By Connie Carlson | November 2026
After 22 years of selling homes in Marietta, I can tell you the first thing I hear after every election. Someone stops me on the Square or at Glover Park Brewery and asks what it means for their house.
This year I'm hearing it a lot. On November 3, Georgia elected Keisha Lance Bottoms as our next governor, taking over from Brian Kemp, who is term limited. Realtor.com just ran a story on the five states that flipped their governor's office this cycle, Georgia included, and what it could mean for homebuilding. I read it, did some digging on what's actually happening here in Cobb County, and pulled it together for you.
No politics and no predictions. Just what I'd tell you across my kitchen table.
Every year Realtor.com grades all 50 states on two things: how affordable homes are compared to what people earn, and how much new housing is getting built. In the 2026 report cards, Georgia ranked No. 12 in the country with a B and a score of 63 out of 100.
Building is where we really shine. Georgia pulls 4.2% of all residential building permits in the country while making up about 3.3% of the population. Only Texas, Florida, California and North Carolina pull more.
Affordability is our softer subject. The statewide median listing price sits at $392,112 against a median household income of $75,118. For comparison, New York finished dead last this year.
The point of the Realtor.com piece is a fair one. Four of the five states that flipped were already in the top 15, and they got there by building more homes under Republican leadership. Now the new administrations have to keep that going. Affordability was the issue voters said they cared about most, so housing is going to be one of the measuring sticks.
These are campaign proposals, not law yet. Here's what's on the table.
On homebuilding, she has proposed a Georgia Housing Fast Track to speed up permitting, a statewide affordable housing trust fund to help fund new development, and expanded down payment and renter assistance.
On property taxes and insurance, her plan includes about $840 a year in property tax relief plus a $45 insurance tax credit for a qualifying homeowner. That would come from fully funding the state's Homeowner Tax Relief Grant every year and raising it from $18,000 to $25,000, adding $3,000 to the statewide homestead exemption, raising the income caps on senior property tax exemptions, and eliminating the 2.25% state premium tax on homeowners insurance, with insurers required to pass that savings on to you.
Here's the reality check. Democrats say they flipped the state House, but the state Senate is expected to keep a slight Republican majority. So most of this will need buy in from both sides of the Gold Dome. I'll be watching the session that starts in January right along with you.
Some good news doesn't depend on the election at all.
In May, Governor Kemp signed a law that caps property tax assessment increases at the rate of inflation and lets cities and counties use sales tax to give homeowners more relief. And this month the state started sending 2026 Homeowner Tax Relief Grant money to local governments, which will lower 2026 tax bills for homeowners with a homestead exemption.
That last part matters. I still meet homeowners all the time who never filed their homestead exemption, and they're leaving money on the table every year. If that's you, you file with the Cobb County Tax Assessor, and the deadline is April 1. Call me and I'll walk you through it.
A governor can speed up permits. A governor does not decide what gets built on the lot down the street from you. That still happens at Marietta City Hall and the Cobb County Board of Commissioners.
You can see it in this year's local headlines. A proposed 43 home neighborhood on Powder Springs Road got a nod from the Marietta City Council in January, but it's tied up in arbitration with Cobb County, so it isn't a final approval. In June, the Cobb Planning Commission denied a 15 townhome workforce housing project. And Cobb is in the middle of rewriting its development code, which the county says is meant to simplify the rules and is not an effort to rezone anyone's property.
So if you care about how Marietta grows, and I know a lot of you do, the meetings to watch are the local ones.
Here's where our market stands heading into the holidays. The median sale price in Marietta is about $462,500, basically flat from a year ago. Homes are going under contract in roughly 30 days, there's about 4.2 months of supply, and sellers are getting about 96.5% of their asking price. Countywide, the Cobb median is around $423,000.
In my world, the walkable homes near the Square and the swim tennis communities in West Cobb, the homes that are priced right and prepped well are still the ones that move. The ones that sit are usually the ones that skipped a step.
If you're thinking about selling, an election doesn't change your home's value overnight. Price, condition and presentation do. I spent seven years as an appraiser before I ever sold a house, and that's still how I look at pricing.
If you're buying for the first time, keep an eye on the down payment assistance proposals. In the meantime, there are programs available today, and a good lender can tell you what you qualify for right now. Waiting on a bill that hasn't been written yet isn't a plan.
If you're ready for less house and more life near the Square, watch the senior exemption and assessment cap changes. They could make a real difference in what you pay to stay, or what you pay after you move.
If you're relocating from California, New York or Illinois, a B report card and one of the busiest building states in the country is a pretty good welcome mat. Grab my free guide, Atlanta's Most Popular Suburbs: A Local's Take on Living Here.
Whatever comes out of the next legislative session, I'll keep sharing what actually changes for Marietta homeowners. If you want to talk through your own situation, grab 7 minutes on my calendar. I'd love to hear what you're planning.
Because nothing feels better than bringing you home.
Connie Carlson | Associate Broker, REALTOR® | GA License #272837
Real Broker LLC | 855-450-0442 | Mobile 678-488-9646 | [email protected]
Equal Housing Opportunity. This article is for general information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Policy proposals described here may change before becoming law.
