[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6684176,"mediaKeyId","2341393-e247dd3cecfd28cb70a7222d53ff16e0","parentId",2341393,"title","Georgia Association of Realtors warns permitting, infrastructure and local zoning are constraining housing supply","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",2093000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2341393-e247dd3cecfd28cb70a7222d53ff16e0&start=2093&end=2093","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2341393-e247dd3cecfd28cb70a7222d53ff16e0/thumbnail_2093000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6684176/Georgia/Georgia-Association-of-Realtors-warns-permitting-infrastructure-and-local-zoning-are-constraining-housing-supply","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6684176-363875d1ea6917b6f3aa0dff086f57fa/orig.mp4?Expires=1771181391&Signature=iXb17FK~03VWoVbP~vCNd-YKoxxTywckeOwZPQVRtLqBX7aY77JeC-~XiI-5IAILMFqVrDhg5NcdoWCCRVwD4Pq~UUbQgrKFJGn8v3GHG5JP0nIupy7SNqYOSrGkTtwhRdRDISIWNdrSnt8QZf3ZSBBnUk-95LH-SlFd3bQDlkQ-QEs7ZPX9Kw8JsZsdKPP6X9CDvl9OHoJVCoS0INAEnFXp9REUEpz9MNQnQOHYif-nPixQGaR1ZbZLlbJk1T9shYmkzXnWvLZRvg4vBBEHuDtZJWjWnVJZ69faymyKH03S~sdsQJuprk9dp-4xEnwznWfBnpl-Dfp02wiy6q-aIg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","State of Georgia ","date","2025-02-19T14:02:34.977Z","article","Betsy Bradfield, advocacy director for the Georgia Association of Realtors, told the Small Business Committee on Oct. 27, 2025, that housing supply across Georgia remains constrained and that permitting, infrastructure and local regulations are important drivers of higher prices.

Bradfield said the association represents about 48,000 members statewide and reviewed data showing limited months of inventory and rising median prices. She said the state’s median sales prices for 2024 included a $370,000 median for single‑family detached homes and that demand remained strong across most markets. “We do not have enough housing,” Bradfield said, and she highlighted the governor’s rural workforce housing grants as a partial response to infrastructure needs.

Several local realtors described how those statewide trends play out locally. Jimmy Whaley, broker‑owner of Whaley Realty in Americus, said the median sales price in parts of southwest Georgia is roughly $189,000 but that counties in his region have not seen new subdivisions since 2007, leaving aging housing stock and making it difficult for employers to recruit. “We haven’t had a neighborhood built since 02/2007. Period,” Whaley said.

Nikia Brooks, vice president of governmental affairs for the Georgia Association of Realtors and broker‑owner of Heartland Real Estate, told the committee that permitting delays and infrastructure costs (for example, connecting to sewer) are blocking development and sometimes force sellers to accept much lower prices. Kim Eiler Morgan, who works in the Savannah region, described long commutes because housing supply has not kept pace with job growth around large employers and recommended regional cooperation on water and sewer infrastructure.

Committee members and speakers discussed impact fees and zoning. Bradfield said impact fees can increase housing costs and urged careful use of nexus studies; she noted the Choice Act, a prior legislative proposal, had brought stakeholders together but was not enacted. Representative Dale Washburn, closing the discussion, emphasized private property rights and higher‑density development as policy avenues. “If you let the free market work, generally it will work,” Washburn said, while also acknowledging local governments’ role in orderly growth.

The meeting included no committee vote or formal action on housing policy. Presenters and members urged continued collaboration among builders, local governments, regional authorities and state programs to expand supply and lower costs.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Small Business Development 02.19.25","oneSentenceSummary","Speakers for the Georgia Association of Realtors told the Small Business Committee that permitting delays, minimum lot‑size rules, infrastructure shortfalls and impact fees are limiting new housing supply and driving up prices across Georgia, with rural areas facing distinct obstacles.","taxTitle","Small Business Development, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Georgia","taxId",17381,"location","Georgia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6684181,"WonderSchool pitches pre‑screened teacher platform to address Georgia childcare staffing shortage",701,1014000,1715000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2341393-e247dd3cecfd28cb70a7222d53ff16e0&start=1014&end=1715","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2341393-e247dd3cecfd28cb70a7222d53ff16e0/thumbnail_1014000.jpg","/articles/6684181/Georgia/WonderSchool-pitches-prescreened-teacher-platform-to-address-Georgia-childcare-staffing-shortage","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6684181-0b00f2e2d272fcc2e13ffe9cc2d26585/orig.mp4?Expires=1771181391&Signature=ZlDBor~QeMag1mIS7UOUGoCsJhAe53ySyVVhdOnWaiQyUYv7b9hE9oX4MoEXCLaYY7MIxxqfcCzDQMoi5na31z0pF9NxYk~sP1gmCmOANqjbfSj3qYJSiojSr1IdmbYtDJ-0N4~2Vz-yC-UIREa3j8pHHV7vof~uBLsV0ZZqsO4qytv4uSkVcGLSGpFJ-ER6~ybiSk-VVVNnfeFJNuVc8X2Y5Mfq6YeSncwGX1X4Z4qTwe834W5ymZW1x3GsHV549GVsCr81PGAIL3rLZ6cCs7TX2naP2viZqGJg10D8xty4V5JQGQ0XtsPq7XZIfBmqqlU-mPZTNkhiBgLU1QCMDw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ellen Reynolds, representing WonderSchool, told the Georgia Small Business Committee on Oct. 27, 2025, that her startup offers a technology and services platform intended to help childcare providers recruit and retain staff so centers can remain open.

Reynolds introduced Tay Marie Adams of WonderSchool, who said the company was founded in 2016 to support early childhood providers as small businesses and has focused on teacher recruitment after interviewing more than 100 providers that identified staffing as their biggest problem. “Child care deserts” and strict student‑to‑teacher ratios, Adams said, mean centers that cannot meet staffing ratios may close and lose substantial revenue.

The presentation described a two‑sided recruitment product: a searchable pool of pre‑screened candidates and tools for centers to match by ZIP code and job requirements. Adams said WonderSchool uses targeted marketing and partnerships with universities to build the candidate pool and that the company’s matching algorithm can reduce hiring time by “up to 80%,” bringing average time to hire from months to days in some cases. Adams added the platform can be white‑labeled for use by government partners.

Adams described two payment models. “There’s two models,” she said: providers can contract directly with WonderSchool, or the company can work under state contracts paid for as part of workforce initiatives. Adams also emphasized that WonderSchool does not recruit teachers currently employed by other childcare centers, saying, “We do not recruit from teachers at current childhood centers. That would defeat the purpose.”

Committee members asked how WonderSchool screens candidates and what state requirements it verifies. Adams said the platform vets candidates against the state’s requirements for childcare workers and that those requirements vary by state; she cited fingerprint background checks, required health and safety trainings such as CPR and first aid, and that Georgia Pre‑K lead teachers must hold a bachelor’s degree. A committee member also confirmed WonderSchool serves both in‑home family providers and larger centers and noted the company offers other services — for example, substitute (“sub pool”) matching and subsidy management — that some states bundle with recruitment.

No formal committee action or vote followed the presentation. The presenters answered several committee questions before the meeting moved to other agenda items.","WonderSchool told the Georgia Small Business Committee it offers a teacher recruitment platform that pre‑screens candidates and connects them with childcare providers; presenters said the service can shorten hiring time and that states or providers can pay for it.","actionData","errors"]

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Georgia Association of Realtors warns permitting, infrastructure and local zoning are constraining housing supply

WonderSchool pitches pre‑screened teacher platform to address Georgia childcare staffing shortage