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The 10 best cities to buy a home in 2023 are all in the South

Published Sun, Jan 22 20239:00 AM EST

Mike Winters@MIKEWINTRS

Even with rising homeownership costs squeezing out buyers, some real estate markets will remain hot in 2023, mostly due to their relative affordability compared with the rest of the U.S., a new forecast finds.

The top places have something else in common, too: They’re all located in the South.

Based on a variety of factors, including home affordability, job growth, migration gains and housing supply, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) analyzed 179 markets to determine which will offer the most value to buyers. The data looks back one year from October 2022 and reflects expected demand from buyers in 2023.

The median price of homes in some of these markets isn’t cheaper than the national median of $398,500. However, these cities scored high on other metrics such as job growth or housing supply.

Here are the 10 best places to buy a home in 2023, according to NAR:

7. Huntsville, Alabama

Median home price: $327,500

Alabama’s most populous city is the most affordable area for homes amongst this list. Just under 30% of renters can afford a typical home with a 10% down payment, which is almost twice the national average.

Growing job opportunities and low cost of living will continue to attract even more movers in 2023, according to NAR.

Read the full article HERE

NAR Forecasts 4.78 Million Existing-Home Sales, Stable Prices in 2023 December 13, 2022Media Contact: Troy Green 202-383-1042 Top 10 Real Estate Markets to Watch in 2023 and into the FutureNAR identified 10 real estate markets that it expects to outperform other metro areas in 2023. In order, the markets are as follows: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia Raleigh, North Carolina Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Arkansas- MissouriGreenville-Anderson-Mauldin, South Carolina Charleston-North Charleston, South Carolina Huntsville, Alabama Jacksonville, Florida San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas Knoxville, Tennessee

Read the full article - CLICK HERE

Best Places for Career Opportunities – 2022 Edition

2. Huntsville, AL

Huntsville, Alabama ranks in the top 10 metro areas for two metrics. It has the fifth-lowest May 2022 unemployment rate (1.9%) and ranks seventh-highest for income growth between professionals aged 25 to 44 and those aged 45 to 64 (25.85%). Additionally, overall median earnings for workers in the metro area increased by roughly 15% over a two-year period ending in 2021.

Read the full article HERE

• U.S.

Low-Cost Cities With Strong Economies Remain Attractive as Housing Market Slows

Remote workers willing to relocate help push small, affordable areas to the top of the latest WSJ/Realtor.com index

By Nicole FriedmanFollowUpdated July 26, 2022 2:33 pm ET

Low-cost cities with strong economies fared well in the second quarter as high prices and rising mortgage rates caused a swift slowdown in the housing market.

As remote or hybrid work schedules have become more common, households are willing to relocate for cheaper housing or a better quality of life. That migration helped push small, affordable markets to the top of the  The Wall Street Journal/Realtor.com Emerging Housing Markets Index in the second quarter.

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Best Places for Career Opportunities – 2022 Edition

Anja Solum JUL 27, 2022

Despite rising inflation and recent stock market instability, it’s still a job seeker’s market. There are roughly 11 million job openings available nationwide as of May 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). For the same month, there were 6.5 million hires. Data from June 2022 shows a 4% increase in the percentage of people who voluntarily left their jobs compared with one year ago.

With rising costs of living and a nationwide climate that is responding to the pandemic’s impact, some markets are better for those seeking new opportunities or looking to grow their careers. We sought to understand where job seekers have the best access to career opportunities.

To do this, SmartAsset looked at data for the largest 200 metro areas across nine metrics on topics such as employment, earnings, housing costs and access to career guidance. For details on our data sources and how we put all the information together to create our final rankings, read the Data and Methodology section below.

2. Huntsville, AL

Huntsville, Alabama ranks in the top 10 metro areas for two metrics. It has the fifth-lowest May 2022 unemployment rate (1.9%) and ranks seventh-highest for income growth between professionals aged 25 to 44 and those aged 45 to 64 (25.85%). Additionally, overall median earnings for workers in the metro area increased by roughly 15% over a two-year period ending in 2021.

Read FUll STORY

Huntsville-area employers are looking to fill more than 15k positions

• MICHAEL SEALE
• JULY 25, 2022

(Michele Brock / Crestwood Medical Center)

If you are looking for a new job, or your first job or even a side gig, the Huntsville area is a great place to start that search, as this week’s job listings from Indeed.com show more than 15,000 job openings in and around the Rocket City.

Jobs in the area include hundreds in the medical, engineering and tech fields. But also check out the positions open in retail, sales, hospitality and construction. Read more to find out!

Huntsville, Madison County economic development team hitting on all cylinders

By Ray GarnerJune 16, 2022

A delegation of officials from Madison and Limestone counties join Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield during a 2018 trip to visit Toyota executives. The Alabama group included Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Madison Mayor Paul Finley, and Limestone County Commissioner Jason Black. (Ray Garner/Contributed)

Huntsville and Madison County have long had a tremendous reputation when it comes to economic development success. The area has been a leader across Alabama in job creation and capital investment for as long as many can remember.

Nonetheless, the past decade has witnessed the area’s economic engine thrust into overdrive with the addition of thousands of jobs, billions of dollars in investment and a vastly improved unemployment rate.

The growth has been widespread both internally, with established companies expanding their existing operations, and external, with the recruitment of new companies. Many of the new members of the local industrial roster include some of the top brands on the planet.

Read full story HERE

Huntsville Botanical Garden Named No. 4 Best Botanical Garden in North America

June 10, 2022/in Awards, Community Development, News, Recognition, Tourism/by staff reports

On June 3rd, the Huntsville Botanical Garden was awarded the title of No. 4 Best Botanical Garden in North America by USA Today in their 2022 10 Best Readers’ Choice Travel Award Contest for Best Botanical Garden.

“We are thrilled and honored that the Garden has been named the #4 Best Botanical Garden in North America by USA Today 10Best! We are proud to be recognized, and it is a privilege to represent our community in this way on a national level.”, shared Huntsville Botanical Garden’s Public Relations Representative, Anna Beck.

Read full story HERE