Metro Atlanta home prices recovered three years of value in 12 months, rising steeply in a closely watched metric.

The increase is a further sign that the housing market is improving in the region. But the area’s prices remain below 2000 levels.

Local home prices were up 16.5 percent year-over-year in February, according to data from the S&P/Case-Shiller home sale price report. The increase means that metro area houses are now worth what they were in the summer of 1999. At their worst, in February 2012, area home prices fell to mid-1996 levels.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Ultralong 84-month loans make new cars look budget-friendly. The real price shows up in interest and negative equity. (David Guralnick/The Detroit News/TNS)

Credit: TNS

Featured

Waymo autonomous vehicles operate across 65 square miles inside I-285 and have been involved in six incidents with Atlanta Public School buses since May. Waymo issued a recall because of their cars briefly stopping or slowing down before continuing forward while a bus was stopped and flashing its lights. (Courtesy of Atlanta Public Schools)

Credit: Courtesy of Atlanta Public Schools