The 10 Best Places To Buy A House In Alabama For 2023


The best places to buy a house in Alabama are Tallassee and Margaret for 2023 based on Saturday Night Science.

By: Chris Kolmar | About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: October 27, 2023
Editor’s Note: This is not investment advice, and we are not financial advisers.

Suppose real estate is the most significant investment a majority of people make in their lifetime. In that case, it’s best to understand the places in Alabama with best potential return on investment.

After working in real estate adjacent roles for over a decade, I had the hypothesis that the best place to buy for a return on investment would be up-and-coming cities. Smaller cities where crime might be high now, but people still move to.

To test my hypothesis, we are going to look at places in Alabama that are growing faster than average, but where home prices are below average, and crime rates are higher than average.

In everyday terms, these might be “deals”. The best deal in Alabama at the moment according to Saturday Night Science? That would be Tallassee.

Here’s a look at the top ten places to buy a home in Alabama for 2023 based on this logic.

The 10 Best Places To Buy A Home In Alabama For 2023

  1. Tallassee
  2. Margaret
  3. Midfield
  4. Rainsville
  5. Glencoe
  6. Brewton
  7. Chickasaw
  8. Monroeville
  9. Smiths Station
  10. Attalla

The methodology that wen’t into this can be a bit complicated, so we’ll break it down for you in as much detail as we can below.

For more Alabama reading:

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

The 10 Best Cities To Buy A House In Alabama For 2023

1. Tallassee

Tallassee, AL

Source: Wikipedia User The original uploader was Saverivers at English Wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,199
Median Home Price: $128,900
Population Change: 7.9%
Home Price Change: 0.5%
More on Tallassee: Crime Report | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

2. Margaret

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,118
Median Home Price: $162,700
Population Change: 4.3%
Home Price Change: 1.9%
More on Margaret: Crime Report | Real Estate | Data

3. Midfield

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,219
Median Home Price: $73,800
Population Change: 4.7%
Home Price Change: -0.7%
More on Midfield:  | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

4. Rainsville

Rainsville, AL

Source: Wikipedia User Shannon from New York | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,466
Median Home Price: $161,900
Population Change: 8.5%
Home Price Change: 6.9%
More on Rainsville:  | Cost Of Living | Real Estate | Data

5. Glencoe

Glencoe, AL

Source: Flickr User [email protected] | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 5,360
Median Home Price: $168,400
Population Change: 4.6%
Home Price Change: 3.1%
More on Glencoe: Crime Report | Cost Of Living | Real Estate | Data

6. Brewton

Brewton, AL

Source: Wikipedia User Civilengtiger (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,288
Median Home Price: $116,100
Population Change: 1.5%
Home Price Change: 9.9%
More on Brewton: Crime Report | Cost Of Living | Real Estate | Data

7. Chickasaw

Chickasaw, AL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 6,421
Median Home Price: $78,600
Population Change: 11.5%
Home Price Change: 6.4%
More on Chickasaw:  | Cost Of Living | Real Estate | Data

8. Monroeville

Monroeville, AL

Source: Wikipedia User Melinda Shelton | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 5,953
Median Home Price: $107,900
Population Change: 2.4%
Home Price Change: 0.3%
More on Monroeville:  | Cost Of Living | Real Estate | Data

9. Smiths Station

Smiths Station, AL

Source: Wikipedia User Rivers A. Langley; SaveRivers | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,420
Median Home Price: $156,200
Population Change: -6.9%
Home Price Change: -0.4%
More on Smiths Station:  | Cost Of Living | Real Estate | Data

10. Attalla

Attalla, AL

Source: Wikipedia User DwayneP | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,872
Median Home Price: $89,500
Population Change: -0.2%
Home Price Change: -3.0%
More on Attalla:  | Cost Of Living | Real Estate | Data

Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in Alabama for 2023?

We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for another 8. Suffice it to say we’ve put a lot of thought into finding an excellent place to buy a home.

So all that thinking has come to this moment where we get to spell out how we’d approach finding an up-and-coming place to live in Alabama. Put differently, the analysis will try to find places in Alabama with undervalued homes relative to pent-up demand using Saturday Night Science.

To do that, we looked at the most recent American Community Survey Census data for 2017-2021 and compared it to the previous vintage. Specifically, we used the following criteria:

  • Y-o-Y Change In Population (People want to live here)
  • Y-o-Y Change In Median Home Prices (People are willing to pay for it)
  • Home Prices Relative To The State Average (It’s still kinda cheap)

We want places that are growing, have seen home prices increase in recent years, and are still “cheap” for Alabama with the following caveats:

So of the 0 cities and towns in Alabama, only 104 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.

We then ranked each place from 1 to 104 for the above criteria, with 1 being the best. We averaged the rankings to create a “best place to buy” index, with the place having the lowest index being the best.

Turns out that Tallassee is the best potential gem in the not-so-rough in the Heart of Dixie.

Best Places To Retire In Alabama

Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In Alabama for 2023

There’s our analysis of the best places to buy a house in Alabama. And, to be clear, we aren’t necessarily saying these places are the best places to live, just that it looks like they might be in a couple of years based on the data.

In fact, every place in the following table meets our criteria, so even though it may not look super long, remember we started off with all 0 places in the state.

So if we’d could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy.

For more Alabama reading, check out:

Best Places To Buy A Home In Alabama

Rank City Median Home Price Population Change Home Price Increase
1 Tallassee $128,900 7.9% 0.5%
2 Margaret $162,700 4.3% 1.9%
3 Midfield $73,800 4.7% -0.7%
4 Rainsville $161,900 8.5% 6.9%
5 Glencoe $168,400 4.6% 3.1%
6 Brewton $116,100 1.5% 9.9%
7 Chickasaw $78,600 11.5% 6.4%
8 Monroeville $107,900 2.4% 0.3%
9 Smiths Station $156,200 -6.9% -0.4%
10 Attalla $89,500 -0.2% -3.0%
11 Roanoke $114,500 -9.5% 5.0%
12 Orange Beach $353,000 28.0% 8.4%
13 Satsuma $161,200 8.8% 1.9%
14 Tarrant $92,300 -1.3% 9.1%
15 Lanett $95,500 9.7% 7.7%
16 Opp $94,100 4.2% 0.7%
17 Oneonta $164,200 3.5% 1.4%
18 Hamilton $91,700 4.7% -9.6%
19 Demopolis $153,100 6.1% 7.1%
20 Robertsdale $135,300 -2.6% 7.0%
21 Lincoln $152,500 0.5% 6.1%
22 Montevallo $163,100 2.0% 3.1%
23 Pinson $150,800 1.9% 2.1%
24 Greenville $111,400 -1.1% -4.2%
25 Wetumpka $160,300 -15.2% 8.5%
26 Arab $158,000 0.7% 2.7%
27 Tuskegee $83,600 8.1% 2.8%
28 Tuscumbia $121,400 6.3% 6.2%
29 Guntersville $227,600 0.3% 5.8%
30 Clanton $147,600 -0.0% 17.2%
31 Andalusia $130,800 0.5% 11.6%
32 Southside $161,400 5.1% 2.1%
33 Sheffield $105,000 4.3% 4.5%
34 Spanish Fort $237,700 8.1% 4.7%
35 Valley $100,800 14.2% 10.4%
36 Fultondale $157,900 5.0% 2.2%
37 Atmore $98,600 -5.8% 2.6%
38 Bay Minette $119,500 -15.8% -4.1%
39 Boaz $114,800 5.3% 6.3%
40 Rainbow City $169,800 5.1% 4.2%
41 Pleasant Grove $160,600 0.1% 2.0%
42 Pike Road $308,500 -5.7% 3.4%
43 Russellville $93,000 9.1% -4.5%
44 Clay $165,000 3.9% 5.6%
45 Fairfield $101,000 -6.0% 5.9%
46 Eufaula $122,800 7.4% -0.8%
47 Sylacauga $137,500 3.1% 2.2%
48 Gulf Shores $271,500 17.2% 6.7%
49 Leeds $169,900 -1.4% 2.8%
50 Jacksonville $148,400 2.2% -1.1%
51 Moody $177,500 0.7% 3.3%
52 Irondale $169,400 3.0% 8.4%
53 Jasper $172,200 5.8% 8.6%
54 Chelsea $256,700 8.2% 6.4%
55 Gardendale $190,400 13.5% 3.4%
56 Fort Payne $134,700 4.7% 3.3%
57 Pell City $205,900 -8.2% 9.5%
58 Calera $161,900 12.6% 5.1%
59 Ozark $121,400 0.3% -1.9%
60 Muscle Shoals $154,600 11.1% 2.2%
61 Hartselle $149,000 6.2% -0.1%
62 Scottsboro $122,000 6.9% 0.5%
63 Alexander City $106,800 1.7% -2.1%
64 Saraland $163,600 9.5% 2.9%
65 Talladega $96,300 2.4% 9.9%
66 Hueytown $118,800 8.1% 2.0%
67 Center Point $105,400 2.8% 6.0%
68 Millbrook $161,300 4.0% 2.7%
69 Cullman $167,500 11.3% 11.4%
70 Selma $86,800 3.8% -4.1%
71 Helena $227,800 11.0% 12.2%
72 Troy $168,700 -6.5% 4.9%
73 Foley $205,300 4.3% 5.3%
74 Mountain Brook $697,800 9.9% 4.7%
75 Oxford $141,700 4.4% 0.1%
76 Anniston $117,900 -0.3% 0.3%
77 Prichard $69,300 -9.1% 4.8%
78 Albertville $136,100 3.0% 8.3%
79 Fairhope $337,100 -1.0% 4.7%
80 Trussville $287,700 10.8% 5.3%
81 Pelham $215,700 1.8% 8.7%
82 Homewood $391,500 4.1% 3.1%
83 Northport $196,200 16.8% 4.6%
84 Bessemer $102,200 0.4% 2.1%
85 Daphne $231,000 1.9% 5.5%
86 Athens $184,900 -5.5% 7.6%
87 Enterprise $187,600 0.3% 7.5%
88 Opelika $154,800 0.7% 0.9%
89 Alabaster $189,600 -0.7% 6.3%
90 Vestavia Hills $402,100 11.7% 5.6%
91 Gadsden $81,600 -2.6% 1.5%
92 Phenix City $136,600 4.8% 5.0%
93 Prattville $171,700 3.8% 0.6%
94 Florence $146,700 -2.3% 3.3%
95 Madison $279,800 9.5% 6.1%
96 Decatur $147,600 5.4% 4.7%
97 Auburn $285,000 13.9% 5.4%
98 Dothan $157,600 2.5% 3.2%
99 Hoover $316,700 7.0% 6.1%
100 Tuscaloosa $194,500 -1.4% 2.3%
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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