Property

Selma construction company revives once empty shopping center

From the West Alabama Newsroom– A Selma construction company is reviving a once empty strip mall — located on one of the city’s busiest streets. Steward Construction Company is slowly transforming the property and bringing it back to life. The company built a Climate Control Storage facility on the property. And now an Army Recruiting Center — and Labcorp —…

Unkept conditions at Byrd School raising concerns in Selma

From the West Alabama Newsroom– A vacant school building in Selma is raising concerns among residents in one of the city’s historic districts. Byrd School closed down in 2019 — and it’s now a city-owned property. It’s been damaged by a hurricane and a tornado since it closed six years ago. And now sits in a state of disrepair. People…

New partnership aims to transform Dallas Co. apartment complex

From the West Alabama Newsroom– A new partnership between the Dallas County Commission and the Selma Housing Authority — aims to transform a Dallas County apartment community. Jim Minor Garden Homes in Selmont — is now under the management of the Selma Housing Authority. The Dallas County Commission owns the property. SHA officials say they plan to upgrade the units…

Montgomery County Tax Referendum Passes in Legislature

In a rare Saturday session, the Alabama Legislature passed budgets and the Montgomery tax referendum. The property tax referendum passed the Senate floor with an amendment, and was concurred by the House of Representatives. The ad valorem tax proposal would add 12 mills to the current 10 mill property tax rate in Montgomery County. All of the money would go…

Existing US Home Sales fell in December as Supplies at 17-year Low

Americans retreated from purchasing homes in December, as the number of properties listed for sale sank to its lowest level since 1999. The National Association of Realtors says that sales of existing homes fell 2.8 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.49 million. For all of 2016, sales posted an annual gain of 3.8 percent to…

Fannie Mae Reports Net Income of $1.1 Billion

Mortgage giant Fannie Mae posted net income of $1.1 billion for the first quarter, down from a year ago as declining interest rates reduced the value of the financial instruments it uses to hedge against rate swings. The results announced Thursday for the January-through-March period marked the 17th straight profitable quarter for the government-controlled company. The first-quarter profit compared with…