Home prices continue to rise in Oglethorpe County as the area struggles with less inventory and more demand, according to recent data from Georgia Multiple Listing Service (GAMLS), the state’s comprehensive real estate database.
Although home sales are down 32% from last year, the average sale price has increased, along with the average square footage. In addition, the average active sales price is $100,000 over the current median price for houses after the sale is final.
“This is telling me that the median closed sales price for 2025 is likely to trend upward,” said Kristin Joyner, a realtor with Living Down South.
The county has seen home valuations steadily increase over the past couple of years as the market becomes more competitive, said Kem Caldwell, chief appraiser at Oglethorpe County’s Tax Assessor's office.
“Really, since COVID, we have had trouble with keeping up with the sales,” Caldwell said. “We’re supposed to keep our level of assessment up with what the market is dictating, and for the last four years or so, we have struggled to try to keep up.”
That means home values haven’t risen as drastically in the county until recently, which is favorable for buyers, but has drawbacks, according to the state.
In 2022 — Oglethorpe County’s last digest review year — the county was out of compliance with several categories in its tax digest. The county will send another tax digest for state approval this year.
“It was really critical this year that we get everything up to compliance,” Caldwell said. “If we miss any of those five categories that we missed in ’22, the state penalizes the county, and that’s taxpayer money that has to pay the penalty.”
Although Oglethorpe County has been behind others in its home values, Caldwell thinks it is finally “catching up” — which means increasing home valuations and higher prices.
“Most values in the county have more or less doubled since 2021,” Caldwell said. “I think (there has been) a 78 or 80% increase over the last four years.”
Despite rising prices, Oglethorpe County continues to rank as one of the best places to buy a home in Georgia. The county was No. 7 in a 2025 list by niche.com.
That’s because Oglethorpe County is still more affordable than surrounding counties, realtor Misty Coley said.
“There was a huge influx of buyers that were looking in that $300,000-350,000 range and were not able to find anything in Clarke and Oconee,” Coley said. “It pushed those people into Oglethorpe and Madison count(ies) because it was much more affordable.”
Coley often works with first-time home buyers and has seen an influx of younger families moving to the county.
Although buyers initially complain about how far away the county feels, Coley said they do tend to stay because of affordability, lighter traffic, more acreage, a safe environment for children and a strong sense of community.
Caldwell, a lifelong resident, said he feels blessed to live in Oglethorpe County, for those reasons.
“I love riding dirt roads and deer hunting and just the peace and quiet,” Caldwell said. “I love being able to see the moon and the stars at night and knowing my neighbors.”