About 30% of recent Sandy Springs home sales met first-time-buyer affordability benchmark

Sandy Springs' updated Housing Needs Assessment finds that roughly 30% of homes sold in 2024–2025 were affordable to first-time buyers under its benchmark of about $335,000 or less. The presentation defines those buyers as existing renters.

Almost 90% of qualifying sales were homes on lots smaller than 5,000 square feet. The analysis says smaller lots and more compact homes reduce land and construction costs. It identifies preserving older homes and building a wider variety of smaller-footprint housing as ways to expand attainable ownership options.

Consultant HR&A Advisors will present the assessment update at City Council's Oct. 6, 2026, work session, scheduled for 6 p.m. The staff memo calls for no council action and says the presentation has no direct financial impact.