Buford
Newer housing than most of Gwinnett, a city school district, and Lake Lanier up the road.
Updated September 2026 · Source: FMLS, compiled by the Terence Richardson Group
The 60-second read
Buford sells a lot of newer houses. 75% of homes sold in the 12 months through September 2026 were built in 2000 or later, and 37% in 2015 or later. 863 FMLS closings at a $470,000 median make it a busy market.
The identity splits three ways: the Mall of Georgia retail zone, the old Main Street downtown, and the Lake Lanier edge. Address matters here for another reason too. Inside the city limits you're in Buford City Schools; outside them, Gwinnett County Public Schools. Verify the parcel before you offer.
What the housing stock actually is
Buford's stock runs new: 38% of homes sold were built in the 2000s through the early 2010s and another 37% in 2015 or later. Only 22% dates to the 1980s and 90s. So the typical listing is a younger two-story with an open plan, not a renovation project.
The middle half of Buford sales for the year ending September 2026 runs $400,000 to $599,000, with typical homes between 1,974 and 3,088 square feet at a median $188 per square foot, per FMLS closings compiled by the Terence Richardson Group. The annual median climbed from $355,000 in 2021 to $441,000 in 2025, and the trailing 12 months sit at $470,000. True 2020-or-later builds were still just 2% of sales since 2020, so newer here usually means 2015 to 2019, not this year's model.
Data last updated: September 2026. Source: FMLS closed sales, compiled by the Terence Richardson Group. Y-axis does not start at zero.
View the data table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| Oct 2021 | $376K |
| Nov 2021 | $390K |
| Dec 2021 | $405K |
| Jan 2022 | $400K |
| Feb 2022 | $406K |
| Mar 2022 | $400K |
| Apr 2022 | $414K |
| May 2022 | $438K |
| Jun 2022 | $458K |
| Jul 2022 | $435K |
| Aug 2022 | $400K |
| Sep 2022 | $417K |
| Oct 2022 | $405K |
| Nov 2022 | $400K |
| Dec 2022 | $385K |
| Jan 2023 | $420K |
| Feb 2023 | $400K |
| Mar 2023 | $425K |
| Apr 2023 | $438K |
| May 2023 | $440K |
| Jun 2023 | $430K |
| Jul 2023 | $430K |
| Aug 2023 | $436K |
| Sep 2023 | $452K |
| Oct 2023 | $413K |
| Nov 2023 | $413K |
| Dec 2023 | $450K |
| Jan 2024 | $410K |
| Feb 2024 | $465K |
| Mar 2024 | $441K |
| Apr 2024 | $428K |
| May 2024 | $461K |
| Jun 2024 | $455K |
| Jul 2024 | $488K |
| Aug 2024 | $439K |
| Sep 2024 | $433K |
| Oct 2024 | $455K |
| Nov 2024 | $450K |
| Dec 2024 | $445K |
| Jan 2025 | $417K |
| Feb 2025 | $435K |
| Mar 2025 | $423K |
| Apr 2025 | $485K |
| May 2025 | $452K |
| Jun 2025 | $457K |
| Jul 2025 | $460K |
| Aug 2025 | $440K |
| Sep 2025 | $415K |
| Oct 2025 | $466K |
| Nov 2025 | $441K |
| Dec 2025 | $421K |
| Jan 2026 | $419K |
| Feb 2026 | $447K |
| Mar 2026 | $470K |
| Apr 2026 | $493K |
| May 2026 | $525K |
| Jun 2026 | $520K |
| Jul 2026 | $475K |
| Aug 2026 | $469K |
| Sep 2026 | $500K |
What tends to work well
- Budgets between $400,000 and $599,000, the middle half of Buford FMLS sales for the year ending September 2026.
- Buyers who want newer construction; 37% of sales were built 2015 or later.
- Anyone who wants Lake Lanier ramps within a short drive of daily errands.
- Commuters using I-85 or I-985, which split just south of the city.
What buyers should think about
- Buyers who want mature-tree 1980s neighborhoods; only 22% of sales date to the 1980s and 90s.
- Anyone allergic to retail traffic; the Mall of Georgia zone backs up on weekends.
- Buyers assuming one school district; the city-limit line changes the answer.
- Anyone needing a short Midtown commute; rush hour runs 45 to 75 minutes.
How are the commutes from Buford?
I-85 and I-985 split just south of Buford, which is why the city works for commutes heading downtown or up the I-985 corridor. Highway 20, Buford Drive, is the retail spine past the Mall of Georgia, and it slows badly on weekends. Plan store runs around it.
No rail as of 2026. The car is the plan here; local buses cover a few main corridors.
Drive times are realistic off-peak to peak ranges, not promises. Test your own commute at your own hours before you buy; we say that to every client.
- 45-75 min
- to Midtown
- 35-60 min
- to the Perimeter
- 40-70 min
- to Buckhead
- 55-90 min
- to Hartsfield-Jackson
What schools serve Buford?
Buford is served by Buford City Schools and Gwinnett County Public Schools.
Buford High School
Buford City- 9-12
- grades
- 1,846
- students
- 17.4:1
- student-teacher ratio
- 65.5% / 70.5%
- ELA / Math proficient or above (2024-25)
Sources: enrollment, grades, and staffing from NCES Common Core of Data via the Urban Institute Education Data API (2022-23); assessment figures from Georgia Milestones, Governor's Office of Student Achievement downloadable data, 2024-25, share of tested students scoring Proficient or Distinguished on Georgia Milestones (ELA and Math; EOG for elementary and middle schools, American Literature and Algebra EOC for high schools). Attendance zones are set by the district, change over time, and must be verified address by address before you rely on them. We identify schools factually and present official statistics uniformly; we do not rate, rank, or characterize schools.
Everyday life
Downtown Buford's Main Street keeps the original small-town core: restaurants and shops in older storefronts, a few blocks long. The market around it stays busy: 863 closings in Buford, Gwinnett County in the 12 months through September 2026, per FMLS data compiled by the Terence Richardson Group.
The Mall of Georgia zone handles the big-box errands and dining. Bogan Park adds an aquatic center and ballfields on the north side, and Lake Lanier's ramps and marinas are a 10 to 20 minute drive depending on your side of town.
If you like Buford, also look at
Sugar Hill
$425K median · 36 days
Suwanee
$620K median · 22 days
Dacula
$440K median · 38 days
Braselton
$575K median · 28 days
Lake Lanier Corridor
$502K median · 33 days
Medians and days on market: trailing 12 months. Data last updated: September 2026. Source: FMLS closed sales, compiled by the Terence Richardson Group.
Questions people ask
Buford questions, answered
Is Buford a good place to live?
863 homes closed in Buford, Gwinnett County, GA in the 12 months through September 2026 at a $470,000 median, per FMLS closed sales compiled by the Terence Richardson Group. The pitch: newer housing, the Mall of Georgia's convenience, a small historic Main Street, and Lake Lanier close by. The tradeoffs: retail traffic on Highway 20 and a Midtown commute that runs 45 to 75 minutes at rush hour.
What is the median home price in Buford?
$470,000 is the median in Buford, Gwinnett County, GA for the 12 months through September 2026, per FMLS closed sales compiled by the Terence Richardson Group. The middle half of sales ran $400,000 to $599,000. The annual median climbed from $355,000 in 2021 to $447,000 in 2024, then came in at $441,000 in 2025.
Does Buford have its own school district?
2 school districts serve Buford, Gwinnett County, GA, depending on the address: Buford City Schools inside the city limits and Gwinnett County Public Schools outside them. A Buford mailing address doesn't tell you which one applies. Verify the specific parcel with the districts before you write an offer.
Is Buford close to Lake Lanier?
10 to 20 minutes is the typical drive from most of Buford, Gwinnett County, GA to Lake Lanier ramps and marinas, depending on your side of town. That access without lakefront pricing is part of the draw. For homes on or near the water itself, most of the search shifts north and east of the city.
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