Have you visited The Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives in Athens, Alabama?

This is just one of the patriotic activities available for residents in the Huntsville, Alabama metro area.  In this area we are privileged to have the freedom to enjoy life, rear a family, retire –purchase real estate in Huntsville, Al ‘s metro area.

The News Courier- Congratulations to the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives for winning the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association award as the 2009 Attraction of the Year.

The award is one of 11 PEAK Awards presented during the AMLA Annual Meeting at Quail Creek Golf Resort in Hartselle, Al on September 24, 2009.

The group of awards is the highest achievement in North Alabama tourism, honor individuals and organizations that had had a major impact on tourism in North Alabama.

More than 3,600 visitors annually visit the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives.
Dedicated to preserving military history and serving as archives to store artifacts from the Revolutionary War to the present, the museum is not only here to entertain, but also to educate. The facility is toured by many school children each year.

“Call to Veterans” was one of the more recent events hosted by the museum where veterans from all over northern Alabama were thanked for their service by being honored with a free meal. More than 400 veterans attended the event and toured the facility.

The museum is staffed with volunteer tour guides and a full-time museum director. The museum also preserves history, educates our children and honors those who fought to keep us free.

Dana Jennings, president-CEO of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association states, “The North Alabama region has positioned itself as a tourist destination and sporting mecca and this recognition would not be possible without the dedication of our industry professionals. Tourism contributed over $2.1 billion to North Alabama’s economy in 2008 and supported over 30,000 jobs in the 16 northern most counties of Alabama.”

For a full list of winners, visit www.NorthAlabama.org.

The Alabama Veteran’s Museum and Archives is located at 100 Pryor Street, W. Athens, Al  256) 771-7578.

I was sent this information from Oscar Gonzales, CEO of the Huntsville Area Association of REALTORS and thought it may be of interest to you. North Alabama is still a good market and growing stronger!

Real Estate Sales in the Huntsville, Al area continue to climb in 2009

For the first help of the year home sales in Huntsville Madison County continued on an upward climb pace with home sales in 2008, according to new data prepared by the Huntsville Area Association of REALTORS (HAAR). While 2009 homes sales slipped from the first half of 2008, home sales from May to June 2009 rose by 4.20%.

UNITS SOLD 6 Months Sales Trends

January  February  March  April  May  June

                                      2009        268          284           340        315    420   447

                                      2008        342          352           394        413    489   498

The single family home median price for the first half of the year also kept pace with the trends in 2008, showing a slight decrease of 2.11%. At $172,000, the June 2009 single-family home median price -the figure at which half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less-decreased by 1.71 % in May 2009 and June 2008. Respectively.

Median Homes Price Trends

                           January    February   March        April          May          June

                                        2009      $168,000  $172,000   $159,900  $164,900  $174,925  $172,000

                                        2008      $175,500  $169,000   $165,000  $170,000  $179,000  $175,000

“The Huntsville Madison County real estate market remains very sound and while down from the previous year, still reflects healthy growth and is in line with seasonal cycles characteristic of the industry,” said Cindy Allen, HAAR President.

The number of available properties, or active listings in the first half of 2009 increased by 1.35% more active listings on average compared to 2008. There were however 27 fewer active listings compared to May 2009, reflecting a slight contraction in inventory.

The Huntsville Madison County area month’s inventory of single-family homes for June came in at 7.72 months compared to the national month’s inventory of single-family homes, which is approximately 10.2 months, according to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR).

The June 2009 Days on Market (DOM) decreased by 3 day to 103 compared to may 2009 and June 2008.

Quick Summary

·         For the first half of the year home sales in Huntsville Madison County continued on an upward climb keeping pace with home sales in 2008.

·         The single family home median price for the first half of the year also kept pace with the trends in 2008, showing a slight decrease of 2.11%.

·         The number of available properties, or active listing in the first half of 2009 increased by 1.35% or 38 more active listings on average compared to 2008.

·         The Huntsville Madison County area month’s inventory of single-family homes for June came in at 7.72 months compared to 10.2 months nationally.

·         The June 2009 Average Days on Market (DOM) decreased by 3 days to 103 compared to May 2009 and June 2008.