Homebuyerslooking for a newly built house may want to keep an eye on the Georgia side of the Chattanooga metro.
The Chattanooga, Tennessee-Georgia metro ranked No. 6 nationally in Realtor.com's 2026 list of the top metros for new construction.
The ranking looked at factors including the share of homes for sale that are newly built, pricing compared with existing homes, climate risk, online buyer interest and how long new construction homes remain on the market.
Here's what to know.
How many listings are new builds?
New construction made up 26.8% of all listings for sale in the Chattanooga metro, according to Realtor.com.
The median price for a newly built home was $425,080, compared with $386,163 for existing homes.
That means buyers are paying a premium for new construction, but
the difference is relatively modest compared with some other markets included in the ranking.
Georgia is part of the metro
Although Chattanooga is primarily associated with Tennessee, the metropolitan area extends into Georgia, making the ranking relevant to homebuyers and communities on the Georgia side of the state line.
Realtor.com said new construction in the metro is concentrated largely in the eastern suburbs, with Ooltewah identified as the area with the most new homes for sale.
The area is also near Volkswagen's manufacturing plant, which Realtor.com noted as part of the region's connection to manufacturing and automotive jobs.
New homes score well for climate risk
One of the standout factors for Chattanooga was its sustainability score.
Realtor.com gave the metro a 92.9 sustainability score, noting that new construction homes in the area face significantly lower flood risk than existing homes.
The metro received an overall score of 76.6, with an inventory score of 77.8, price score of 70.7 and hotness score of 69.7.
Chattanooga was the only Georgia-connected metro in the top 10
Chattanooga was the only metro on Realtor.com's top 10 list that includes Georgia. Here is the full list:
- Charleston, NC and Charleston, SC
- Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC
- Boise City, ID
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
- Nashville-Davidson; Murfreesboro; Franklin, TN
- Chattanooga, TN-GA
- Winston-Salem, NC
- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
- Columbia, SC
For the full report, visit realtor.com/research/top-new-construction-metros-2026.
Vanessa Johns is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia, covering food and entertainment. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: This Georgia metro ranks among America's top spots for new homes
