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Real Estate Recap February 2026
For February 2026, the same trends from January are still continuing.
We had 79 new listings for Haywood County in February, compared to 91 new listings in February 2025.
Pending Sales in February were up 7.1% over February 2025.
Closed Sales in February were up 11,9% over February 2025.
The Median Sales Price in February was $378,000 up 18.1% from February 2025.
The Average Sales Price in February was $428,696 up 12.1% from February 2025.
The Days from List to Close rose 4.8% from 124 in February 2025 to 130 this February.
The Average List Price of homes coming on the market rose 2.1% from $486,154 in February 2025 to $496,528 this February.
Our Month’s Supply of Inventory stayed the same as February 2025 at 4.0 month’s supply. (The month’s supply of inventory is how many months it would take to sell all the inventory if no more listings came of the market, and sales remained constant.)
Last fall in September we had a 6.2 month’s supply of inventory. A balanced inventory is about 5 to 5.5 months. At 6.2, we were moving into a buyer’s market. Since then, our month’s supply has steadily come down to 4.0 months, meaning we are back into a seller’s market.
I read articles referencing national statistics that describe how the real estate market is slowing. However, here in Western North Carolina, that is not the case. Remember, all real estate is LOCAL! National trends mean nothing if they are not occurring locally.
If we can help with your real estate needs, or if you just have a question, please let us know.
Musings from the Mountains
Haywood County, NC has a lot of new construction homes, apartments, and road improvements in progress currently. Horton Homes has 3 new developments still in progress, and they have begun building homes for another development on Jonathan Creek Road (Hwy 276 North). There are 2 new apartment complexes that are almost full, and a third large apartment complex that recently began renting apartments. There is another apartment complex off Howell Mill Road that recently broke ground and another in the planning stage that just got preliminary approval to proceed. This does not include small contractor-built home clusters that have popped up in Waynesville. With all the new apartments, home developments and road construction in progress, it would seem that the county is having record growth. This would be logical because we are a beautiful county with the highest average elevation of any county east of the Mississippi River. Our climate here has 4 distinct seasons, with just a small amount of snow in the Winter, and cooler temps in the Summer than the piedmont or coastal counties of NC. So, how fast are we growing in relationship to say Buncombe County (Asheville) to our east, or the entire state of NC, or even the entire United States? Let’s take a look:
Since 1974 Haywood County has grown in population from 43,844 to approximately 63,300 today. That is a 44.4% population growth in 52 years.
Buncombe County (Asheville) to our east has grown in population from 152,366 in 1974 to approximately 284,052 today. That is an 86% population growth in 52 years.
The state of NC has grown in population from 5,461,082 in 1974 to approximately 11,300,000 today. That is a 106% population growth in 52 years.
The United States has grown in population from 217,076,476 in 1974 to approximately 349,000,000 today. That is a 60.7% population growth in 52 years.
When you compare the above numbers, I guess we haven’t outgrown our britches. The entire United States has outgrown us; North Carolina as a whole has outgrown us (and outgrown the whole United States); the Asheville area (Buncombe County) has outgrown us considerably in the last 52 years. So, are we having record growth? Yes, we are, but so are other counties, our state, and our nation. I grew up in a retail environment. One of my bosses told me many years ago, if you’re not growing, you’re dying. So, when it comes to growth, our county, our neighboring county, our state, and even our nation, is healthy.
If you’re interested in moving to our beautiful mountains, let us know. We can help.
Real Estate Recap January 2026
It seems that inventories in Haywood County have begun to rise somewhat. We experienced a 18.7% rise in new listings when compared to January 2025. This brings our Month’s Supply of Inventory to 4.1 versus 4.0 in December and 4.0 in January 2025. This still places Haywood County in a buyer’s market. (A balanced market is considered 5.5 to a 6 month’s supply)
Pending Sales rose 20% from January 2025, and Closed Sales rose 2.9% when compared to January 2025.
The Median Sales Price dropped 7.4% when compared to January 2025, and the Average Sales Price dropped 4.8% when compared to January 2025. (The Median Price was $387,350, while the average sales price was $424,536.) I am sure that many buyers are pleasantly surprised to see sales prices falling a bit.
Days on the Market Until a Sale rose 48.5% from January 2025 to 98 days. Buyers are taking longer to make an offer on a home.
The Average List Price of homes coming on the market increased 2.7% to $457,222 when compared to January 2025. I feel this is partially due to more luxury homes being listed.
Overall, this was a good report. Sales seem to be holding up, and inventories are still staying somewhat low. It’s comforting to see the market become more “normalized” and less volatile.
If you have a real estate question, or just want to discuss a real estate issue, please let us know. We are always here to help.
Musings from the Mountains
After a few years of snow drought, nature is trying to catch up! Most areas in Haywood County got from 7 to 10 inches of snow over the weekend, with over a foot in some higher mountain locations.
Cataloochee Ski Area is reporting a 55-to-73-inch base with a natural packed powder surface. They have 18 of 18 trails open and 5 of 5 lifts open with night skiing also. Conditions have not been this good for a long time. Wax those skis and come on up!
Real Estate Recap December 2025
Wow! Real estate really started popping again in December. See below:
New listings were up 15.6% from December 2024.
Pending sales were up a whopping 41.5% from December 2024.
Closed sales were up 29.3% from December 2024.
Median sales price was off 6.3% from December 2024. (A stronger mix of lower priced homes, less luxury homes)
Average sales price was actually up 2.4% from December 2024 to $441,420.
Average list price of new homes coming on the market was up 10.5% from December 2024 to $508,988.
Our month’s supply of inventory actually decreased from 5.1 months in November 2025 to 4.2 month’s supply of inventory in December 2025. We had been increasing inventory, going from a buyer’s market to a seller’s market, but this drop in inventory places us back into a buyer’s market again. It will be interesting to see how this evolves in January.
Please let us know if you have any questions on real estate. We can help.
Questions About Septic Systems
It seems many of our buyers are coming from metropolitan areas where septic tank systems are uncommon. Here in Haywood County, we have sewer systems in municipal areas, but much of our county lies outside those areas and is dependent on septic systems for biowaste treatment and removal. I will attempt here to answer questions we hear more frequently.
If you are purchasing a lot for that dream home, or cabin in the mountains, and there is no sewer system available, you will need a septic system. Haywood County Environmental Health Department will need to approve your lot for a septic system prior to installation. You will need to complete an application for a permit and furnish a site plan, showing where the home and driveway are to be located. Once your application has been approved, Environmental Health will send a sanitarian to check for soil suitability, and that all setbacks are met. (The septic tank must be at least 5 ft. from the foundation of the proposed home, that none of the drain field is within 100 ft. of water sources, and at least 10 ft. from property lines.) The sanitarian will also define a repair area, which would be used for a drain field if your primary drain field ever fails. Also, there are 2 primary types of septic systems, gravity and pump. A gravity system is less expensive and requires less maintenance. However, on some lots the drain field must be at a higher elevation than the septic tank. This requires a pump system. A pump system has 2 septic tanks. The first one is just like a gravity system tank. The liquid effluent drains into a second tank which has a pump. When the tank is close to full, the pump activates and pumps the liquid up hill to a drain field above the tank. These systems are more expensive to install and do require more maintenance than a gravity system. Once a permit is issued it will give the number of bedrooms that the system can accommodate. (The more bedrooms, the larger the drain field.) Keep in mind that you may build a home with 3 or 4 rooms that could be used as bedrooms. However, if you only have a 2-bedroom septic permit, your home can only be advertised or listed on MLS as a 2-bedroom home. We have had issues with this when a homeowner decides to add another bedroom in an unfinished basement without having his septic system modified to accommodate an additional bedroom.
Also, if you are remodeling an existing home, it may require an approval of your existing septic system.
Septic systems should be checked every 3 to 5 years to see if they need the solids to be pumped. There are several companies in the county that pump septic tanks. This costs approximately $300 currently. Also, newer systems have a filter inside the tank that must be cleaned when the tank is pumped.
Many people purchase septic tank additives and flush them down the toilet monthly. The gentleman that pumps my septic tank discourages this practice. I was just reading a website from a septic system installation company that says “Septic tank additives generally do more harm than good.”
If you’re considering buying some property to build that dream home or cabin, we can help you with the process to get your septic permit.
Happy New Year everyone!
Real Estate Recap November 2025
New Listings in Haywood County increased by only 2.4% compared to November 2024.
Pending Sales rose 12.9% to 96 units compared to November 2024.
Closed Sales were Down 4.9% when compared to November 2024.
The Median Sales Price was down 6.2% when compared to November 2024.
The Average Sales Price was down to $452,331 (-4.7%) when compared to November 2024.
Days on the market until sale increased 32.3% (82 days) compared to November 2024.
The average list price of new homes coming to the market rose 20.6% to $564,479 compared to November 2024.
Overall, sales are almost keeping pace with November 2024, but the median sales price is down 6.2% when compared to November 2024. This is partially because lower priced homes are substantially outselling luxury homes. For many home buyers, higher interest rates and higher pricing has left them out of the market. Hopefully, interest rates will come down somewhat in the new year.
If you have any questions about listing your home, or if you’re thinking of buying a home, please let us know. We can help.
Musings from the Mountains
The above photo is the old “Omigosh Double” chairlift (the left one) at Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley. I am happy to report that the old double chairlift to the top has been replaced by a Quad lift this year, the new “Omigosh Quad” chairlift. This gives them 2 Quads, 1 Triple, and 2 surface lifts for the 2025 – 2026 ski season.
Cataloochee Ski Area opened last week, timing the weather perfectly. They have been blowing snow every chance they get and now have a base of 24 to 38 inches with 7 of 18 trails open and 3 of 5 lifts operating. Also, the weatherman is calling for some colder temperatures this weekend and early next week, so hopefully more snowmaking will happen.
Cataloochee Ski Area has invested big time into having state-of-the-art snowmaking equipment. Being so far South, Cataloochee can’t depend on natural snow alone to cover the slopes. We salute them for their consistent vision, improvements, and all the visitors Cataloochee brings to the surrounding area.
A Tale of Two Counties
Maggie Valley, Waynesville, Canton and Clyde are all within Haywood County. Directly to the east of Haywood is Buncombe County containing the city of Asheville. Buncombe County is a bustling area with many tourist attractions, and a very active real estate market. In fact, the PBS TV program, This Old House, is currently showing episodes from Asheville and Swannanoa as the “This Old House” gang helps 5 homeowners rebuild after the flood from Hurricane Helene in September of 2024. Also, it was announced last week that Asheville would now be home to a PGA Golf Event, The Biltmore Championship. The inaugural tournament will be in September of 26.
I usually give previous month’s updates in this blog for Haywood County, but I thought it would be interesting to compare Haywood’s numbers in October with Buncombe County’s numbers. So here goes:
New Listings- Haywood had 138, a 64.3% increase from October of last year. Buncombe had 502 new listings, a 154.8% increase from October of last year.
Pending Sales- Haywood had 104, a 46.5% increase from October of last year. Buncombe had 351 pending sales, a 161.9% increase from October of last year.
Closed Sales- Haywood had 86, a 2.4% increase from October of last year. Buncombe had 341, a 79.5% increase from October of last year.
Median Sales Price- Haywood, $385,000, an 11,2% decrease from last year. Buncombe, $450,000 a 1.7% increase from October of last year.
Average Sales Price- Haywood, $483,306, a 3.8% decrease from last year. Buncombe, $571,671, a 14.3% decrease from October of last year.
Average List Price- Haywood, $546,792, a 14.3% increase from October of last year. Buncombe, $715,817, a 15.5% increase from October of last year.
Month’s Supply of Inventory- Haywood, 5.8 months, a 16% increase from October of last year. Buncombe, 6.0 months, a 62.2% increase from October of last year.
It is important to remember that in October of last year we were dealing with the devastation from Hurricane Helene that occurred September 27, 2024. Also, the population of Haywood County is only 63,000 compared to Buncombe County’s 280,000. (Buncombe is approximately 4.4 times larger than Haywood in population.)
I hope you find our blog interesting; I sure did. Remember, if you have any real estate questions or comments, please let us know.
Interesting Facts About Haywood County, NC
Here in Haywood County (Waynesville, Maggie Valley, Clyde, Canton) we are very proud of our county. Our tall mountains and wide valleys make our county unique in the Eastern United States. Here are a few facts you may not have known:
Haywood has more 6,000 feet + mountains (13) than any county east of the Mississippi River.
Shining Rock- 6010 feet, Grassy Cove Top 6055 feet, Tennent Mountain 6040 feet, Black Balsam Knob- 6214 feet, Sam’s Knob- 6055 feet, Rheinhart Knob- 6095 feet, Richland Balsam- 6410 feet, Cold Mountain- 6030 feet, Waterrock Knob- 6292 feet, Mt. Lynn Lowery- 6290 feet, Plot Balsam- 6088 feet, Mt. Guyot- 6621 feet, Big Cataloochee- 6180 feet
Haywood has the highest average elevation of any county in the East.
Haywood’s rivers, creeks and springs are its own. All water in the county originates here.
Haywood is home to almost 10% (46 miles) of the Blue Ridge Parkway with entrances from Highway 276 at Wagon Wheel Gap, Highway 215 at Beech Gap, and Highway 23/74 at Balsam Gap, and Highway 19 at Soco Gap. The highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway is in Haywood County.
Pisgah National Forest in Haywood County is part of the National Forest Scenic Byway, a 79-mile loop.
Haywood County is a Civil War site. Kirk’s Raid occurred here in 1865.
Canton was originally Cherokee Indian Territory. A post office first opened there in 1837. The community was named Pigeon River at that time.
Haywood’s oldest church, now First Baptist Church in Canton, was established in 1801 as Locust Old Fields Church.
The railroad came to Canton in 1881 and to Waynesville in 1882.
Two of the world’s largest sapphires were found in Canton’s Old Pressley Sapphire Mine.
Clyde’s 1795 Shook House was home of Jacob Shook. Bishop Asbury was the first Methodist Bishop consecrated in America and used the Shook House for services.
In 1891, Haywood County got its first library when a group of Waynesville women started the Waynesville Library. In 1915, the Canton Library formed under the guidance of the Canton Women’s Club.
Canton was home to the Champion Paper Mill for 115 years. The mill employed and provided an income to generations of workers in Canton. The mill was closed in 2023.
I hope you enjoyed the facts about our county.
