Relocating from Mobile, AL to Decatur, AL for work - Need advice, please. (Huntsville: short sale)

[big d 51]

First and foremost, thank you to those that view and contribute to my thread. It sure is nice to have a forum, like this one, to communicate with others about information on other cities. I will do my best to explain all details, so hopefully I can get the proper feedback.

My family and I will be relocating for me to work in Decatur, AL. I have lived and currently live in Satsuma, AL (10ish miles north of Mobile, AL). My wife is scared to death because she has been in one city her whole life as well. I’m 27, my wife is 23, our son is 2, and our baby girl is 13 days old. I am coming to this forum to look for guidance and information on the best place to live since we will be new to the location.

As I stated, the work place is located in Decatur, Al; however, I am willing to travel up to 30 minutes one way, if it will help us find the perfect place to live. I will approximately live at the location for 5 to 7 years before being able to relocate back home (obviously if I can purchase a house and sell it before 5 to 7 years for a profit, I will do so). Purchasing or building a home that will be able to sale in the near future will be key. I do have my homebuilder’s license so a vacant lot is an option too.

Below I will list characteristics/ descriptions to help explain what I am looking for:

1. Area with great resale opportunities
2. I live in a regular subdivision now; therefore, I want to try something new this go around. I either want to live on a lake, waterfront, or a golf course. This may get above my price range, which would be around $200,000 (this is flexible, but I feel the higher the cost, the harder to sell these days. I may have to settle for a regular subdivision, which is perfectly ok as well. I thought a new atmosphere would be neat since relocating). My first option is I would like to get a good buy on a foreclosure or short sell house that is worth $300k but selling for $200k (Not a perfect example, but you get the idea – Equity). If I can’t find a good deal on a house, then a vacant lot so I can build my own house.
3. Safe community
4. Great school district
5. 20 to 30 minutes from mall, hospital, etc.
6. Gated community would be a plus

I tried to touch on everything. Please ask if there are some details that I am missing that may be beneficial to help find the perfect location. Maybe Decatur is the place? Maybe Huntsville? Lead me in the right direction, please?

Thank you.

P.S..Don't blow me up because I did not use the search function. I did see and view other threads regarding the topic. However, I decided to start my own thread for my own details.

[Southlander]

Welcome to Decatur!
First, there are only a handful of Decatur folks on here. Most everybody else is in Huntsville or Madison, and many have only driven by on the interstate.

SO...most of Decatur is safe. There are one or two sketchy areas...like any city. Look around..use your head. It's fairly easy to tell what they are.

Unless you have $300,000 and up, you won't find a place on the river. Decatur's waterfront is dominated by the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, and heavy industry. There are very, very, very few residences on the river. Golf course-side residences are also pricey. There are one or two neighborhoods with small man-made lakes - also expensive. Gated communities - fairly unknown in Decatur. We have two or three that have the makings of being a gated community, but they aren't there yet - just no need.

Schools - again, depends on the neighborhood. Most of them are good. Test scores are not as high as Huntsville and Madison because Decatur schools have a more diverse student bodies, but I assure you our two public high schools do place students at top colleges - and I'm not talking just Alabama and Auburn.

Decatur has a small mall, and two hospitals, both affiliated with Huntsville Hospital (the behemoth that is eating up all hospitals in North Alabama). New retail is going up as I type.

Decatur has had a depressed real estate market, so there are a LOT of bargains out there. I would highly recommend retaining a real estate agent if you are going the foreclosure/short sale route. He or she can guide you through the legal mumbo jumbo. A Decatur agent will know Decatur. A Huntsville or Madison agent does not know Decatur as well. (Yes, I'll get flak on this, but it's true)

You may want to rent a house for a little while so you can take your time and look around. Go to www.valleymls.com and search...you'll have to specify Morgan County. To find just Decatur listings, you'll have to specify schools. Austin High and Decatur High are the public high schools for the entire city. valleymls.com does list both sales and rental property. You can also check the Decatur Daily's classified section - the newspaper requires a subscription fee to read news, but the classified ad section is accessible - Home - The Decatur Daily - Decatur, Alabama.

PM me if you wish!

[big d 51]

Originally Posted by Southlander

Welcome to Decatur!
First, there are only a handful of Decatur folks on here. Most everybody else is in Huntsville or Madison, and many have only driven by on the interstate.

SO...most of Decatur is safe. There are one or two sketchy areas...like any city. Look around..use your head. It's fairly easy to tell what they are.

Unless you have $300,000 and up, you won't find a place on the river. Decatur's waterfront is dominated by the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, and heavy industry. There are very, very, very few residences on the river. Golf course-side residences are also pricey. There are one or two neighborhoods with small man-made lakes - also expensive. Gated communities - fairly unknown in Decatur. We have two or three that have the makings of being a gated community, but they aren't there yet - just no need.

Schools - again, depends on the neighborhood. Most of them are good. Test scores are not as high as Huntsville and Madison because Decatur schools have a more diverse student bodies, but I assure you our two public high schools do place students at top colleges - and I'm not talking just Alabama and Auburn.

Decatur has a small mall, and two hospitals, both affiliated with Huntsville Hospital (the behemoth that is eating up all hospitals in North Alabama). New retail is going up as I type.

Decatur has had a depressed real estate market, so there are a LOT of bargains out there. I would highly recommend retaining a real estate agent if you are going the foreclosure/short sale route. He or she can guide you through the legal mumbo jumbo. A Decatur agent will know Decatur. A Huntsville or Madison agent does not know Decatur as well. (Yes, I'll get flak on this, but it's true)

You may want to rent a house for a little while so you can take your time and look around. Go to www.valleymls.com and search...you'll have to specify Morgan County. To find just Decatur listings, you'll have to specify schools. Austin High and Decatur High are the public high schools for the entire city. valleymls.com does list both sales and rental property. You can also check the Decatur Daily's classified section - the newspaper requires a subscription fee to read news, but the classified ad section is accessible - Home - The Decatur Daily - Decatur, Alabama.

PM me if you wish!

Fantastic post. Thank you so much for taking the time to type all that information out. I am definitely going to rent, as you suggested for at least 6 months, if possible, to give us time to look around. In addition, you are probably right about the pricing on the river or golf courses as well. I figure the pricing would be too high for us right now, but I had to add it in there. I would definitely prefer to live in Decatur, which is closer to my work place, and drive to Huntsville or other places for weekend activities and etc. I just want to live in a good part of town for the safety of my family, decent school for my son, and etc. I think as of now, it is between Decatur and Madison.

Do you by chance know of an experienced Decatur relator that you would like to recommend? I rather have a recommendation versus picking someone that I have no clue about. Thank you for the information as well regarding how to look up homes in Decatur because I could not figure it out. The high school trick worked.

[lizinva]

If you work in Decatur you should look in Decatur. It is a nice town with great restaurants etc. My husband and I considered that area but didn't want the commute. If my husbands job was there it would have been our new home town.

[Kim Ingram]

Hi, and welcome to Decatur!! I wasn't born in Decatur, but was raised here through high school, went off to college, got married, lived in 4 different towns and 2 countries before coming back "home" with then husband and 2yo son. My 2nd son was born here in Decatur and is now about to graduate from highsclhool. So, I obviously love this area!!! I've lived in SW and now I live in SE. I know Decatur well and would be happy to help answer any questions. Also, my mom is a realator here in Decatur (and has been for 30+ years), so she can help with Decatur or sorrounding areas. If you want her name and number, I'll be happy to give them to you.
I'm obviously older than you and your wife, but I've already thought of several young families that I could interoduce to you. Good luck with your surch.

[AU HSV]

Decatur has some nice areas, Point Mallard comes to mind, but you have many options, Athens, Hartselle and of course Huntsville /Madison.
This link will help with the Huntsville side..
Huntsville, Alabama - Economic Development, Demographics, Economic Growth, Huntsville Regional Economy, Huntsville Business News, Huntsville Area Market Statistics, Huntsville Region Information Report, Huntsville Alabama USA
and Decatur
Home | Decatur, Alabama Business and Community Information Business Assistance :: Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce ::

The Huntsville metro including Decatur is well over a half million folks but it doesn't feel like it in most areas.

[big d 51]

I have now moved to Beaumont, Tx, but I wanted to take the time to share a short synopsis of my stay in Decatur.

We first moved to Madison and stayed in an apartment for 10 months while we house shopped. We ended up building a new house in Priceville. The Madison area is the best in my opinion. Priceville would be second and Decatur third. It was a very nice place to stay, and we miss the area. I recommend this location to anyone looking to relocate their family for a job. Great school, weather is nice, plenty of water for activities, and friendly people.