How Henderson County Real Estate Stays Strong While Rates Shift And Inventory Tightens

A Christmas Day offer doesn’t happen every year, but it tells a bigger story: real estate moves when life moves. We unpack why Henderson County continues to post steady sales, tight inventory, and firm pricing, then share how to use timing, preparation, and smart strategy to create better outcomes whether you’re buying, selling, or investing.

We start with clear numbers. Over the last 12 months, single-family sales averaged roughly 133 per month with only about 530 active listings, putting the market just under a four-month supply. That’s classic seller’s market territory, even as days on market stretch toward 60 and buyers regain leverage through preparation and strong financing. October and November showed meaningful rebounds from last year’s Helene disruption, and year-over-year transactions climbed, helping prices hold near a county average of about $545,000. Neighborhoods vary, though, and we explain how micro-markets shape pricing, competition, and offer strategy.

If you’re holding appreciated property or idle land, we dive into practical ways to reposition without an avoidable tax hit. We demystify 1031 exchanges, highlight the broader like-kind rules, and explore how depreciation and cost segregation can raise after-tax income. For owners who want less hassle and more freedom, we outline options to turn non-productive assets into diversified, income-producing real estate while preserving wealth and flexibility.

We also talk about the human side of making big moves. Goals sound good, but systems win. Simple, identity-based habits—showing up, preparing documents, lining up partners—compound into better decisions and smoother closings. Two favorite stories, “diamonds in your backyard” and the fisherman’s lesson, help reframe success as clarity, presence, and well-chosen steps rather than endless chasing. If you’re ready to plan a smart sale, buy with confidence, or restructure an investment for 2026, let’s map your next step together.

Subscribe, share with a friend who’s planning a move, and leave a quick review to help more neighbors find the show. Ready to talk specifics? Call 828-393-0134 or visit realestatebygreg.com.

Transcript

Welcome And Local Focus

SPEAKER_01 0:00

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, bringing you positive news about your local real estate marketing community. We're so thankful to be here with you. Trust you had a wonderful Christmas, and can you believe New Year's is around the corner? So much to be thankful for and grateful to be here with you. If you're tuning in for the first time ever, the George Real Estate Group, we're located in Flat Rock. We serve all of Western North Carolina and the upstate. If you're thinking of buying, selling, or investing in real estate, or even a career in real estate, you know, give us a call, 828-3930134. I I'm not sure if I mentioned this on the radio, but I people are always asking, I mean, real estate must be so slow this time of year, and nothing's happening. And you know, and and uh you know, and you hear a lot of real estate brokers say that actually, and they take time off, and you know, nothing's nothing's going on. Well, this isn't the first time, but we actually had uh a buyer uh from one of our clients uh wanted to make an offer on Christmas Day. If you could believe that, it happened. Uh we had a buyer, this you know, time was of the essence, and and the seller actually was uh willing to discuss that. And so you know there was actually some negotiations going on on Christmas Day. It was a time-sensitive uh you know uh situation and ended up uh you know, again, having a negotiation on Christmas Day. But that's you know, uh in my 20 years of having my broker's license, uh does it happen every Christmas? No, but it's certainly not the first time, and certainly won't be the last time. The other thing is this time of year, I mean, the market is still moving. It's relative to, I mean, it's certainly not as many homes are averaging uh selling you know this time of year. October, November. I mean, but it's there's still a healthy amount of homes selling, and we'll and we'll dive into that. But again, before we do that, we're located in Flat Rock there on Rainbow Row, next to our friends at the Wrinkled Egg, the Flat Rock Bakery, Hubba Hubba Barbecue, Campfire Grill, uh Hubba Loo, uh Dogwood, all those great local and independent businesses. The George Real Estate Group is local and independent as well. We have incredible staff, we have incredible agents, and more importantly, we have incredible clients. That's ultimately what's uh helped us uh grow to where we're at and is in helping as many people as we've helped. Majority of our business is word of mouth, and we're so thankful for that. We do get the clients that walk in the door from other states that are visiting the area. They they they pop in the door, they they're there visiting Flat Rock and or visiting friends and family, and then you know, so we have that, and again, a lot of that is word of mouth as well. So, you know, we're grateful to serve the community through real estate, and and like I said earlier, if you're thinking of buying, selling, or investing in real estate, or even a career in real estate, we'd love to have the conversation. Call us directly at 828-393-0134-828-393-0134. We'd love to connect with you. We are working this week. There's still time if you want to have a conversation, you know, about buying or selling, or if you're just curious what your home is worth. I mean, the market is moving, and we'll dive into some of the you know, some of the stats here about what's what's going on and the you know the economy. You know, there's a lot of news out there about the economy, the interest rates, and the real estate market. We know real estate happens around life. Life happens, therefore real estate happens. And this has been true my uh entire uh 20 years with my broker's license, even in the 2001 and 10 and 12, those those years where you know it was a very challenging time to be in the real estate industry, and yet there was still business happening. And it was an interesting dynamic because there was a lot of real estate agents that got out of the business. And so, you know, because there was even though there was less homes selling, and for context, I mean in 2010, 2011, you know, there was about 75 single-family homes a month selling. You know, if you remember a few years ago, we peaked out at some you know 180, 190 single-family homes a month selling here, even just in our recent peak during the COVID years. And for context, for context, here we are, you know, it's it's 2025, we're about to jump into 2026. You know, we're averaging some 130 single-family homes a month selling. It's interesting, you know, even in the United States, when the number of real estate single family, or just the number of homes sold, uh, you know, those low years, the the the years where the real estate market is at its lowest uh number of transactions, it tends to fall to a floor of about four million homes annually. And that's what happened in you know 2010, 11, and 12. And here we are in 2020, 2024, 2025, and that you know, hitting that four million annually number of four million of homes sold annually. Um and here we are locally here, where we didn't go down to the you know 75, 80 homes a month selling. We're we're we're at that 130. In the last 12 months, some 1,600 single-family homes sold in Henderson County, and that doesn't include condos or townhomes or land. I'm just using single-family homes as a barometer. And right now, there's there's low inventory. There's only 530 active homes on the market right now uh in Henderson County. So low inventory, you know. So with actually the math, the math is 133 homes a month on average over the last 12 months. And so we actually have just shy of a four-month supply of homes. Henderson County, and again, you got the news of the whole state, you got the news of the country and what's the what's the market doing. But here specifically, in Henderson County, according to the the stats of uh the MLS, we have uh just shy of a four-month supply of homes that are active on the market. There's only some 530 active homes on the market. Over the last 12 months, we're averaging 133 homes a month selling. And so we are technically in a seller's market. The economists say a six-month supply is considered a balanced market. Less than six months uh is a seller's market. More than six months is a buyer's market. Also, for context, in the in the 2010, 2011, 2012 markets, we had in some uh areas a two-year supply of homes. There was it was not uncommon uh where you know you your days on market would be six to seven to eight months of days on market or months on market, you know, 180, 200 days on market was not uncommon. You know, now our days on market's uh closer to 60 days on market two months, which is seems longer than what we were experiencing a few years ago, but it's still it's all about context and it's all about perspective. But we our market here, you know, only some sixteen, well, excuse me, there's some sixteen hundred homes that have sold in the last 12 months. Only some 530 are active and available. Again, it is a great time. It's all well your timing is your timing. It's not about the interest rates, it's not about the economy, it's not about the the the housing market that is the housing market. And and by the way, our average single-family home price in Henderson County over the last 12 months is at$545,000. The the market here is it according to the numbers, it might depending on where you're at, you might have a different perspective. But when we look at the county, and I know neighbor to ho neighborhood to neighborhood, I know there's some some neighborhoods that uh have more inventory than they've ever experienced. There's some neighborhoods I I'm aware that you know there used to be just a waiting list, and and if there was even one or two homes on the market, you'd say, wow, there's some options because some of those neighborhoods here locally they would just be in such high demand. And then I I'm I know there's neighborhoods now where that was the case, where now there's like four or five, and maybe six even homes on the market right now, which is it feels unusual for some markets. So so the is the market you know changing a little bit? Yes, but if you still look at the overall market, it it seems to be holding. Uh for some context, in in November there was 114 uh single-family homes sold in Henderson County. That's up because of last November we were coming out of Helene and there was only 97 homes sold, but still there was 97 homes sold in the November after Helene. Um in the month of October, we had a really strong October this year compared to the previous October, 162 uh this October compared to 125 the previous October. I know that was still part of the the effects of Helene, but we are seeing that there's been more homes sold. There's been about 10% more homes sold in Henderson County this year versus last year. So that's a strong showing, and that's why our prices are holding. Uh that that's why our inventory levels are low. But we have seen a 10% increase in the number of single-family homes sold. So there's some of the news about the local market. Your unique home, your unique situation. It could be your personal home that you're looking or considering buying and selling. Maybe you're looking to upsize or downsize or right size. Uh, you also maybe you're considering uh what to do with real estate investments. Maybe you have rental property, maybe you have uh land, maybe you have uh commercial. It could be all types of real estate uh that you're considering. And we have very specific tax strategies to help navigate through your real estate investments, and we have incredible partnerships with with financial advisors and uh attorneys and tax strategists, and and we can help look at the bigger picture for you and your family. That's something where and and this is something we've seen uh where you can in a lot of cases, well, first off, you can, if you're not aware of this, you can defer the taxes on on your real estate investments through what's called a 1031 exchange, and that's like kind for like kind, but the misperce the misconception there is you have to, if you have a house, you have to buy a house, or if you have land, you have to buy land. That's not true. Uh that you are allowed to, you can buy raw land and buy a house, you can buy, you can sell a house and buy land. There's all these different uh, you know, any real estate investment to real estate investment is allowed in this 1031 exchange. And we have access to real estate investments where you can in a lot of cases, depending on if you don't have if you're not taking advantage of of depreciation, if you're not taking advantage of of different tax options, but you can do a 1031 exchange, defer the taxes, buy into another real estate investment, and in a lot of cases, because of because of uh depreciation and and and strategies like that, uh you actually could could not you could defer paying taxes, and in a lot of times, if you have income-producing real estate, uh we've seen where you can actually make more money and pay less taxes. That and that's something we can lay out and show and and show example after example of how that's done and how that's pa even possible. And maybe you have land where you're just paying the taxes on it and you're not making uh you know uh income on your real estate investment. Maybe you want to consider uh real estate investment that you're gonna get income on. And so there's all these scenarios. It could be your personal home, it could be land that your family owns, it could be land or real estate you've inherited, it could be commercial real estate, it could be uh you know, commercial, it could be uh rental investments. I mean, whatever the situation is, we would love and be honored, and it's a privilege to have these conversations, to think critically, to think outside the box, to think strategically on your real estate. And it could be um, and and there's certainly no pressure, there's no costs, there's no obligation to have this conversation about how real estate plays into your life. And we know life happens, therefore real estate happens, and it and it's not always about making money. Certainly, can we do would would you like to do that? Yes, but it's sometimes it's about the bigger picture. If we can help you preserve your equity and your property, and in a lot of cases, set you set you up for a better scenario, a better situation. I mean, we'd be honored and privileged to have that conversation. You can call us directly at 828-3930134. You can find us online at realestatebygreg.com. Uh we serve all of Western North Carolina and the upstate South Carolina. You can stop by our office there in Flat Rock, there in Rainbow Row. You can also go to realestatebygreg.com. We also encourage you to follow us on Facebook and social media and Instagram, and we podcast all of our radio shows. You can find us on your favorite podcast platform. Uh you're listening to the George Real Estate Group live radio broadcast here in the queue, so stay tuned in. We have a short break. We'll be right back. Good morning and welcome back. You're listening to the George Real Estate Group radio broadcasts here in the queue every Monday morning. And just so much to be thankful for. We are enjoying this time of year and we're staying busy. It's it's an interesting balance there, and I'll talk about balance here in just a little bit. I mean, maybe you've been thinking about your New Year's resolutions or your New Year's goals or New Year's intentions. I've heard different ways to look at those things, and we'll we'll dive into that. If you're tuning in for the first time ever, uh the George Real Estate Group, we are in flat rock. We serve all of Western North Carolina and the upstate, South Carolina. If you're thinking of buying, selling, or investing in real estate, or even a career in real estate, we'd love to have that conversation with you. Uh we're growing, we're helping more people. We've helped more people this year uh than we did last year. We keep growing, and we're so thankful for that. It's it's been this steady, um, just this steady growth, and we're so grateful uh for that. You can find us online at realestatebygreg.com. You can also follow us on social media, Facebook and Instagram. We also podcast all of our radio shows. You can find that on your favorite podcast platform, and and we'd love to connect with you. I was remembering uh a coaching conversation with someone that, you know, this time of year, everybody's thinking about like, oh, I'm gonna get healthier, or I'm gonna work on our finances, or gonna improve our business, or we're gonna clean up our house, we're gonna clean our closets. I mean, whatever, whatever this time of year you you might be thinking of, you know, what your goals are, what your ambitions are or dreams, or what, you know, tends to, and it's it's for I'm sure for a long time this has been the tradition, you know, every new year, setting intentions, setting goals, and and thinking through that. But I heard this fascinating story um where this coach was working with their client who wanted to be healthier, and and the the the client says, Well, I want to I want to go to the gym every day. I want to I want to work out every day, I want to get healthier, I want to, you know, be stronger, I want to, you know, my clothes to fit better, you know, I want to lose some weight. You know, there's all these reasons why people want to you know get healthier. And it was so interesting. This coach, you know, was their perspective on things was well, you have to become the person that goes to the gym every day. You don't just say, you know, if you're saying to yourself, and this is I don't even have the statistics, I should have pulled them, and I know there's a lot of business models out there with these fitness fitness uh you know gyms and and memberships where they literally plan for people to join and and to quit and to not do it. I mean there there's some I'm sure there's some crazy statistics about people joining the gyms and and never, you know, I think there's a there's a the there's a date, I think, in February. I I don't know which Friday it is, but it's I think it's the sixth uh Friday of the year where that's just you know, people just stop showing up on average. I mean they get maybe they get through the first month of January. But this was so interesting. This coach said to the client, you know, if you want to be the type of person that goes to the gym every day and work out and get healthier, we're gonna build the very first habit that's necessary before you even go work out. And so the coach instructed their client to the night before to get your clothes ready, the morning, the next morning, they instructed their client, and this was like a 90-day commitment of getting their things together the night before, waking up on time, putting their uh their workout clothes on and their workout shoes, and they told their client, I want you for 90 days to build the habit of just showing up to the gym. I don't even want you to go in and work out. And they that was the first habit. This is this building blocks of habits, like you say you want to get healthy, but if you can't even create the habit or stick to the habit of showing up, you're not gonna go through the habit of working out. And so, as as ridiculous as that sounds, you know, to to to get ready, to get dressed, to drive to the gym and to show up, that was the habit number one before that coach encouraged that client to even go work out. It was not about the working out, but if you can't even show up to the gym, having the intention or goal of working out is i it doesn't even matter. And so these these you know, these one percent improvements, the there's a great book called Atomic Habits by James Clear, and this and he teaches that habits are like compound interest. A one percent improvement every day doesn't feel significant, but over time it's exponential. You know, the he reframes he reframes success to you do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems. And again, if you don't have a system of showing up every day to the gym, you're not gonna go work out. So big goals fail when they aren't supported by small Repeatable behaviors. And so it this is where the challenge can be. And again, you might have these big dramatic changes, these big dramatic goals. This the book Atomic Habits encourages us to focus on consistency and this small degree of change. Did you know it's only a one degree difference? Water at 211 degrees is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. And boiling water creates steam, which can power trains, engines, entire industries. And so that one degree doesn't feel dramatic, but the outcome is transformational. So again, breakthroughs often come from tiny, almost invisible changes, not massive overhauls. So again, be careful with your New Year's resolutions. And I am a dreamer. I do believe in dreaming big. Aim high. But again, how you get there, what are these incremental, what are these habits, what are these systems that you're creating? Small repeatable behaviors and habits can be the foundation for these big dreams and goals that you have. Another thing is a lot of people think they have to uh they have to have certain things in order to do certain things in order to be certain people, but you know, people think if I have more money, then I'll do different things and then I'll become more successful. But the psychology and and experience shows the reverse actually works better. You know, when you you're you bec when someone begins to identify as a healthy person, a disciplined person, the kind person or a learner, their behaviors naturally follow. And so the results show up. And so again, this your identity and thinking, you know, are you the type of person, you know, to are you are you a healthy person? If you're gonna if you're gonna identify as a healthy person, you're gonna make decisions as a healthy like a healthy person would do. If you're gonna be financially secure, you're gonna make decisions that a financially secure person would make. Again, it's becoming and it's it's becoming first, and then doing, and then and then having. So it's all these things come combined. And so, and that also reminds me of you know the importance of who you spend time with. If you want to be a healthier person, you know, you tend we tend all of us tend to be the average of the five people we spend time with. So if you uh want to be healthier, are the people you spend time with healthy? If you want to uh, you know, it this isn't just about health. It could be about your your faith, it could be about your finances, it could be about you know your business, but again, it's this psychological truth uh and it's you know it's it isn't a formula, but human behavior is contagious, and so we unconsciously adapt the habits and language expectations and the beliefs around us. And so if people closest to you normalize complaining, uh stagnation or fear, that becomes your baseline. But if they normalize growth, if they normalize accountability, if they normalize optimism and learning, that becomes your floor. So it it matters who you spend time with. Your environment shapes your identity more than willpower could ever do. And so, again, all these things as you're thinking about what your dreams and what your goals are this year, again, it's it's these small habits, it's becoming you know who you want to become. It's you know the the what you're seeking may already you know be closer than what you think, and these small changes matter than more dramatic promises, and then and then who you're becoming matters more than than what you're chasing. I this is another just another story that I was thinking through again this time of year and thinking through the end of the year. It's so funny. Um was reminded of another story, and this story comes from a lecture from Russell Conwell, who told of a farmer living comfortably on his land, and one day he heard stories about people discovering diamonds and becoming wildly wealthy, and convinced he was missing out, the farmer sold his property and set out to find diamonds elsewhere. And so he searched relentlessly across rivers, mountains, distant lands, but never found what he was looking for, and eventually broke, discouraged, he gave up. And so this is wild. Meanwhile, the person who bought the farm noticed something sparkling in the stream, and the sparkle turned out to be diamonds, and so the land that the farmer abandoned became one of the richest diamond mines ever discovered, and so we often abandon our own gifts, our own relationships, skills, or opportunities because we believe fulfillment exists somewhere else, and so it's a reminder to see and cultivate what's already in your possession before chasing what's far away. And so what you know, what diamonds might already be in your backyard that you that you've been overlooking. Finally, and one other story to to wrap up today's show is and I love this story, is about the successful businessman who meets a fisherman who catches just enough to support his family, and guess what? He gets to enjoy his afternoons. He spends time with his friends, he takes naps, he plays music, and just being present. It's it's the classic story of the fisherman. The businessman asks the gentleman, Well, what what if you worked longer? What if you worked harder? What if you grew your business to buy more boats, then you could hire more people, you could grow your operations, and and guess what? You can eventually retire wealthy. I mean, this businessman saw this this uh this fisherman and said, Hey, what if you just went big for 10, 20 years and the fisherman asks, Well, what happens after all of that? The businessman said, Well, then you can slow down, you can relax, you can enjoy time with family and do what you love. And the fisherman says, Well, guess what? That that's what I'm already doing. So again, be careful that you know what your definition is of success, it's not always more. Uh chasing, and again, looking at the diamonds in your backyard, putting things in the perspective. And again, life, when you put things into perspective, and again, this time of year, it's a great time to reflect on on the year, it's a great time to reflect on what your dreams and goals and intentions are for 2026. It's also a perspective again on your health, your family, your your friends, your community, your neighbors, your business. Again, all these things, putting perspective on things, and again, uh, you know, in defining what success is, and you gotta be careful what you know the the common definition of success is, but again, diamonds in your backyard, being able to spend time with your friends and family, spending time with your family, that's so important. So, again, putting things into perspective, and maybe, maybe you have the life uh that you you already have. So, again, grateful to be here with you every Monday morning. This is our last show of 2025. We're so excited about 2026. We are still as busy as ever, and we're so grateful. Looking forward to helping even more families in the new year. Most of our business is word of mouth, and we're so grateful for that. So if you know somebody thinking of buying, selling, or investing in real estate or a career in real estate, uh have them give us a call, 828-393-0134. We'll be here next Monday morning, but thank you so much for tuning in. Happy New Year! And again, don't hesitate to give us a call, 828-393-0134. You've built a lifetime of strength, wisdom, and independence. And here's the best part: you still have it. Every decision, every step, every next chapter is yours to choose. Selling your home isn't about letting go, it's about opening the door to more freedom, more time for what you love, more energy for the people and passions that matter most. At the George Real Estate Group, we believe independence isn't behind you. It's right here, right now. Our team goes beyond buying and selling. We're here to help you protect your wealth, preserve your legacy, and make sure Uncle Sam doesn't become your biggest benefactor. We'll guide you every step of the way towards your next chapter, your next opportunity, and your freedom on your terms. Call us at 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygreg.com.

SPEAKER_00 29:47

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, 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.