On this episode of Inside Georgia Real Estate, host Shelly and Deborah Morton, owner and broker of The Agency Atlanta, dig into the real numbers behind affordability in today's Georgia market and why first-time buyers are being squeezed out, even as inventory grows.

Deborah shares an inside look at an affordable housing project she is working on in Cherokee County near Woodstock, and unpacks the hidden costs (beyond mortgage rates) that are killing deals: rising property taxes, skyrocketing homeowners insurance, HOA fee increases, and PMI requirements. She also explains why the average first-time buyer is now 40 years old, why fewer than 20 percent of buyers are first-timers, and how home ownership remains the single most powerful driver of generational wealth in America.

The conversation also dives into the lock-in effect (homeowners ...