Trending in North & Central Georgia

If you were thinking about buying or renting a home in North or Central Georgia this year, you have made a good choice. The real estate trends in 2018 have shown promising results for homeowners and buyers. Here are a few trends that we have observed within North & Central Georgia:

Mobile Apps

Nowadays it seems like everyone is doing their real estate browsing and shopping right from their cell phones. It is crazy to think that in the palm of our hand we have access to essentially all our real estate needs. From checking real estate websites, to browsing housing apps, it feels like there is nothing that our phones cannot provide for us. This is key for today’s real estate business. Think about it: your future home buyers have access to your listings 24/7 at an arm’s reach. You can reach home buyers easier than ever before.

Vacation Homes

More people are seeking out vacation homes and it goes hand in hand with the new tax reform bill. More often, people are finding they have extra money to put towards their vacation home of their dreams. North Georgia is a perfect vacation getaway with the beautiful mountains of Blue Ridge and the family friendly atmosphere. If it is simply renting out a vacation home for the summer, or purchasing a vacation getaway for all year round, people are seeking out North Georgia as their destination.

Baby Boomers Seeking Retirement Getaways

More and more baby boomers are looking past Florida for their dream retirement destination and looking at more options. North & Central Georgia are perfect alternatives to the overcrowded areas within Florida. According to Data USA, there are around 300 people aged 65 and older in Blue Ridge, GA, and this age group is 20% of the population. Even this couple is saying that Blue Ridge would be an ideal environment for their retirement,

“My husband and I recently went to Blue Ridge and checked it out as a possible retirement place. We didn’t really think it would would work, because it is so small. Boy were we surprised. The place had everything you need and more! It has breathtaking scenery, unique shopping, great restaurants, friendly and helpful people, shall I go on?” – Review by CuriousGeorge

Renting on the Rise

In Northern Georgia, renting homes instead of purchasing has become extremely popular. For example, In Blue Ridge, GA there is almost as many people renting properties as their are people owning homes. According to Niche, 45% of people in Fannin County are renters of homes, while 55% of people own their own homes. Millenials are finding it too hard to afford their own homes so they end up renting for way longer than past generations. The percentage of people renting single family homes in 2018 have risen almost twice as fast over previous years.

Decreased Selling Rate

In Northern Georgia, the selling rate has decreased by 15 percent since 2017. This is very important to the real estate market because when people are able to sell their house faster, it allows them to purchase a new home faster as well. Instead of last year in 2017, when it took around 100 days to close on a house deal, now it takes around 80 days.

So, if you were looking to invest in a new vacation home, or sell your home in North & Central Georgia take a chance and go for it this year. Your perfect real estate property is out there, you just have to go look for it. Contact Tracy Kwapis for your real estate needs. Tracy has over 15 years’ experience in the Real Estate market serving Central and North Georgia. You can contact her by email tracy@tracykwapis.com to get started looking for your new housing adventure.