Moving to GA in 2022? Real Stuff to Know BEFORE Moving to Georgia!
We get asked a lot of questions about what the South is like. I am originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, but somehow moved to Georgia and have managed to drop my “You guys” for “Y’all” and my unsweetened tea for sweet Southern peach tea. You’d almost think I was born here! But, since I am originally a yankee, I can give you the good, bad, and ugly of how things are down here in comparison! So, let’s kick this thing off…
NUMBER 1: SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY
Southern Hospitality is really a thing down south y’all. For example, when you move into your new home, don’t be surprised if your neighbors come by with some BBQ and blueberry pie to welcome you and your family to the neighborhood and invite you to church or the next social gathering. People are very friendly down here! And, while those neighbors are visiting, you will probably hear some y’alls – “Hey y’all”, “Where y’all from?”, “Where y’all going?”, and “Y’all need a hand?” You may even hear a few “bless your hearts”, especially if you tell them your crazy moving story. When a Southerner says this statement, it can either mean “You’re kinda pitiful but don’t know it” OR most likely it means “Can I please bring you a casserole? I’ll be praying for you.” Another thing you will hear in Georgia is “Yes, ma’am”, “No ma’am”, “Yes, sir”, “No sir”, especially when speaking to someone younger than you, but everyone says it whether they are younger than you or not. No, they aren’t sassing you, they are just being polite. You might even hear someone say “Hey darlin!” and wonder if you’re getting hit on. Maybe, but more likely they are just saying “Hello!” as you walk into the old school diner down the street.
NUMBER 2: COLLEGE FOOTBALL
There’s just something about college football in the south. It is not a team, it is a religion. If you move here and don’t have a team, you’d better get one because everyone will be asking who you are rooting for. And, though the GA Bulldogs are THE team in Georgia, we’ve got A LOT of SEC fans in this state that represent other schools, and the rivalries are REAL. If you’re not from around here, you may wonder what in the world all the hype is about. But don’t worry, it won’t be long before you find yourself saying “GO DAWGS!” too… even if you’ve never been a football fan. It’s just a thing.
NUMBER 3: AFFORDABILITY
Georgia is AFFORDABLE compared to other states. The typical cost of a home in Georgia is $250,000. Compare that to California at $700,000, or to Virginia at just over $330,000, or for the United States overall at close to $300,000 – and it will be easy to see why people are looking to make Georgia their home. Keep in mind, if you’re closer to the city of Atlanta home prices will be higher – the average home price is around $360,000. When it comes to state and local taxes, Georgia ranks pretty close to the middle compared to a handful of other states. If you’re looking to retire soon, Bankrate named Georgia the best state to retire in 2021 due to affordability, mild temperatures, and its light tax burden. Bonus! We also don’t have many tornadoes or hurricanes. You won’t ever have to evacuate like you do down in Florida! We also have the Atlanta airport so you can jump on a plane to see the grandkids easily or travel to some of your favorite destinations. Georgia is also very tax-friendly toward retirees. There are no taxes on Social Security income and Georgia provides a deduction of $65,000 per person on most types of retirement income for anyone age 65 and older. Retirement communities are popping up all over north Atlanta, so give us a call if you want to learn more.
NUMBER 4: POLLEN
Pollen is everywhere in the spring. It’s like a blanket of yellow ALL OVER your car, your driveway, your deck, and your grill – it’s EVERYWHERE. So, if you have allergies, you may need to get some allergy help stat – before you come. Grass pollen and ragweed are the biggest culprits. Whether you know you have allergies or not, there is a good chance that when you move here, it will be like “Surprise!” and all of a sudden you realize you do. Good news is that they are seasonal and there is a little thing called Flonase and Zyrtec to help you out.
NUMBER 5: Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes thrive in hot humid weather, making Georgia the perfect place for them to live. They can be pretty miserable during “Mosquito Season”, as we call it, but they are usually only bad during the summer months. We also now have a lot of mosquito lawn products that pretty much eliminate them in your yard. So, you can still sit out on your deck and not get attacked.
NUMBER 6: The WEATHER
One of the biggest questions we get asked from out of staters is “What’s the weather like?” Georgia has four distinct seasons. Spring and Fall are so nice here – very mild with highs in the 60s and 70s, but summer in Georgia is HOT. There is a reason why Atlanta is called Hotlanta! Unlike some homes in maybe the west part of the US, all the homes here have air conditioning – and we run it All. Summer. Long. Winter is typically cooler with highs in the mid 40s and 50s and lows in the mid 30s. We do wear winter coats here, but you will also see us in flip flops on some winter days. It rarely snows, but when it does, it’s likely we will shut down school and perhaps the whole city if it’s more than an inch. Honestly, they close school with the threat of snow now because of a little thing called Snowmageddon. Go ahead. Look it up. Atlanta’s Snowmageddon. The day the entire city shut down and cars had to park on major highways for days. It’s a real thing, y’all.
Ok. So are you not deterred by the pollen and mosquitoes? Still thinking GA might be the place for you? Well, there is good news because…
Number 7: JOBS
Georgia is looking very bright in this department! Since the start of 2022, Georgia’s job market has improved and one report shows that Georgia added over 19,000 jobs in the new year and more than 60% of them were in the metro Atlanta area. Most of these jobs are in corporate and tech industries. And, WalletHub.com rated Atlanta 27th in “Best Cities for Jobs” based on job opportunities, employment growth and monthly average starting salary.
So what do you think? Are you ready to call Georgia your home? If yes, give us a call. We would love to help you get settled in the greater Atlanta area. If you are planning on moving to another part of Georgia, we would still love to help you! We have lots of agents in our Georgia network and would love to connect you with an agent best suited to meet your needs.
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The HĀVN Group with Keller Williams Chattahoochee North is a team of REALTORS® serving metro Atlanta. We help home buyers who are relocating to our beautiful city and suburbs and guide sellers in selling their homes for the most amount of money with the least amount of stress.
Tracey Scholen is the team leader of The HĀVN Group. She is the proud wife of a husband who can fix anything! When not selling real estate, you can find her swinging a tennis racket, drinking a London Fog (ask for this secret drink at Starbucks!), or chauffeuring her 3 girls around town.
Bianca Giddens has lived in the Atlanta area for over 20 years. She loves playing tennis and watching college football with her husband and 3 sons.
Meg Sams learned to see the beauty and potential in structures of all shapes and sizes, growing up with an architect mom and engineer dad. When not spending time with her artist husband, Roy, and her busy boys, Meg loves playing tennis and sticking her toes in the sand.
If you want to talk to us about moving to the Atlanta, Georgia area, we would love to chat! Feel free to contact me:
Tracey Scholen
📧 [email protected]
☎️ 404-274-4514
We are REALTORS® at Keller Williams Chattahoochee North, located at 3390 East Jones Bridge Rd. #100 Peachtree Corners, GA 30092. We are licensed to sell real estate in the state of Georgia.
