George Real Estate Group Radio Broadcast

From Henderson County Trends to Smart Estate Moves: What Buyers and Sellers Need to Know Now

• George Real Estate Group

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Market headlines miss the nuance: sales in Henderson County are up year over year, prices have softened, and days on market have stretched to a new normal. We walk you through what that balance really means—how to price with confidence, why two months to contract is standard again, and where inventory is creating opportunity for both buyers and sellers without signaling a crash. Along the way, we unpack the mortgage story behind the story: the 10-year Treasury yield, the stubborn spread keeping rates elevated, and why a gradual easing could reignite demand.

From there, we shift into the planning most owners put off until it’s urgent. Real estate doesn’t live in a vacuum—it touches taxes, income needs, and family dynamics. We share practical ways to bring your CPA, estate attorney, financial planner, and real estate team to the same table, so your plan works in the real world. If you’re holding fully depreciated rentals, sitting on land that doesn’t produce income, or worrying your kids will inherit a dispute, we outline strategies that create peace and cash flow: 1031 exchanges to defer capital gains, Delaware Statutory Trusts to generate passive monthly income and split distributions among heirs, and charitable tools that align taxes with your values.

The core message is simple: face the storm like a bull. Make the calls, get the numbers, and choose from a wider set of options while you still control timing. Whether you aim to right-size, simplify, or build durable income for a longer life, a coordinated, tax-smart, family-smart approach turns uncertainty into a plan you trust. If this conversation sparked new questions about your next move, subscribe, share the show with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the biggest decision you’re weighing now.

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. Can you believe we're already in October? Time flies when you're having fun, and we're just grateful to be here with you this Monday morning, our first show of October, and just grateful for all the things. And we're gonna have a conversation this morning about what's going on in the local market, the national market, uh, and some some things that you can do to plan ahead with your real estate, uh, whether it's your personal home or your investment real estate, or you're thinking ahead with your your own estate or your planning uh in that regard as well. Uh if you're tuning in for the first time ever, the George Real Estate Group's located in Flat Rock, right next to the Flat Rock Bakery, Hubba Hubba Barbecue Campfire Grill, the Wrinkled Egg, all our friends there on Rainbow Row. We serve all of Western North Carolina and the upstate. We have agents that live in South Carolina. So we do, and of course, we're based in Henderson County, so we do tend to have a lot of business in Henderson County, but we handle and help our clients in Bunkham County and Transylvania County and uh Polk County, Rutherford County, even Haywood County, and like I said, Spartanburg and Greenville counties. We have an incredible team serving all of those areas. We have so many uh things that just to celebrate. I mean, we have seen actually on our team this year, we've helped already more people year to date this year than we did last year. Uh, we've had more agents uh join our team. We're growing. We have incredible agents, we have incredible staff. Uh, we're enthusiastic about navigating and helping our clients navigate through whatever real estate you know situation you're in. You could be downsizing, upsizing, right sizing. Maybe you're moving into a retirement community, which is a wonderful thing. It's a great opportunity. And and maybe you're maybe you're having grandchildren come into the area. We're helping people's uh grandchildren and their families uh move closer. Everybody's moving closer. I mean, North Carolina's one of the number one uh incoming migration states, and that that's a trend that continues. Uh, and we'll certainly talk about that. But what's happening here uh in Henderson County specifically, uh just in the last seven days in Henderson County, uh there continues to be strong listings. The listing activity continues to be strong. The the under contract seems to be outpacing the the uh you know the the listings. So again, year to date, there's been more homes sold in Henderson County year to date than there were during the same during the same time period last year. So that's a that's it's it's actually more significant than that. If I look at a 12 rolling 12-month period, the 12-month period, there was 1,451 single-family homes sold in the current 12-month period uh 1,568. So significant increase if you look at the previous 12 months versus the current 12 months. Now the price has come down. The previous uh rolling 12 months was at 552. The current 12-month rolling 12 is at 535. So the price has softened. It's come down uh some you know$18,000. So the prices are coming down that and that's an indicative of the increase of inventory. We do have more inventory on the market. There's some 664 active single-family homes on the market right now. But but like I said, over the last, well, if you look at the last 12 months, you know, some 1,567 single-family homes a month selling. So so that if you do the math, I mean we're we're at 130 single-family homes a month selling. Previously, that number was actually at 125 on average. And that doesn't include condos and townhomes and land, which we facilitate as well. But we certainly look at the single-family home market as a barometer and and we watch what's happening. Probably the biggest change though, uh, even though, even though there's been more homes sold because of the increase of inventory, days on market increases. This is the new norm, uh, the average days on the market until a sales over 60 days now, until it closes, uh, it's now at 114 days uh when you look at year to date. So that the year to date uh is up the the going under contract's up some 37, almost 40 percent when you look at the days on the market until it goes under contract. So 60 days, and let me put that into context. I mean, I I had my real estate license, uh I got my real estate license in 2005. This is my 20th year of my my North Carolina broker's license. And 2005 was there was a previous you know peak of the market. The market was on an uptick, and and as uh you know, in my early 20s, you know, trying to find my bearing and understand the real estate market and get an opportunity uh to help people and learn learn the market and and have my start, the market was was piping hot. Uh the the the market was it was another, it was the previous peak of the market. Then you go into 2006 and seven and then 2008, and we s we Florida tended Florida, California, Texas were the first dominoes necessary to fall, and then we were a little bit delayed in Henderson County. And I remember very distinctly we're we are insulated. It it those those things don't happen to us in Henderson County. Our market is safe, and yet the market did turn here in Henderson County, and really it bottomed out in 2011. Our average days on the market was 180 days. Six months was the normal, not 60 days like right now. Six months was the normal days on the market. And so days on the market just took longer. And we had in some cases a two-year supply of inventory, a two-year supply of inventory, and which when you have that much inventory, that's again, it's supply and demand. That's why prices were falling. You know, currently, currently we have a five-month supply, and that's why prices are they're softening, they're coming down, but a six-month supply is considered a balanced market. The sky is not falling. You know, the is the market softening? Yes. Days on markets getting longer. 60 days is the new norm, is the new average for going under contract. And so again, it's not what it was. And in context and perspective is everything. Another piece of this puzzle is the mortgage rates. You might find this fascinating. We've said this before, but one in three homes sold in Henderson County are purchased with cash. There's there's a significant amount of cash buyers and cash transactions that happen in Henderson County and Western North Carolina. But of course, that still leaves majority of the people having to get a mortgage. And of course, buyers are having to figure it out. Life still happens regardless of the mortgage rates. And in fact, with the interest rates where they've been, like I said earlier, there's been more homes sold in the last 12 months than the previous 12 months. So, with that said, and by the way, that includes the current 12 months that I'm referring to include the pause that we had during Haleen. So even though we had a pause after Halene, we've still had more homes sell in the last 12 months than the previous 12 months. And that's in the environment of these mortgage rates that were in the the sevens. And the thing is, the the mortgage rates, you know, they are saying they are expensive experts are saying mortgage rates should ease. They the experts are saying there's room for the rates to come down even more over the next year. I mean, they've started to come down a little bit. One of the leading indicators to watch is the 10-year treasury yield. And there's a link between the mortgage rates and the 10-year treasury yield. And over the for 50 years, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate has closely followed the movement of the 10-year Treasury yield, which is a widely watched benchmark for long-term interest rates. And so when the Treasury yield climbs, mortgage rates tend to fall. And when the yield falls, mortgage rates typically come down. And so it's a predictable pattern over 50 years. And so predictable, there's a number of experts consider nor the they consider the normal gap for the between they consider there's there's a normal gap between the two, and it's known as the spread. And it and it usually averages about 1.76%. So that's where you hear, sometimes you hear 176 per basis points. So over the past couple years, though, that spread has been much wider than normal. And so the, you know, this this is the thing is the spread is maybe measuring the fear of the market. You know, there's this lingering uncertainty of of the economy. The the gap widens beyond the normal. And that's why the mortgage rates usually have been unusually high over the past few years. But there are signs of optimism. And so they are expecting the 10-year treasury yield uh to to come down and and to the and for the prices. The long here's the thing the long-term relationship is a big reason why you see experts currently projecting mortgage rates will ease. And so there is a fringe possibility. They're saying that they they could hit the upper fives towards the end of the year. So this is a big deal. Here, and not to get into the weeds too much, and I feel like I already have. The point is this keeping up with all this is not necessarily your job. This is why you have a relationship with an expert real estate broker, you have a relationship with a local lender, you have the relationship with your tax advisor, your financial advisor, all these, you know, we are keeping a finger on the pulse of what's going on in the economy. We're watching, you know, for the job market, the inflation, the where the economy moves. I mean, they are, you know, they're saying the outlook is positive, you know, and so again, for mortgage rates to come down. And so that if mortgage rates come down, that could increase the buyer activity. Buyers are really hesitant right now, and yet, and yet there's still been more homes sold in the last 12 months than the previous 12 months. So just reporting on what's happening, you know, this is what's happening locally. You know, we see that the market is holding, prices are softening a little bit, inventory levels are up. I mean, year to date, we've had some 11% increase in new listings, and that's okay. It gives buyers more options, a little bit more competition for sellers, and yet the sky is not falling. Sellers, we're still seeing multiple offers, and that's not uncommon. Uh, it's also not uncommon that it takes two months to get your home sold. And why it's so critical to price your home correctly from the beginning. It matters, and that's where having a real estate agent that can navigate it through with you and show you the facts and advocate for you and help you and ultimately walk alongside with you through whatever situation. It could be a really positive reason why you're buying or selling, it could be a very challenging reason. No matter the case, we are so grateful and we're so enthusiastic about helping our clients navigate through the buying and selling process. If you're tuning in for the first time ever, we podcast all of our radio shows. We have all types of conversations, all types of guests, uh, different uh we local uh lenders, local attorneys, local nonprofits. We love our community. We're grateful to support our community and we're uh podcast all of our radio shows. You can also find us online at realestatebygreg.com. You can also uh connect with us. You can call us directly at 828-393-0134. I mentioned at the beginning we are located in Flat Rock on Rainbow Road. There, uh there in the heart of Flat Rock and serving all of West North Carolina. You can stop by and see us there. Say hello, drop in, we'll get you a cup of coffee at the bakery. We'd love to connect with you. Um we have a second half of the show coming up. We're here every Monday morning, and I am going to dive into the conversation about uh planning ahead, thinking about uh your your personal situation with your estate, thinking ahead with with your um investments, thinking ahead with you know, you know, just some talking points about your your your real estate investments and what this might look like for for your kids, for yourself. Uh, you know, it's not just uh you there's it's it's challenging when you only talk to your estate attorney or you talk to your CPA or you talk to your financial advisor. Well, this is at the George Real Estate Group. We really quarterback your team, bringing everybody together that we ultimately plan and can help strategize ultimately for you and to protect your wealth and your and to keep as much as your income, to keep as much as your wealth that you've you've created. Uh, and it's not just uh, you just certainly don't want to give Uncle Sam all the all the money uh you know at the end of the at the end of the day. And we'll talk more about that here in the second half of the show. You're listening to the George Real Estate Group live radio broadcast here in the queue, so stay tuned in. We'll be right back. Good morning, and welcome back to the George Real Estate Group live radio broadcast here in the queue. We love serving our clients, we love helping our community, and it's been a privilege and honor to help our clients navigate through the real estate market throughout the years. And we're gonna this is my 20th year, and I'm looking forward to the next 20 years. Again, it's uh it's an honor and privilege to help our clients navigate through the home buying and selling process, but also helping our clients think about the future. You think you would think it'd be simple just to call an estate attorney or your CPA and be done. You know, but it isn't. Life, real life is messy. Family dynamics, taxes, timelines, uh, properties that don't neatly fit into form, and that's why you need a team that thinks critically for you. And so at the George Real Estate Group, our role is to quarterback that team. Your CPA, your state attorney, your financial planner. So your plan actually works in the real world, and we're trained on strategies most owners never hear about, including 1031 exchanges, Delaware statutory trust options, DSTs, so you can plan ahead, protect your income, and keep more of what you've built for the for your pe for your people and the causes you love. You know, the the it can feel overwhelming. And again, it's in in meeting with your estate attorney or CPA, and it and it's not because they're not it's not because they're not great, but it's because your life doesn't fit in just one lane. And so you got properties, you have children and grandchildren with different needs, maybe some land that's not producing income, and then of course the tax bill that never blinks. And so we coordinate with your pros and we bring solutions to the table that can help defer taxes, reset depreciation, create passive income, and in some cases create more income after taxes and ultimately reduce the headaches. And so the goal isn't to sell something, it's to make sure you you plan and your plan is both tax smart and family smart. So we are you know the here's the here's the thing a lot of a lot of families they when they're thinking ahead, they don't want to burden their kids. They you know I can't tell you how many parents have told me, Noah, I don't want my kids to fight about this property after I'm gone. And imagine you got a piece of land or a rental home, one child says, I want to keep it forever, another says, I want my share in cash, and then suddenly what was supposed to be a blessing becomes a source of division. And so real estate left without a without planning often causes family disputes or forced sales. Real estate is the number one fought over asset in an estate. There are solutions for this. There are tax strategies that you can employ. There are estate plans, there are solutions like upreets that allow heirs to cash out shares while others stay invested. There's other solutions like Delaware Statutory Trust that allow continuation of tax deferral, but split income among multiple heirs. So in if fairness and peace in your family matters more than anything, we can explore how you can structure your assets so your kids don't inherit a fight, they inherit your blessing and love. Another common fear I hear is this. What if I live longer than my money? Think about it. Many of you are healthier than your parents were, you could easily live into your nineties. That's wonderful, but it raises the question will your income keep up? The number of Americans living up to a hundred has more than doubled in recent decades. Real estate strategies like 1031 exchanges into DSTs can create steady monthly income, and that income doesn't care if you're 65 or 95, it keeps coming. And if and if that question keeps you up at night, will my money last? You don't have to guess. We can put a plan in place that pays you for life. Also, a lot of people sometimes think, I'll just wait. I'll figure it out later. But here's the truth doing nothing is still making a decision. We had another owner that had a rental that was fully depreciated, costing more in repairs than it made. They said I'll hold on a little longer. Five years later, the property needed even more work and their options were limited. And so waiting often means higher taxes, higher maintenance, and fewer choices later. If you have proactive planning, you can refresh the depreciation. You can reposition it into income producing property. You can keep more of your wealth intact. And so don't let someday steal your options. The best time to plan is before you feel forced. We are so, we've had so many clients that say we are so glad we did it while we could, while we were in control, while we could execute our wishes, and that's where it's not just talking with us, your real estate professional, it's in concert, in tandem with your estate attorney, with your tax advisor, with your financial advisor. We work together ultimately for you. Another thing that's a reality is without planning, your biggest heir might not be your kids. It could actually be Uncle Sam. I've seen families lose nearly 40% of their estate to taxes simply because they didn't plan. Imagine working your whole life only to let Washington take the lion's share. Estate taxes, capital gains, income taxes can eat up a huge portion of wealth. And that's where, again, I we have been specializing in 1031 exchanges, charitable giving, estate planning tools can direct more of your wealth to your family and causes you care about. So don't let the IRS inherit more than your kids. Again, we can we can decide, you can decide, we can help provide solutions so you can decide where your life's work goes. And so, you know, when you own real estate, whether it's your primary home or you own land, vacant land, where maybe you're getting a nominal land lease, maybe you just own 50 acres and you've been paying the taxes, there are better solutions and there's better investment vehicles where you can actually sell the property, defer the taxes, move it into another real estate investment that provides higher income. And if you especially if you're moving from land, an investment in land to an investment with real estate with with buildings, you can depreciate the the improvements, which actually, in a lot of cases, you can make more money and pay less taxes. Also, especially maybe you've held on to that real estate investment property that you've already fully depreciated, so all of that income is then taxable, you can then move that into something else that is gonna receive higher income because you're able to protect it through new depreciation. Again, there's so many pieces of this puzzle, you know, and we'd love to have the conversation about it. You know, you we are talking every single day with clients, we're providing solutions, we're looking at options, and and I I was reminded of one of my favorite, uh, you know, one of my favorite parables, uh, the bull and the cow, and we we've talked about this, you know, where in the plains of Colorado, when the storms come in, and the storms roll off the Rocky Mountains with no warning. And I I don't know if you've you've traveled uh if I back in college, we would do the road trips from the east coast to the west coast, but you drive through Kansas and then you drive through the plains of Colorado, and before you hit the Rockies, these storms can come in out of nowhere. And if you've ever been caught in one, you know they come fast. They're fierce and they can overwhelm you. Now, here's the interesting thing how animals react to these storms are completely different. For example, the cows and the bulls. Cows actually run away from the storm, but since the storm is moving in the same direction, they actually stay in it longer. They tire themselves out and they suffer longer. But bulls, and and and a lot of times the bison, same, do something remarkable. They actually turn into the storm. They charge headfirst into it, and because they move against the storm, they cut through it faster and get to the clear skies sooner. And so think about it for a second. The same storm, the same wind, the same rain, the difference isn't the storm, it's in the response. And isn't that life? We don't get to choose whether the storms come, whether that's a health scare, a financial problem, an estate planning decision, or even figuring out how to leave your land and assets to your children, the storm will come. What we do get to choose is whether we face it like the cow or like the bull. So so many of us try to outrun the uncomfortable things in life, like that difficult conversation, that overdue doctor's appointment, the stack of bills. But like the cow, running a running often just makes a storm last longer. So when you face it, you make the call, you set the appointment, you make the decision, you talk to the kids, you get through it quicker. For a lot of our listeners, these storms look like financial questions. You got baby boomers sitting on property that's fully depreciated. You got folks with land who don't know the best way to pass it on. You might be thinking, I don't want to burden my kids with a mess. And sometimes you got Uncle Sam just waiting on the other side of the storm. Avoiding those decisions, avoiding talking to our team, a CPA or an estate attorney keeps you in the storm longer. Facing it now with the right team, that's how you change. That's how you change and make a decision, that's how you chase, charge through the storm and come out stronger. So at the end of the day, storms don't last forever, but how you go through them determines the story you leave. Are you leaving your family a legacy of courage, wisdom, and preparation? Or are you leaving them a storm they have to face without you? So what are you playing like the cow or are you playing like the bull, right? Again, whether it's your real estate, your retirement, again, having the right team matters. And you don't have to face these teams alone. Storms will come. We can't stop them, but we can decide how are we gonna face the storm. So face the storm, be the bull, get through it faster, and come out on the other side stronger and clear for it. We love sharing encouraging information. We love sharing with you about what's going on in the real estate market. It's a privilege and honor to meet with our clients every single day, helping our clients navigate through whatever positive situations are going on, which we celebrate, and there's also challenging situations, and we can talk about both of them. Give us a call directly at 828-393-0134. We're here every Monday morning. We podcast all of our radio shows. If you didn't get a chance to hear all of today's show, it'll be up on the podcast shortly. You can find it on your favorite podcast platform. But have a wonderful day, have a wonderful Monday. Take care, and we'll see you next Monday. 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 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.