For first-time home buyers or those looking for a starter home on a budget, many places in the southern states offer affordable home costs compared with the national average. However, when you take into account factors like a thriving job market, low cost of living, cultural opportunities and the like, we can’t recommend the Atlanta metro area enough as an excellent place to buy.
Why Buy a Starter Home in Atlanta?
Metro Atlanta is unique in that it offers most of the same opportunities and amenities of other major cities while still affording a relatively low cost of living. Even as Atlanta’s housing market flourishes and increases in value, there are still plenty of highly affordable neighborhoods – including those revitalized, chic niches. The job market is excellent, taxes are modest, the winters are mild, the music and film scenes are thriving and there are plenty of great things to see, do and eat — and best of all, your dollar goes much farther than the country’s top metro cities.
Best Neighborhoods to Find Affordable Homes
Must-have starter homes can be found in various parts of the city — even in more affluent areas like Buckhead. However, you’re likely to find the best selection of lower-cost homes in some of these neighborhoods:
- Old Fourth Ward: A historic neighborhood experiencing a renaissance, O4W offers a median home value of around $230,000, with two-bedroom homes starting in the mid- to high $100s.
- Midtown Atlanta: From historic single-family dwellings to high-rise condos, this area puts you in the heart of everything. Median home prices start at just under $270,000, and condos begin in the high $100s.
- Grant Park: One of Atlanta’s oldest neighborhoods, this community boasts beautiful, historic Victorian homes and bungalows. Median values are near $400,000, but there are many starter homes starting just under $200,000.
- Chamblee: A hidden gem of a neighborhood, Chamblee sits amid some of the most expensive real estate in Atlanta yet offers some remarkably affordable homes starting in the high $100s, with a median home value of just under $340,000.
If you are looking for a starter home in the South, you owe it to yourself to check out the Atlanta metro. To talk to one of our experienced agents, call Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty at 404.948.4812.