Building Cost Per Square Foot in City of Anniston, Alabama, USA – Single Family Homes, 4 Corner House

Newly Built 2 Bedroom House with 3 Bathrooms selling for $183,500  Floor Area – 1400 sqft. Residential Address: 2509 Oak Village Dr, Anniston, AL 36207 – Source Zillow

The Metropolitan City of Anniston is located in the Calhoun County in the State of Alabama, USA.  According to the 2018 census, slightly more than 21,000 people lived in Anniston, a decrease of about 2000 residents from the 2010 census.

Before we take a look at the cost of building a single family house in Anniston, let’s look at the pros and cons of living in the city.

Pros and Cons of Living in Anniston City

Pros

The overall cost of living, (an index which includes weighted values of the cost of basic commodities and services, housing, groceries, healthcare, utilities and transport ) is lower than the Alabama State Average and National Average.

AreaVibes Index:

Anniston –  82

Alabama – 89

USA – 100

BestPlaces Index:

Anniston – 77.2

Alabama – 82.3

USA – 100

Housing and accommodation is affordable. The average cost of buying a house in Anniston as well as renting a residential property / apartment is lower than the state and national average. The average rent is about 55% of the median income, about $598. The median price of a home as measured by BestPlaces and AreaVibes is $94,900 and $98,500 respectively. However, you can find houses for sale ranging from $20,000 to $250,000. The price of homes depends on the location, material specifications, design and whether they are old or newly built homes. Property developers and home builders like Clayton Homes provide a wide range of newly constructed dwellings which among them includes brick and manufactured mobile homes.

Cons

Anniston has a bad reputation as a city with the highest rates of violent crime per capita in the USA. It is number 1 on the list of the Top 25 Most Violent Cities in America. This is one good reason why you would not want to settle in Anniston, although Oxford, the neighbouring city in the Metropolitan Area is much safer and highly rated.

Anniston has some of the worst schools in Alabama which have been relegated to the State Failing List for a long time.

The market value of homes in Anniston has depreciated significantly over the past years, making it difficult to sell your house at or above the original purchase price.

The City Council of Anniston is fraught with mismanagement and governance problems, which among them includes financial problems and squabbling between East and West Anniston council members.

Major industrial companies which once provided employment to many people in the state have closed down and moved elsewhere.

The city hardly attracts investors in property development, with many investors opting to set up business and build properties in the nearest town of Oxford. New housing developments like the 150-unit Village at the Springs and the 12-unit Lonesome Pine in Choccolocco are some of the few you will ever find in Anniston.

Secession movements have grown in the past few years, with residents in East Anniston calling for de-annexation which would result in the breakup of Anniston into two cities.

Established in 1883, the city which is dubbed the “Model City” on its municipality seal is facing deterioration and a dwindling population. Relocating elsewhere seems to be a trend. Is it because of the problems listed above?

Anniston Neighbourhoods

• White Plains / Choccolocco
• Cobb Town / West End Anniston
• Bush
• Eulation
• Saks
• Blue Mountain
• Golden Springs
• Henry Rd / Fairway Dr
• Pelham Heights / Sherman Heights
• Christine Av / E 15^th St

Building Cost Per Square Foot in City of Anniston, Alabama, USA – Single Family Homes, 4 Corner House

As shown on the bar graphs below, for all quality classes, the cost per square foot of single-family homes seems to follow the same curve, with the building cost rate being higher for the smallest floor area and progressively declining as the size of floor area increases. Thus, a dwelling with the largest floor area has the smallest building cost per square foot.

Bar Chart – Class 1 Luxury Single Family Houses in Anniston Alabama – Building Cost

MIN – $317.30 per sqft  – 5,000+ square foot home
MAX – $486.40 per sqft – 700 square foot home
AV – $374.46 per sqft – 1800 square foot home

This cost trend is perfectly suited for the building contractor who needs to make a reasonable profit from small homes. A higher building cost rate means a higher profit for the contractor, but this doesn’t mean the dwelling is overpriced for prospective buyers. The house will remain quite affordable, within the market range and even cheap for the buyer, and at the same time, its cost will be commensurate with the contractor’s profit margin. In summary, small houses have a higher profit mark-up and big houses have a smaller profit mark-up. (A mark-up is the percentage of profit that is due to the contractor).

Bar Chart – Class 2 Semi Luxury Single Family Houses in Anniston, Alabama – Building Cost

MIN – $192.84 per sqft – 5,000+ square foot home
MAX – $295.60 per sqft – 700 square foot home
AV – $227.57 per sqft – 1800 square foot home

Bar Chart – Class 3 Best Standard Single Family Houses Anniston, Alabama -Building Cost

MIN – $124.66 per sqft – 5,000+ square foot home
MAX – $189.35 per sqft – 700.00 square foot home
AV – $145.95 per sqft – 1800 square foot home

Bar Chart – Class 4 Good Standard Single Family Houses Anniston Alabama Building Cost

MIN – $90.98 per sqft – 5,000+ square foot home
MAX – $139.52 per sqft – 700 square foot home
AV – $107.37 per sqft – 1800 square foot home

Bar Chart – Class 5 Average Standard Single Family Houses Anniston Alabama Building Cost

MIN – $73.85 per sqft – 5,000+ square foot home
MAX – $113.10 per sqft – 700 square foot home
AV – $87.08 per sqft – 1800 square foot home

Bar Chart – Class 6 Minimum Standard Single Family Houses Anniston Alabama Building Cost

MIN – $58.25 per sqft – 5,000+ square foot home
MAX – $89.28 per sqft – 700 square foot home
AV – $68.71 per sqft – 1800 square foot home