SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
(HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA)- -Huntsville’s population continues to surge, and the city’s rental housing market is racing to keep pace. A new study from Point2Homes and YardiMatrix reveals that nearly 2,400 build-to-rent homes are currently under development in the Rocket City metro area. This places Huntsville 10th nationally in build-to-rent housing construction and 12th compared to individual states, outpacing entire states like Colorado and New York.
The study focuses on renting single-family homes within communities featuring at least 50 such units. Alabama ranks 8th in the nation for build-to-rent housing, with approximately 3,200 homes in the pipeline. Most of these are concentrated in the Huntsville area, including 1,219 within city limits and 918 in neighboring Madison. Once these projects are completed, Alabama’s inventory of such homes will nearly double.
The South is increasingly embracing this housing trend, with seven of the top 10 states for build-to-rent construction located in the region. Texas leads the pack at No. 1, followed by Florida (No. 3), North Carolina (No. 4), Georgia (No. 5), South Carolina (No. 7), Alabama (No. 8), and Tennessee (No. 10).
According to local realtors, the recent transfer of 500 FBI employees to Huntsville could offset concerns about a potential slowdown in home sales due to federal job uncertainties. Realtor Matt Curtis noted that this move reinforces Huntsville’s continued job growth.
While home sales in the Huntsville market had been trending upward through late 2024 and early 2025, Ben Wales of Gateway Alabama Realty Group cautioned that potential federal layoffs could temporarily impact the housing market. However, new FBI Director Kash Patel recently ordered the relocation of 500 workers from Washington, D.C. to Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal, which could stabilize demand.
A key question remains: where will these incoming employees and their families settle?
“While housing supply has grown, new construction must continue to meet rising demand,” Curtis said. “The city needs to support builders and expedite approvals to ensure adequate inventory. With demand outpacing supply, we can expect continued price increases in the Huntsville area.”
Wales added that the type of personnel relocating will determine the housing market’s impact. “Within Huntsville and Madison city limits, we currently have just under 900 available homes, so this move could absorb more than half of that inventory,” he said. “Expanding the search to the county, there are about 1,100 existing homes, plus additional new construction. The impact will be significant.”
The growing FBI presence at Redstone Arsenal is already shaping the housing market. Joey Ceci, President of Breland Companies, previously noted that FBI employees have been among the homebuyers in the Clift Farm development just north of Madison’s city limits. Meanwhile, home construction is accelerating in areas poised to accommodate incoming families, including 90 homes currently underway in the expansive Greenbrier Preserve development, which will ultimately feature 1,100 residences in Limestone County. Mayor Tommy Battle has also highlighted the addition of over 600 homes in the Hays Farm area of South Huntsville. Northern Madison County, North Huntsville, Athens, and Eastern Limestone County are all seeing increased construction activity.
Beyond single-family homes, the Huntsville area is experiencing a boom in rental housing. The city set a record for certificates of occupancy for residential dwellings last year, largely driven by a surge in apartment construction. Both Huntsville and Madison have seen multiple build-to-rent communities open within the past year.
Mayor Battle welcomes the transfer of FBI personnel, seeing it as a benefit to the community. “We look forward to welcoming more FBI teammates to Huntsville. Their service to the nation is an honor,” he said Monday.
And the influx may not stop at 500 employees.
“Four thousand seats remain open, so let’s get to work,” Patel told Alabama U.S. Sen. Katie Britt during his confirmation hearing. Shortly after Patel’s confirmation, Britt and Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., formally requested that Patel assign an additional 1,000 FBI employees to Redstone Arsenal.
The expansion of FBI operations in Huntsville has been in the works for over five years. In 2019, the agency announced that over 4,000 jobs would be relocated to Redstone Arsenal over an eight-to-10-year period. Huntsville’s rapid growth shows no signs of slowing with the latest transfers and ongoing housing developments.
