Primary market sales rose even with higher mortgage rates
Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.32% on October 22, 2026. That is real money added to every monthly payment. Yet the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,647 homes sold across the Primary market in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 25% from the same months of 2025. Buyers are here. That matters whether you are thinking about listing or watching for the right home.
Realtor.com reported that September pending home sales were down 11.3% year over year nationally. Our market moved the other way. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,581 pending sales across the Primary market, up 16.1% from a year ago. Local demand is running ahead of the national picture.
More homes came to market too. The Real Estate Data Aggregator recorded 1,939 new listings across the Primary market, up 12.9% from a year ago. More supply and more sales at the same time tells you buyers absorbed what sellers brought. That is a steadier picture than the national one.
How each ZIP code moved
The story was not the same everywhere. Some ZIPs sold faster and at stronger prices. Others took longer. The table below shows homes sold and median sale price for each ZIP in the three months ending August 31, 2026, all from the Real Estate Data Aggregator.
| ZIP and area | Homes sold | Change vs. 2025 | Median sale price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35749 Harvest | 35749 Harvest | 242 | +43.2% | $324,413 |
| 35756 Madison | 35756 Madison | 261 | +39.6% | $395,000 |
| 35758 Madison | 35758 Madison | 224 | +38.3% | $396,450 |
| 35824 Huntsville | 35824 Huntsville | 68 | +41.7% | $369,000 |
| 35613 Athens | 35613 Athens | 230 | +13.3% | $328,445 |
| 35811 Huntsville | 35811 Huntsville | 191 | +21.7% | $331,900 |
Where homes moved fastest
Speed varied a lot by ZIP. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows 35824 (Huntsville) had a median of 40 days on market, 23 days shorter than a year ago. ZIP 35806 (Huntsville) came in at 45 days, also 14 days shorter than the prior year. ZIP 35758 (Madison) sat at 43 days. At the other end, 35773 (Toney) took a median of 82 days, 17 days longer than a year ago.
- 135824 Huntsville40 days
- 235758 Madison43 days
- 335806 Huntsville45 days
- 435811 Huntsville52 days
- 535757 Madison61 days
- 635613 Athens63 days
- 735756 Madison64 days
- 835749 Harvest68 days
- 935759 Meridianville78 days
- 1035773 Toney82 days
Prices: a mixed picture
Not every ZIP saw prices rise. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows 35758 (Madison) had a median sale price of $396,450, down 2.5% from a year ago. ZIP 35806 (Huntsville) came in at $394,000, down 1.7%. ZIP 35759 (Meridianville) dipped 2.7% to $316,000. Small dips, not a collapse, and sales volumes in those same ZIPs rose sharply.
On the other side, the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows 35773 (Toney) saw its median rise 15.1% to $319,990. ZIP 35811 (Huntsville) was up 3.7% to $331,900. ZIP 35757 (Madison) rose 3.8% to $378,775. The National Association of Realtors reported existing-home prices up just 1.3% nationally in September 2026. Several ZIPs here beat that.
Homes going under contract fast
One of the clearest signs of buyer urgency is how quickly homes go under contract. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows 43.6% of homes in 35758 (Madison) went under contract within two weeks of listing. That was up 23.7 points from a year ago. ZIP 35806 (Huntsville) saw 35.2% go that fast, up 19 points. ZIP 35824 (Huntsville) hit 31.3%, up 12.5 points.
The rate backdrop
Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.32% on October 22, 2026. Realtor.com listed the average mortgage rate at 7.40% on the same date. Rates climbed above 7% for the first time since January 2025, Realtor.com reported. That is a real cost for buyers. Even so, the Primary market posted 1,647 sales. Buyers are pricing it in and moving.
The National Association of Realtors counted 3.99 million existing-home sales nationally in September 2026, with inventory at 1.60 million homes. Our market added 2,144 homes for sale in the three months ending August 31, 2026, up 11.8% from a year ago, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. More choice for buyers, and sales still rose.
- The Primary market sold 1,647 homes in the three months ending August 31, 2026, up 25% from a year ago, even as Freddie Mac put the 30-year rate at 7.32%.
- Prices dipped a little in some ZIPs and rose in others.
- Speed picked up sharply in 35758 and 35806. One street can read very differently from the whole ZIP code, so the numbers above are a starting point, not the final word on your home.
Your next step
(256) 733-4874Text me your address and I will send back how your home in the Primary market compares with what actually sold near you in the three months ending August 31, 2026. Takes a day, costs nothing.
Text me- Real Estate Data Aggregator numbers for ZIPs 35806, 35757, 35749, 35758, 35756, 35759, 35613, 35811, 35824 and 35773, the three months ending August 31, 2026, compared with the same months of 2025. Real Estate Data Aggregator last updated them on Oct 7, 2026.
- Freddie Mac: Mortgage Rates, read Oct 25, 2026
- National Association of Realtors: Existing-Home Sales, read Oct 25, 2026
- Redfin: U.S. Home Prices Ticked Up 0.25% in September, Oct 20, 2026
- Redfin: Redfin Reports U.S. Home Prices Ticked Up 0.25% in September, Oct 20, 2026
- Realtor.com: Weekly Housing Trends: U.S. Market Update (Week Ending Oct. 17, 2026), Oct 22, 2026
- Realtor.com: September 2026 Monthly Housing Trends: Price Cuts Hit 4-Year Highs as Mortgage Rates Top 7%, Sep 30, 2026