After a very long travel day filled with odd, time-sucking delays, when I arrived in Birmingham I was happy to hear Alabama on the Uber car’s radio singing, “My Home’s in Alabama.” “That my home’s in Alabama, no matter where I lay my head. My home’s in Alabama, Southern born and Southern bred.” Home prices in Alabama have tended to mimic many parts of the United States: In March 2024, home prices in Alabama were up 1.1 percent compared to last year, selling for a median price of $273,500 with the number of homes sold being down 8.9 percent year over year, per Redfin. (This morning NAR reported that more than 90 percent of metro markets posted home price gains in the first quarter of 2024: latest quarterly report.) There’s ample inventory, with over 22,000 homes for sale in Alabama, up nearly 11 percent year over year. A chunk of those are in Huntsville, 100 miles to the north of Birmingham, Alabama’s most populous city and the home of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. (Found here, this week’s podcasts are sponsored by Matic, the digital insurance marketplace built for the mortgage industry. Matic integrates home insurance shopping into the lending and servicing experience, allowing customers to shop carriers and find a policy in minutes. Create a new revenue stream that boosts customer happiness today! Hear an interview with Matic’s Ben Madick on the insurance landscape and trends impacting both potential homebuyers and existing homeowners.) Lender and Broker Software and Services