Moving to Alabama (Birmingham, Mobile, Decatur: tornadoes, homeowners insurance, job)

[Need_affordable_home]

Hello, I read the entire thread. Rather than start a new thread, I want to ask here. I searched all over AL on Realtor com and found only two cities that interest me, have affordable housing and no insane crime problem.

Cullman is a small city but the lower crime of the two. I have found some affordable homes I might consider moving to. Theres nothing remotely affordable in Florida! Are those homes I show below OK and in a safe location?



$33,750
4 Bed, 2 Bath
1,936 Sq. Ft.
1 Acres




A smaller house but still acreage lot. Higher cost too. I assume this one is in a better location than the first one.




That one looks like a good deal for $40k. Comes with a huge 4 acre lot! Would this be a good choice for someone like me to move into?




$69,900
2 Bed, 1.5 Bath
1,117 Sq. Ft.
(third acre corner lot)

This house looks to be made of bricks. Getting expensive but theres probably something special about this house and location(corner lot?) to warrant the price premium. I checked other houses, they dont interest me or cost too much for the amount of house you get.

Decatur, AL is a bigger city with similar pricing but higher crime. Would anyone still recommend Decatur? Is there any safe areas with decent houses priced around $50k, up to $70k?

[harry chickpea]

The first looks like it could be a converted railside warehouse. The second might be a manufactured home with an add-on. The third appears to be an old country home (read - little or no insulation).

When buying in this price range, you have to go on-site and do your own inspection. Remember that country homes might be next to a piggery, city homes might be next to the Norfolk Southern main line, a steel mill, etc.. The third one looks interesting if for no other reason than you might have enough land to subdivide and recoup some of the investment.

Be aware that the listings with the most potential get snapped up the fastest.

[curious-k]

Hi, I am midwesterner who is looking for a home to rent in the Eufaula area over the summer. Does anyone know where I can find rental availability and pricing?

[BENZBOY15]

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

Hello, I read the entire thread. Rather than start a new thread, I want to ask here. I searched all over AL on Realtor com and found only two cities that interest me, have affordable housing and no insane crime problem.

Cullman is a small city but the lower crime of the two. I have found some affordable homes I might consider moving to. Theres nothing remotely affordable in Florida! Are those homes I show below OK and in a safe location?



$33,750
4 Bed, 2 Bath
1,936 Sq. Ft.
1 Acres




A smaller house but still acreage lot. Higher cost too. I assume this one is in a better location than the first one.




That one looks like a good deal for $40k. Comes with a huge 4 acre lot! Would this be a good choice for someone like me to move into?




$69,900
2 Bed, 1.5 Bath
1,117 Sq. Ft.
(third acre corner lot)

This house looks to be made of bricks. Getting expensive but theres probably something special about this house and location(corner lot?) to warrant the price premium. I checked other houses, they dont interest me or cost too much for the amount of house you get.

Decatur, AL is a bigger city with similar pricing but higher crime. Would anyone still recommend Decatur? Is there any safe areas with decent houses priced around $50k, up to $70k?

Are those home prices real?! They seem low...too low.

In SoCal where I live, homes like those semi-close to the beach start at 800K. Forget about 4 acres, more like a 1/4-1/2 out here.

[lisamm]

Cullman is also beautiful, my friend moved there and she loves it. It's very affordable and it took her about 45 mins to come visit me in Huntsville. Good Luck and I think where ever you move in Alabama you'll love it. In my opinion just stay away from Birmingham, to much crime. I have to move back up north because my mom is sick but I wish i can move back to Alabama. Wonderful state and great people..
Lisa

[lisamm]

Originally Posted by mjb68-19

My husband and I are moving to Alabama this summer. We are looking for a very small town that is laid back and friendly. Our children are elementary school age and were looking for a close knit family oriented place to live. We've been looking in Cullman and Blount Counties. Any information anyone could give me please. Thanks!!!

Well i Lived in Hunstville, Al for 5 years and i loved it. It's a big city but there are lots of small towns around. I thought New Hope, Al was pretty small town and only 15 mins to South Hunstville and I have friends that live in Arab and I heard it's a great town with good schools. I personally think that south Hunstville has the best schools, they are very ahead of other schools in Alabama. Madison, Al is great also but more expensive. Alabama is a great state almost any town is great and the hospitality is great. I was born and raised in NY and when i moved to Alabama it was like a different world, where the people greet you, say good morning and will help you whenever they can. A great place to raise a family. Good Luck.
Lisa

[Reason]

Thank you for mentioning Enterprise. We hope to be moving there in the near future.

[Keeper]

Having moved from Tampa, FL in 05 to Arab, I can tell you the prices here are so much less than FL. I got a nice Brick older home with a little over a 1/2 acre for less than 100k. My daughter bought a 3/2 house with 3 acres in town for less but it needed a new central unit. My house in Tpa had a postage size lot with neighbors so close if you sneezed they would say 'bless you'. Cullman seems like a nice area and is close to I65. If you are looking for a more laid back life this area is the place to live. While traffic in Huntsville is bad during rush hour, it is nothing like it was in Tampa. There are jobs but in the smaller areas the pay scale will be much less than FL but the cost of living is a lot less too. There is little crime here and I feel safe being a single woman. I have met several other transplants from Florida and they love it here. One owns the first coffee shop here, the other opened a barber shop. If you have any question you can email me.
All of us love this town.

[mamafrog_03]

Try Elba. Its in coffee county. I've lived there all my life and love it. If you want something small then Elba is the place for you. It has maybe 5000 people, one grocery store and only 8 trafic lights. I would never want to raise my kids anywhere else.

[honeybee35]

well i just moved to salem Alabama from Washington D.C. and is close to Colubus GA and to Opalika so we quiet happy here. We have the small town country feeling but near everything that you need in Columbus.