Why Birmingham, from someone who lives in New Jersey

When I tell people in New Jersey that I buy apartments in Birmingham, I usually get a pause. Most people up here hear "Birmingham" and picture something from thirty years ago.

Here's what I actually found.

When I started looking at markets, I kept ending up in places like Little Rock and Birmingham, where you aren't just a number as an investor. People welcomed me for tours and site visits. They shook my hand, drove me around neighborhoods, and spent hours talking through properties with me.

I'm not chasing the hot market. I want a steady one that has held up over time, no wild swings in either direction, where you can still buy in at a reasonable price and there's room to come in, fix what's broken, and provide good housing.

Birmingham checked those boxes. It has major employers, a big university medical system, a lower cost of living, and a business-friendly climate. There's enough inventory to grow, but it's still small enough that deals happen through relationships with brokers and locals.

What I didn't expect was the culture. The people are kind and honest, and business runs on relationships. The change I see on the ground is real. It isn't just talk at a planning board meeting, and it's being done thoughtfully. (Ask any New Jersey contractor how long it takes to pull a permit, then go have that same conversation in Alabama.)

But the biggest reason I'm focused on Alabama is my property management team. They treat every property like it's their own. They're honest, they work incredibly hard, and they're wonderful with our tenants. In real estate, like in any service business, the team decides whether the plan actually happens. I wouldn't be in Birmingham without them.