely, like video […]

New Financing Limits Set for 2023 As Housing Market Continues to Cool

Weekly statistics for the Huntsville/Madison County residential real estate market, compiled by the Huntsville Area Association of Realtors (HAAR), continues to show a trend of general slowdown.  The report, accurate as to December 10, 2022, shows that both new listings and pending sales for single-family units continued to decrease, with listings down 27% and pending […]

November Report Shows Effects of Market Squeeze

The Huntsville Area Association of Realtors (HAAR) has released its report on the state of the region’s real estate market for the month of November.  The immediate takeaway is that the effects of the interest shock are continuing to work their way through the market. While the inventory of both single-family units and townhouse/condos have […]

National Association of Realtors Puts Huntsville in Top 10 Markets to Watch for 2023

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has compiled a list of the top ten real estate markets that bear watching for the upcoming year. The ranking was unveiled at the NAR’s fourth annual year-end Real Estate Forecast Summit.  All ten metropolitan areas on the list are located within the South. These markets were selected due […]