Important info for home sellers in the Greater Atlanta area

We're bullish on the spring '25 Atlanta real estate market. Now that the "interest rate" situation appears over and the election is done, this market can get back to being boring. Boring real estate is good, boring housing markets are safe and predictable. Significant challenges remain, but with the election over what appears to be an end to the "Fed Watch" on rates, things should settle down. One unknown is how agent compensation is received now that it is in effect. Q4 was the roll out, this spring will be a chance to see how that plays in a busy market. 

No crystal ball but 35 years of sales and appraisals provide a pretty good "gut" feel for things. We're all in, leaning on that Blue Bell powered gut and three years of Atlanta housing market data.…

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“Why didn’t mortgage rates drop when the Fed cut the discount rate?” A simple question with so many variables that even experts can’t agree. The focus seems to always be on “the Fed”; how does all of the economic news impact decisions made by the Federal Reserve? Through most of 2024, all eyes were on the Fed as everyone wondered if they would cut rates. They finally did in Sept and again in Nov…and mortgage rates, well, they remain about where they were. So, what happened? But, did anyone (other than the disingenuous media) really think rates were getting into the 5's or lower? No one here, nor anyone associated with legitimate real estate organizations, did. 

The Fed & Rates

The Federal Reserve does not directly set mortgage rates. When the Fed…

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The bite is severe and it’s going to get worse. HOA issues are on the rise, but the vitriol directed at them is not always justified. Homeowner associations exist to maintain property and community standards; to ensure that owners, their properties, and community property, meet agreed upon standards. Over the last several years, many HOAs have been financially stressed and that stress is being passed to residents. The catalyst was the Surfside Condo collapse, the mismanagement there was a clarion call to many. 

Increasing HOA Fees

HOA fees in Greater Atlanta increased by 12.2% from 2022 to 2024; that was about the median across the country. Two main reasons are behind ever increasing monthly fees; inflation and maintaining adequate reserves. The…

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Looking good. That's the short "to the point" summary of the greater Atlanta real estate market for the 3rd quarter of 2024. Fluctuations? Of course, but real estate is not the stock market and it must be looked at over several quarters to allow enough time for patterns to develop. Q3 especially; July sees closings from May and June, but vacations slow buyer activity. School cranks up in August, always slow as everyone adjusts. Labor Day signals the start of the fall market for the last few weeks of the quarter. It's a challenging but predictable pattern, which is why it's best to compare Q3 '24 to the previous ones. This data here considers the Atlanta real estate market as the counties of Fulton, Cobb, Cherokee, Dekalb, Forsyth, and Gwinnett.

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As the Greater Atlanta real estate market continues to stabilize, Atlanta home sellers must adjust to the balancing market. The Fed mission of slowing the post pandemic nonsense was achieved; this market is largely balanced. Inventory challenges remain of course, but for sellers, it’s no longer “name your price”. While a few sellers in select areas maintain some sway, the majority will either listen to the market or see their homes sit. Don't be stubborn, the Greater Atlanta real estate market is returning to the more predictable, pre-pandemic patterns.

Atlanta Real Estate Inventory

  • The spring/summer ’24 market saw the highest listing inventory in several years
  • Homes going under contract were slightly below previous years
  • Closed…

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A few weeks in and the lawsuit real estate commission policies from the NAR settlement are not having a noticeable local impact. In Georgia, the changes are mainly administrative and have most to do with advertising buyer agent compensation. Buyer brokerage agreements were required prior to the settlement, so not a big change there. The main changes in Georgia were added transparency in the forms, further clarity on payment of agent compensation, and that MLS services no longer advertise if the seller is offering buyer agent compensation.

And because the MSM is not accurately detailing things - sellers have not stopped offering buyer agent compensation. We have not had a single occurrence, nor have any of the agents in our orbit. Our sellers…

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Inept real estate agents cost clients thousands and thousands of dollars. This is often self inflicted; buyers and sellers select agents without proper vetting and research. They remain with them despite poor communication, poor performance and they fail to hold their agent accountable. From inept data analysis, contractual gaffs, improper transaction management and things that you cannot imagine...hack agents cost their clients thousands.

Money Lost on Closing Costs

Here's a very common buyer agent gaff, leaving money on the table. It's also a great example of the buyer's agent NOT working closely with the lender. We listed this investor home at 215K, the buyer was using a conventional loan and putting less than 10% down. The offer came over with a…

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The Atlanta real estate market remains strong despite the rates. We now have two full years of data since the rates jumped, two spring markets to review. While the expected drop in numbers occurred, values have not missed a beat. To be fair, the "metro Atlanta" region is far to large and diverse to paint with one brush. However, this data is useful in providing a good indicator of macro trends. Every submarket is different, as is every type and price point. Success is found by working with skilled professional agents, not some hobby hack agent with ten other side hustles. Below is a review of the six major metro counties and all price points.

Atlanta Home Prices Are Still Increasing

Higher interest rates are not slowing home appreciation in Atlanta.…

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Hey home buyers, they’ve been lying to you. They; the main stream media, the laughingly called "economic experts", the "real estate industry experts"…all of them. Straight up gaslighting you. Telling you about dropping rates, dropping prices and increasing inventory. They're straight up BS'ing you.

Buy the home now, it's not getting easier. Home prices are not substantially dropping any time soon. Not if rates drop, not if supply modestly increases and damn sure not due to the much ballyhooed “commission” changes. Buyers waiting for prices to substantially drop are wasting time and losing money. Sounds like the typical hack agent line, but serious buyers need to accept things and get it done. The cavalry isn't coming, no one is coming.

Gaslighting…

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About two years ago this month, Atlanta real estate and interest rates started a very complex relationship. The Fed slammed the brakes on low rates, and despite the initial wobble, the Atlanta real estate market found stability and firm ground. There was pain of course, many buyers were eliminated and the withdrawals from those low rates is still being felt. Two years in, we have enough data to evaluate the impact of the rate jump; the questions of “how much, how many, and how long” can be answered at this point. Comparing Feb '24 to Feb '23 and Feb '22 (six main metro counties); we see how hard those rate increases hit in '22 and how the market adjusted through '23.

Home Prices in Atlanta Continue to Rise

Median prices fluctuate as they do in every…

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