Canton’s housing stock is split among three price bands: entry-level cottages ($275–$350 k) within a mile of downtown Main Street, move-up family homes ($350–$500 k) in golf-course communities like Bridgemill and Harmony on the Lakes, and luxury lake-view estates ($500 k–$1 M) along the shores of Lake Allatoona and the Towne Lake peninsula. The median sold price has climbed 5.8 % year-over-year, but days on market remain under 28 for homes priced under $400 k—still a seller’s market, yet not the feeding frenzy of 2021.

• New construction: DR Horton, Lennar, and Empire are actively building in the 30115 zip code; base prices start at $389 k for 3-bed/2.5-bath Craftsman-style homes on ¼-acre lots.
• Resale gems: 1980s brick ranches in the 30114 zip code can be snagged for $325 k and renovated equity runs $40–$60 k—perfect for FHA 203(k) or NMHL’s Fix-Now conventional rehab loan.
• Tax digest tip: Cherokee County reassesses every two years; tax appraised values still trail market value by 8–10 %, so budget on the sale price, not the current tax bill.

Canton sits in unincorporated Cherokee County for tax purposes—good news because the millage rate (27.9 mills for 2024) is lower than in incorporated Woodstock city limits. On a $380,000 assessed home you’ll pay roughly $3,420 annually, or about $285 per month when escrowed into your Canton GA mortgage. Georgia’s homestead exemption knocks off $2,000 of assessed value automatically, but Cherokee sweetens the pot:

• School exemption: an extra 13.2 mills off school M&O for owner-occupants—saves about $500 a year on that same $380 k house.
• Floating exemption: if assessed value jumps more than 3 % in a reassessment year, the excess is forgiven for homesteaded properties—protection against runaway appreciation.
• Senior school exemption: age 62+ can freeze school portion of property taxes; age 65+ are exempt from school M&O entirely, trimming another $900 annually.

Remember, you must file by April 1 after closing; NMHL sends every borrower a Cherokee County homestead packet at closing so nothing slips through the cracks.

Almost all of Canton is zoned for Cherokee County School District, the 9th largest in Georgia and a perennial top-10 performer on state milestones. Elementary schools like Bascomb and Macedonia routinely post 90-plus percentile scores, while Etowah High carries a 95 % graduation rate and an average SAT 120 points above the state mean. Homes zoned for these A-rated schools keep resale demand high and price-per-square-foot premiums of 8–12 % versus analogous homes in Paulding County.

Buyers eyeing new construction off Bells Ferry Road should note district lines: parts of the 30114 zip code bump into overcrowded Chapman Elementary, and redistricting rumors persist. Ask your Realtor for the School Locator map dated within 90 days, then verify with NMHL—because we won’t lock a loan on spec homes if the school zone isn’t guaranteed in the purchase contract.

Georgia Dream remains the heavy hitter: 30-year fixed at 0.125–0.25 % above market, plus $10 k down-payment assistance forgivable after five years. Income caps in Cherokee County are $92,900 for 1–2 person households and $106,835 for 3+, with purchase price limit $432,400—plenty of runway in Canton. Stack the Protectors, Educators, and Nurses (PEN) add-on for another $7,500 if you teach at Canton Elementary or patrol with Cherokee County PD.

Can’t qualify for Dream? Try NMHL’s HouseCanton 3 % conventional: only 3 % down, no monthly PMI, and we’ll gift the 3 % from a state-approved community second mortgage so you effectively bring zero funds. Credit score minimum is 680, but we allow non-traditional tradelines like on-time rent to the local Canton Manor apartments to satisfy credit history.

Finally, Cherokee County HomeStretch offers a 0 % deferred second up to $25 k for households under 80 % AMI—mainly intended for downtown Canton infill homes. NMHL is an approved HomeStretch partner; we wrap the silent second around our FHA or VA first mortgage and still close in under 30 days.

Canton’s median FICO is 732, but almost a third of mortgage applicants we see fall below 650—often because of medical collections from WellStar, charge-offs from the 2008 downturn, or high utilization on retail cards from the Outlet Shoppes of Atlanta. Banks say “no”; NMHL builds a plan. Our Credit Refresh Roadmap pulls a tri-merge report day 1, simulates every action in FICO 2, 4, and 5, and targets:

• Rapid re-score—paying down Revolve to under 30 % can add 20-plus points in five business days. We’ve seen a Canton client jump from 595 to 631 by paying two credit cards under $500 each.
• Collection isolation—medical collections under $500 are ignored on FHA; we coach you which to pay, which to leave alone.
• Authorized user seasoning—adds 15–25 points when a family member with 780-plus history lists you on a 10-year card.

If the score is still sub-580, we pivot to our Lease-With-Option program: lock today’s Canton price with a 12-month lease while we coach; exercise the purchase clause once you hit 580. You’ll store appreciation gains in the option strike price, so you don’t lose the hot market while rebuilding credit.

Veterans and active-duty buyers love Canton for proximity to Dobbins ARB and Fort Moore (formerly Benning) within 90 minutes. VA loans remain the cheapest ticket—0 % down, no PMI, and NMHL will fund up to $4 million with a 580 score on our VA Advantage jumbo. Surprisingly, Cherokee County still carries pockets eligible for USDA’s Rural Development loan—chiefly south of I-575 and east toward Ball Ground. A $380 k zero-down home there beats FHA because upfront guarantee fee can be financed and monthly MI is two-thirds of FHA’s cost.

Key eligible subdivisions: Hickory Trails, Macedonia Ridge, and parts of Sixes Road. Check eligibility by census tract; maps changed in June 2024 and several streets just north of the new Riverstone Parkway extension lost eligibility—so verify with NMHL’s real-time USDA lookup before writing an offer. We close USDA in 21 days on average by ordering the appraisal day one and frontloading the Guaranteed Underwriting System (GUS) certificate.

VA Funding Fee Update: as of April 2024, first-use funding fee is 2.15 %; subsequent use 3.3 %. Veterans rated 10 % disabled or higher are exempt—saving over $8,000 on a $380 k purchase. NMHL waives the $400 appraisal management fee for all service members, and we’ll roll the funding fee or let the seller pay up to 4 % in concessions.