Helping The Next Generation Buy Homes

Headlines say home sales fell sharply in January. We zoom out to reveal what really happened, why Henderson County held steady, and how weather, seasonality, and improving affordability change the picture for buyers and sellers. Along the way, we dig into the real barrier first-time buyers face—upfront cash—and share practical ways families can use home equity responsibly to close down payment gaps without risking retirement.

We walk through current local data: inventory under four months, about 425 active single-family homes, an average price near $541K, and roughly a third of purchases in cash. With rates trending into the fives and seven straight months of better affordability, we see a market recalibrating rather than retreating. Delayed inspections and closings from winter storms likely shifted sales into February and March, aligning with the annual spring rebound we’ve seen year after year.

We also explore a powerful mindset shift inspired by Die With Zero: timing support when it creates the most meaning. The coming $68–$84 trillion intergenerational wealth transfer invites a question—when will help matter most? For many families, a modest, well-structured contribution toward a first home now can change a life’s trajectory, turning rent into equity and uncertainty into stability. Whether help takes the form of a partial gift, a family loan, or covering closing costs, the focus is impact with guardrails: protect retirement, coordinate with advisors, and design a plan that fits your values.

If you’re weighing a move or just want clarity, let’s talk. Subscribe for more local insights, share this episode with someone starting their home journey, and leave a review to help others find the show.

Transcript

Welcome & Market Mission

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, good morning, good morning, and welcome to the George Real Estate Group Live Radio Broadcast here on the queue every Monday morning. What a beautiful morning it is. So much to be grateful for and thankful for, and thank you for tuning in. We're grateful to be here to share with you positive news about our local real estate market, about our community, and again, just uh sharing with you hopefully helpful information. Uh and sometimes it's about life, sometimes it's about real estate, and we're just grateful to be here. 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. We serve the upstate. And if you're thinking of buying, selling, or investing in real estate, uh, we'd love to connect with you. You can call us directly at 828-393-0134. You can find us online at realestatebygreg.com. You can also follow us on social media, um, and we can we can just have a cup of coffee. Stop by our office there in Flat Rock, uh 2720 Greenville Highway. We are in Rainbow Row. Uh and we love, and we're so passionate and enthusiastic about helping and serving our clients. Navigate through real estate, navigate through life. Life happens, therefore, real estate happens. Um, and we just love to connect with you. We podcast all of our radio shows. You can find it on your favorite podcast platform. Uh, be sure to follow us, be sure to connect with us. And and again, grateful to be here on this Monday morning. Can you believe how quick time is flying? And wow, I mean, we are getting towards the end of February. Marches around the corner. Marches around the corner. And so the month of January, just to go ahead and dive into the statistics uh of what's going, the biggest uh change in the month of January, this January versus the previous January in Henderson County was the drop in new listings. There was a 32% drop in new listings. The pending sales were staying flat, less than a 1% change. Uh closed sales were less than a 1% change. The median home price uh was less than a 2% change, uh, and then uh negative, actually 1.6 drop in the median home price, but the average sales price was 0.7% higher. So the numbers are holding. I mean, that and we've seen that just even in our own experience with our own team and our own clients, activity continues. I the bigger picture I've shared is you know, Henderson County actually uh you know actually had a 10% increase in the number of single-family homes closed uh in Henderson County. There was an 11% increase of new listings, and the market was holding prices. The average price was actually the same. Uh it stayed flat. The median price did not change that much. Now you might say, you here's some perspective on Bunkham County. Bunkham County also saw an increase, almost 6%, 5.8% increase in closed sales uh in Bunkham County. They had a 24% increase in new listings. Uh the average price was down a little less than 4%, but the median price was up. So the numbers are the numbers, and and we know that real estate is life-driven. And a lot of uh parents and a lot of grandparents, you know, watching maybe uh a son or a daughter or or even a grandchild struggle right now to buy their first home now is genuinely hard. We it's finding that attainable housing is a challenge. And you remember what home ownership meant for you, not just as a place to live, not just as a source of stability. Uh, of course, there's pride of ownership, long-term financial growth. You know, it gives you roots, it gives you leverage, and over time, we know home ownership builds net worth. And so a lot of uh a lot of uh parents and grandparents, you want, of course, the same opportunity for the people you love. And I know a lot of us could remember and have that conversation how much they paid for that first home. Uh my first home was sixty thousand dollars here uh in Henderson County, and I remember that home uh some 20 years, maybe 25 years ago now, uh, when I bought that home. Uh, but here's the thing that price is unheard of. That's what a lot, that's more expensive, uh lots are more expensive than that now. And in today's market, you know, oh by the way, that's what I mean, you you hear about I know people that have shared with me their first home was you know$25,000 and$45,000. I mean, cars cost more than that right now. And so in today's market, that dream can feel out of reach for so many people. The prices have climbed so quickly, the rents have followed, and for younger buyers trying to get started, it feels like they're they're running uphill, especially over the last few years. And so the the here's the part many families don't realize things are slowly improving, and you might actually be in a position to help, actually, because and this is you know, not all of us have had the uh opportunity to help or or have received help. And again, this is your unique story, your unique situation, but the equity you've built in your home might be a way to give an advantage. And so if you've owned your home for years, maybe decades, two, powerful things have likely happened along the way. Your home value has increased, your mortgage balance has gone down, and so that combination quietly creates substantial equity for many longtime homebuyers. And so most people think of that equity as something strictly reserved for retirement or someday, and of course that makes sense, but equity doesn't have to serve only one purpose in the in in the right situation, it may become a tool, maybe a tool that helps the next generation uh overcome the biggest barrier standing in their way. And so um the number one thing holding young buyers back, uh they they did a survey, uh Johns Burns Research and Consulting asked renters what was preventing them from buying a home. The top answer wasn't interest rates, it wasn't even home prices, you know, it was the upfront costs, it was you know s and especially saving enough for a down payment. And so that matters, and that that that information matters because while we can't control mortgage rates or market prices, you may be able to help with the upfront hurdle, then that can make all the difference. So helping with a down payment doesn't mean sacrificing your own security. In many cases, even a relatively small portion of your equity could move the needle dramatically for your loved one while still leaving you well positioned for your own retirement. And sometimes it's not about covering the entire cost, it's about closing the gap. And so this is amazing. You've maybe you've heard of the silver tsunami. Economics estimate that 68 to 84 trillion dollars will be transferred from older generations to younger ones over the next two decades, and more families are starting to rethink when and how that transfer happens instead of instead of waiting until later in life, a lot are some are choosing to help earlier when it can have the biggest impact. And so we think about these things. There's a book actually, a book um I've read called A Die With Zero, and I've actually shared shared about this book, but you know the resources um the resources that you can provide for friends and family, and again, you we can't just to be candid, we can't take any of this with us after we go, right? But the in the book Bill Perkins, I uh this book's actually really good. Again, maybe uh the the the top the title of the book might throw you off, but you know, his sim he's got a couple central ideas. You know, the goal isn't to die with the most money, the goal is to use your money at the moment it creates the most meaning. And so for many parents and grandparents, the traditional mindset is I'll save everything I can and someday I'll pass it down. The book Die With Zero gently challenges that assumption. And Perkins argues that money is most valuable when it can be used, not when it's merely accumulated. And often the money that and excuse me, the time when money can have the greatest impact on your children or grandchildren's lives is not later, it's now. And so buying a first home is one of those moments. You know, helping a loved one with a down payment at age 28, 32, 35 can completely change their life trajectory. It moves them out of renting sooner, it allows them to start building equity earlier. Um, it gives them stability during their highest growth years, and then it compounds wealth over decades, not years. And so if that same money arrives much later in life, its impact is often smaller. Is it helpful? Of course. Transformational, maybe not. But the book Die With Zero reframes this as a return on life, not just on investment, not a return on investment. So, and I love that he talks about home equity or he talks about the memory dividend. One of the most powerful ideas that the Die with Zero book that what Perkins calls is a memory dividend, the lasting value created when money enables meaningful experiences or mine milestones. You know, helping a child or grandchild buy their first home isn't just a financial transaction, it's a memory dividend, the day they get the keys, their first holiday in the home, you know, watching them put down roots and seeing their confidence grow. And you don't get to experience these moments if the help comes decades later. And of course, the book does not encourage irresponsibility, it's emphasis through thoughtful planning, safety margins, and intentional use of resources. And so in real life, that that that means helping with part of it, not of the down payment, not all of it. Structuring support as a gift or a family loan, depending on what's the healthiest structure, you know, making sure your own retirement and security remains intact. So again, this is this is about responsible, being responsible. It's not it's not encouraging irresponsibility. So this is the this is the shift from someday to when it matters. And so with the estimated 68 to 84 trillion dollars expected to transfer between generations over the next two decades, many families are realizing something important. The question isn't whether wealth will be passed down, the question is when will it matter the most? And so the the Die With Zero book invites families to think, you know, what if some of the legacy could be lived, not left? And these are the conversations we have with our clients. Maybe it's our first-time homebuyers, maybe it's our our clients that are retiring or going into retirement, but it's the bigger picture here. Helping the next generation buy their first home isn't about obligation, it's about timing, intention, impact. And so if your home equity puts you in a position to help while you're still protecting your own future, it may be one of the highest return investments you'll ever make. And of course, it's not just financially, that's relationally, emotionally, and generationally. It's it can make a difference. Again, the resources that we have and how we can impact our our community, how we can impact our our families. It it matters, and this is where we have a responsibility with those with us with us that with what's the saying with with great uh with with you have great responsibility uh with when you have your resources. And again, how do we use our time? How do we use our financial resources? How do we use the wisdom that we've collected and and earned over the years with the next generation? So having these conversations and just being candid about uh being candid about all of these things. So again, if we can help you, if we want to talk about your the bigger situation, if we want to talk about the you know what our are how you can help with our community with attainable housing. I mean, maybe you want to help uh you know, there's nonprofits and there's organizations making a tremendous difference in our community with giving and and through attainable housing. Again, there's a lot of different resources. Maybe just maybe again, if it's if if you don't have a family member uh that that's that that this would apply to, maybe you would consider giving to the community. So many different, and again, it's doing it responsibly and thinking through how this could can be part of uh giving back to your family, giving back to your community. So love having these conversations. I love sharing about different books that were that I've uh come across and reading, and and again, it's this bigger picture about life, and again, we happen to be walking alongside with clients through some of their biggest life transit transitions. You know, again, life, you know, real estate can be a beautiful celebratory reason, you know, or it can be during a challenging time of your life and seasons that you might be walking through. So it's so integral in how we show up and how we walk alongside with our clients. It's a truly a privilege and honor to help our clients navigate through real estate and how it impacts their life and how it impacts their the next generation. And we work in concert with you know, like estate attorneys and tax strategists and financial advisors and you know how real estate is impacting the bigger picture. And so if we can help you put a plan together, if we can help you get clarity and in the context of the market, we we look at it uh as a more holistic approach, and we'd love to have that conversation. Um, we will be sharing more uh data about the local real estate market, and and I did get into that conversation about you know helping the next generation. I love those conversations. We have these conversations regularly, but you're listening to the George Real Estate Group live radio broadcast here on the queue every Monday morning. We're here. You can also find us online at realestatebygreg.com, see all of our listings. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram, on social media, and of course you can subscribe to our podcast, love to connect with you there. But we have a short break coming up, so stay tuned in. We'll be right back. Good morning and welcome back, and welcome to the George Wilson Group Live Radio Broadcast here on the queue every Monday morning, and I hope you are well. I hope you've I hope you had a wonderful weekend, and what a what a I mean, we went from really incredible warm weather on Friday and Saturday and then and then cold yesterday and today. And again, it's interesting the weather, you know, there's there's this is interesting because it does put context on all these headlines. I mean, the home sales fell sharply in January, and and it's understandable if that gave you pause, because if you're thinking, especially if you're thinking about selling your house this year, but again, with most headlines, the new the story isn't nearly as alarming once you pull out and and zoom out and look at the full context. And yes, home now not for Henderson County, but nationally, home sales declined in January, and that part is true, but why they decline why they decline matters far more than the decline itself. And so really when you look at the data and look behind the curtain, it's the this the story is very different, and it's much more encouraging. And actually, you know, and here's the thing but according to reports from the National Association of Realtors, the pace of home sales dropped about 8.4% from December to January, and on the surface, that sounds significant, but seasonality plays a major role, and we've been talking about that. But historically, January is almost always the slowest month of the year for home sales. Over the last four years, sales has dipped in January every year, except one nationally. That's not true here for Henderson County. Buyers are coming off the holidays, weather is often unpredictable, and many people just simply pause big decisions until spring. So, you know, while this year's decline was steeper than average, the pattern itself was not unusual. The severe weather, and again, our friends and family up in up north in New England that are facing the blizzard that they're facing right now, you know, this severe weather this past January wasn't just cold, it was disruptive. According to the National Weather Service, forty states experienced widespread winter storms. And we know we lived through it here locally. You know, the snow, the ice, the dangerous travel conditions, and and real estate is deeply affected by weather. Inspections got postponed, photography got postponed, appraisals getting rescheduled, final walkthroughs, and that makes it even more remarkable that Henderson County was on par with last year for us to be able to say Henderson County, our January was less than a 1% difference even with the weather that we experience, but certainly nationally it did impact. And so closings that were supposed to happen in January often get pushed into February, and that leads to an important distinction. Again, existing home sales data measures closed transactions, not new buyer activity. And that means the data doesn't tell us how many buyers are writing offers, it only shows us when deals officially close. There's a leading and lagging indicators, and so when the winter storm slows the process, those transactions don't disappear, they just shift to the next month. And and so, in other words, January's missing sales are are far more likely postponed than lost. And so here's the part you usually don't see in the headlines. Historically, home sales rebound in February as the spring market begins to take shape. And so when you look at multi-year trends, January often marks the bottom, not just the beginning of a downturn. February and March tend to show the renewed momentum. So, you know, the weather gets better, things warm up, buyers are re-engaged, they they got over their holidays, the hell holiday hangovers. Sellers begin listing their homes ahead of spring, and so that pattern has held true year after year. And so, you know, again, especially in the context we have the interest rates. I mean, the interest rates are staying, uh, we're hearing more consistently interest rates are in the in the fives. They are consistently more into the fives. Affordability has actually improved for seven consecutive months, and so buyers have more breathing room. Homes are more attainable. And uh in some markets, you know, buyers have actually gained uh negotiating power. I've heard in some markets, I mean, we've not experienced this here, but in some cases the markets are down to 10, 15, 20 percent in some of the the larger metropolitan areas. And so supply and demand inventory has improved slightly, which creates hell. healthier conditions without oversupplying the market, but you know the mortgage rates while you know well actually mortgage rates are below the fifty year historical average. Again, it's it's context. And of course, you know, the mortgage rates, when you think about what what the mortgage rates were, it's all about perspective on the mortgage rates, right? Like if you were used to the uh you know if you were used to the um you know three and four if you were used to the four and five I mean these these interest rates come with perspective and I and I always remember my father sharing that anything below 10 was amazing because during the 80s and interest rates got into the high uh teens you know the you know it's some and I know people and I've heard I knew someone shared with me they borrowed money at 22% and they of course they refinanced quickly but you know I know clients that have borrowed money at the 15 and 16 and 17% interest rate it was just what it was and so you know mortgage rates it's all perspective and so all these pieces of the puzzle together our market is stabilizing it's recalibrating it's not re it's not retreating in fact and so again this weather that we're experiencing don't confuse the weather impacted January with a market that's losing steam you know if anything the uh improving affordability the delayed closing suggests pent up activity that may show up as spring approaches and so you know these headlines focus on the snapshot but the real estate decisions really deserve the full picture and so if you're curious about your own home if you're curious about your situation if you're feeling uncertain uh based on what you're hearing on the news or TV or online let's talk a little context goes a long way and that's where clarity you know is really the difference between uh fear and confidence and and knowing the difference right and what's what what's real or what's not real um you know the the the having and really when you have clarity and really when you have a path forward it can provide the the confidence to make a decision. And actually I was just sharing uh and speaking with uh a friend last week about uh one of the the the best experiences actually which you might find this counterintuitive but you know when we've gone through the process with a client and they're thinking of buying or selling and and we provide them with information and they actually make the decision to not buy or sell and they are so grateful because of the information we provided they were able to make a decision for what was best for their family and it wasn't about uh the the market's the market the interest rates are the interest rates but when we were able to provide clarity and information and knowledge so our clients could make an educated decision that it it is so rewarding and and you might find that funny but when when we have actually walked away from the table and our clients have said hey it's not right for us to sell it's not right for us to buy that's okay we've actually done our job at the highest level when you can have the clarity to make that decision and so uh it it is absolutely it I would still we we do actually categorize that as a win and we've done our job and so those are the type conversations we have to provide for our clients and so again if you're curious about your home is worth if you're curious about the market I mean inventory levels here currently as of this morning four hundred and twenty five active single family homes on the market. We have less than a four month supply we have a three plus you know between a three and four month supply of homes on the market based in the last 12 months of sales in Henderson County the average single family home price is holding around 541 average single family home price in Henderson County is 541. We're averaging some 135 single family homes a month selling so inventory levels are low. The demand is sustaining the our market again the data's the data and know it's interesting you never know when you're at the top of the market till things start going down just like you never know when you're at the bottom of the market till things start going up no one can predict we're we just have this information that we get to to to study uh we get to use this information and we get to put context and clarity on it so that you can ultimately make a decision for what's right for you. By the way still uh almost a third just shy of a third of the homes sold in the last 12 months in Henderson County were purchased with cash so we still have a strong cash uh purchase which is really it's within the the the last it's in within the range of what's happened really here locally in the last 10-15 years the cash sales uh you know still a significant amount uh majority of over half of the homes purchased were purchased with some type of conventional loan uh then you have a handful of homes that are using uh FHA loan or or USDA or even VA loans again a lot of different ways to and we work closer with a number of different lenders that can provide clarity for you know what would it's not you know what would my what would I feel comfortable at with a house payment? Where are the interest rates? Where how do you work backwards with uh what you feel comfortable with your budget and so we work again with our attorneys and our lenders and our home inspectors it's an entire team that we work together in concert to provide information for our clients uh just grateful to be here you can follow us on social media we have a number of open houses that you can find on our Facebook and Instagram we love having conversations it truly is a privilege and honor to meet with our clients and it's our clients that make it the best. But if you also by the way we're growing and we're hiring if you thought about a career in real estate we'd love to connect with you there. So give us a call 828-3930134 and I hope you can stay warm.

Team Approach And Next Steps

Closing, Contact Info, And CTA

SPEAKER_00 28:06

I know spring is around the corner and by the way we are still so grateful to serve the community through real estate call us directly 828-3930134 the George Real Estate Group has the experience of selling over 1200 properties and serving over 1200 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 3930134 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 WTCq.com 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