Market trends and housing reports around North Atlanta

As the spring 2023 housing market around greater Atlanta picks up steam, in many areas it feels like deja vu all over again. The last two years were a ride for Atlanta area home buyers. Although low-interest rates were advantageous, a limited housing supply led to a grueling home buying experience. Atlanta area home sellers on the other hand, enjoyed historical sway and leverage. They could effectively name their price and state the conditions; buyers were willing to comply. Things changed fast, midway through ’22 rampant inflation and the Fed slammed on the brakes. Things quieted and the stage was set for the spring 2023 housing market in Atlanta.

Entering Q2 of 2023, there is no impending crash and many markets remain tight. While the larger market…

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Selling your home by owner, also known as For Sale By Owner (FSBO), is appealing to some in this exceptionally robust market. Not dealing with agents is nice, but can money be saved selling a home by owner? About 7% of homes nationally sold without a listing agent, of those over half were between parties that already had the transaction arranged.  Data shows that around 25% of FSBOs don't sell; and for those that do, they sell between 6%-26% less than agent assisted homes. Consider…

Buyer Agent Interaction

Some buyers' agents may be less inclined to show FSBO properties to their clients, knowing they will be doing double work, may receive a below average commission or even no commission. This might limit the pool of potential buyers for the…

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As we enter the final weeks of 2022, the national real estate market is catching its breath. Some markets remain in flux, others have started to level off already. Atlanta is one of the steady ones, and housing inventory in Atlanta will not jump in 2023. This is due to several reasons and while 2023 will likely continue the post pandemic “malaise”, the Greater Atlanta housing market remains one of the most stable in the nation. Greater Atlanta did not “zoom” up in value and activity. It went bonkers to be sure, but not to a completely unrealistic point. The region has been growing consistently over the last decade and while the bump was experienced, there is solid footing which will keep this market stable.

Atlanta Housing Inventory

Everything must…

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homebuyer regretWell add this to the list of “No chit Sherlock” observations coming out of the last two years. Seems that just over 70% of recent homebuyers have buyer’s remorse. In Feb '21 we noted that 44% of homebuyers had buyer's remorse, these new stats are bonkers. This number is a bit of a surprise and the reasons have to do with price but also with just about every other aspect of the buyer's transactions. Put politely, these buyers are now in a position that no one wants to be in…and they have only themselves to blame. Sure, the market over ’21 and the first part of ’22 was bonkers, competition was fierce. But how many of these mournful buyers made the cardinal sin of not qualifying their agent? Most of them.

Unqualified Real Estate Agents

So many…

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The pandemic induced hysteria around the Atlanta housing market is rapidly giving way to balance and with it, the return of a special type of nonsense. Some home sellers take things personal and can be reluctant to acknowledge the changing market; none of that applies to their home. Data clearly shows their home is aspirationally priced, buyers confirm it, and it sits idle. When challenged the agent and/or buyer drop the classic line..."the seller doesn't need to sell". 

Doesn't need to sell is one of the stupidest things anyone in real estate will say or hear. It's illogical and contrary; why is the home is listed? That answer is always along the lines of "that's what they want, that's what they have in it, or that's what they need". Oh OK.

The…

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Attention media! Please stop; the greater Atlanta housing market was just fine in the 3rd Qtr of 2022. Stop the insentient blathering about impending real estate Armageddon, the data is not there. The Atlanta housing market in Q3 2022 did not melt down. In fact, the data is nothing like the media would love for everyone to believe. Best to pay attention to legitimate major issues, starting with the recession and inflation.

Atlanta Housing Market in Q3 2022

Let’s have a look at factual data. Here are four charts that display the residential activity in the six major Atlanta area counties considered "Greater Atlanta", the lower left corner of each chart shows the criteria. We examine list price, contract price and sold price. Each chart compares the…

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Properly priced homes still command attention despite the ongoing Atlanta area housing market adjustment. The data into the 3rd Qtr of 2022 will show the pull back and move toward a balanced market, but as with everything real estate related, the devil is in the details. At the macro level, buyer activity slowed, days on market increased, months of inventory increased and the general balance of power is moving from sellers to a neutral position. On a granular level however, how homes are presented for sale makes all the difference.

Price & Appeal are Key

No market likes uncertainty, particularly real estate. As rates rose, the initial response of buyers was to sit on their hands, as the shock subsided they returned. However, they return to a market…

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All of the media outlets have already concluded the housing market is doomed. What if instead of the relentless, bombastic blathering emanating from the media, time was given for patterns to develop? What if the Atlanta real estate market isn’t going to crash? What if this is a period of adjustment and a return to normal? How effective is anticipating stock performance by watching the ticker and reacting every few minutes? What if we back out, let the situation develop and look for past patterns to anticipate future trends? Yeah, what ifs are risky and there are many variables. However when time is taken to consider the data, real estate falls into pretty consistent patterns.

To anticipate where the Atlanta area real estate market might go, it’s good…

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house on persons headThe great Atlanta real estate market adjustment of 2022 is upon us. As everything shifts, the main players are whispering around the water cooler...will low appraisals be a problem now? Probably not a bad question as the changes in quarter 2 of 2022 were dramatic. As the Fed fights rampant inflation, buyers are faced with dramatic rate increases and sellers with a comparative lack of activity. Lenders and appraisers are also impacted; both industries are circling the wagons just a bit tighter as everyone waits for this market to settle.

No More Appraisal Gimmies

The real estate market coming out of Covid from about fall of 2020 through spring of 2022 was an anomaly. The Fed held rates artificially low by buying billions of dollars of mortgage backed…

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The last two years have been a blur, so much so that "pre-covid" might be considered prehistoric. A meteor ended the run last time, killer inflation is ending the run this time. The Fed has to get control of this rudderless economy and the withdrawals from handouts and the free spending are here. The insane advantage enjoyed by home sellers over the last few years is ending, time for sellers to remember how to list a home for sale. That said, let's not misconstrue what we're looking at (as of the end of June '22 anyway); the Atlanta real estate market is not crashing. What we are seeing, are signs of a return to normal. What we are hearing are cheers from the buyers - the one's left in the game anyway.

The Charts

Here's a look at key indicators for…

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