Athens Real Estate Market Update

Looking to sell a home in Athens, Georgia? Click here for a Home Price  Evaluation

Looking to buy a home in Athens, Georgia? Click here to perform a full home search

What is going on in the Greater Athens real estate market right now?

Is it a good time to buy, or a good time to sell?

If you’ve been thinking about selling, right now is the best time to sell in the last eight years. The market has risen, supply is low, and buyers are looking, which means prices are going up. In Oconee County, homes priced $350,000 and below are in a strong seller’s market. In Clarke County, homes priced $200K and below are also in a strong selling market. Buyers don’t have a lot to choose from.

If it’s a seller’s market, is now still a good time to buy? Yes! If prices continue to increase throughout the year as expected, now is the time to purchase a home before prices rise further. Of course, we don’t know what will happen next year. All we know is that right now, prices are rising. 

While average-priced homes are in a seller’s market, homes that are priced $400,000 or above are in a buyer’s market. There are plenty of homes for sale and not as many buyers because buyers are being a bit more conservative with their spending. 

This creates a perfect opportunity for the move-up buyer. If you want a home in the $400,000 to $500,000 price range, you can sell your $200,000 home in a seller’s market and purchase your new home in a buyer’s market. If you’ve been waiting to purchase that bigger dream home, now is the time!

If you have specific questions about your property or area, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

How to Get Your Offer Accepted

Looking to buy or sell a home in Athens, Georgia? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home,click here for a FREE Home Price  Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (706) 621-6085 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today I just wanted to talk with you for a moment about a trend we are seeing with Athens home buyers. As the days go by, we are seeing more and more of our buyers involved in multiple offer situations.

The reason for that is pretty simple, supply and demand. We are finding that in many price ranges and areas, there are simply not very many good homes for sale. This creates buyer interest and buyer activity. When a home does come on the market, there are multiple buyers waiting and diving in after it.

Multiple offers are a great thing if you’re a seller, but not so much if you’re buying. So, what can you do as a buyer in order to win out against other offers? Here are our best tips.

First things first, make the best offer you can. At least this way, you know you gave it your best shot. Price is the most important thing for most sellers, but terms are also very important as well. For example, if you can pay cash, that allows the seller to know you’re serious about buying and your offer isn’t contingent on any financing. Other terms you could manipulate in the seller’s favor include having a shorter inspection period and closing as quickly as possible. If the house is occupied, it makes sense to work with the seller on when they would like to close.

At the end of the day, it’s about the money, but it can be about more. There are a lot of different things you can do with terms and contingencies in a contract in order to make your offer strong. If you’re working with a professional agent, they will be able to tell you how to structure your deal so that your offer is its strongest.

If you have any questions for us, please give me a call or send me an email. I’d be glad to answer them for you.

What Can You Expect from Athens Real Estate in 2016?

Looking to buy or sell a home in Athens, Georgia? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home,click here for a FREE Home Price  Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (706) 621-6085 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

What did we see in the Athens real estate market in 2015? And what can we expect in 2016? We're going to find out today.

Our number of sales only rose by about 2% in 2015, but our average sales price rose over 7.5%. This includes all areas surrounding Athens, so this is great news for homeowners in the area!

However, when we look at just Clarke County, the number of transactions went way up and now sits around 1,500. The average sales price is just over $184,000.

In Oconee County, sales increased almost 21% and the average sales price rose 5.25% and now sits at $312,500.

So, what's going to happen in 2016? We're going to see prices continue to rise and more homes will be selling. Rising interest rates will push a lot of buyers onto the market, so it's going to be a great time to sell, but also a great time to buy. It looks like this year may be the best time to buy or sell in the last eight years.

Homes are getting more expensive, so if you're buying, it may be best to do so before May. If you lock in a low rate now, you can save thousands of dollars over the lifetime of your loan.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me!