Alabama Center for Real Estate

What Alabama Center for Real Estate does

The Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) is a university-affiliated research center founded in 1996 and operated within The University of Alabama's Culverhouse College of Business in Tuscaloosa. ACRE produces statewide real estate market intelligence for Alabama, organized around four functional pillars: data (county, MSA, statewide, and FRED economic datasets), research (indices and monthly reports), teaching (industry events approved for continuing education credits), and service (the Collegiate Career Assistance Program and the newsroom).

Its core analytical products include the Alabama Residential Real Estate Index (AL RREI), the Alabama Commercial Real Estate Index, the Waller, Weeks and Johnson Rental Index, the Housing Affordability Index, the Real Estate Confidence Index, and the Alabama Housing Statistics Dashboard built on Tableau. Data is sourced through direct, long-standing partnerships with ten Alabama REALTOR associations and MLS providers, supplemented by collaborations with Texas A&M's Real Estate Center (rural land) and Florida Gulf Coast University (rental research). In 2025, ACRE analyzed 59,180 residential home sales, and the Q2 2026 AL RREI reading of 62.2 marked the tenth consecutive expansionary quarter.

ACRE's business model is freemium and university-funded: research, indices, and most data products are distributed at no cost via email subscriptions, website downloads, and association channels, with nominal fees only on archived reports sold through the UA ePay store. Commercial revenue is not disclosed and not material to operations; the center is sustained by The University of Alabama and Culverhouse College of Business, alongside modest event and report sales. Customer segments include practicing real estate professionals, Alabama real estate students, local real estate associations, and academic researchers and policymakers.

Name

Alabama Center for Real Estate

Legal name

Alabama Center for Real Estate

Website

https://acre.culverhouse.ua.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) is a 1996-founded University of Alabama research center providing statewide Alabama real estate indices, monthly market reports, dashboards, and data, serving 18,653 licensees, 1,395 firms, and 800+ students annually through association partnerships and industry events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Research and Market Intelligence

NAICS

Other Activities Related to Real Estate (531390)

SIC

Real Estate (6500)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate Market Research & Economic Advisory (Demand/Supply, Location Analytics) (BPAJANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Real Estate Investment Advisory (Acquisitions/Dispositions, Capital Allocation) (BPAJANAA), Land-Grant Public Research Universities (EDAHAAAB)

Keywords

• Real estate research
• Housing market data
• Market analytics
• Rental index
• Residential index

Headquarters

HQ city

Tuscaloosa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Publications and Reports: ACRE provides free research reports, monthly market analyses, and data downloads to subscribers. Reports cover residential, commercial, and opportunity zone research across Alabama markets. Some archived reports are available for purchase through the UA ePay store.
2. Continuing Education Credits: ACRE conferences and forums are approved for continuing education credits for real estate professionals.
3. Student Services - CCAP: The Collegiate Career Assistance Program (CCAP) connects students with firms providing experience and employment opportunities, with an associated support campaign (The 2630 Campaign).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ACRE is a university research center that publishes statewide Alabama real estate market research, proprietary sentiment indices (Alabama Residential Real Estate Index, Commercial Real Estate Index, Rental Index, Housing Affordability Index, Confidence Index), monthly housing market reports at the statewide, county, and MSA level, interactive Tableau data dashboards, and the Rural Land Sales database. It supplements research output with industry events offering continuing-education credits and the Collegiate Career Assistance Program (CCAP) for student career placement.

Product overview

The Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) is a university-based research center that provides a comprehensive suite of real estate market intelligence products and services. The core offerings include research indices (Alabama Residential Real Estate Index, Alabama Commercial Real Estate Index, Waller Weeks and Johnson Rental Index, Housing Affordability Index, Real Estate Confidence Index), data services (statewide, county, MSA, and FRED data), and interactive dashboards. ACRE also delivers housing market reports including Residential Market Snapshots, New Construction Reports, and Opportunity Zone Research, plus hosts industry events and operates the Collegiate Career Assistance Program (CCAP) for student outreach. The center focuses on providing data-driven insights for Alabama's real estate industry professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Alabama Residential Real Estate Index (AL RREI) A quarterly survey-based index measuring residential real estate market expectations for the upcoming quarter, with six key indicators creating a composite index of overall market conditions and outlook for Alabama's metropolitan areas. Targeted at real estate brokers, agents, lenders, and appraisers.
• Alabama Commercial Real Estate Index Index tracking commercial real estate market conditions and trends across Alabama. Serves commercial real estate brokers, investors, lenders, and appraisers.
• Waller, Weeks and Johnson Rental Index Rental market index tracking rental rate trends and growth across Alabama markets. Built in collaboration with Florida Gulf Coast University for the South and Midwest regions.
• Residential Market Snapshot Statewide residential market report providing monthly data on home sales, inventory, pricing trends, and forecasts across Alabama. Distributed to real estate professionals and subscribers.
• New Construction Report Monthly report tracking new home sales, inventory levels, median prices, and days on market for new construction across Alabama.
• Alabama Housing Affordability Index Index measuring housing affordability for Alabama based on median household income and mortgage rates.
• Alabama Real Estate Confidence Index (Residential Confidence Index) Index measuring confidence levels among real estate professionals regarding market conditions in Alabama.
• Statewide, County, MSA, and FRED Data Services Alabama real estate data products covering statewide metrics, county-level data, 12 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, Auburn-Opelika, Birmingham-Hoover, Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, Decatur, Dothan, Florence-Muscle Shoals, Gadsden, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa), and Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) indicators. Delivered as spreadsheets, slideshows, and Tableau dashboards.
• MSA Economic Snapshots Chicago Fed-sourced economic snapshots for Alabama metropolitan statistical areas showing local economic conditions.
• Alabama Housing Statistics Dashboard Interactive Tableau-based dashboard providing statewide housing statistics and market indicators visualization for Alabama.
• Collegiate Career Assistance Program (CCAP) ACRE's platform for serving the next generation of real estate talent by connecting students with firms that provide experience and employment opportunities, supported by The 2630 Campaign.
• Industry Events and Forums (Continuing Education) Annual real estate industry events and forums approved for continuing education credits, including the Real Estate Career Fair (9/15/2026), Rocket City Real Estate & Economic Forum (10/15/2026), River Region Real Estate & Economic Forum (11/4/2026), UA Real Estate Alumni Conference (11/19/2026), Southeast Alabama Real Estate & Economic Trends Forum, and ACREcom.
• Opportunity Zone Research Research focused on federally designated Opportunity Zones across Alabama for real estate investment analysis.
• Rural Land Reports Rural land sales database created in collaboration with Texas A&M University Real Estate Center, providing quarterly and annual data on average tract size, price per acre, and sales volume in Alabama back to 2005.

Quantifiable outcome

• 59,180 residential home sales analyzed in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alabama Association of REALTORScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1996Statewide collaboration for residential sales data and monthly market reports. Provides aggregate Alabama market data to ACRE for analysis and reporting.
• Shoals Area Association of RealtorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of monthly Shoals Area residential market reports including sales, inventory, pricing, and forecast data.
• Lake Martin Area Association of RealtorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative monthly reports including waterfront-only market analysis. Provides comprehensive Lake Martin area housing data.
• Calhoun County Board of RealtorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly reports covering Calhoun, Cleburne, and Talladega Counties. Data collaboration for residential market analysis.
• Baldwin RealtorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGulf Coast market partnership providing Baldwin County residential and condo market data for monthly reporting.
• East Alabama Board of RealtorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhenix City Area market data partnership for monthly residential sales reports.
• Mobile Area Association of REALTORScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMobile Area monthly residential market report collaboration including sales, inventory, pricing, and new construction data.
• Montgomery Area Association of REALTORScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMontgomery Area housing market data partnership for monthly reports and analysis.
• Greater Alabama MLScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBirmingham Metro Area data partnership providing MLS data for residential market analysis.
• Wiregrass REALTORScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWiregrass region market data collaboration for Dothan and surrounding area reports.
• The University of AlabamacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent institution providing academic infrastructure, accreditation (AACSB), and administrative support through Culverhouse College of Business.
• Real Estate Center at Texas A&M UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for rural land sales database providing quarterly and annual data, average tract size, price per acre for Alabama going back to 2005.
• Florida Gulf Coast UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on rental rate studies across the South and Midwest regions.
• ACRE Advisory BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry advisory board providing strategic guidance and industry perspective to ACRE research and initiatives.
• ACRE Industry PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal industry partnership program connecting ACRE with real estate industry stakeholders.
• ACRE 100 Leadership CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeadership council providing industry expertise and support for ACRE programs and initiatives.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Redfin: Technology-powered residential real estate brokerage publishing the Redfin Data Center with housing market statistics across U.S. metros including Alabama cities. Comparable to ACRE in producing residential real estate market data and indices, though at national scale and embedded within a brokerage business model.
• Zillow Group: Major online residential real estate marketplace with the Zillow Home Value Index and extensive market data covering Alabama and other states. Comparable to ACRE in publishing residential real estate indices and market statistics, but at national scale with a consumer-facing platform and advertising-driven model.
• CoStar Group: Leading commercial real estate information and analytics platform with extensive market data, listings, and analytics. Comparable to ACRE as a major provider of structured real estate market intelligence, but operating at global scale and focused on commercial rather than residential data with a paid subscription model.
• CoreLogic: Large-scale property data and analytics company serving mortgage, real estate, and insurance industries with nationwide datasets. Comparable to ACRE in producing real estate market intelligence and analytics, but at enterprise/industry scale with a paid B2B model rather than a free academic research model.
• Realtor.com: Operated by Move, Inc. (a News Corp subsidiary) in partnership with the National Association of REALTORS, providing nationwide residential listings and market data including Alabama. Comparable to ACRE as a real estate market intelligence source, but operating nationally with a listings-driven consumer platform rather than a research-center model.
• National Association of REALTORS Research Division: The research arm of the national REALTOR trade body producing housing market statistics, reports, and indices used industry-wide. Comparable to ACRE in producing authoritative real estate market intelligence, but at a national rather than state level, and tied to a major industry trade association rather than a university.

Direct peers

• Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics (UC Berkeley): University-based real estate research center at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business producing research, indices, and policy analysis. Comparable to ACRE as an academic real estate research body, though operating at a national scope and more research-oriented rather than market-data oriented.
• MIT Center for Real Estate: University-based real estate research and education center at MIT. Comparable to ACRE in the academic real estate research category, with broader national/international scope and a heavier emphasis on graduate education alongside research output.
• Zell-Lurie Real Estate Center (Wharton): University-based real estate research center at the Wharton School. Comparable to ACRE as an academic-affiliated research entity producing real estate market insights and indices, operating at a national/global scale rather than state-level.
• Texas A&M University Real Estate Center: University-based real estate research center at Texas A&M serving the state of Texas with market data, indices, and reports. Directly comparable to ACRE — same academic-affiliated model, same statewide scope, and already an active research partner with ACRE on the rural land sales database.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uaacre
• Facebookfacebook.com/acreua
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alabama-center-for-real-estate
• Instagraminstagram.com/acre_culverhouse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alabama Center for Real Estate