Marietta’s housing scene is a tale of two price bands. Inside the perimeter-style neighborhoods surrounding the historic square—Glover Street, Kennesaw Avenue, Whitlock Heights—restored 1920s bungalows routinely list at $550 K–$900 K, often drawing escalation clauses and appraisal-gap coverage. Travel ten minutes north or east toward Sprayberry, Shallowford, or Noonday and you’ll find 1980s–2000s three-bedrooms on quarter-acre lots hovering near the high $300s—still attainable for FHA or conventional buyers with modest down payments.

Inventory sits at 1.4 months county-wide, down from 2.1 last spring. New listings peak each Thursday, and desirable homes move under contract by Sunday night. For buyers using Marietta GA mortgage financing, that speed means you need a same-day pre-underwrite—exactly what NMHL delivers. We pull Cobb County comps nightly, so when you bid $425 K on a 1960s brick ranch near Daniell Middle, your offer letter already includes a conservative appraisal cushion for the seller’s peace of mind.

• Median single-family price (city): $425,000
• Average days on market: 12
• % of listings with multiple offers: 42
• YoY price growth: 6 %

First-time buyers flock to East Marietta (30068) for top-ranked Sprayberry High and relatively affordable $300 K–$375 K brick ramblers. USDA eligibility extends into pockets east of Sandy Plains Road, so zero-down financing is possible even at today’s prices. In Westside (30064) you’ll find condos around Kennestone Hospital—perfect for medical staff or KSU nursing students—starting at $180 K; 3 % down on a conventional HomeReady loan equals $5,4 K, and NMHL’s $2 K lender credit wipes out most closing costs.

Hickory Hills, tucked between Whitlock and Kennesaw Avenue, delivers walk-to-the-Square convenience. Expect $450 K for a renovated 3-bed; property taxes run about $4,2 K thanks to special-service district assessments, but HOA is zero. If you crave new construction, Indian Hills (30066) offers Craftsman-style homes from the $500s. NMHL’s one-time-close construction-to-perm loan locks your rate up front, eliminating the risk of rising rates while you build.

Cobb County’s millage for incorporated Marietta is 9.85 mills, but the homestead exemption shaves $10 K off assessed value for owner-occupants—roughly $98 off the bill. Seniors 62-plus can freeze assessment levels, and veterans with a VA service-connected disability rating of 100 % pay zero property tax—huge for monthly affordability. The county bills annually but most lenders escrow monthly; expect about $3.30 per $1,000 of assessed value in your payment.

Buyers in the city’s Downtown Development District pay an extra 2 mills for sidewalks and façade grants; factor an added $25 per month on a $400 K home. Cobb also tacks on a 1 % local option sales tax that funds parks, but that doesn’t hit your escrow—only your shopping cart.

Georgia Dream remains the state’s flagship program: 30-year fixed at 0.25 % above market, plus $10 K in down-payment assistance for FHA/VA/USDA and $7,5 K for conventional. Income caps for Cobb County run $86,5 K for 1–2 person households and $99,475 for 3-plus. Credit score floor is 640, but NMHL rapid-rescore routinely pushes buyers 10–20 points in two weeks.

Cobb County’s FirstHome adds another $7,5 K, forgiven 20 % per year—stay five years and the lien disappears. Veterans using a VA loan can stack $2 K from the Georgia Dream PenDown program for closing costs, and if you’re buying a foreclosure owned by Cobb Land Bank you may qualify for a silent-second of up to $25 K at 0 %.

NMHL keeps a running spreadsheet matching each property address to every available grant; when we pre-approve you, we’ll show the exact amount of free money you can layer on top of your chosen Marietta home loan.

With Dobbins Air Reserve Base on the city’s west side, Marietta has a steady stream of veterans and drilling reservists. VA loans allow 100 % financing up to county loan limit ($766,550 in 2024) with no monthly mortgage insurance—on a $450 K home that saves roughly $185 per month vs. FHA. The VA funding fee is 2.15 % for first-time use, but veterans rated 10 % disabled or more are exempt, saving $9,675 on that same purchase.

Surrounding West Marietta (30008) neighborhoods like Cumberland Ridge and Crescent Oaks offer brick ranches from the $330s—perfect for VA buyers who want acreage under an acre but still commute to the Battery or Midtown via I-75. NMHL’s in-house VA team understands mobilization orders and can qualify reservists with 12 months of drill pay stubs, even when civilian jobs are contract-based.

A 580 score doesn’t shut you out of homeownership here. Our FreshStart program uses FHA manual underwrite with debt-to-income ratios up to 50 % if your payment history shows 12 months of on-time rent. We pair you with a Cobb-based credit coach who knows which medical collections or charge-offs to tackle first; the average client gains 42 points in 60 days. Last month we closed a family on Cobb Parkway who started at 572, moved to 620, and bought at $355 K with only $12,425 down—$7,5 K from Georgia Dream plus their own $4,925.

For self-employed borrowers with write-offs, our 12-month bank-statement loan requires only 10 % down on a $1 M purchase; we average deposits, apply a 50 % expense factor, and qualify you at a 7-year ARM rate that beats most jumbos. Whether you’re rebuilding credit or simply can’t show enough taxable income on paper, NMHL has a bad credit mortgage Marietta GA pathway designed for real life, not perfect spreadsheets.