Since 2020, median prices from Mount Vernon Highway to Abernathy Road have climbed 28%, but the slope is flattening: list-to-sale ratio dipped to 98.5% last quarter, giving savvy buyers room to negotiate. New construction is concentrated in City Springs (condos from the $500s) and the re-developing North End, where 1970s teardowns yield $900k new-builds. Because Fulton’s land-use plan caps multi-family density east of Roswell Road, single-family inventory remains tight—only 1.4 months of supply—so pre-approval letters must be bullet-proof. NMHL updates our rate sheet every morning at 9:30 a.m. EST so you know exactly where you stand before touring a $625k listing in Lost Forest Saturday morning.

• Average days on market: 18 (April 2024)
• Share of cash deals: 31% (down from 37% a year ago)
• Typical appraisal gap: $8k–$12k on offers 3% over ask

Under $400k: Hunt for 1970s condos along Hammond Drive or Riverside Parkway; HOA dues run $275–$350 but include water, sewer, and pool. FHA approved buildings here: River Place and Stratford Oaks.

$450–$550k: Look west of Roswell Road in Wilshire Heights or Brandon Mill. You’ll find 3-bed ranches on quarter-acre lots zoned for Heards Ferry Elementary—great resale because the school scored 10/10 on the state’s CCRPI.

$600–$800k: The panhandle near Dunwoody Club Park offers swim-tennis communities like Riverchase and Mill Creek; commute to Perimeter Center is 12 minutes, and GA-400 ramp is two lights away.

Over $1M: Chastain Park proper: custom builds on one-acre lots, walkable to the amphitheater and the horse park. NMHL’s jumbo ARM starts at 6.125% for 5/6 with 20% down and no MI.

Outside the city limits, Fulton’s Homestretch provides a 5-year forgivable second mortgage up to $30k at 0% for households earning under 120% AMI. Inside Sandy Springs, you can layer:

• Georgia Dream Standard: $10k at 4% simple interest, forgiven 20% per year
• Georgia Dream PEN: $15k for protectors, educators, nurses—includes IT workers at local hospitals
• NMHL Gift Plus: We’ll match your $1k savings with a $1k grant toward closing; no repayment required

Combine them on a $400k FHA purchase and your out-of-pocket drops to about $6,500—roughly your earnest money and appraisal.

Many out-of-state buyers gasp at Fulton’s assessed value, but Georgia law caps annual increases at the lower of 15% or CPI, and you can appeal by June 1 using recent comps. Sandy Springs’ millage breaks down like this:

• County: 0.54%
• School: 0.28%
• City: 0.10% (Sandy Springs has one of the lowest municipal rates in metro Atlanta)

Buy a $550k home this year and your October tax bill will be about $5,060. Homestead knocks off $30k of assessed value, saving $275, while the senior exemption (age 65) freezes the assessed value entirely—one reason many empty-nesters hang onto their Spalding Drive ranches.

VA: No loan limit for veterans with full entitlement; we closed a $1.2M zero-down on High Point Road last month. Condos must be VA-approved—River House and LaVista Hills both cleared in 2023.

FHA: 3.5% down to $472k in 2024; above that you’ll need 5% or switch to a jumbo program. NMHL’s FHA 203(k) lets you roll a $75k kitchen renovation into the loan—perfect for those $450k fixer-uppers in Glenridge.

USDA: Technically no Sandy Springs zip qualifies, but cross the river into Cobb’s 30068 and you can finance 100% on a $400k townhouse with only 1% guarantee fee.

With more than 13,000 small businesses registered inside the perimeter, Sandy Springs runs on consultants, medical device reps, and fintech start-ups. NMHL’s 24-month bank-statement program averages deposits, then applies a 50% expense factor or uses your actual Schedule C—whichever yields higher income. Recent approval: borrower with $1.1M in 2023 deposits qualified for $650k purchase with 15% down and 6.875% fixed rate. Prefer to leave your statements out of it? Our asset-depletion loan divides liquid assets by 60 months and treats the result as monthly income; close with 20% down, no tax returns required.