Home Sales Fall Sharply in Forsyth and Gwinnett, but Prices Hold Steady

Home sales fell more than 20% in Forsyth and Gwinnett counties in October compared with a year earlier, while median sale prices barely moved, leaving buyers facing much the same prices in a quieter market.

Forsyth recorded 175 residential sales, down from 232 in October 2025, according to Georgia MLS. Its median sale price remained $585,000. In Gwinnett, sales dropped to 590 from 751, while the median price edged up just 0.1% to $409,975.

The slowdown extended across Atlanta’s northern suburbs, though prices followed different paths. Fulton’s median rose 4.8% from a year earlier; Cherokee’s fell 2.9%.

County	October sales	Change from October 2025	Median sale price	Annual price change
Forsyth	175	−24.6%	$585,000	Unchanged
Gwinnett	590	−21.4%	$409,975	+0.1%
Fulton	796	−17.5%	$443,888	+4.8%
Cherokee	260	−12.2%	$473,500	−2.9%

The figures cover residential transactions reported through Georgia MLS across each entire county. Fulton’s totals include Atlanta and other communities beyond the northern suburbs; they are not separate measures of Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton or Roswell. A change in the median also reflects which homes sold, rather than a uniform change in every property’s value.

Across the broader 29-county Atlanta metropolitan area, October sales totaled 4,704, down 18.7% from a year earlier and 8.3% from September. The median sale price was $383,991, up about 1% annually. Available inventory reached 27,383 homes, roughly 2% above the previous October.

Nationally, existing-home sales fell to their slowest pace since August 2010. The National Association of Realtors reported a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.75 million sales, down 5.5% from September. That national measure covers previously owned homes and differs from the Georgia MLS residential totals.

Borrowing costs remain a substantial obstacle. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 7.11% on Nov. 12, Freddie Mac reported. Although rates had declined for four consecutive weeks, they remained above the 6.24% average a year earlier.

For a buyer purchasing a $600,000 home with 20% down, a $480,000 mortgage at 7.11% would carry approximately $3,229 in monthly principal and interest. At 6%, the same loan would cost about $2,878, a difference of roughly $351 a month. Those illustrative payments assume a 30-year fixed-rate loan and exclude property taxes, insurance and homeowners association fees.

Buyers in Forsyth and Gwinnett had more homes to consider than a year earlier. Active listings rose 6.1% in Forsyth and 10% in Gwinnett, even as fewer new listings entered both markets.

New contracts offered little sign of an immediate rebound. Forsyth recorded 132 homes going under contract in October, down 36.5% from a year earlier. Gwinnett’s contract activity fell 26.6%. Those agreements have yet to become completed sales, but the declines suggest the slowdown could carry into the next round of closings.