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Athens, GA housing market

Athens, GA metro median sale price $398K in Jul–Sep 2026, up 9.2% year over year. Also days on market, price cuts, affordability and ZIP-code figures.

The median sale price in the Athens, GA metro is $398K over Jul–Sep 2026, up 9.2% from the same 3 months a year earlier. That is the 18th-largest year-over-year gain of the 383 U.S. metros Pecan Street ranks on this measure. FHFA's repeat-sales index for the metro shows a smaller change, up 1.0% through Q2 2026, 8.2 points apart; Price reconciliation below shows both.

On median sale price, Athens ($398K) ranks 3rd of the 14 Georgia metros Pecan Street tracks, between Gainesville ($399K) and Atlanta ($397K). On median days on market, Athens (68 days) ranks 8th of the 14 Georgia metros, between Albany (68 days) and Gainesville (67 days). On share of listings with a price cut, Athens (25%) ranks 13th of the 14 Georgia metros, between Valdosta (26%) and Brunswick (23%).

Listings spent a median 68 days on market in Oct 2026, more than in most of the 385 metros. 25% of active listings carry a price cut; the 3-month average vs a year earlier is 2.4 points lower. That share is the 34th-lowest of the 385 metros. Median asking prices sit about 8% above the median sale price. Building permits authorized 105 new housing units in Sep 2026.

At the 7.12% 30-year fixed rate with 20% down, principal and interest on a median-priced home come to $2,141 a month; at 28% of gross income, that takes about $92K a year. The median sale price equals about 21 years of HUD Fair Market Rent, a ratio up 17.6% from a year earlier. That ratio is the 26th-highest of the 373 metros. Active listings ask a median $215 per square foot; the 3-month average vs a year earlier is up 0.8%.

In six of the 11 ZIP codes in the table below, median list prices are lower than a year earlier; five are higher.

Headline

Median sale price

Jul–Sep 2026

$398K

+9.2% year-over-year

How it’s calculated

Average of the last three monthly median sale prices vs. the same three months a year earlier.

Mortgage rate

Nov 4, 2026

7.12%

30-year fixed

Where it comes from

National benchmark: Optimal Blue OBMMI 30-year conforming, via FRED. An average of rates borrowers have actually locked, updated daily.

The same rate appears on every market page.

Monthly payment

Principal & interest

$2,141/mo

$92K/yr income needed

How it’s calculated

Payment — this market’s median sale price with 20% down, on a 30-year fixed loan at the rate shown. Principal and interest only — no property tax, insurance, PMI or HOA.

Income needed — that payment at 28% of gross income. A rule of thumb, not a lending decision.

How Athens compares to other U.S. metros

Home-price growth↑18th of 383 (top 5%)
Price-to-rent↑26th of 373 (top 7%)
Price cuts↓352nd of 385
Days on market↑112th of 385 (top 30%)
Asking-vs-sale gap↑97th of 300 (top 33%)

Rank across the U.S. metros Pecan Street tracks, on market data alone — a higher rank means more of that measure (more price cuts, faster price growth, a wider asking-vs-sale gap, a higher price-to-rent ratio, or more days on market). The bar shows where this metro sits within that metric’s own cohort (left is more, right is less); ↑ and ↓ mark the positions furthest from the middle, and rows are ordered the same way. Metrics without data for this metro are omitted.

Affordability

Price-to-rent ratio≈ 21 +17.6% YoY
↑26th of 373 (top 7%)
Asking price / sq ft$215 +0.8% 3-month average vs a year earlier

Price-to-rent divides the median sale price by the annual HUD Fair Market Rent (a 3-bedroom, 40th-percentile benchmark), so it is a directional rent-vs-buy read, not a cap rate; its year-over-year change is directional in the same way. Asking price per square foot is the median across active for-sale listings (Realtor.com), as of Oct 2026. The bar under a figure places this metro among the U.S. metros we track on that measure, highest first.

Market pressure

Listings with a price cut≈ 25% -2.4 pts 3-month average vs a year earlier
↓352nd of 385
New housing units permitted105

The median asking price $429K runs about 8% above the median sale price $398K.

Price-cut share is the portion of active for-sale listings that have taken a price reduction (Realtor.com), as of Oct 2026. New housing units authorized by residential building permits in the metro that month — new supply in the pipeline, which counts of existing listings don't capture (US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey), as of Sep 2026. Asking is the median list price of active listings (Realtor.com, Oct 2026); sale is the headline median of recent closings (Redfin, Jul–Sep 2026) — distinct sources and windows, so the gap is a directional read, not a like-for-like difference. The bar under a figure places this metro among the U.S. metros we track on that measure, highest first.

Market facts

ZIPs with listing data11 shown of 17
MLS board of record—
Price methodologyRedfin vs FHFA HPI
Sale-price windowJul–Sep 2026

Recent signals

No signals flagged for this market right now.

Housing Economy

Athens · ConstructionCOPIED

Athens builders pulled 1.5% more single-family permits than a year earlier

Single-family building permits in the Athens metro area, by month, one line per year, units

AprJulOct4560759010520252026
AprJulOct4560759010520252026
2024
Chart data
Month202420252026
Dec5345—
Nov7176—
Oct8684—
Sep605966
Aug815556
Jul755375
Jun655164
May795574
Apr898959
Mar647170
Feb597367
Jan577668

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey · data through September 2026

Builders in the Athens metro area pulled 804 single-family permits in the twelve months through September 2026, 1.5% more than in the twelve months before. So far in 2026, permits are running 2.9% above the same months of 2025.

Why it matters. Permits come before starts, and starts come before new homes for sale, so this is the earliest read on how much new building is planned in the Athens area. When the permit pipeline shrinks, buyers see fewer new-build options later; when it grows, sellers of existing homes face more competition from builders.

Athens · Home pricesCOPIED

Athens home prices are 1.0% higher than a year ago, the weakest gain since the first quarter of 2013

Home prices in the Athens metro area, change from a year earlier, FHFA all-transactions index, quarterly, percent; shaded bars mark recessions

1990200020102020-9%0%9%18%27%Athens
1990200020102020-9%0%9%18%27%Athens
No changeRecession
Chart data
DateAthens
Jun 20261%
Mar 20262.2%
Dec 20252.7%
Sep 20252.3%
Jun 20257.5%
Mar 20258.5%
Dec 20244.8%
Sep 20248.2%
Jun 20246.8%
Mar 20246.8%
Dec 20238.9%
Sep 20235.2%
Jun 20237%
Mar 202314.6%
Dec 202217.3%
Sep 202223.2%
Jun 202224.7%
Mar 202221.4%
Dec 202122.3%
Sep 202118.5%
Jun 202114.7%
Mar 20217.6%
Dec 20207.8%
Sep 20206.1%
Jun 20206.9%
Mar 20207.7%
Dec 20196.9%
Sep 20196.4%
Jun 20196%
Mar 20198.4%
Dec 20187.1%
Sep 20189.3%
Jun 201810.5%
Mar 20187%
Dec 20177.2%
Sep 20176.3%
Jun 20175.4%
Mar 20176.9%
Dec 20168.1%
Sep 20166.5%
Jun 20166.5%
Mar 20166.9%
Dec 20153.5%
Sep 20154.9%
Jun 20155.8%
Mar 20152.8%
Dec 20145.5%
Sep 20145.3%
Jun 20143.6%
Mar 20146.3%
Dec 20134.4%
Sep 20131.5%
Jun 20131.6%
Mar 2013-1.3%
Dec 2012-2.1%
Sep 2012-2.2%
Jun 2012-4.2%
Mar 2012-4.5%
Dec 2011-8%
Sep 2011-7.6%
Jun 2011-7.8%
Mar 2011-8.4%
Dec 2010-3%
Sep 2010-3.4%
Jun 2010-5.2%
Mar 2010-4.6%
Dec 2009-5.7%
Sep 2009-2.7%
Jun 2009-1.6%
Mar 2009-1.7%
Dec 2008-0.6%
Sep 2008-2.2%
Jun 20081.5%
Mar 20081.3%
Dec 20072.2%
Sep 20074.2%
Jun 20073.3%
Mar 20075%
Dec 20064.1%
Sep 20064%
Jun 20063%
Mar 20064.3%
Dec 20053.5%
Sep 20053.1%
Jun 20054.8%
Mar 20054.4%
Dec 20046.4%
Sep 20046.4%
Jun 20045.6%
Mar 20045.7%
Dec 20033.8%
Sep 20033.3%
Jun 20034.5%
Mar 20034.4%
Dec 20025.5%
Sep 20026%
Jun 20025.7%
Mar 20024.7%
Dec 20016.2%
Sep 20016.2%
Jun 20017.7%
Mar 20017.8%
Dec 20006%
Sep 20006.6%
Jun 20004.7%
Mar 20006.8%
Dec 19996.7%
Sep 19996.3%
Jun 19996%
Mar 19994.8%
Dec 19984.9%
Sep 19984.4%
Jun 19984.6%
Mar 19986%
Dec 19974.8%
Sep 19976.3%
Jun 19975.4%
Mar 19974.1%
Dec 19964.8%
Sep 19963.6%
Jun 19965.5%
Mar 19966%
Dec 19956.6%
Sep 19956%
Jun 19954.6%
Mar 19953.8%
Dec 19944.3%
Sep 19944%
Jun 19944.3%
Mar 19944.4%
Dec 19933.4%
Sep 19932.3%
Jun 19932%
Mar 19932.7%
Dec 19922.8%
Sep 19922.8%
Jun 19924%
Mar 19921.4%
Dec 19913.4%
Sep 19912.9%
Jun 19911.3%
Mar 19912.9%
Dec 1990-2.1%
Sep 19901.1%
Jun 19902.5%
Mar 19904.3%
Dec 19896.4%
Sep 19895.5%
Jun 19891.5%
Mar 19890.5%
Dec 19883.9%
Sep 19883%
Jun 19884.2%
Mar 19885.2%
Dec 19872.9%
Sep 19870.7%
Jun 19874.6%
Mar 19873.9%
Dec 19863%
Sep 19865.3%
Jun 19862.8%

Source: FHFA house price index; recession dates from NBER · data through Q2 2026

FHFA's all-transactions index for the Athens metro area in the second quarter of 2026 was 1.0% above its level a year earlier. Since 1986, prices have risen an average of 4.5% a year. That is the weakest reading since the first quarter of 2013. Nationally, prices were 3.0% higher than a year earlier.

Why it matters. Long-run context shows how the latest change in Athens home prices compares with the market's own history, including the recessions shaded on the chart. When appreciation slows, sellers have less room for a list price to run ahead of recent sales, and buyers feel less pressure to stretch to keep up; when it speeds up, the reverse holds: list prices can run ahead of recent sales and buyers compete harder.

Price reconciliation

red · 8.2pp

Redfin (metro)

+9.2%

FHFA HPI · Q2 2026

+1.0%

Year-over-year home-price change from two independent methods — Redfin (sale prices over the last 3 months) and FHFA (quarterly repeat-sales index). When they diverge, the market is mid-shift; cite the figure with that in mind.

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ZIP-level data

ZIPMedian list priceActive listingsNew listingsPrice reductionsDays on marketHome value
30601$402K↑94↑12↑20↑68↓$306K↑
30605$330K↓212↑40↑48↑60↓$324K↑
30606$440K↑266↑40↑72↑73↓$372K↑
30621$775K↓40↑8↓4↓99↑$613K↑
30622$542K↓72↑8↓8↓71↓$491K↑
30628$385K↓31↑4↓12↑74↓$330K↑
30629$349K↓28↑4↑12↑47↓$307K↑
30633$362K↑334↑16↑50↓$322K↑
30646$380K↑38↑8↑20↑51↓$336K↑
30677$684K↑110↓16↓16↓74↓$521K↑
30683$379K↓40↑4↑8↑80↑$330K↑

ZIP figures from Realtor.com listing data; home value from Zillow ZHVI. ZIP codes shown have the most complete listing-data history and active for-sale inventory in this metro; the latest available month is shown per ZIP. Arrows show the direction of each figure against the same three months a year earlier; no arrow means the change rounds to zero or the comparison isn't available.