Strong house price growth and an increase in inventory are just two reasons making the Atlanta real estate market a place you’ll want to invest in. The city’s got a lot going for it. You’ll see Atlanta on a number of impressive lists, one of which is its 11th spot in the Forbes “Best Places for Business and Careers” list. As one of the biggest cities in Georgia and a top business center in the US, you can expect a high-value real estate investment in Atlanta neighborhoods.
But if you want to invest in income property wisely, let’s first take a look at Mashvisor’s real estate data on the best Atlanta neighborhoods. We’ll cover general trends for these neighborhoods like price and average days on market. Also included are some key rental return on investment metrics for both rental strategies- traditional and Airbnb.
Best Neighborhoods in Atlanta 2019
Mashvisor’s analysis tools can help you evaluate real estate investments on the neighborhood, city, and state level. So if you want similar data for other US real estate markets, get access by signing up for Mashvisor now. We will talk about the performance of specific Atlanta neighborhoods, but let’s first give you a summary of the general rental market in Atlanta:
- Median Property Price: $421,824
- Price per Square Foot: $237
- Average Days on Market: 72
- Monthly Traditional Rental Income: $2,096
- Traditional Cash on Cash Return: 2.2%
- Monthly Airbnb Rental Income: $2,330
- Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 2.7%
- Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 48%
Upon first glance, you’ll look at these numbers and not really notice anything special about them. But when you analyze the housing market further, it really isn’t that difficult to find good neighborhoods in Atlanta.
Here are the top Atlanta neighborhoods you should be considering for a real estate investment:
1) Bolton Hills
- Median Property Price: $50,003
- Price per Square Foot: $69
- Average Days on Market: 15
- Monthly Traditional Rental Income: $1,080
- Traditional Cash on Cash Return: 11.4%
- Monthly Airbnb Rental Income: $1,843
- Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 19%
- Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 50%
2) Monroe Heights
- Median Property Price: $81,367
- Price per Square Foot: $77
- Average Days on Market: 94
- Monthly Traditional Rental Income: $1,543
- Traditional Cash on Cash Return: 11.5%
- Monthly Airbnb Rental Income: $2,607
- Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 17.7%
- Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 47%
3) South Atlanta
- Median Property Price: $193,918
- Price per Square Foot: $146
- Average Days on Market: 39
- Monthly Traditional Rental Income: $1,233
- Traditional Cash on Cash Return: 3.6%
- Monthly Airbnb Rental Income: $3,696
- Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 15.1%
- Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 55%
4) Mellwood
- Median Property Price: $96,000
- Price per Square Foot: $104
- Average Days on Market: 177
- Monthly Traditional Rental Income: $1,009
- Traditional Cash on Cash Return: 5.1%
- Monthly Airbnb Rental Income: $2,350
- Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 14.4%
- Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 49%
5) Southwest
- Median Property Price: $193,840
- Price per Square Foot: $122
- Average Days on Market: 58
- Monthly Traditional Rental Income: $1,288
- Traditional Cash on Cash Return: 2.9%
- Monthly Airbnb Rental Income: $3,959
- Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 14.4%
- Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 54%
6) Kings Forest
- Median Property Price: $205,925
- Price per Square Foot: $116
- Average Days on Market: 46
- Monthly Traditional Rental Income: $1,626
- Traditional Cash on Cash Return: 4.0%
- Monthly Airbnb Rental Income: $4,333
- Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 13.8%
- Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 46%
7) Laurens Valley
- Median Property Price: $192,984
- Price per Square Foot: $127
- Average Days on Market: 48
- Monthly Traditional Rental Income: $1,316
- Traditional Cash on Cash Return: 3.3%
- Monthly Airbnb Rental Income: $3,884
- Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 13.0%
- Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 51%
8) Norwood Manor
- Median Property Price: $120,986
- Price per Square Foot: $115
- Average Days on Market: 67
- Monthly Traditional Rental Income: $1,079
- Traditional Cash on Cash Return: 4.6%
- Monthly Airbnb Rental Income: $2,604
- Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 11.9%
- Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 63%
Based on our analysis and data, Atlanta real estate investors will have their best chances of finding success by buying an investment property in any one of these up and coming neighborhoods in Atlanta.
Do you want to start searching for an Atlanta investment property? If you have an account with Mashvisor, you can use our Atlanta neighborhood heatmap for a more interactive neighborhood search.
Now let’s talk a little bit more about the general state of the Atlanta housing market so we can understand what real estate investing looks like city-wide.
3 Things to Know About Atlanta Real Estate Investments
It’s a Buyer’s Market
Liked the data you saw on those top Atlanta neighborhoods? Well, softening market trends make buying a house in Atlanta right now a smart move. According to the Atlanta Realtors Association, housing inventory in the Atlanta metro comes up to 14,975 units, which is up 1.3 percent from July of 2018. Although June’s home sales were down 12.7 percent compared to last year, July saw better results. Sales for the month remained unchanged from last year to now, maintaining the same number from July 2018, which is 5,938. This shift to a cooldown in buyer demand could be good news for you. A drop in sales means homes for sale in Atlanta are staying on the market longer, and this gives you the advantage of leveraging housing conditions to negotiate a better real estate deal.
Home Values Have Been Steadily Rising
According to Zillow, home values in Atlanta neighborhoods throughout hit a low in 2012, but have been annually increasing ever since. The median home value in Atlanta for the summer of 2019 was $259,100. This is an 8 percent increase from the median value in the Atlanta housing market in the summer of 2018. Seeing as the nationwide median only increased 5.4 percent in that same period, we can say that the Atlanta metro housing market is going strong.
According to Redfin, the average selling price of homes in Atlanta neighborhoods is $305,000. This is 5.2 percent higher than it was last year. So all in all, the general consensus on Atlanta house prices and property values is that they will still be increasing but at a more slow and steady rate. This means by investing in Atlanta neighborhoods, you can get your hands on a valuable yet affordable income-producing asset.
No Serious Restrictions on Short Term Rentals
With Airbnb growing more and more every day, there’s a lot of buzz surrounding regulators wanting to add some restrictions on this developing industry. City officials are worried their neighborhoods will just end up being saturated by vacation rental businesses, with barely any full-time residents. And some cities have set some strict regulations, going as far as banning Airbnb from their communities. So is Airbnb legal in Atlanta?
Yes, it is. So far there’s no talk about bans of any kind for Airbnb Atlanta, so short term rental investors can rest easy. There are a couple of requirements like registering with the city for hotel and business licenses, proper zoning, and collecting occupancy tax. When investing in short term rentals, it’s always recommended to keep track of any new regulations or bills being proposed as they can ultimately affect your real estate investment.
If you want to start investing in Atlanta rental property, search for and analyze real estate investments with Mashvisor. Start out your 14-day free trial with Mashvisor now.