Home buying is tough these days.
It’s still a seller’s market, meaning there’s more demand for homes than what’s available. That translates to high home prices and competition. But there are some areas where buying a home is still affordable.
24/7 Wall St. has analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey five-year estimates. It only listed the 2,352 census-designated places, cities and towns with 5,000 minimum residents in the South. The website tabulated the population change percentage using ACS data.
Findings showed that the most affordable home market has a median home value as low as $30,000. That was the cost of a home in Zephyrhills South, Florida, a census-designated area. It’s the No. 1 most affordable spot on the list.
A few places in Georgia made the cut. Although they’re not as inexpensive as Florida, they’re still easier on the wallet than Atlanta-area homes. According to Zillow, homes in the capital city are $346,087 on average.
Here are the three Georgia towns that are the most affordable in the South.
Waycross
Waycross is No. 45 on the list. The median home value is $70,100. The southeast Georgia city, which is known as Main Street City, has 70.8% of homes for under $100,000. On average, the household income is $27,381. There has been a -4.0% population change in five years. There are 13,692 people who call Waycross home.
Forest Park
Atlanta suburb Forest Park is No. 34 on the list. It has a $67,100 median home value with 75.8% of homes worth under $100,000. The median household income is $36,792. The five-year population change was +4.1%. The population is 19,723.
McRae-Helena
McRae-Helena is 28th, making it the least expensive in Georgia. It’s only six years old, formed by the consolidation of neighboring cities McRae and Helena in 2015. Average home values are $65,900. Just under 70% of home values are worth under $100,000 at 69.9%. The average household income is $28,155. There has also been a -3.6% population change in five years. There are 8,409 residents who live in McRae-Helena.
