Sales Volume, New Listings Jump as Atlanta Embraces Spring
Atlanta’s housing market continued to warm up in March with sizable increases in both sales volume and newly listed homes for sale. While the increase in listings is a step in the right direction, experts like Georgia MLS Chief Marketing Officer John Ryan say that the market still needs more homes for sale for buyers and sellers to have equal bargaining power. “We are seeing some signs of improvement, but the market is still challenged,” said Ryan in a recent article by the AJC. Despite the listing gap, market activity is still forecasted to accelerate in the coming months. Continue reading for a detailed analysis of key metrics and visit the Georgia MLS Market Statistics Page to view historic metrics since 2019.
Sales Volume
Georgia MLS agents sold $3.76 billion in residential volume across our membership footprint during March (-0.5% y/y, +24.8% m/m).
- Atlanta MSA: $2.87 billion (-3.1% y/y, +24.8% m/m), 6,056 units sold (-11.9% y/y, +19.5% m/m)
- Atlanta Core: $2.41 billion (-3.6% y/y, +26.8% m/m), 4,859 units sold (-13.2% y/y, +20.6% m/m)
March’s increase in sales volume follows a month of unseasonably high market activity in February, indicating high demand as we head into the busiest months for the housing market. Still, the overall lack of inventory and lingering high interest rates are holding the market back from peak performance. As rates stabilize or decrease in the coming months, a much-needed boost of inventory will likely come onto the market.
Sales Price
The median price of a home rose in March for the second straight month. The scarcity of listings in Atlanta means that more buyers are bidding against each other – driving up the price of homes. The median sales price across Georgia MLS increased by 1.7% from February to $366,000 in March (+4.6% y/y, +1.6% m/m).
- Atlanta MSA: $390,000 median sales price (+6.5% y/y, +1.3% m/m)
- Atlanta Core: $402,000 median sales price (+6.6% y/y, +1.0% m/m)
Inventory
The number of new and active listings continued to grow in March as the Atlanta housing market fortifies its inventory in preparation for its busiest sales months. Although metro Atlanta still needs more listings for a balanced market, inventory is slowly but surely headed towards more ideal levels – active listings in March were 30.6% higher than this same time last year. 13,598 new listings came onto the market in March (+9.8% y/y, +10.6% m/m) with 23,028 total active listings (+30.7% y/y, +5.2% m/m).
- Atlanta MSA:
- 9,925 new listings (+9.9% y/y, +10.0% m/m)
- 15,833 active listings (+29.1% y/y, +5.6% m/m)
- Atlanta Core:
- 8,112 new listings (+11.3% y/y, +9.8% m/m)
- 12,689 active listings (+33.8% y/y, +6.0% m/m)
As the market continues to work toward a better balance between supply and demand, the potential is high for strong spring and summer sales seasons – but agents will have to be more proactive than ever to make sure their clients are left feeling satisfied with their decision to buy or sell. Explore our resources, products, and services available to Georgia MLS members to help give you a competitive edge.
As always, Georgia MLS is committed to supporting real estate professionals across the state. If you have any questions, please call us at 770-493-9000 or email membership@gamls.com.