The Chatham County housing market in 2026 looks dramatically different from the post-pandemic frenzy. Prices have cooled. Days on market have stretched. Indeed, for the first time in five years, the pricing power has shifted modestly back toward buyers — a fact that has serious implications for anyone deploying capital here. Here’s our 2026 read on the numbers, and how investors should be thinking about them.
Chatham County Housing Market: The Headline Numbers
The most recent data from Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com paints a consistent picture:
- Chatham County average home value: $345,012, down 2.5% year-over-year (Zillow).
- Savannah median listing price: $410,000 (Realtor.com).
- Median days on market: 64 days — up from 47 last year, a 36% increase (Realtor.com).
- Sale-to-list ratio: 98%, with homes closing about 1.74% below asking.
- Active inventory: ~1,700 homes for sale in Savannah alone, the highest level since 2019.
For comparison, in March 2024 Chatham’s median listing price was $440,000 with 9.7% YoY price growth and homes selling in roughly 30–40 days. The shift is real. We’re not in correction territory, but we are firmly out of the seller’s market that defined 2021–2023.
What’s Driving the Chatham County Housing Market Cooldown
Three forces are pulling Chatham’s market toward balance in 2026:
1. Insurance costs are reshaping affordability. Coastal Georgia property insurance premiums have climbed sharply since 2023 — for some Tybee Island and Wilmington Island properties, annual premiums now exceed $4,000–$6,000. That extra carrying cost has pushed marginal buyers out of the coastal market and toward inland alternatives. See our deep-dive on how flood zone insurance works in Chatham County.
2. Mortgage rates have stabilized — not dropped. The 30-year fixed has settled in the high-6s to low-7s range. While that’s a relief versus 2023’s 8%+ peaks, it’s still well above the 3–4% baseline that fueled the 2020–2022 buying frenzy. Affordability is the constraint, not interest.
3. Inventory has rebuilt. Savannah’s active listing count is now roughly 1,700 — meaningfully higher than the 2021 low of around 600. Consequently, the 1.7 months of supply HUD flagged in 2023 has expanded to something closer to 3–4 months. Overall, that’s not a buyer’s market by historical standards, but it’s the most balanced market we’ve had this decade.
Where the action actually is: West Chatham
Drill below the headline number and the picture diverges sharply by submarket. The cooldown isn’t uniform.
Pooler and Effingham County are still appreciating — price-per-square-foot is up roughly 2% YoY even as Savannah proper has softened. In other words, the mechanism is straightforward: buyers priced out of historic Savannah and the islands are migrating west, where land is cheaper and the new-construction stock matches modern preferences. Our breakdown of why Pooler is the right play right now goes deeper.
Richmond Hill is in a category of its own. Specifically, the Hyundai Metaplant in nearby Bryan County is producing the kind of localized housing demand that doesn’t show up in countywide aggregates. We’re seeing strong absorption in the $300K–$450K range there, with rents holding firm even as Savannah proper softens. Full neighborhood breakdown: Investing in Richmond Hill, GA.
The Historic District and Ardsley Park remain price-resilient at the top of the market. Truly walkable historic inventory is finite, and the lifestyle buyer (often a relocator from a higher-cost-of-living state) is less rate-sensitive than the median buyer. Days on market in some pockets (Ardsley Park – Chatham Crescent) have actually shortened 8% YoY.
The islands have softened the most. Tybee, Wilmington, and Skidaway saw the biggest insurance-driven affordability hits. That’s where the actual price cuts are concentrated.
What this means for investors
This is a more interesting market for investors than the one we had two years ago. Here’s how we’re thinking about it at Team 912:
You have actual negotiating power now. Specifically, the 98% sale-to-list ratio means well-prepared buyers can find legitimate value. We’re seeing successful offers 3–5% below list when the property has been on the market more than 60 days. That wasn’t possible in 2022.
Cash flow finally pencils again. As a result, with prices down modestly and rents holding firm, gross rent multipliers have improved 8–12% versus 2023. On the right West Chatham buy, 2026 cap rates are landing closer to 7–8% than the 4–5% range we saw at the peak.
Underwrite insurance hard. Don’t trust the listing’s pro forma insurance number. Get an actual quote from a coastal-specialist agent before you close. We’ve seen deals look great until the real number lands.
The slow-eviction tax doesn’t apply here. A softer market is precisely when Georgia’s landlord-friendly legal stack matters most — bad tenants happen, and a 30–60 day eviction timeline means a soft market doesn’t compound into 6 months of negative cash flow. See our full analysis of why investors are fleeing tenant-friendly states to Georgia.
Watch the foreclosure data. U.S. foreclosures hit a six-year high in 2026 — Chatham hasn’t seen the spike yet, but distressed inventory is one of the indicators we’re tracking month over month. Our breakdown: what the foreclosure data means for Savannah investors.
Chatham County Housing Market Forecast: Balanced, Not Bearish
Looking ahead 12 months, we expect Chatham County to settle into the 3–5% annual appreciation range that local analysts like the Heather Murphy Group have been calling for — a return to historically normal growth, replacing the volatile post-pandemic swings.
Three durable demand drivers underpin that view:
- The Port of Savannah remains the third-largest container port in the U.S. and is still expanding capacity.
- Hyundai’s $7.6B Metaplant is still in ramp phase — housing demand from the supplier ecosystem is just starting to land.
- Tourism remains structural. 15+ million annual visitors to Savannah/Tybee continue to support short-term-rental cash flow even as long-term values find equilibrium.
For the deepest current breakdown of our investor outlook, start with Is Savannah a Good Market for Real Estate Investment?
Bottom line
The Chatham County market in 2026 is the most genuinely interesting it has been for serious investors since 2019. Volatility has receded. Additionally, inventory has rebuilt, and buyers have leverage they didn’t have in 2022. And the durable demand drivers — Port, Metaplant, tourism — haven’t gone anywhere.
The flip side: this isn’t a market where you’ll get bailed out by 15% YoY appreciation. Instead, you’ll get paid by buying right, financing right, screening tenants right, and operating in a state whose legal stack protects your downside. That’s been our thesis at Team 912 since 2018, and it has never been more relevant than now.
If you want to talk through a specific deal you’re looking at — or what neighborhood fits the strategy you’re trying to run — email julie@team912.com or call (912) 600-2893.
Related Reading
- Is Savannah a Good Market for Real Estate Investment?
- Why Out-of-State Investors Are Fleeing to Georgia
- Investing in Richmond Hill, GA
- Investing in Pooler, GA
- Coastal Georgia Flood Insurance Primer
Team 912 is part of RE/MAX Accent. Julie Gates, Associate Broker, Georgia. Market data sourced from Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, and ShowingTime as of mid-2026. Equal Housing Opportunity.
