Atlanta appreciation rates and housing market information

Atlanta housing market information

With a population of 416,629, 186,998 total housing units (homes and apartments), and a median house value of $229,714, Atlanta real estate is some of the most expensive in Georgia, although Atlanta home values aren't among America's most expensive.

single-family detached homes are the single most common housing type in Atlanta, accounting for 42.68% of the city's housing units. Other types of housing that are prevalent in Atlanta include large apartment complexes or high rise apartments (41.00%), duplexes, homes converted to apartments, or other small apartment buildings (11.89%), and a few row houses and other attached homes (3.94%).

People in Atlanta primarily live in small (one, two, or no bedroom) single-family detached homes. Atlanta has a mixture of owner-occupied and renter-occupied housing.

At the end of World War II, American soldiers returned home triumphant and, with the help of the GI Bill, built homes by the millions on the edges of America's cities. These homes were predominantly capes and ranches, modest in size, but built to house a growing middle-class as the 20th century became the American century. Atlanta's housing was primarily built during this period, from the '40s through the '60s. A full 49.06% of the city's housing hails from this era. Other housing ages represented in Atlanta include homes built between 1970-1994 (27.57%), and housing constructed from 1939 and earlier (16.78%). There's also some housing in Atlanta built between 1995 and later (6.59%).

Vacant housing appears to be an issue in Atlanta. Fully 10.03% of the housing stock is classified as vacant. Left unchecked, vacant Atlanta homes and apartments can be a drag on the real estate market, holding Atlanta real estate prices below levels they could achieve if vacant housing was absorbed into the market and became occupied. Housing vacancy rates are a useful measure to consider, along with other things, if you are a home buyer or a real estate investor.

Atlanta home appreciation rates

Appreciation rates for homes in Atlanta have been tracking above average for the last ten years, according to NeighborhoodScout data. The cumulative appreciation rate over the ten years has been 90.35%, which ranks in the top 30% nationwide. This equates to an annual average Atlanta house appreciation rate of 9.03%.

Appreciation rates are so strong in Atlanta that despite a nationwide downturn in the housing market, Atlanta real estate has continued to appreciate in value faster than most communities. Looking at just the latest twelve months, Atlanta appreciation rates continue to be some of the highest in America, at 2.69%, which is higher than appreciation rates in 72% of the cities and towns in the nation. Based on the last twelve months, short-term real estate investors have found good fortune in Atlanta. Atlanta appreciation rates in the latest quarter were at 2.85%, which equates to an annual appreciation rate of 11.40%.

Importantly, this makes Atlanta one of the highest appreciating communities in the nation for the latest quarter, and may signal the city's near-future real estate investment strength.

Relative to Georgia, our data show that Atlanta's latest annual appreciation rate is higher than 74% of the other cities and towns in Georgia.

One very important thing to keep in mind is that these are average appreciation rates for the city. Individual neighborhoods within Atlanta differ in their investment potential, sometimes by a great deal. Fortunately, you can use NeighborhoodScout to pinpoint the exact neighborhoods in Atlanta - or in any city or town - that have the best track record of real estate appreciation, by the latest quarter, the last year, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, or even since 1990, to assist you in making the best Atlanta real estate investment or home purchase decisions.