Nearly 7 in 10 metro Atlanta homes sold below asking price in 2025

Metro Atlanta homes sold at a discount last year at the highest rate in a decade, another sign the market has tilted in favor of buyers.

In 2025, almost 69% of buyers bought homes below the original list price — the highest share since 2015. That’s according to new data from real estate brokerage Redfin for the 29-county metro Atlanta region.

Of the homes that sold below list price, the average discount was 7.3% in metro Atlanta, also the largest since 2015. This would translate to shaving about $30,000 off an average deal, based on Redfin’s reported median original list price of $409,900.

Consider that in 2021, when mortgage rates sank to historic lows, only about 35% of metro Atlanta homes sold below list price, when the typical discount was less than 6%.

“Atlanta is a good example of what we’re seeing nationally: buyers are scoring discounts more often because sellers outnumber buyers,” Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“In December, Atlanta had nearly 81% more sellers than buyers, giving buyers plenty of negotiating power and pushing more homes to sell below list price,” she said.

Last year, new listings surged in metro Atlanta, giving buyers more choices and less competition. However, many were still discouraged by high prices and mortgage rates, which kept homes on the market longer and sales sluggish in 2025.

“I am not calling it a buyer’s market, because where are the buyers? They can’t afford it,” Leslie Appleton-Young, chief economist of First Multiple Listing Service, a provider of property data, said Thursday during a real estate outlook event with the Atlanta Realtors Association.

Home prices have recently moderated after surging during the pandemic. Still, home prices are nearly 56% higher than six years ago, according to data from Georgia Multiple Listing Service for the 12-county metro Atlanta region.

Mortgage rates have recently fallen to some of the lowest levels in three years, which experts said should help affordability and bring more buyers off the sidelines. The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage is 6.09%, mortgage giant Freddie Mac said Thursday.

But homeowners who scored 2% or 3% rates just a few years ago are still reluctant to move, what’s known as the lock-in effect.

Also delaying big purchase decisions could be the cooling job market. Georgia gained 7,400 net jobs in 2025, the worst results since the pandemic. Stubborn inflation is also weighing on some households, especially those that earn less income.

“This is really going to be a lengthy recovery when you have affordability this tough,” Appleton-Young said. “Buyer response has remained muted,” especially for first-time buyers who are now a median age of 40, an all-time high.

Sellers, meanwhile, still remember the bidding wars and soaring prices of the pandemic era. Today, they may not be pricing their homes to the realities of the current market, experts said.

Beyond discounts, many buyers are also winning concessions such as money for repairs and assistance with closing costs.