Q2 2026 · 18-County Metro Atlanta Macro
Market Heat Index · Regional
Quick Snapshot · All 18 Counties → full table in Counties tab
Price Distribution ($K)
Competition Score · All Counties
18 Counties · 18 shown
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| County | Region | Med. Price | DOM | Supply | Sale/List | ↓Price % | Competition | Trend |
|---|
Tight (65+)
Moderate (50–64)
Soft (<50)
DOM: 🔴 >30d 🟡 23–30d ⚪ <23d
ZIP Code Pulse · Any Georgia ZIP
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Price Distribution · 18 Counties (sorted high → low)
Days on Market Distribution
Competition Score Ranking (horizontal)
Supply (Months) vs Days on Market · Scatter
Each dot = one county. Hover for name. 🔴 tight · 🟡 moderate · 🟢 soft
Sale-to-List Ratio · All 18 Counties
Q2 2026 Investor Market Report · Valor Property Group
Executive Summary
- The 18-county Georgia market is showing a modest recovery from April lows — investor score moved from 24 to 28/100 in May. Average DOM tightened from 54 to 47 days and active listings grew to 30,709 while sold volume rose to 6,212. The market is still soft but directionally improving.
- Supply remains elevated at 4.94 months average — still well above the 3-month balanced threshold. However the composition has shifted: Tier 1 counties shrank from 9 to 3 (Clayton, Jackson, Walton) as several formerly soft counties absorbed inventory and tightened.
- The biggest story in May: Walton County dropped 12.2% in median sale price YoY — the sharpest correction in the 18. Clayton fell 6.0%, Paulding 5.2%. Meanwhile Forsyth bounced back into Tier 3 at competition 56, recovering from its April lows. The market is moving county by county, not uniformly.
- DeKalb remains the strongest market at competition 71 with only 37 DOM and sale-to-list at 99.8%. Fayette (57), Forsyth (56), and Cherokee (55) have all firmed up into Tier 3. For disposition, these four counties remain the fastest exit markets in the portfolio.
5 Whys · Why Does the Market Feel Dry for Investors in Q2 2026?
County-by-County Snapshot Cards
Relationships · Distribution · Contrast · Composition
Relationships — what moves together
- Competition ↔ Price YoY (strong positive — still holds): The 4 Tier 3 counties (DeKalb +10.7%, Cherokee -0.5%, Fayette +8.1%, Forsyth +6.1%) are holding or gaining price. The 3 Tier 1 counties (Walton -12.2%, Clayton -6.0%, Jackson -2.6%) are falling hardest. Competition score is your leading indicator for where prices are heading next.
- Months of Supply ↔ DOM (tighter correlation than ever): Walton at 6.3mo runs 47d DOM. Henry at 5.6mo runs 63d DOM. DeKalb at 4.9mo runs just 37d — its deep buyer pool absorbs even elevated supply. The outlier is DeKalb: high supply but fast velocity because intown demand is inelastic.
- Sale-to-List ↔ Negotiating Room: Walton at 96.7% S/L means buyers are getting 3.3% below ask. Jackson at 98.1%, Paulding at 97.7%, Clayton at 97.6% — all offer real negotiating room. DeKalb at 99.8% and Fayette at 99.7% offer almost none. Use S/L ratio as your offer anchor.
- Spring bounce effect: 8 counties tightened competition scores between April and May — Forsyth +23 points, Cherokee +15, Newton +27, Rockdale +12. Spring buyer activity is real. If rates hold, expect further tightening through June before softening again in summer.
Distribution — how the market is shaped
- Price range split: Clayton at $244K anchors the low end. Forsyth at $642K anchors the high. The $340K–$440K band holds 10 of 18 counties — Cobb, Gwinnett, Hall, Newton, Paulding, Barrow, Bartow, Clarke, Henry, Walton. This is where the most inventory sits and where investor deal flow concentrates.
- Competition is bimodal in May: A clear split between 4 tight counties (55–71) and 14 soft-to-moderate counties (28–53). Unlike April's uniform softness, May shows two distinct clusters — the premium intown and north corridor has firmed, while the exurban ring remains soft.
- DOM distribution tightened from April: April had zero counties under 30 days. May has two (Cobb 36, DeKalb 37, Cherokee 36). The 47–63 day range holds 10 counties. Progress is real but the majority of the market is still running well above 30 days — buyer leverage persists across most of the 18.
Contrast — where the divergence is sharpest
- DeKalb vs Walton — strongest vs weakest in May: DeKalb $389K, 37d DOM, competition 71, S/L 99.8%. Walton $375K, 47d DOM, competition 31, S/L 96.7%, price down 12.2% YoY. Nearly identical price points, completely opposite dynamics. The intown premium vs exurban discount is the defining tension in this market right now.
- Forsyth April vs May — fastest single-month recovery: April: competition 33, DOM 45, price -9.4% YoY. May: competition 56, DOM 38, price +6.1% YoY. A 23-point competition swing in 30 days. Spring brought premium buyers back to Forsyth faster than any other county. Shows how quickly these markets can rotate — watch it closely heading into summer.
- Jackson vs Newton — both east corridor, diverging sharply: Jackson $419K, 62d DOM, competition 28, price -2.6% YoY — still deeply soft. Newton $299K, 47d DOM, competition 53, price +8.8% YoY — bounced hard from April's lows. Same geography, Newton's lower price point attracted more spring buyers. Sub-$300K demand is more rate-resilient than mid-range.
Composition — where investor capital should look
- Tier 1 — Maximum leverage (3 counties, structural soft): Jackson (28), Walton (31), Clayton (34). Jackson at 62d DOM and -2.6% price YoY, Walton at 47d and -12.2% YoY, Clayton at 52d and -6.0% YoY. These didn't bounce in the spring recovery — they're structurally oversupplied. Sub-$420K entry, motivated sellers, real negotiating room.
- Tier 2 — Selective opportunity (11 counties, mixed): Hall (42), Paulding (41), Henry (40), Barrow (45), Bartow (45), Rockdale (46), Clarke (45), Douglas (49), Cobb (52), Newton (53), Gwinnett (52). Wide band — some of these (Henry at 63d, Bartow at 54d) are closer to Tier 1 conditions. Target 55+ DOM listings within these counties as the primary filter.
- Tier 3 — Disposition markets, not acquisition (4 counties): DeKalb (71), Fayette (57), Forsyth (56), Cherokee (55). These are your exit markets. If Valor holds properties in any of these four, May is a good month to list. Sub-40 DOM, buyers competing, S/L near or above 99%.
- Bottom line: Run two plays simultaneously. Acquire in Jackson, Walton, Clayton — sellers are genuinely distressed and spring didn't help them. List and exit through DeKalb, Forsyth, Fayette, Cherokee — the spring bounce brought buyers back. The market bifurcation is your edge right now.