Melanie Bolling, Riverview Real Estate

09/26/2026

Elmore County is not one housing market.

Anyone who works this market closely knows that Wetumpka, Redland, Deatsville, Millbrook, Elmore, Tallassee, Eclectic, and Titus can behave very differently. I wanted to put actual numbers behind those differences and look at how home prices have changed over the last decade.

So I pulled MAAR MLS data going back to 2016 and compared the average of the monthly median sale prices for single-family homes by zip code.

The first graphic focuses on the six more traditional single-family markets:

📍 36092 Wetumpka
📍 36093 Redland/Wetumpka
📍 36022 Deatsville
📍 36025 Elmore
📍 36054 Millbrook
📍 36078 Tallassee

What stands out is how clearly the long-term trend changed after 2020.

Some areas climbed steadily. Others accelerated much faster. And even within the same county, the pace of appreciation has not been the same from one zip code to another.

That is why I am cautious with broad statements like “Elmore County prices are up.”

They are—but where, and by how much, depends on the part of the county you are talking about.

I’m also including a second graphic for Eclectic and Titus.

Those two markets deserve to be looked at separately because they have fewer sales and a wider variety of property types. In those areas, one or two unusual sales can move the numbers much more than they would in a higher-volume market.

That does not make the data less useful. It just means it needs more context.

One other note: 2026 reflects sales through August, so it is not a full-year figure.

This is where I want to keep going with the Elmore County series—drilling down into the individual markets instead of treating the entire county like one number.

Which of these areas should I break down next?

📊 Data source: MAAR MLS
Residential single-family homes
2016–August 2026
Based on average of monthly median sale prices

Melanie Bolling
Riverview Real Estate

09/24/2026

Check out this price improvement! This home is amazing!

🏡 PRICE IMPROVEMENT ON JORDAN LAKE! 🌊

Lake life is calling! 180 Grays Ferry Rd is now offered at $895,000.

This stunning new-build lake home offers over 3,300 sq. ft. of beautiful living space designed to take full advantage of those incredible Jordan Lake views.

✨ 4 Bedrooms
🛁 5.5 Bathrooms
🌅 Beautiful Lake Views
🍽️ Outdoor Dining
🚤 Covered Boat Dock
🏡 High-end finishes throughout

Whether you’re looking for a full-time lake home or the perfect place to gather with family and friends, this one is worth seeing in person!

📍 180 Grays Ferry Rd | Jordan Lake
💰 Now Offered at $895,000

📲 334-462-5263
🌐 Riverviewrealtors.com

Come Live the Lake Life! 🌊☀️

09/24/2026

Y’all. I had a real estate nightmare last night. And I mean an actual nightmare. 😂

I dreamed that Kyle and I had bought a brand-new construction home and had just moved in. Everything was unpacked, and we were out in the garage getting the last few things settled when it started raining.

I remember thinking, “Man, that rain is REALLY loud.” So we went inside. Which did not help. Because it was also raining INSIDE.

Not a little drip. Not a suspicious water spot on the ceiling. It was absolutely pouring into my dining room. We may as well have moved the dining table out into the yard.

At this point, I am in full panic mode trying to find the builder’s number and cannot find it anywhere.

Thankfully, my friend Michelle—who is also a real estate agent and apparently the only competent Realtor in this particular dream—jumps into action, calls the warranty/maintenance number, and gets someone headed our way.

The rain finally stops, so we walk outside to inspect our BRAND-NEW HOUSE. And that is when I look up.

We had a poorly executed patchwork roof! Parts had shingles. Parts had plastic tarps. And parts were just exposed plywood decking.

Suddenly the deafening rain made a lot more sense.

Now Realtor Melanie is really spiraling.

“Did we not do a final walkthrough??”

“How did I not SEE THIS?”

“How did I buy a NEW CONSTRUCTION HOUSE WITHOUT AN ENTIRE ROOF?!”

Meanwhile, Michelle is yelling from the porch that she’s got it handled and somebody is on the way.

So I go back inside, wandering around my kitchen trying to process how I have failed this spectacularly at my own profession…

…and realize my brand-new construction kitchen has approximately 70-year-old cabinets in it.

Then I notice the light switches are old.

At this point, I call the listing agent and ask, “Isn’t this NEW CONSTRUCTION? Why are all these old things in my house? Why is my house falling apart? I did a final walkthrough! How did I not see ANY of this?”

And she just shrugs and says:

“It’s been like that the whole time.”

And THAT is when I woke up in a cold sweat.

My first coherent thought?

“What on earth did I eat before bed?”

😂😂😂

Apparently, when you work in real estate long enough, your brain starts creating its own continuing education courses while you sleep.

But underneath all that ridiculousness is a pretty good reminder:

New construction does not mean perfect construction.

Do the walkthrough. Get the inspection. Pay attention to the details. And yes, I recommend an independent home inspection even when the house is brand spanking new.

My subconscious would like to remind everyone that “new construction” and “comes with the entire roof” should never simply be assumed. 😂

*And of course I had to get Chat GPT to give me an illustration this morning*

09/22/2026

Whew!

09/18/2026

𝘐 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸: that homes were taking longer to sell across the River Region.⁣
⁣
That is not exactly what I found.⁣
⁣
Melanie Bolling⁣
Riverview Real Estate⁣
Data source: MAAR MLS⁣
Residential single-family homes⁣
June–August 2022–2026⁣
$300,000+ market analysis

09/18/2026

𝘐 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸: that homes were taking longer to sell across the River Region.⁣
⁣
That is not exactly what I found.⁣ 👀
⁣
I pulled MAAR MLS data for June, July, and August from 2022 through 2026 for single-family homes in Autauga, Elmore, and Montgomery Counties, and the biggest takeaway was this:⁣
⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 “𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭.”⁣
⁣
The three counties are behaving very differently, especially in the $300,000+ price range.⁣
⁣
In 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐠𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲, the $300K+ market has seen a big increase in competition. Average active listings were up about 85% compared with summer 2022, but sales were essentially flat. At the same time, average days to sell increased from 47 days to 93 days, and the average close price compared with original list price slipped from 100% to about 98.1%.⁣
⁣
That tells me sellers in Montgomery are dealing with a very different environment than they were a few years ago: more competition, longer selling times, and a little more price movement.⁣
⁣
𝐄𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 tells a very different story.⁣
Active listings in the $300K+ range have more than doubled since 2022, but sales also increased by about 68%. Homes are taking a little longer to sell, but not dramatically, and sellers are still closing at essentially their original asking price.⁣
⁣
So yes, there is more inventory in Elmore, but buyers are absorbing a lot of it.⁣
⁣
Then there is 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲, which looks more stable than the other two.⁣
⁣
Active listings in the $300K+ range are up only modestly, sales are also up modestly, and average days to sell actually dropped from 71 days in summer 2022 to 54 days in summer 2026. Sellers are still closing very close to their original asking price.⁣
⁣
That is why I’m always cautious when I hear broad statements like “𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯” or “𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨.”⁣
That may be true in one area, one price range, or one segment of the market, but it may not be true a few miles down the road.⁣
⁣
💡The better question is:⁣
What is happening in your county, in your price range, with homes like yours?⁣
⁣
That is where the useful information is.⁣
⁣
If you are thinking about buying or selling in Autauga, Elmore, or Montgomery County, I would be glad to help you look at the numbers that actually apply to your situation.⁣
⁣
Melanie Bolling⁣
Riverview Real Estate⁣
📊Data source: MAAR MLS⁣
Residential single-family homes⁣
June–August 2022–2026⁣
$300,000+ market analysis

09/03/2026

Some homes are special to me before the sign ever goes in the yard. 4030 Wares Ferry Road was one of those homes.

I first met with the Ford family in March 2025. Their plans had changed in the middle of renovating their dream home, leading them to prepare for a relocation. We discussed what made their home such a unique find in Dalraida and initially planned to list it around Independence Day.

But Mr. Ford was completing much of the work himself, and renovations have a way of taking longer than expected. Independence Day came and went. The seasons changed, and we stayed in touch.

Early this spring, we met again to discuss changes in the market and set realistic expectations for the sale. Work was still underway in the primary bathroom, but the rest of the interior was complete. Just after Independence Day 2026—more than a year after our original target date—we were finally ready to list!

And I was genuinely excited about this one.

We use the word “spacious” in a lot of real estate descriptions, but this home truly earned it. It sits on almost an acre in the middle of Montgomery and has three separate living areas, large bedrooms, an attached garage with plenty of workspace, and a full detached garage with an office where the original builder once painted cars. Those were just the extra spaces!

Inside, the Fords had touched nearly everything from the baseboards to the ceilings. The kitchen and bathrooms were beautifully updated, and the home’s architecture gave it a character you simply do not find every day.

That uniqueness was also what made pricing it a challenge. Setting the price was not as simple as pulling a few comparable sales because there really were not any true comparisons nearby. We listed at $299,900, and the Fords were clear about one of their priorities: they did not want to make additional repairs. I prepared them for a longer selling process and honestly did not expect us to close before Thanksgiving.

Then came our first open house.

I did not sit down for two solid hours! Between 2:00 and 4:00 that Sunday afternoon, potential buyers and neighbors kept coming through the door. I have never hosted such a well-attended open house. Several buyers loved the property, and three were considering offers closer to the end of August.

But 4030 Wares Ferry Road did not wait that long. We were under contract by July 24!

Following the inspection, we negotiated terms that allowed the Fords to move forward without making additional repairs. On September 2, the home officially closed for $285,000—well before Thanksgiving!

Lauren Jones Blankenship with ERA Weeks & Browning Realty was a phenomenal agent to work with. She made sure the inspections and appraisal were completed not only on time, but as quickly as possible. Jon Moody of Moody Law LLC handled everything needed to help us reach a smooth closing.

I hope the buyers love this home and all the space and character it offers.

Congratulations, Fords! Thank you for trusting me and staying in touch through every season of this journey. We got it done! 🎉🏡

If your plans have changed—or you have a unique home and are unsure how to price or market it—I would love to help you build a selling strategy around your property and your priorities. Send me a message, and let’s talk.

Melanie Bolling
Riverview Real Estate

08/31/2026

Nothing says “Happy Birthday to me” quite like waiting until August 31st to renew my real estate license. Every. Single. Time. 😂
Apparently I like to celebrate another trip around the sun by paying the State of Alabama for the privilege of continuing to work.
And while we’re on the subject… if you’ve ever seen a commission on a closing statement and thought, “Well, somebody had a GOOD day,” just know there are quite a few folks standing behind us with their hands out. 😂
Uncle Sam wants his self-employment taxes. Then there are broker fees, MLS fees, local/state/national association dues, license fees, continuing education, E&O insurance, lockboxes, signs, photography, marketing, advertising, websites, software, business cards, mileage… and all the other little expenses that come with running a business.
We’re basically small-business owners who happen to sell houses—and apparently collect annual memberships to everything. 😂
Anyway, happy birthday to me. I’m off to renew my license before Alabama adds another $150 to my birthday present. 🤦‍♀️
And to my fellow Realtors who also waited until today: I see you. Go pay the people. 😂

Don't forget to renew your license!

07/22/2026

Normally I work from home, but sometimes our office/school room isn’t exactly the quietest place to get things done. Today’s office comes with a little more peace and quiet, and a view that’s hard to beat!