The city of Macon attracts homeowners leaving Atlanta

With the current high interest rates, high housing prices in much of the country, and the fear of foreclosure, many people are refraining from entering the U.S. real estate market today. For this reason, many people are considering moving from large capitals to smaller cities where prices may be lower.

This is the case of Christina Mormann Burris, a resident of Atlanta, Georgia, who was approved for a $200,000 mortgage. However, when she started looking for houses in her neighborhood, everything was out of her budget.

Determined to find the property she wanted, she discovered that she could get her new home in Macon, a nearby city with a quiet lifestyle and considerably lower housing prices than Atlanta. There, Burris was able to fulfill her dream and purchase a property for $179,000 in 2022.

This is one of many cases, as according to data from the real estate agency Redfin, Macon has become the main destination for people moving from Atlanta, a trend attributed to the affordability of housing in Macon and the growing arts and food scene, among other factors.

Steve Solomon, owner and broker of Sheridan, Solomon & Associates, a real estate company in Macon, says that affordability is a key factor attracting homebuyers to the city, and while investors have been interested in Macon real estate for many years, there has been a significant increase in individual buyers since the COVID-19 pandemic. To give an idea, according to Redfin data, in July of this year 2024, the median sale price of homes in Atlanta was $429,995, while in Macon that figure was $179,450.

Another case is Lynsey Free, who bought a house in Macon for $55,000 in 2017 with the intention of using it as a rental property. But when the COVID-19 pandemic started, Free, who was living in Italy at the time, wanted to return to Atlanta, the city where she grew up, but ended up moving into the rental property to weather the pandemic. There she discovered the restaurants and the art scene in downtown Macon and fell in love.

And the city of Macon is making great strides; earlier this month, city officials approved a project to add parking, residential, and commercial spaces along Poplar Street, estimated to cost around $89 million. In May, Macon was also recognized by Main Street America for fostering around 120 new businesses downtown.

Both Christina Mormann Burris and Lynsey Free say they are very happy with their decision, as despite some bad reputation of the city of Macon, they say they have found a peaceful and family-friendly environment, with wonderful neighbors and a good school system that their children enjoy.

Available Foreclosures: 

Macon: 25 houses available 

Atlanta: 40 houses available

By Elías DaSilva | 13 de Noviembre de 2024.