North Alabama · September 2026
42 days is an average hiding two markets
Madison County's headline looks fast. The number underneath it is doing something else.
Madison County, AL · August 2026
These are the headline figures. The same measures for every area this report covers are on the market stats page. See the numbers side by side →
Madison County’s headline looks great: homes sold faster in August than a year ago, about 42 days from list to contract. Read that alone and you’d think everything’s flying off the shelves.
But 42 is an average, and it’s hiding two markets. The clean, honest, well-priced homes are gone in a weekend, sometimes with multiple offers. Those are the ones pulling the average down. Then there’s the other market: the homes that sit. I watch listings from agents I work with start a little high, get cut, and keep right on sitting.
That’s the lesson.
A price cut doesn’t always bring back buyers who already scrolled past. You can end up selling for less than if you’d priced it right on day one, and it can take much longer to get there.
Selling this fall? The fast market is wide open to you. The cover charge is simple: get the home turnkey, use honest photos, and price it right the first time.
Rate Watch
The Fed raised its policy rate by 0.25 percentage point on September 16, bringing the target range to 3.75%–4.00%. Meanwhile, Freddie Mac's national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.95% on September 17. Mortgage rates don't move one-for-one with the Fed, so the mortgage market itself is the number worth watching week to week.
Worth Watching: Portable Mortgages
Congress is considering H.R. 10028, the MOVE Act, a proposal aimed at expanding portable conventional mortgages. It is not law, and it would not automatically make every existing mortgage portable. As of September 18, the bill remains in the House Financial Services Committee.
Buying?
Don't read 42 days as "everything moves fast." Ask how long the specific house has been sitting, and why.
Selling?
Price it right on day one. That's the whole difference between the two markets inside that average.
On the market when this issue went out
2000 Mythewood Dr
Huntsville, AL 35803
New construction by Southern Custom Homes on about a third of an acre. A vaulted great room with a fireplace and shiplap surround, quartz counters and a butler's pantry, and a primary suite with a custom walk-in closet and a freestanding tub. Centrally located near Redstone Arsenal.
This property is listed with another brokerage, not with me. Featured in the September 2026 issue. Its current status has not been confirmed. The live listing is the authority on availability. Property information last revised October 19, 2026. Photo: listing brokerage via ValleyMLS, used with permission.
Source: HAAR/ValleyMLS Fast Stats, Madison County, August 2026. Member-only report.
The 42-day figure and the other numbers above come from that report. The split between turnkey homes and homes that sit is my own read of what I am seeing, not a HAAR classification.
What does this mean for your North Alabama property?
Send me the address and what you're weighing up. I'll tell you how this month's numbers actually apply to it.