George Real Estate Group Radio Broadcast

Beyond the Headlines: What's Really Happening in Henderson County's Housing Market

• George Real Estate Group

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What does your mindset have to do with real estate success? According to Greg George, everything. 

Diving into both local and national market data, this episode of The George Real Estate Group podcast challenges the fear-driven headlines about foreclosures and market instability with hard facts and context. Greg shares revealing statistics about Henderson County's real estate landscape: 127 single-family homes selling monthly with just a five-month supply, creating a balanced but opportunity-rich environment for both buyers and sellers.

While national headlines trumpet rising foreclosure rates, Greg provides crucial perspective – foreclosure filings affect just one in every 758 U.S. homes today compared to one in every 45 during the 2010 housing crisis. The difference? Today's homeowners have record equity levels, stronger lending standards protect the market, and support systems have vastly improved for those facing financial challenges.

Beyond the numbers, Greg explores how your mindset shapes your real estate outcomes. Borrowing Naval Ravikant's wisdom that "pessimists get to be right, optimists get to be rich," he demonstrates why rational optimism consistently outperforms paralyzed pessimism when it comes to building wealth through real estate. Whether you're considering selling your home, investing in property, or even exploring a career in real estate, your belief in possibility coupled with strategic action creates results that fear-based hesitation never will.

The episode wraps with practical guidance for homeowners considering their next move and announces the George Real Estate Group's upcoming open house at 73 Wisdom Cove Road. Greg also highlights their Hometown Heroes series featuring Shane Zaccoli of Spokes of Hope, showcasing their commitment to community beyond real estate transactions.

Ready to cut through market noise with local expertise? Connect with the George Real Estate Group at 828-393-0134 or visit realestatebygregcom to discover how clarity and strategic thinking can transform your real estate journey.

Speaker 1:

Hello friends, thank you so much for being here. This is the George Real Estate Group podcast, which is a production of our live weekly radio shows hosted on multiple radio stations here in Hendersonville, north Carolina. The George Real Estate Group serves Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina and it is a privilege to share positive news about our local real estate market and community. Thanks so much for subscribing and, of course, if you have any real estate questions or if we can help you in any way, be sure to reach out. Visit us at georgerealestategroupradiocom for more information. Good morning and welcome to the George Real Estate Group live radio broadcast here on WHKP every Thursday morning, sharing the positive news about your local real estate market and community. We're so grateful to be here with you. The market is moving and we'll talk about that. We'll talk about what's happening locally. We'll talk about what's happening nationally. The market continues to move and we're so grateful If you're tuning in, for the first time ever, the Georgia Real Estate Group are located in Flat Rock on Rainbow Row and we are so grateful.

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We serve all of Western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina.

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We have incredible agents, incredible staff. We are so passionate about helping our clients navigate through the buying and selling process. If you're tuning in for the first time ever, we've had the privilege of helping over 1,500 families throughout the years, quickly approaching 1,600, and this is my 20th year in the real estate with my North Carolina real estate license and, again grateful to serve the community through real estate. We have an incredible team, incredible staff. We are so passionate about helping our clients navigate through the buying and selling process and, if you're just curious what your home is worth, if you're curious about the market, if you're curious, you know, hey, do I sell before I buy? Do I buy before I sell? I mean, there's so many options and we certainly love to interview for the job. There's no pressure, there's no cost, there's no obligation, or you know, we're just here for you to provide information and we love we have conversations every single day and again, we'd love to have the conversation with you. Stop by our office anytime, 2720 Greenville Highway, there on Rainbow Row, and if you just want to call us, call us directly at 828-393-0134, 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygregcom. You can follow us on social media Facebook and Instagram and, again, glad to help. We are doing a big open house this Saturday at 73 Wisdom Cove Road. You can stop in and see that amazing house this Saturday. It's going to be open this Saturday from 10 to 12 for brunch on Saturday. It's an amazing home, 73 Wisdom Cove Road in Flat Rock, and it's a great price $695,. Built in 2020. Totally, even though it's only five years old, it was a complete renovation was done on it, on this three-bedroom, three-bath home in the very desirable Flat Rock neighborhood, solomons Cove, high-end finishes. But come out this Saturday from 10 to 12 this Saturday for an open house, 73 Wisdom Cove Road.

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If you're curious when I see this beautiful home and let's talk about what's just happening here locally, let's give you a seven-day snapshot of what's happening in Henderson County. In the last seven days there's been 34 new listings, 61 price drops. There's also been 37 homes go under contract and 34 homes close. That's in the last seven days. And, of course, typically in the end of the month you'll see an increase of home selling, just because a lot of people schedule their homes to be sold at the end of the month. It just seems to be a common trend there.

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And again, if your personal home, your personal situation. Every situation is unique and different and if you're curious, you know what what your home is worth and, by the way, there's some semantics there. What your home is worth and versus what the market will bear for it are could be two different things. I mean, obviously it's worth what someone's willing to pay for. But we look at the numbers and what does the data say? What does the market say that a buyer would be willing to pay in today's market? Over the last 12 months in Henderson County there's been over 1,500 single family homes sold in Henderson County. That's not including condos or townhomes, but we're averaging almost 127 single family homes selling a month in Henderson County. We have a five-month supply. There's 645 active single-family homes on the market. The average available home price in Henderson County is at $787. The single-family home price average over the last 12 months is at $541. Average over the last 12 months is at 541.

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But let's put that in context. Let's put that in context on the national market. You know the the cause a lot of people right now uh, are are. I mean the market, they're just the reality. I mean there's and there's two. There's so much news out there and I and I love this saying. You know, the beauty may be in the eye of the beholder. And then how you're feeling about the housing market, well, probably depends on your zip code. Nationally.

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The numbers might make you raise an eyebrow. Sales of previously owned homes fell 2.7% from May to June and compared to this time last year, flat no real gain, no real loss. But analysts were expecting a smaller dip, just 0.7%. So what's really going on? Well, let's look a little closer. At the same time, sales dropped. The median home price climbed to an all-time high of $435,300. And that's right, an all-time high.

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But here's where it gets interesting. In the Northeast, home prices are up 4.2%, with a median price north of $543. Cities like New York, milwaukee, hartford, are heating up fast. But head down to the Sun Belt and that's a whole different picture. Prices there are up just 0.3%. The average home price in the South sits at $3.74. And some markets like Austin, tampa and Miami are actually seeing price drops. And so what's driving the divide?

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And again, I just gave you context of what's happening here. Locally, our average price, our average price in Henderson County, is in the 540s and, like I said, the average price in the south, from a larger scale is at 374. So supply supply supply. Areas with limited housing stock, where people just can't find enough homes, are seeing price surges. Meanwhile, places like Texas, florida and Louisiana, which just seem more building and inventory, are experiencing slight price corrections.

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It's basic economists More supply, more options, better prices for buyers. But here's the stat. That should really make you pause. For buyers. But here's the stat should make you really make you pause 15% of pending contracts fell through in June and that's the highest fallout rate for the month, for that month since 2017.

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And so, on a national level, buyers are getting cold feet. And who can blame them? Between the high prices, mortgage rates and economic uncertainty, confidence is hard to come by them. Between the high prices, mortgage rates and economic uncertainty, confidence is hard to come by. So whether you're feeling like it's a seller's dream or a buyer's market actually depends on where you are and what kind of supply you're up against. And that's why, at the George Real Estate Group, we can provide the local expertise and the information. So, if you're in Western North Carolina or upstate South Carolina, we can show you the numbers behind your neighborhood, not just the headlines. At the George Real Estate Group, we know how to guide you through the data, the timing, the strategy whether buying, selling or just curious where things are headed. And again, if you want to know what your home's worth in today's market and you're thinking about buying but unsure how, if the time's right, call the George Real Estate Group at 828-393-0134. We're here to help you make sense of it all.

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We are so grateful to serve the community through real estate. We have an incredible team in place. Like I've said before, this is my 20th year of my broker's license. I joked, I'm an overnight success. That's taken 20 years of showing up every day and we just keep. We're so grateful. We have an incredible team and staff. We love our clients. We love serving the community through real estate and we love to interview.

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We podcast all of our radio shows. You can find it on your favorite podcast platform. Another amazing thing that we love doing every week. So we're here every Thursday at 10 am. We've been actually doing this program since 2011. We've been actually doing this program since 2011. And the Friday morning show we've been doing this for a number of years as well the George Willis-Sigroup Hometown Heroes series. And this week we have the Spokes of Hope and Shane Shane's, the director and founder of Spokes of Hope, a faith-based nonprofit group who's been helping Helene victims in Chimney Rock and Bat Cave since the flood of the century did so much damage. Shane's going to be here tomorrow morning talking about the past, the present, the future in the gorge. And tomorrow morning our George Rolse group hometown hero is Shane Zaccoli. Shane Zaccoli with Spokes of Hope, and we are so honored to sponsor the Hometown Heroes series.

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We're here every Friday morning at 845. Tune in tomorrow morning live. And, of course, if you know someone that's in the community, someone's an unsung hero, somebody you'd like to honor, certainly reach out to us. We'd love to have the conversation and continue shining a light on amazing people doing amazing things in our community. Another conversation that we have to have is regarding a topic that's also in the news with the real estate market. And again we're here every week sharing with you positive news about the local real estate market. And again, we're here every week sharing with you positive news about the local real estate market. We're also providing clarity about what's going on, but the buzzword now is foreclosures.

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Yep, the headlines are loud again. Foreclosures are rising, the crash is coming back. But are they really telling the whole story, and so let's break that down Not just the headlines, but the facts, because what you're not hearing might be more important than what you are hearing. You know foreclosure filings and what the data actually shows. Yeah, first off, yes, foreclosure starts are up slightly this year. In the first six months of 2025, there's been a 7% increase nationwide.

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But here's the number the headlines often leave out Only 0.13% of homes in the US that's just one in every 758, had a foreclosure filing. Let that sink in. That's less than a quarter of 1% of all US homes. And when you compare that to 2010, during the housing crash, when there was a one in every 45 homes, you can see we're in a completely different ballpark. Even with that small uptick, of course, 7% sounds huge. Even with that small uptick, the numbers today are still historically low. Let me say this again Currently, one in every 758 homes had a foreclosure filing, compared to one in every 45 homes in 2010. Very different how it varies by the market, but, just like everything in real estate, it depends on where you live. Some areas are seeing more filings than others, but many local markets, including here in Western North Carolina and the upstate, are showing strong fundamentals.

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We got a national we, we, and this is on our, our blog. You can see this at georgewillsteadgroupradiocom. You can see how the numbers break down on a national level. And, of course, if you're curious about we, we literally can pull up any foreclosures here on the MLS, here in our area. So if you're just curious about what that is, but here's the thing, we're not in trouble and we can actually. We're going to share with you this morning five reasons why the market's not in trouble.

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Number one lending standards are stronger than ever. Gone are the days of the risky no-document loans. I mean, the joke was, if you could sign your name, you could get a loan. If you just promised to pay it back, it was no income, no verification, no problem. You can get a loan. But today's buyers go through a real approval process. People have skin in the game and are far more likely to keep their homes, even in tough times. Also, number two homeowners have record levels of equity, and this is huge. Unlike in 2008, most homeowners today have built up hundreds of thousands of dollars in equity. So if life throws them a curveball, they can still sell their home and walk away with cash. They're not stuck. They're not underwater. Rick Starga, founder of not underwater. Rick Starga, founder of CJ Patrick Company, said it best A significant factor contributing to today's low foreclosure activity is that homeowners, even those in foreclosure, possess an unprecedented amount of home equity Meaning.

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If you're in financial trouble, don't walk away from your home. Let us help you. Let us have a conversation we can help navigate through. You most likely have equity in the house Instead of giving it back to the bank. You can still control the exit, control the sale and walk away with some cash. And again, every situation is unique and different. Every home is unique and different, but there's absolutely no judgment. Again, life happens. You got into financial trouble. Could have been a death or divorce or a job loss. Again it's, and we are incredibly compassionate and empathetic to our clients' challenges they're walking through and we can provide clarity and provide a way to, to, to move forward and to start over.

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Number three you know there's still more demand than supply and even with interest rates higher than we'd like, you know, homes are still in short supply. That's as I shared earlier. I mean we're averaging 127 single family homes a month selling in Henderson County and only some 600 available. We only have a five-month supply and that's keeping prices more stable than people expected. You know the demand is still there, especially for well-priced home in great communities like ours here in Western North Carolina.

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Number four most homeowners have locked in low interest rates.

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Most people have fixed mortgage rates with the interest rates in the three to 4% range, you know.

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So their monthly payments are manageable and the rising rates aren't touching them, and a lot of people are.

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I mean we have clients that are keeping their existing homes and keeping that low interest rate. They're going to rent it out and then go buy something else. I mean there's options that you have and, by the way, when your interest rates are going up to the, you know if they're in the sixes and you can afford to buy. Today, again, you're going, as I shared earlier, you're still going through all the standard underwriting and qualification, but again, a lot of people today still have these low interest rates. And then, number five support systems are stronger today. Back in 2008, many homeowners had nowhere to run, but now there's more options, from forbearance to loan modifications, and lenders are more willing to help before things even get close to the point of foreclosure, and we've helped clients do short sales. You know there's options and this is where, if you're having the conversation and again we can in not avoiding it and able to talk we can put a plan together and put some clarity for you.

Speaker 1:

So here's the thing, the bottom line don't let fear be your guide. So here's the truth. Foreclosure headlines are designed to stir up fear, but the data tells a very different story. We're not in a housing crisis, we're not even close, but we are in a market that requires clarity, strategy and local expertise. So, if you're a buyer, it's still a great time to explore options, especially if you're looking for value and long-term stability. If you're a seller, you're also in a strong position and more of a stronger position than you realize and the right guidance can make all the difference. And then, if you're a homeowner facing financial hardship, don't wait. There are resources, there's options and you probably have more equity than you think in options. So that's why I'm here to separate fact from fear, to guide you through the noise, with real estate insight and numbers and real numbers. So if you're wondering what your home is worth, if it's the right time to move, or just want to understand how all of this affects you, let's connect. You can call us directly at 828-393-0134. You can go to realestatebygregcom. I mentioned to you our blog post. You can go to georgerilestategroupradiocom. You're not alone in this and you deserve the truth, not just the headlines, and we're so grateful that you tune in every Thursday morning to hear the George Real Estate Group radio show and we love sharing with you the information about the market, conversations about life. We also have our fun regular guests here with our nonprofits and also all the upcoming things coming into our community. We love serving the community through real estate. We love having the conversation here every Thursday and sharing with you clarity about the market. So we love the conversation and again, you can call us directly 828-393-0134, 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygregcom.

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I came across a really fun, well interesting quote to me and it can be a little provocative, it could be clever and bold, but I saw this quote that was so interesting to me. Pessimists get to be right, Optimists get to be rich, and it flips the old idea on its head that being right about doom and gloom may win the argument, but it's often the hopeful risk-takers who win in the long run. Risk takers who win in the long run, and you know it's a reminder that you know pessimists sit back and point out every possible thing that could go wrong and it's the optimists who dare to take action and reap the rewards. And in this, in regards to real estate, pessimists often wait on the sidelines saying prices are too high, interest rates are too scary, the market's too unpredictable. Well, optimists, they make the move, they take action and they take advantage of opportunities. Also, in the context of business, pessimists poke holes in every idea. You know, optimists build the boat, set the sail, and sure, there's risks, but that's where the reward lives.

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You know, in another, different version of that is you know, pessimists play it safe, optimists play to win. You know, being right doesn't build wealth, and this is where belief and action do, and you have to have both. By the way, it's one thing to believe something, but if you don't take action, you know it's the other. You know you can watch the storm or you can plant seeds. You know and the quote, by the way, is widely attributed to Naval Revenkent, and he's a well-known entrepreneur, angel investor and philosopher on startups, wealth and life. He's made a number of appearances on podcasts like the Tim Ferriss Show, and he has a viral tweet like the famous how to Get Rich without getting lucky. But you know, he talks about and he emphasizes optimism, and especially rational optimism. It's not this delusional optimism, but it's the key to entrepreneurship and wealth building and investing. But it's so interesting. Building and investing. But it's so interesting, you know. It's also reminds me of the quote by Henry Ford you know, whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right. Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right, and so these two quotes do tend to go together. Your mindset shapes your reality, and so if you believe things won't work out, that the market's too tough, that there's no opportunity, well, you'll find plenty of reasons to stay stuck. And sure you might be right about and I use that in quotes you might be right about how hard things are, but the mindset doesn't move you forward. And then, on the other hand, optimists who believe there's a way through and take action are the ones that will tend to move forward. They invest, they create, they take risks and even if they stumble, they learn and grow. You know, they say, you know you only fail if you stop, if you don't get back up and try again. But learning, growing, failing forward, the optimists that take action often end up building wealth, relationships and opportunities that pessimism would shut out completely. And so we see this, and I see this every day in real estate People who win, people who build equity, people who move when the timing isn't perfect but the vision is clear, are the ones who believe something's better and the ones who believe something's better is possible.

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So and also, uh, warren Buffett, be greedy when people are fearful and be fearful when people are greedy. But the question is, what are you believing today? Like Ford said, whether you think you can or think you can't. You're right, and Naval reminds us pessimism and pessimists might get to be right, but it's the optimists who get to be rich. And again, you know, and again I'm trying to provide context of our. My goal is to provide context in the market, but, but the mindset matters. And also in the real estate industry, for sure, you know, real estate industry industry has one of the highest, uh, only second to insurance is the highest attrition, you know, within licenses, you know, only one in 10 new licensees today will be in business in the next five years. And so, and we've been our, our group at the george real estate group, I mean I think we're four or five years, six, seven years, uh, you know, number of long, our average is well over the average uh in the real estate industry.

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I mentioned this in my 20th year. Gail and our team has over 30 years in the industry and we have a number of agents with five and seven and eight years in the industry. So it's and if you're thinking about getting into the industry, it is one of the most rewarding and compelling careers. You know you get to serve people. You get to advocate and you get to. You know facilitate and to serve people. You get to advocate and you get to. You know facilitate and work on behalf of clients in their dreams and their goals. And real estate is usually one of the biggest crossroads for most people and it's usually one of the biggest financial transactions you'll do in your life and for most people, their personal home is going to be their biggest financial transaction. You know, and we are working with clients with their commercial and investment portfolio with regards to real estate and the solutions we're providing there from helping clients grow their real estate portfolio to working with their financial advisors and their tax consultants and we have both. We have wonderful team members and advisors we partner with and work with that can provide clarity for our clients. And again, if you're growing your real estate portfolio, maybe you're thinking about your estate and you're thinking about, hey, what does this look like? As I'm planning ahead and we've facilitated 1031 exchanges and helping clients with their planning ahead, with their real estate, in regards to their state, and working with our state attorneys. You know, again, whatever the situation is, but it's, you gotta be careful that you're, if you're operating out of fear versus you know, looking at the the again, rational optimism, uh, and looking at what the numbers are, and again, with the headlines that are out there, be careful. The headlines don't always tell the full story and that's important to be curious and to look at what the actual context is and the content, and again, what's the full story behind any headline you might read. So, but back to taking action versus being paralyzed with fear. And again, you can lean into the opportunity, and so the truth is, in any, you can actually sell your home successfully in any market, and we have. By the way, you know, I grew my business during the 2011, 12 and 13, when the market I mean my, the growth that I experienced when the market was absolutely it's worse, worse again when the right plan, the right strategy and the right team behind you.

Speaker 1:

And and so, if you're thinking about a career in real estate or thinking about. You know the market's the market and we have clear paths forward and clarity for our clients. You know the mindset can matter whether you're buying or selling, and the mindset certainly matters when you're thinking about a career in real estate. You know people. We've I've seen people from it, come from every walk of life. You know teachers, nurses, stay at home, parents, retirees. You build incredible careers and, coming from other professions as well, build incredible careers in this field. So but it starts with belief the belief that you can learn and that you can grow and you can serve people well and build a meaningful business. So, whether you're selling your home, buying a home, investing in a home, investing in real estate, or maybe you're looking at, you know're planning ahead with your estate. We'd love to have the conversation. You can call us directly at 828-393-0134. We're growing. We're helping more people. We love serving our community through real estate and, again, I love having these conversations about mindset. Give us a call today, 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygregcom. Follow us on social media Facebook and Instagram.

Speaker 1:

We also podcast all of our radio shows. We're here every Thursday morning. Also, we're here every Friday morning with the Hometown Hero Series. Shane Zuccoli with the Spokes of Hope is going to be here tomorrow morning at 845 as our Hometown Hero series and Shane's the director and founder of Spokes of Hope. It's a faith-based nonprofit who's been helping Helene victims in Chimney Rock and Bat Cave since Helene and Shane's going to be here tomorrow morning and we're so grateful to sponsor the Hometown Hero Series. If you know somebody that's in the community that's making a difference, somebody that you, you know, whatever again, a career in real estate, whether you're you know or you're thinking about buying or selling, or, like I said, if you know somebody that's in the community making a difference with the Hometown Hero Series that we sponsor every Friday morning, we'd love to have those conversations. I apologize, I got those things blurred in wrapping up here this morning, but so grateful to be here with you every Thursday morning. We love serving the community through real estate. We'll be podcasting this radio program here and you can find it on your favorite podcast platform and you can find it on your favorite podcast platform, whether it's Apple, amazon, alexa or Spotify. But we're grateful.

Speaker 1:

We're in the Flat Rock community, we are located on Rainbow Row and you can certainly stop by our office. I joke, it's a dangerous place for an office and you can stop in and give us a call or just stop in and say hello. I mean, we love when people just stop in and say hello, and we do have tons of people that stop in and say hello, and so we love our visitors that stop by. So many people are here, by the way, right now because of the camping community, the camping industry and kids and wrapping up their summer and parents coming to pick up their kids. So we have people that stop in and that have picked up their kids from camp and that's a great time to connect and we have so many people stopping in and saying hello there as well.

Speaker 1:

The market's the market. The interest rates are the interest rates. But again, if you're just curious, give us a call 828-393-0134, 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygregcom. We'd love to have the conversation. Oh, there's the music coming in hot there. Have a great day, have a great week and tune in. Tomorrow morning We'll see you at the Hometown Hero Series. Maybe the house feels a little too big these days, the stairs a little steeper, the pace of life a little too fast. But what if your next move wasn't about letting go. It was about making space For peace, for freedom, for what matters most. At the George Real Estate Group, we understand that real estate isn't just about the house. It's about transitions, timing and trust. We've helped thousands of families in Western North Carolina make smart, thoughtful moves closer to nature, closer to family, closer to home. So when you're ready to right size, simplify or start fresh, we'll be here. The George Real Estate Group Local, trusted, proven. Call us today, 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygregcom, because your next chapter deserves to feel just right.

Speaker 2:

Thank you for listening to the George Real Estate Group podcast. Tune in next time for more industry news updates and real estate tips. You can reach Greg, the George Real Estate Group, at 828-393-0134 or at realestatebygregcom.