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Musings from the Mountains
I am sending out the comparable home sales email today that we usually send on the first of the month. Looks like we sold 87 homes in April 2026 compared to 77 homes in April 2025. It seems we have been consistently beating last year’s numbers most months. No doom and gloom in our local market. Upon analyzing the numbers, it would seem that Horton Homes’ developments have helped our market numbers considerably. Horton currently has 3 large developments in the latter stages of building. They are currently building more homes in another development further out Jonathan Creek. This is the first nationally known home builder in years (or maybe forever) to make such a large building commitment in Haywood County. At the same time, we have 3 large apartment complexes recently added in the county, with a fourth apartment complex recently begun.
Downtown Waynesville was recently declared the number two smalltown downtown area in the USA by a prominent magazine. People admire our natural beauty, and the perks that come with living in a beautiful area of the mountains among the national parks, state parks, national forests, and wilderness areas. Those mountains and natural areas are drawing the nature lovers that want to live in a gorgeous area without the stressors of living in a large city. This is what is bringing more and more people to Haywood County. Some folks don’t like all the newcomers, but it’s very difficult to hide our lovely mountains.
Real Estate Recap March 2026
Well, I seem to have egg on my face from my blog of April 1st. I indicated that sales had fallen 6.25% when comparing March 2026 to March 2025, but guess what? When I posted the blog on April 1st, several agents had not posted all the end of March closings, so the decrease I spoke of never happened. We managed a gain of 2.4% for March 2026 when compared to March 2025.
Pending sales in March 2026 turned out extremely well, increasing 23.3% from March 2025.
The median sales price fell 3.5% in March 2026 when compared to March 2025, but the average sales price rose 2.7% when compared to March 2025.
The average listing price of homes coming on the market rose 17.3% in March 2026 when compared to March 2025. The average list price of new listings this year was $533,097.
Our month’s supply of inventory fell to 4.2 months in March 2026. This is up a bit from 4.0 in February and 4.1 in January 2026. This still keeps us in a “seller’s market”. In a balanced market we would have about a 5.5 month’s supply.
If you have any real estate questions, or would like help buying or selling real estate, please let us know. We can help!
Sales Finally Drop a Bit Compared to 2025
For January and February this year, sales were actually above January and February of 2025. However, in March 2026 we had our first monthly drop when comparing to 2025. Residential sales fell about 6.25% when compared to March of 2025.
There’s a lot of chaos going on in the world right now, with the war in Iran. Certainly, this makes major decisions, like purchasing a home, even more scary. Interest rates were beginning to drop, but now they have gone back up again. I was reading that mortgage refinancing had been increasing with lower interest rates, but now since the war began, mortgage refinancing has decreased by 40%.
No one can predict the future. Certainly, we are living in chaotic times. If you have any questions about real estate, please let us know. We are here to help. If we don’t know the answer to your question, we will try our best to find an answer for you.
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.
