Metro Atlanta's exurbs are getting more expensive, sometimes pricier than city centers

Homebuyers looking to escape Atlanta for cheaper housing may want to rethink their strategy.

New data from real estate brokerage Redfin suggests the Atlanta region could soon become the only major metropolitan area in the United States where homes outside the metro area cost more than homes inside it — a reversal of the long-standing "drive until you buy" approach many buyers have relied on.

For years, buyers priced out of the city simply moved farther away. But in metro Atlanta, the places once considered the affordable frontier are quickly becoming some of the region's hottest and priciest markets.

The areas fueling the shift are known as exurbs — rapidly growing communities on the outer edges of a metropolitan area, beyond traditional suburbs, where many residents still commute to the urban core.

Population trends show just how quickly these areas are expanding.

While Fulton County, Georgia's most populous county, still has more than 1.1 million residents, its growth rate has slowed to about 1.6% year over year, according to U.S. Census data.

Meanwhile, two counties on Atlanta's outer edges are booming:  Dawson County at 6.4% annual population growth and Jackson County at 5.8% annual population growth.

Both are among the fastest-growing counties in the nation.

A shift from rural to suburban

The appeal, experts say, is simple: land.

"Those exurban areas today are adjacent to suburban areas that used to be exurban 20 years ago," said Rick Porter, who leads the Master of Real Estate Development program at Georgia Tech.

In other words, yesterday's rural communities are becoming today's suburbs.

Remote work has also reshaped where people can live. With fewer workers tied to offices outside the home, distance from the Metro has become less of a barrier.

"Internet, more land, the ability to do something a bit more unique that suits you from a housing standpoint — all of those things begin to create demand for exurban housing," Porter said.

Atlanta's geography also plays a role.

Unlike cities constrained by oceans or mountains, metro Atlanta has few natural barriers limiting expansion, allowing development to continue pushing farther outward.

"We have continued access to land as long as people will go there," Porter said.

Picking between location and more space

Local real estate agents say buyers are increasingly willing to trade proximity to the city for space and newer homes.

Kyndra Beaudoin-Terry, an Atlanta-area real estate agent, says many buyers are surprised when they see exurban prices.

"People expect them to be a lot lower," she said. "But what you get for your money is a lot more."

New construction homes on larger lots — often with modern amenities and nearby shopping, restaurants, and grocery stores — are drawing buyers farther beyond metro Atlanta's traditional boundaries.

"You're not leaving anything behind," Beaudoin-Terry said. "You're getting newer construction homes with land — something you don't often get in the city."

According to Redfin, the median home sale price in Atlanta's exurbs is about $380,000.

That's only about $4,000 less than homes in the surrounding metro and suburban areas, a much smaller price gap than seen in major markets like Los Angeles, New York, or Boston.