According to the March 9 weekly report from the Huntsville Area Association of Realtors (HAAR), as of the week ending Feb. 26, 2026, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped to 5.98%. Freddie Mac says this was the first time in three and a half years that mortgage rates dipped below 6%.

Lower mortgage rates are good news for prospective buyers and current homeowners alike. Refinance activity has surged recently as buyers move to secure lower interest rates while available.

Still, rates are shifting rapidly. Increased housing activity triggered an increase by Mar. 12, when a follow-up report from Freddie Mac indicated an increase in 30-year fixed mortgages rates to 6.11%.

Madison County real estate by the numbers: week ending Feb. 26, 2026

In Madison County, new single-family home listings increased by 0.5% year-over-year. The three-month average was up by 6.7% year-over-year.

The median price of a single-family home rose by 1.8% year-over-year to $324,900. Pending sales jumped by 10.8% year-over-year, with a three-month average increase of 3.6% year-over-year. Available housing inventory increased 7% year-over-year, with a three-month average increase of 5.8%.

The number of days a seller’s house spent on the market decreased 4.5% year-over-year, coming in at 64 days. Feb.’s housing supply increased by 2.9% year-over-year.

The national market at a glance

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), in Feb. there was a 2.5% increase in single-family home sales month-over-month, with a 1.1% decrease year-over-year.

The median housing price for single-family homes was $401,800 in Feb., trending $76,900 higher on average than Madison County homes. Nationwide, the housing price is up 0.2% year-over-year, making Feb. 2026 the thirty-second consecutive month of rising prices.

Senate advances bipartisan housing bill, aims to opens access to affordable housing

On Thurs., Mar. 2, 2026, the Senate passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a sweeping bipartisan bill aimed at addressing the national housing shortage and making affordable housing more accessible in the U.S.

If passed by the House, impacts from the bipartisan bill will trickle down to local marketing, including Madison County, where multiple initiatives to increase affordable housing are already in progress.

The bill’s goals include expanding how housing funds can be applied to construct affordable homes, lessening restrictive regulations, and restricting large corporate investors from purchasing single-family residences.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., collaborated with Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., to win bipartisan support for the bill in the Senate. She signaled that the legislation will encourage lower housing prices.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is a combination of H.R. 6644, the Housing for the 21st Century Act, and S. 2651, Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act. It was attached to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 as an amendment.

Additionally, the comprehensive bill includes new sections not previously present in the original House and Senate bills.