North Georgia Markets

The mountains of North Georgia are an easy escape from Metro Atlanta and a popular destination for Atlantans to vacation, relocate, or purchase a second home. This area is best known for its natural beauty and cities like Blue Ridge, Ellijay, Mineral Bluff, and Blairsville. It includes Murray, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns, and Rabun Counties. It offers the views and outdoor adventures of places like Highlands and Cashiers, with a more affordable price tag and an easier commute from Atlanta.

Most of the homes in North Georgia are single-family homes. For buyers looking to host guests— either as a rental or a second home— houses with scenic views, multiple bedrooms, new construction, and amenities like balconies and fire pits are in high demand.

Fannin County—home to the scenic towns of Blue Ridge and Mineral Bluff— is perhaps the best known part of the region and often the first stop for buyers interested in purchasing a home in North Georgia. After a red hot market in 2020 and

2021, sales volumes and prices have begun to cool. The average sale price in Q3 and Q4 2022 was down 4.1% year-over-year, but still up a whopping 77.9% since the same period in 2019, nearly double the price growth in Metro Atlanta during that time. With an average sale price of $700,800, it is not only the most expensive place to buy a home in North Georgia, but pricier than the average home in any Metro Atlanta county too. Closed sales were down 10.9% year-over-year in the second half of 2022, a more gentle decline than the 29.5% decrease in Metro Atlanta, showing continued interest in the area.

Nearby, Gilmer County and the Ellijay area have also grown in popularity and have retained a more affordable price point, with an average sale price of $450,681 in Q3 and Q4 2022. It has also seen tremendous price growth, up 11.4% year-overyear and a total of 64.9% since the same period in 2019. Gilmer County’s combination of desirability and affordability mean buyers have continued to move to this area. Gilmer was the only county in North Georgia or Metro Atlanta to post increased year-over-year sale in the higher interest rate environment of late 2022, with closed sales up 4.6% year-over-year.