Info on huntsville area, possible move (Decatur, Madison: renting, homeowners insurance, how much)

[ArmyWife94e]

My husband is retiring from doing 20 years in the Army and we are thinking of retiring in the Huntsville area
But I have a ton of questions
1. What is the safest area to live in (doesn't need to be Huntsville) just the surrounding area
2. How is the housing market? Would we be able to get a nice home in a safe neighborhood for 150,000 or less?
3. Just a rough estimate, how much does housing insurance cost a month , I am sure it is more then what we pay here in Kansas.
5. Are utilities very expensive ?
6. How bad is the job market?

Thanks for all the help and suggestions

[CP79]

1 - Most areas are safe. You are better off asking which areas to stay out of, which I will make simple: Most of North Huntsville and most of Southwest Huntsville.

2 - Yes you can get a decent home for 150, albeit in a cookie cutter subdivision

3 - No idea, I rent

5 - Rates are very low, Huntsville utilities is non-profit

6 - Job market is good

[VMH2507]

1. All the surrounding areas (New Market, Harvest, Monrovia, Madison) are safe as well.
2. If you are looking for new construction it will be cookie cutter. If older it might not be.
3. Homeowners insurance will run ~$75 per month.
4. Utilities are very reasonable.
5. Job market is good, particularly for army retireees, but may change depending on budget.

[Keeper]

I agree with the above.. you can find a nice house just about anywhere in the area in your price range. Much depends on if you want to live in a bigger city or a small one. The area overall is very safe. As stated there are many small towns within 25 minutes of H'ville.

HOI is not bad compared to many places, more importantly property tax is also very reasonable. Where I live utilities are very reasonable. I pay around $200 a month for electric, gas, water and garbage in a 1500 sq ft home. Just one person but you get the idea, plus my home is 40 yrs old.

[LCTMadison]

Stick to the outlying areas, you will get more bang for your buck. You can get great properties inside the city limits of HSV/Madison...you will just pay more.

GREAT new construction going on in that price range, mainly Breland Homes. So you will have the choice of resale or building....and in great school districts.

Insurance is going to vary depending on your location, FICO, home, ect....but I would say a high average is around $700/year for homeowners insurance...much less for a newer full brick home, more expensive for older homes in more outlying areas. Property taxes (in relation to national averages) are incredibly low, utilities are pretty reasonable here compared to other places I have lived.

From what I have seen, the job market has remained pretty good here. I know several people who have lost their jobs over the past 3 years and found an equal if not better job within a month or two of looking.

[y8tiger]

Originally Posted by ArmyWife94e

My husband is retiring from doing 20 years in the Army and we are thinking of retiring in the Huntsville area

I am retiring from doing over 20 years in the Navy and we have been planning to settle down in the Huntsville area ever since BRAC closed the bases in North Georgia where I am from. I was fortunate and my Command in San Diego allowed me to attended the Retirement TAP Workshop on Redstone last week. It was an excellent opportunity to explore and learn about the area. I highly recommend attending it before relocating.

I have an old Army buddy living there who showed me the neighborhoods to avoid. Sure would be handy if someone created a map to show them since they are mostly directly North to N/W of the Arsenal. There are a lot of nice areas, but beware of the area nick named "Dixie Alley" due to all the Tornadoes. If you look at the Tornado History Project site it will be fairly obvious.

One somber thing I did learn int the workshop is that job opportunities on Redstone and with local Defense Contractors are far fewer than in recent years. There are still opportunities, but there is a lot more competition for them.

[Southlander]

If you don't mind a short drive to the commissary (is that still a big deal?), you might want to consider Athens, Decatur, Arab, Scottsboro...housing is even cheaper than Huntsville and Madison.

[markbrockman]

Originally Posted by Southlander

If you don't mind a short drive to the commissary (is that still a big deal?), you might want to consider Athens, Decatur, Arab, Scottsboro...housing is even cheaper than Huntsville and Madison.

Short drive?

I'll agree with everyone above and put some more distinct map boundaries on stuff. West of Memorial Parkway is not good until you pass Research Park Blvd and the line between it and Madison starts to blur. East of the Parkway is mostly good, but around Oakwood and north gets sketchy. The line isn't exact on where the neighborhoods get crappy between University and Oakwood, some good some bad. And varied opinions on Five Points, which I feel that the area that feeds into Chapman rather than Blossomwood Elementary is not where I'd want to buy, though renting is fine. Your neighbors might be a little groovier than you'd want.

Heading over Chapman mountain, aka taking 565 over the hill "out of Huntsville," gets you some good places. Lots of new construction, many now are having smaller lots so you don't have to struggle with the yard.

Rent first.

[Southlander]

20 minutes is a pretty short drive...to some, an hour is a short drive. But most of these places are around 30 minutes from the arsenal.

[CoreLysium]

Most areas are safe, but the poor tend to not do good maintenance, and their neighborhoods suck anyway. Price is actually what will let you see what is a good neighborhood or not. Or check test scores for the schools, whether you have kids or not, and they'll show you the same desirable areas.

Not all of SE HSV is great either, but it's what most people who can go for. Hampton Cove is nice...but 150k won't get you much there.

I always suggest the east side of a city so you don't have to drive into the sun twice to get to/from work.