Home style shapes Atlanta housing prices
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In metro Atlanta real estate, there's location, location, location — and also looks, looks looks.
Why it matters: How your future abode looks plays a role in how much you might have to pay, sometimes to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars, Realtor.com finds.
Zoom in: English-inspired homes — larger houses you might find in Buckhead or the suburbs — and Mediterranean styles fetch the highest amount, according to the website's study.
Yes, but: The hottest homes on the market aren't the showiest — they're the ones buyers can still afford.
The big picture: Ranch and colonial/tradition houses are most within reach for buyers looking for a lower price point (partly because the style is the most common on the market).
Fun fact: DeKalb County's focus on roadbuilding dating back to the late 1800s prepared the once-rural county to accommodate post-World War II growth, making it one of the country's ranch home hotspots.
- In 2010, then DeKalb Commissioner Jeff Rader launched the Ranch House Initiative to document the home style's role on the county's growth. Read a PDF of the initiative's report
What they're saying: "In general, higher-price home styles have appreciated less than lower-priced styles in the past year, a nod to economic and policy uncertainty as well as the rising cost of ownership," Realtor.com's Hannah Jones wrote in the report.
Reality check: No matter the look, home prices have soared since the pandemic.
- The median U.S. home sold in the first quarter cost roughly $417,000 — 33% more than in 2019, according to federal data.