Six Georgia cities: August supply context

The city counts do not move together

Five of the six selected cities had higher Zillow inventory in August 2026 than in August 2025. Alpharetta rose from 420 to 482; Cumming rose from 1,147 to 1,260. Milton declined from 248 to 238.

The smart move is not to force one North Atlanta story. Identify the city and property type that matter, then inspect current alternatives.

New listings answer a different question

Cumming new listings rose from 265 to 282, while Alpharetta, Milton and Roswell declined. Incoming listings and available inventory are different measures.

Neither series measures closed sales, price, demand, a lake segment or negotiation result.

The reported value is a citywide model rather than a transaction-level sale series. Its usefulness is in setting context and prompting a current review, not in replacing the evidence needed for a specific home.

Gainesville's new-listing count was nearly unchanged, 142 to 143, even as its inventory rose from 632 to 706. That example makes the distinction concrete: inventory can grow without a matching surge in incoming listings.

Move from count to choice

Use the public counts to decide where to look more closely. Then create a dated shortlist with current competition, documents and practical fit.

This research excludes Lake Lanier, luxury and neighborhood claims. Refresh property-specific evidence before acting.

The report's period and scope matter as much as its number. Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell, Cumming, Gainesville and Buford is used here as a broad public reporting area. A smaller area, a particular property form, and an individual home can follow a different path.

Alpharetta's 14.8% inventory increase is the largest selected percentage change, while Milton's inventory declined 4.0%. The result is variation, not a regional verdict. A city count must be paired with a current property-type review.

The source numbers

12 analyzed city-month observations: six cities, August 2025 and August 2026, for inventory and new listings.

On a small screen, scroll the table horizontally to see every column.

How we calculated it

Filter exact Georgia city rows in Zillow seasonally adjusted city inventory and new-listings files.

Compare August 2025 and August 2026 values without pooling cities.

Compute each inventory change as (2026 minus 2025) divided by 2025.

• Alpharetta inventory change: (482 - 420) / 420 × 100 = 14.8%

What this can and cannot tell us

• Broad city inventory and new-listing context only. It does not establish a neighborhood, Lake Lanier, waterfront, luxury-segment, MLS, or property-specific result.
• Inventory and new listings are distinct series and do not establish demand, negotiation outcomes or future price direction.
• A city count does not show whether relevant current property types are available.

Sources

• Zillow city inventory, seasonally adjusted
  Zillow Research · Retrieved 2026-09-29
• Zillow city new listings, seasonally adjusted
  Zillow Research · Retrieved 2026-09-29
• Zillow Research data documentation
  Zillow Research · Retrieved 2026-09-29