Greater Athens area Sales Trends and Market Data

Through August 20, 2009, performance in different sectors of our market;

		Homes Sold	$ Volume
Year To Date		% Change	% Change
Oglethorpe		5.08%	-21.60%
Barrow		-35.73%	-47.55%
Jackson		-14.75%	-29.40%
Oconee		-28.98%	-36.99%
Athens-Clarke		-36.25%	-42.52%

Keep in mind that a decrease in sales volume doesn’t necessarily mean that prices have decreased. It does show that lower priced homes have been the norm to sell this year as opposed to last. Areas of the Athens market beating the norm are homes priced between $30,000-$69,999. Sales of homes in this price range have actually increased this year in terms of the number of homes sold. Hardest hit price points are from $180,000+ which have had a reduction in the number of homes sold within higher price ranges of anywhere from 50 to 81 percent during 2009. In Oconee County are seeing an increase for the year in sales up to $120,000 over last year and then decreases in sales figures as we start climbing over $200,000.

Areas we have seen life in during these summer months are between $200,000-$299,999. In this range we have seen an increase in the number of homes sold, as compared to last summer, of 19 homes sold versus 7 a year ago which is almost a 300% increase year over year. Also 3 out of 5 homes sold in Athens in the last two months were sold between $120,000-$180,000.