George Real Estate Group Radio Broadcast

From Rates to Reality: How Inventory, Cash Buyers, and Local Trends Shape Henderson County’s Housing Market

• George Real Estate Group

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If you’re watching rates, days on market, and price cuts and wondering what it all means for your next move, this conversation brings the signal through the noise. We start on the ground in Henderson County with fresh numbers—new listings, pendings, closings, and price drops—then connect those dots to bigger forces like softened mortgage rates, cash-heavy demand, and a five-month supply that keeps pricing resilient. You’ll hear why buyers are acting faster when rates dip, how sellers can still command strong outcomes with precise pricing, and where negotiation has returned with list-to-sale averages around 95 percent.

From there, we widen the lens. Inventory is destiny, and state-by-state differences are dramatic. Texas and Florida have added sizeable supply in recent years, shifting leverage toward buyers, while North Carolina’s minimal inventory growth keeps sellers in the driver’s seat. That context matters for relocations, investment timing, and long-term planning. We also open up a practical playbook for investors and families: how a 1031 exchange can defer capital gains taxes, preserve buying power, and move you from management-heavy rentals or low-yield land into professionally managed, income-producing assets. We clear up common myths—like-kind is broad, exchanges can be repeated, and reverse structures exist—and explain the hard deadlines and the importance of a qualified intermediary.

If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines with an aging property, shared family real estate, or land that isn’t pulling its weight, this is your roadmap to more income and less hassle. We talk through Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs) and other passive options that can simplify life, support estate plans with step-up basis, and turn equity into dependable distributions. Whether you’re planning a sale, an exchange, or a strategic “right-size” move, we’ll help you weigh timing, taxes, and true market conditions—so your next chapter feels clear and well-timed.

Subscribe for weekly market insight, share this with someone weighing a move, and leave a quick review so we can help more neighbors make smart, confident decisions.

SPEAKER_01:

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 George Real Estate Group Radio.com for more information. Good morning and welcome to the George Real Estate Group live radio broadcast here on the queue every Monday morning. Thank you so much for tuning in. Can you believe it's our last show of September? October's around the corner. While time flies when you're having fun, Christmas is less than three months away, if you can believe it. The new year's around the corner. I mean, and by the way, we got plenty of time to enjoy the rest of 2025. Um, and just grateful to be here with you. If you're tuning in for the first time ever, the George Real Estate Group is located in Flat Rock. We serve all of Western North Carolina and the upstate, uh, Spartanburg and Greenville counties. We have agents in in both states and honored to serve the community through real estate. We've had the privilege of helping uh you know almost 1,600 families throughout the years. And uh on our team, we have over a hundred years combined experience. We have incredible staff, we have incredible agents. And if you're considering buying or selling or investing in real estate, we'd love to have the conversation. If you're thinking about a career in real estate, we'd love to have the conversation. Maybe you already have your license and you're looking for something different. We are having an incredible experience this year on the George Real Estate Group. We've helped more people this year, year to date, than we did last year, and that's in a market that's uh very fascinating, the market. And we're gonna talk about what the market's doing here locally. We'll even jump into some conversations about what's happening nationally. And you can find us online at realestatebygreg.com. You can call us directly at 828-393-0134, 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygreg.com. We podcast all of our radio shows. You can find us on your favorite podcast platform. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We we share our uh stories of of new listings and homes sold and our agents. We have a great social media presence there if you want to connect with us there. And uh we have our upcoming pie day, November. Uh it's the the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, our client appreciation uh pie day, where we give our clients either an apple or pumpkin pie. And if you've if you've not signed up for that, there's still plenty of time to do that. We're way ahead of schedule and grateful for that. Uh, we're even planning our our Christmas, uh staff Christmas party. I mean, talk about uh winning, right? I mean, we're we're we're gonna get ahead of things this year, and we love helping our clients navigate through the buying and selling process. It's still a great time across the uh our area here for buying and selling, and and and different states are having different experiences, and I'll even share about what's what that looks like in some of the different states. But specifically, I'll give you a quick snapshot in Henderson County. Just in the last seven days, there's been 35 new listings. We continue to see a trend of price drops. There's been in the last seven days 78 price drops in Henderson County. There's been uh very healthy homes go under contract. There's been 54 homes go under contract in the last seven days, 47 homes closed in the last seven days. You know, if you look at the last 12 months in Henderson County, we're averaging some hundred and twenty-six single-family homes a month selling. Still low inventory, only 660 some active homes on the market. The 12-month average price in Henderson County over the last 12 months, single-family homes is$535,000 is the average uh 12-month price in Henderson County. We still see a third of our homes are purchased, one in three homes are purchased with cash, uh, which continues to be strong. Uh we continue to see cash buyers. The there's certainly been some relief with the interest rates softening. And so our specific area is continuing to be stable. I mean, the the days on market's increased, I mean, which is not a bad thing. It's just buyers are a little bit more cautious, and and yet if the homes are priced, uh where the homes are priced, I mean, if you're pricing it correctly, homes are going under contract quickly. But overall, days on market are increasing. So sellers are having to be a little bit more patient, buyers are being a little bit more cautious. But but but in the scheme of things, we continue to see the the same number actually year to date through the end of August. We we actually saw a 3% increase in the number of closed homes in Henderson County. We've seen an 11% increase in new listings year to date. And then also our prices really, the average price and the median sales price year to date uh this year through the end of August, through the end of August last year, is is less than a 1% difference. The biggest change is the days on market. Days on market are up some 37, almost 40 percent. Uh so uh you're looking at about two months of being on the market, 60 plus days of being on the market before going under contract. That's where the uh average is right now when you look at year to date through the end of August. Another interesting observation is the the list price to sales prices is about ninety-five percent. Uh so it's come off a little bit compared to the years where you had to, you know, on average we were seeing 100% was the typical. You know, when we look at the the um, you know, when you look at what's being asked versus what's being uh given and ultimately what sellers are accepting. Um but it it is so fascinating. And again, we're we're we're watching the market, we're watching the local market, we're watching also the the national market. It's so interesting across the country, you know, so in some states it's a really strong buyer's market. And then in other states, sellers still have the upper hand, and it really depends on where you live. And so it's you know, the it's all about the inventory. The inventory growth, when you look from it really the last five years across the country, there's some states that have had significant increase in inventory. In North Carolina, we are we are still at uh less than a 1% difference uh in really in the last five years compared to like Texas, they've had a 31% increase in growth uh in the housing inventory over the last five years. Uh Florida, 25% increase. You know, the increase, the number of homes for sale impacts, you know, whether it's a buyer's market or whether it's a seller's market. Inventory uh matters, and it's this is where prices are impacted, but buyers have more to choose from, and where you know it they might have an easier time finding a home, leveraging their negotiating power, versus states like North Carolina, sellers are likely to sell quickly and and make fewer concessions where the inventory levels are low. So similar to price, similar to inventory is prices. You know, the price trends are different. You know, uh, you know, California, um Arizona, Colorado, uh Texas, you know, a lot of these areas, you know, it's where the the ties between the inventory, but I shared, I've shared on the program before where people are coming from. They're coming from uh frankly all over the country, but we have more people moving into North Carolina, which that incoming migration makes a difference. But you know, the days on the market, the pricing, the timing, the inventory, all those places tell a story. And you know, just it's like saying that the average temperature across the United States is 72 degrees. This is the same with real estate. And and this could even be true in your own county, your own, you know, one neighborhood from another neighborhood. You know, that can make the difference in whether you're in a buyer's market or a seller's market. But specifically in Henderson County, you know, we have you know, like a five-month supply. It's still considered a seller's market. So that's why prices are holding. Prices are not crashing like, you know, you gotta be careful about the news. The news saying that the sky is falling, but the the sky is not falling. And we can actually look back over the last 24 months, truly, uh, in Henderson County, you know, how our market has has maintained. Um, there's been some breathing room for some buyers as the interest rates have have come down, but with these interest rates coming down, you know, a lot of buyers, the buyer demand is picking up considerably. The uh Morger Mortgage Bankers Association reported that application for home loans, well, they were up 23% in the first week of September versus the first week of September last year. I mean, and if you're waiting to sell, you know, your home might it might be the time to consider, reconsider selling. The buyer demand is at is at the highest it's actually been since July. And so you don't want to miss out on the window. When the rates drop, the buyers react. And so the 30-year mortgage rate dropped to 6.13% uh last week, and that's the lowest it had been since October 2024. And that was following on the heels of the week job uh reports, the other economic indicators. I mean, there's some the speculation that the Federal Reserve may cut the federal rates multiple times this year. So again, Fed uh the mortgage rates, which don't confuse the Fed rate versus the mortgage rates, but the mortgage rates started dropping because the financial markets are anticipating additional Fed cuts. And so again, buyers are looking at all the different angles and they're looking at affordability. Uh, they're looking at uh inventory. And so as a seller, again, your unique home, your unique situation, and and you might be uh not only just a seller, but maybe you're looking to buy. So you know a lot of our clients you know sell then buy, and then some of our clients buy, then sell again. Your unique situation, your unique home. So, you know, you can you could sell your home now while the buyer activity is rising. I mean, like I said, just in the last seven days, 54 homes went under contract in Henderson County, and we continue to see the strong demand. So if you're curious what your home is worth, if you're curious what it looks like to buy and sell, or maybe to sell and buy, I mean, we there's no pressure, there's no cost, there's no obligation to have a consultation, confidential consultation. We'd love to have the conversation with you. We're located in Flat Rock there on Rainbow Row. We serve all of Western North Carolina. We have incredible agents, we have incredible staff, we have incredible clients. We're so enthusiastic about helping our clients navigate through the buying and selling process. We are we have traditionally and historically primarily been doing uh you know residential real estate while we've also been doing commercial real estate, investment real estate, uh, and helping our clients navigate through that. Actually, after the break, uh gonna jump into the conversation about 1031 exchanges, and there's some maybe some misconceptions about it. Maybe it's you've not even heard the term. It's a tax code, uh, internal revenue tax code 1031, and we're gonna talk about how this can be a solution uh for some of your real estate holdings. Also, there's some challenges that you might not be aware of. There's also some solutions. You know, this is so interesting. The generation, uh, the baby boomer generation. I mean, there is a significant amount of wealth in real estate. 70, 70% of total net worth actually is resides in two different asset classes, real estate and then qualified investments. 25% are qualified investments, and then 45% of baby boomers' wealth is in real estate. And so we have the ability to help navigate through maybe some challenges you might have. And we're gonna talk about what that could look like here in the second half of our radio program. We're here every Monday morning sharing with you positive news about the real estate market and also just some information for you to consider uh in your real estate world. It could be your personal home, it could be your investment properties, it could be planning ahead for your estate. But we are gonna talk about some of the real estate tax codes for your investment properties. And again, we've been helping a lot of clients with that as well. Uh, stay tuned in. We have a short break and we'll be right back. Good morning and welcome back. You're listening to the George Real Estate Group live radio broadcast here in the queue every Monday morning. We're having some great conversations. Um, and just gonna dive into the conversation about a 1031 exchange. It might not be on your radar, but if you own real estate outside of your now, there are tax advantages to your primary home. We we and we've shared this all the time. As an individual, you get the first$250,000 tax-free. If you've lived in your home two out of a five-year period, what a gift of home ownership. If you're married, it's$500,000. Even if your spouse passes away, you can take advantage of their$250,000 within two years of their passing. And so significant tax advantages to home ownership. And we we help our clients navigate through the the the point, you know, there there's there's some significant, you know, benefits to real estate. You know, one of the uh and again for your personal home, if you lived in a home two out of a five-year period, you can take advantage of a 1031 exchange. And it's the tax code that allows investors to defer capital gains taxes when selling an investment property. And so as long as they reinvest the proceeds into another investment property, and so it's the goal is to keep your money working for you in real estate rather than handing a chunk of it to the IRS. And why does why does this matter? The tax deferral equals more buying power instead of paying 20, 30, 40 percent in taxes now on the sale of your real estate investment, that money goes into the next property. You know, this allows you to trade trade into larger, more profitable, better located properties. And that's a whole nother conversation where we have options for you. Uh, if you're saying, well, I don't want to, I can't find something that and we have incredible options for you to replace them, but it's also you can move from management intensive properties like small rentals into passive investments like triple net leases or Delaware statutory trusts. The thing is, there's some rules about it. You know, it can't be your your primary home now, unless you can stack it, actually. You can live in your primary home for two years, you can then rent out your home for two years, and that's one way to do the primary plus the 1031 exchange on your primary home. Um, also, the light kind property is uh such a broad definition, it's almost any real estate for real estate. But to keep it simple is you must identify replacement properties within 45 days of the sale. You also have to close on the replacement property within 180 days. And one of the reasons the IRS says we're not going to tax you in this scenario is in the 1031 exchange is because you actually don't touch the money. The money is held by a th neutral third party, what's called a qualified intermediator. So for example, you know, if an investor sells a$500,000 rental home, you may own a hundred, you may owe a hundred thousand dollars in taxes if if just sold outright, versus you could roll the full$500 into a new property, a duplex or a small commercial building. So over time, you can swap, you can leverage, you can grow your portfolio without a tax hit. And of course, working with a real estate professional to avoid some common pitfalls, you know, there's the deadlines, the 45 and 180-day deadlines. Um, you know, you know, not working if you're not working with a qualified intermediator, uh, for getting eventually taxes do come due unless you keep exchanging until death, and that's where your kids and heirs get what's called a step-up basis. There's an advantage for that. So again, there's a lot of benefits to the 1031 exchange. There's also some some myths. Some people think you can only do a 1030 exchange once. And the truth is there's actually no limit to the number of 1031 exchanges you can do. Investors often what's called swap till they drop, rolling gains forward repeatedly. Also, there's a myth about it's for like kind properties, meaning they must be identical. The the reality is like kind and the IRS's definition is very broad. Any real estate held for investments or real or business purposes can typically be exchanged for another investment property. For example, if you have raw land, maybe you own hundreds of acres, and you're just paying the taxes on it, maybe you have a very small land lease on it. I would argue that the value of that real estate is not being maximized for your benefit. You could sell the land and move it into another investment like a multifamily or an office building, or again, something that's managed, professionally managed, and you're getting mailbox money, um, but you could maximize the value of your land and instead of just paying taxes on it and getting a small land lease, you can do a 1031 exchange from raw land into commercial, raw land into multifamily. Another interesting thing is uh you don't a myth is you don't have to pay the taxes ever. But a 1031 exchange defers the taxes, it doesn't eliminate them. So if you if you sell the replacement property later without another exchange, the deferred capital gains will be recognized. So that said, if you hold on until death, your heirs typically get what's called a step-up basis, which can erase the deferred taxes. It's a very popular strategy with with estates and investment, real estate, and we can talk about that. Another interesting thing is you can you can uh a myth, a misunderstanding, a myth of 1031 exchange is you can take the cash from the sale and put it back later. Funds must go through a qualified intermediator. So if you touch the money, it's considered a taxable event. That's why working with a real estate professional, working with a QI, and working with a team ultimately to help you navigate through the 1031 exchange. And you can't sell something and then decide to do something later, but you can do a re reverse 1031 exchange where you buy first and then do a 1031 exchange reverse after, and we can talk about that if you have questions. But the there's there is uh also a misunderstanding that you have unlimited time to refine the replacement property. If the IRS is going to give you a tax break, they have rules associated with it. You have 45 days to identify replacement properties, and then you have 180 days to close on one, and the deadlines are hard and fast. So there's a there's a number of different things that we navigate through with our investors, helping our clients navigate through the process. So you can actually you can only there's another misunderstanding, myth. You can only exchange into one property. You can actually identify multiple properties under the IRS rules, up to three regardless of value, or more unlimited under the 200% rule. So again, a lot of people think the 1031 exchange is too complicated for most investors. Well, there are rules and deadlines with a good qualified intermediator, a tax advisor, financial advisor. The process is straightforward, and we commonly are doing this, and this is commonly done by investors on all levels. And so we'd love to have the conversation about what this looks like, but we can help you plan ahead with your estate. You know, you you might think again it has to be the same kind of property for the same kind of property. That's not true. And the probably the one of the most challenging challenges for investors, and why a lot of people say, well, I don't want to do this. I don't want to own, I don't want to own more real estate, I don't want to manage more real estate, I don't want to have to deal with you know the tenants or the the the maintenance, I don't want to deal with these problems anymore. Well, there are options of professionally managed real estate that can be uh an option for you uh when you're selling your real estate, you can buy into uh what's called a Delaware statutory trust. These are professionally managed properties. It could be multifamily, it could be healthcare, it could be self-storage, it could be industrial, it could be office. You can choose properties that would work for you. And again, this could be mailbox money. And so whether you if you own raw land, and maybe you're just getting a small return on a land lease, maybe you have uh you know, maybe you're just paying the taxes on it. We have solutions for our clients with their real estate investments. Maybe you inherited property, maybe you're thinking about what your estate looks like for your children. So, I mean, there's so many factors that go into play. We are helping so many clients with not just their primary homes, we're helping our clients with their investment real estate, we're helping clients with their land, we're helping clients with their investment properties, and so we can help you navigate what that might look like for you. We have a great team in place, and maybe you own real estate uh with other family members. We can navigate that. You can maybe you own, maybe you have a some debt on your real estate. That's not a problem. And you know, it's so interesting. It you know, the question that we've we answer uh frequently uh is it possible to make more money and and pay less taxes? And that's absolutely true. With a 1031 exchange into a DST, you can actually make more money and pay less taxes, and that's through taking advantage of the tax codes. And so, you know, the concern some people might have is because you have a low interest rate on your investment property. There are strategies for that as well. So there's so many tax codes and investment tools that we can use, and we partner with our financial advisors, tax strategy. We work with attorneys, and so there's so many pieces of the puzzle that we and it takes a team from your from your real estate professionals, your lenders, your qualified intermediators, your attorneys, your investment advisors. We work in concert together ultimately for our clients, navigating through not just your personal home, but being strategic with your real estate. And we it's a privilege and honor to help our clients consider options. You can call us directly at 828-3930134. If you want to have a no pressure, no cost, no obligation consultation. The thing is, a lot of people, you know, have maybe you inherited real estate and maybe it was acquired years ago. Maybe you're dealing with aging property. Maybe you're enjoying your retirement and you don't want to have to be a landlord anymore. You know, maybe you're thinking about you know your plans for moving into a retirement community. You know, a lot of uh families want to make sure that they've planned ahead so that their children aren't dealing with the headaches of owning real estate together. There's so many strategic ways where you can plan ahead. Take advantage of the tax code, take advantage of tax strategies, and these are tried and true, tried and true tax strategies, real estate strategies, and again, it's not just uh you know, it's not just different professionals. This is the this is the combination of working with your bank, working with your insurance, working with your legal and your tax and your uh you know, your tax strategy, your your legal, uh, you know, your legal consultants. Again, ultimately, it's a team helping you maximize what your situation is, planning ahead for your future, leaving a legacy for your kids, and not leaving them with a headache with the real estate. We have solutions for you. I know we traditionally and typically talk about residential real estate, but we've been helping so many of our clients with their real estate investments and with their land, with their uh, you know, thinking ahead with their estate planning. And we work with a lot of the local attorneys here, our tax strategists and and again financial advisors. And if you're curious about some of these concepts and conversations, give us a call, 828-393-0134. We'd love to have the conversation, confidential consultation about any of these conversations or topics. And of course, if you're thinking of selling or buying your personal home, we'd love to have the conversation. If you're thinking about a career in real estate, the real estate market's absolutely still moving, and we can have that conversation as well. But we're so grateful to be here with you every Monday morning. Um, again, we're here every Monday morning right after the nine o'clock hour. We'll be here next Monday. But again, thank you so much for tuning in. You can follow us on social media, you can follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We podcast all of our radio shows. You can find us on your favorite podcast platform, and of course, call us directly, 828-393-0134. Have a great day, and we'll see you next Monday. 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, 828-3930134. Find us online at realestatebygreg.com because your next chapter deserves to feel just right.

SPEAKER_00:

The George Real Estate Group has the experience of selling over 1,200 properties and serving over 1,200 families with their real estate needs in Henderson County and throughout Western North Carolina. The George Real Estate Group is located in Flat Rock, North Carolina and near Hendersonville in Henderson County. You can find them online at realestatebygreg.com. The George Real Estate Group can be reached at 828-393-0134 or stop by their office at 2720 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock, North Carolina. Tune in live each week on Monday mornings at 905 on WTZQ FM 95.3 and 1600 AM, or stream online at WTZQ.com.