Athens, GA Homes

Mortgage Rates Hit Record Lows for Three Consecutive Weeks

Mortgage Rates Hit Record Lows for Three Consecutive Weeks Over the past several weeks, Freddie Mac has reported the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropping to record lows, all the way down to 3.03%. Last week’s reported rate reached the lowest point in the history of the survey, which dates back to 1971 (See graph below): What does this … Read More

Impacts of Covid-19 on Athens Real Estate: The Good and The Bad

This area of the market has performed very well as I noted above. May and June were ahead of 2019 by 30% in pending home sales, and overall values appreciated by an average of 4% from 2019. Most of this gain was seen in homes under $600,000. In some cases, properties over $700,000 have seen a small drop in listing price, but those reduced prices are still in line with values from 2019. We have seen a pent-up demand drive a lot of this activity. Home buyers came out of the gates strong in May and so far the activity remains strong.

The Shocking News in the Unemployment Report

The Shocking News in the Unemployment Report Last Friday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released their May Employment Situation Summary. Leading up to the release, most experts predicted the unemployment rate would jump up to approximately 20% from the 14.7% rate announced last month. The experts were shocked. The Wall Street Journal put it this way: “The May U.S. jobless rate … Read More

Home Prices: It’s All About Supply and Demand

As we enter the summer months and work through the challenges associated with the current health crisis, many are wondering what impact the economic slowdown will have on home prices. Looking at the big picture, supply and demand will give us the clearest idea of what’s to come. Making our way through the month of … Read More

Housing Market Positioned to Bring Back the Economy

| ALL EYES ARE ON THE AMERICAN ECONOMY. AS IT GOES, SO DOES THE WORLD ECONOMY. WITH STATES BEGINNING TO REOPEN, THE QUESTION BECOMES: WHICH SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY WILL DRIVE ITS RECOVERY? THERE SEEMS TO BE A GROWING CONSENSUS THAT THE HOUSING MARKET IS POSITIONED TO BE THAT DRIVING FORCE, THE TAILWIND THAT IS … Read More

Property Tax Increases: Athens-Clarke County

I have been thinking about this for over a year now, and I think may have written a post about it last year.  I gave some thought to putting it off given the current climate and fear around the corona virus. However, I kind of think that maybe we could use another more normal subject … Read More

Athens Real Estate Update March 2020

Thankfully, it is not raining today in Athens.  I truly believe that the rainy weather has slowed the spring market here in town.  In recent years, the real estate market would usually heat up in January, but this year I feel like we were a little late getting underway.  I know a lot of realtors … Read More

Stories in Real Estate: Sellers Beware

Here in the Athens area, our real estate market has been very strong for the last couple of years. Currently, our inventory is low which has created a competitive market. In some cases, we see multiple offers and some properties might even sell over list price. However,

Athens Real Estate Update February 2020

The first month of 2020 is behind us and at this point the real estate market looks very similar to last January. The amount of sold homes in Clarke and Oconee county is almost even when compared to January of 2019. We feel the true numbers are above Jan 2019, because we have seen more and more properties sell off market, and these off market sales don’t always make it into the MLS

A Tale of Two Houses & Why Pricing Matters

The real estate market has been strong over the last several years especially here in Athens.  We have seen the supply and demand graph tilt way towards demand and home values appreciate quickly.  This has been great for homeowners but stressful for buyers.  And like I have said many times, “Trees Don’t Grow to the … Read More