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

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.