Atlanta’s housing market is improving, and most homeowners are personally reaping the benefits.
Home sales and prices are showing strong improvement throughout Metro Atlanta, and that progress has translated to greater returns for the area’s homeowners.
That was the surprising finding of RealtyTrac’s Q3 2015 U.S. Home Sales Report, which looked at the price gains homeowners received when selling their properties in the third quarter. According to the report, Fulton County home sellers saw a sizable 17 percent gain from their sale, or $37,830, while in the bordering counties, the returns were equally positive: 16.8 percent for Gwinnett (or $28,888), 12.4 percent for Cherokee (or $23,983), 11.7 percent for Cobb (or $23,971) and 9.2 percent for DeKalb (or $13,218).
Those price gains were consistent with the national average of 17 percent (or $40,658), which was an eight-year high. Furthermore, as our chart below demonstrates, Metro Atlanta home sellers are in much better shape than in 2010, when they experienced considerable, double-digit losses.
| County | Q3 2010 | Q3 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| Fulton | -19.4% | 17.0% |
| Gwinnett | -23.9% | 16.8% |
| Cherokee | -15.7% | 12.4% |
| Cobb | -15.0% | 11.7% |
| DeKalb | -28.0% | 9.2% |
| County | Q3 2010 | Q3 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| Fulton | -$45,213 | $37,830 |
| Gwinnett | -$50,163 | $28,888 |
| Cherokee | -$32,889 | $23,983 |
| Cobb | -$31,808 | $23,971 |
| DeKalb | -$41,123 | $13,218 |
Photo Credit: Creative Commons 3.0: John Phelan, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_house_on_Highland_Drive,_Peachtree_Park,_Buckhead_GA.jpg