These days, the hottest home outdoor amenity is a backyard pool. The COVID-19 pandemic
has brought a huge wave of interest and increased desirability for stay-at-home entertainment,
but home shoppers should be prepared to pay a premium for a house with a pool or to have one
installed.

Millions of Americans relocated in 2020 and many due
to the COVID-19 pandemic. College students and young
adults moved home, and a new breed of remote working
Americans no longer tied down to a long commute
sought new places to call home.

A $50 million, government-backed whitewater park and outdoor fun center is about to start construction on the outskirts of downtown Montgomery, and it’s a project that local officials are betting will redefine the area as a young professional and family destination.

The main attraction is a 25-acre central park that will feature rafting and kayaking along a man-made whitewater course that twists through restaurants, shops, a beer garden, an outdoor concert venue and a hotel and conference center. But the wider, 120-acre site will feature a climbing tower, zip lines, mountain biking, rope courses and more.

"This facility is going to be bigger and better than anything folks around here have ever seen," Montgomery County Commission Vice-Chair Ronda Walker said.

Former Prattville Mayor C. Gray Price dies

Marty Roney, Montgomery Advertiser Published 5:24 p.m. CT Aug. 18, 2019 | Updated 5:24 p.m. CT Aug. 18, 2019

PRATTVILLE — Former Prattville Mayor C. Gray Price died Sunday.

"Prattville lost a leader today."

State overrules MPS vote denying breakfast, lunch for LEAD Academy students

LEAD Academy, Montgomery’s first public charter school, is scheduled to open in August, school leaders announced Monday. (Source: WSFA 12 News)

By WSFA Staff | August 16, 2019 at 11:03 PM CDT - Updated August 16 at 11:03 PM

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The state has overruled a decision recently made by Montgomery Public School board members.

Lower mortgage rates are bringing out more potential home buyers. In certain parts of the country, this has translated into a lot more competition. In markets that have seen prices become more moderate, supply is lower than it was a year ago and bidding wars are becoming more prevalent. For example, a recent Redfin housing index notes that cities like Oklahoma City; Richmond, Va.; Memphis, Tenn.; Buffalo, N.Y.; and Atlanta are seeing buyer demand outpace the number of available homes for sale.

“With low mortgage interest rates luring more home buyers off the sidelines as supply dwindles, we’re likely to see competition pick up, especially for the most affordable homes and neighborhoods, where inventory is limited and buyers are most rate-sensitive,” says Daryl Fairweather, Redfin’s chief economist. He says his brokerage is starting to see an increase in the number of home buyers starting their searches and taking home tours following the latest mortgage rate drops.

In just a few months, home shoppers may begin to see a drop in the number of homes for sale, which could lead to the return of bidding wars and quicker home sales, a new report from realtor.com® predicts.

For most Americans, a home purchase is the biggest purchase of their life and thus requires taking on a large amount of debt. The average mortgage debt can vary considerably from state to state.

“Cost of living and home prices are a big factor,” says Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate. “The cost of living impacts how much you can save for something like a down payment, and home prices impact how much you have to borrow.”

Wealthier states tend to have the highest amount of mortgage debt. 24/7 Wall St., a personal finance website, pinpointed which states have the highest amount of mortgage debt. Here are the top 10: Read more...

Mortgage products that haven’t been widely used since before the Great Recession are making a comeback. The volume of loans with alternate documentation has more than doubled in the last two years among loans included in mortgage-backed securities, according to a report from Fitch Ratings.

MONTGOMERY - On Tuesday, officials from LEAD Academy were joined by officials from the Montgomery Area Association of Realtors to receive a donation of $200,000 and announce a strategic partnership between the two organizations.

"We are are so thankful to the Board and all the members at the Montgomery Area Association of Realtors for this very generous gift," said Charlotte Meadows, chair of the LEAD Academy Board. "MAAR is an organization that is dedicated to helping improve our community and we are excited to join with them in this goal."