More Inventory Is Here So Smart Buyers Get Ready Now

The real estate headlines are loud, but your decision to buy, sell, or hold is personal. We break down what we’re seeing right now in the Henderson County real estate market and why the idea of a “perfect” time to buy is mostly a myth. Rates matter, but they are only one piece of the puzzle. When rates drop, more buyers tend to flood back in, competition rises, and prices can climb, so waiting does not always make things cheaper. The better goal is getting prepared so you can move when the right home shows up.

You’ll hear a clear March market update with local data: more new listings, more pending sales, stabilizing home prices, and days on market stretching out. That longer pace is a meaningful change from the frenzy where buyers faced 10 to 15 offers, waived inspections, and paid far over asking. If you’re buying in Hendersonville, Flat Rock, or across Western North Carolina, this shift can create breathing room and negotiating power, while sellers need sharper pricing and stronger presentation.

Then we move beyond primary homes into investor and retirement planning. Many long time owners have “won” with real estate appreciation, but they’re tired of tenants, toilets, and taxes. We explain how a 1031 exchange can defer capital gains taxes, why replacement property deadlines can be tough, and how a Delaware Statutory Trust (DST) may help some owners trade active management for professionally managed passive income. We also touch on legacy planning, step up basis, and the long view of building wealth that serves your life, not the other way around.

If this helps, subscribe to the podcast, share it with a friend who’s making a move, and leave a review so more local homeowners can find these market updates. What question should we tackle next?

Transcript

Welcome And Listener Resources

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 grateful to be here with you. And I hope you are enjoying this time of year. I certainly am a lot to be thankful for. And wow, can you believe we are in the middle of April? And wow, time is flying when you're having fun. And in the market, we will dive into what's going on in the real estate market, of course. Was grateful for last week's uh guest, Justice Mullen, a local attorney here, providing some context and some information on the you know some of the nuances of real estate in regards to working with attorneys and different things. And we're gonna have him back again and have some more conversations as well. If you didn't get a chance to hear that show, you can listen to it on our podcast. We podcast all of our radio shows. You can find it on your favorite podcast platform, whether it's Apple, Amazon, Alexa, Spotify. Uh be sure to subscribe to it. We're growing that actually. It's been great, the uh the amount of downloads and subscribers there to our podcasts. You can also follow us on social media, Facebook and Instagram. We post about our new listings, our our uh upcoming open houses, our successes and homes that we've sold. And we have incredible clients and agents that we have the privilege of working with. And so if you're curious what your home is worth, if you're curious about the real estate market, if you're if you want to have a confidential consultation, no pressure, no cost, no obligation, confidential consultation, we'd be glad to have the conversation. We're talking with clients every single day. It could be about their personal home and and what that might look like and the the uh nuances behind the market, your unique property, your unique situation. Uh we're also consulting our clients in regards to maybe it's family land, maybe it's investment properties you own. We also are doing a lot with our clients in regards to what's called 1031 exchanges and and the the the challenges of uh and benefits of 1031 exchanges, being able to defer paying capital gains and and also being strategic with your tax strategy. And maybe there might be a better solution out there in which we are working through uh a number of our our our partners in regards to, you know, there's there's also a product called a DST, which is a Delaware statutory trust, and and we have options. We might have options you might not be aware of uh and in regards to your real estate. It could be commercial real estate, it could be uh land, it could be your rental property. These are some these are conversations that we're having uh above and beyond our our conversations we're having with our clients about their personal homes. So anything real estate, it could be land, it could be a residential home, it could be commercial, it could be land, and we have different solutions and and things to consider. And there, of course, like I've shared before, there's no pressure, there's no cost, there's no obligation. You can call us directly at 828-393-0134-828-393-0134, and we'd love to love to have the conversation with you. Let's talk about what's going on in the market. And uh, you know, here uh we have a local market update. Uh looking back on the month of March, uh, and then I'll put some context on the year to date, but also looking back on the on the 12-month uh numbers over the last 12 months as well. I mean, there's a lot of certainly a lot of news out there about the uh economy. There's a lot of news out there about, you know, people are saying, you know, uh, should I w still wait to buy a home, or should I wait, or should I go ahead and buy the home? And and you know, of course, with the rates, uh, they the the rates have been up. The the all the news headlines, the uh what's happening globally, and everyone uh is trying to find the time uh and they're trying to time the market perfectly. And and here's really the truth. You there is no perfect time, and there's only your time. I mean, we we I I was working with I am working with a client that was reminiscing on building a property in the eighties, which he still owns today. He was building a property in the eighties and he paid 20% uh for that uh for that borrowed money. But again, over time you can uh refinance, you can pay it off. I mean, there's that it's not about the interest rates. It's and it's there's a lot of things, and that's just one extreme example. And I know we all got uh spoiled when those interest rates are in the two and three and four percent range, but here's the thing. Again, back to what I said earlier, there's no perfect time, and it's really what's right for you and and and your timing. So, you know, here's the thing the the market's actually shifting uh in favor uh in your favor more than people realize. There there isn't there is increased inventory. You know, we've been at this elevated low inventory level for a number of years, but we are seeing more inventory inventory come on the market. You know, prices are stabilizing, you know, in instead of skyrocketing. I mean, like prices are are stabilizing, and and that's something we'll we'll dive in and talk and talk about this morning as well. And um affordability is improving compared to the last few years. And so that's a big deal. Just a you know, a couple years ago, buyers were having to compete. You know, pick your poison, right? Like you you could you could get a three or four percent interest rate, but you might have had to pay fifty or a hundred thousand dollars over asking price. You were competing with ten to fifteen offers, you were buyers were waving inspections, and and you know, it's not the same market as of today. And this is where where people get stuck. They're saying, I'm gonna wait for interest rates to drop. And that that sounds smart, right? But the flip side is this when rates drop even a little, the demand is gonna come flooding back into the market. So when you have more buyers, you have more competition, you have higher prices, and so we're already seeing forecasts like that. And so home prices will likely continue rising modestly, and and the more uh buyers will re-enter as the rates ease. So so waiting doesn't always make it cheaper. It changes, it just changes how you pay. And so, again, let me say it again because this is important. You don't time the market, you time your life. And so people don't buy homes because of interest rates. We've talked about this before. People buy homes because they got married, they sell homes because they got married, they buy and sell. They they they had a child, uh, they got engaged, they got a job transfer, they need more space, and they want more stability. And and guess what? Those life events, they don't wait for mortgage rates to hit 5.5%. And here, here's another big idea. Owning a home is is really about long-term wealth, not short-term timing. Like I said, the gentleman that that built a property with the interest rates in there's 20 in the 20% range, he still owns that property today. He he refinanced it. He certainly did not keep that 20% property, but talk about building long-term wealth. And now, if you're renting right now, you're paying really, in essence, 100% interest and you're building zero equity. But when you own something, every payment builds something for you. It even if the market shifts short term, even if prices go down, but over time, that's how real wealth is built. And so, you know, here here in Henderson County, we're seeing, you know, some hundred and thirty single family homes a month selling. Inventory level is is holding steady, it's improving, and then prices are holding. So this isn't a market crashing. It's not a frenzied market either. It's it's really this window of opportunity. And so again, no matter what, whether you're buying or selling, again, it's it's it's planning ahead, it's getting all your ducks in a row, it's making sure financially it's you're you're ready. It's it's if and also thinking ahead. Are you thinking uh the next you know three to five years, uh, you know, thinking about what works for where you are in life. You know, it's you know, money is just one component of of the the entire picture, but it it may make sense uh for you not to buy or sell, but it sometimes reg again, the interest rates are the interest rates, you you it might make more sense right now to sell and buy, or even just buy if you're not in the market, but you can refinance later if rates drop because you can refinance. Um but the thing is you can't go back and buy at yesterday's prices. And so, you know, the best buyers in the market aren't the ones trying to predict the future. They're the ones who are prepared, they're ready to act when the right home shows up. And so, you know, if you've been sitting on the on the sideline wondering if the time is now, we're talking every single day with buyers and sellers through their unique situation. And and the here's the thing: the headlines, the news, the national news, the you know, your unique situation, your unique home, your unique circumstances um are yours. It's the answer isn't a national uh answer. It's a it's a personal decision and question that you have to decide and make for yourself. But here's the thing in the month of March in Henderson County, here's some real numbers. There was 27% more new listings this March versus last March. We saw a 28% increase in pending sales in March versus last March. Uh year to date, actually, we've seen an 11% increase in pending sales. Uh our closed sales, the month of March was up 6% versus last March, but um our closed sales, if you look at the through the end of March this year versus into March last year, we've actually had a slight drop, a 2% drop. Now, if you look at the 12 months versus the previous 12 months, there was about a hundred more homes sold. If you look from March to March, there's about a hundred more homes sold this current twelve months versus the previous twelve months. So again, it's just information as we as we look about what's happening here locally, and again, context is everything, but in regards to how this might fit into your situation, your home, prices, prices actually this March versus last March are up uh six percent actually. Uh but the if you look at the year-to-date numbers, the the price is actually flat at a point six percent uh change. But I mean if you look at the 12-month price versus the the previous 12-month price, it's it's really uh it's really the it's reflective uh of of the same. I mean, less than a 1% change. So prices are holding. Prices are holding. Uh but again, increase. Uh we've seen 11% increase year to date and pending sales. The days on market is something that's increasing significantly. We are now over 100 days uh year to date. The list date to close date is 132 days now. The days on the market until it's under contract is now uh through the through year to date, through the end of March is at 88 days. Uh that's actually a 49% increase. Um, but again, here's the thing though. Uh right now in Henderson County, right now we still have less than a 500 homes at single-family homes active on the market right now. We're averaging some 133 homes a month selling. Uh the market is still technically, we call it a it's still a seller's market because you have a less than a six-month supply. And I know I'm throwing a lot of data out there. I mean, our average single-family home price over the last 12 months is at 543 and change. Uh, it was at 544 the previous 12 months. So, all this to say, again, your unique home, your unique situation could be your uh commercial real estate, it could be your uh personal home, it could be real estate that you've inherited. If you're if you and I this is amazing, the more conversations I'm having with clients about uh what we're doing in the 1031 exchange world and and having, and we'll talk about this actually in the in the second half of the show this morning. I'll dive into some of the you know, explaining about the you know the ways that you can use tax code to your advantage through what's called a 1031 exchange. Uh the number one challenge usually for that is finding the replacement property, which we have access to, uh, but we'll talk about this. But again, no matter what your unique situation is, there's no pressure, there's no cost, there's no obligation. We have a we can have a confidential consultation. We'd be honored to have have the conversation. You can call us uh and again love to have the conversation. Give us a call, 828-393-0134. 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygreg.com. Follow us on social media, Facebook, and Instagram. We had a number of open houses over the weekend, a lot of activity. We continue to see activity, and we would be grateful to talk about your unique situation, whether it's your personal home, your investment properties, it could be land that you've inherited, family land. We have some options that might be worth uh exploring. We're here every Monday morning, right after the 9 o'clock news, every Monday morning here in the queue. Uh, be sure to follow us on social media, but also subscribe to our podcast. You're listening to the George Real Estate Group live radio broadcast here in the queue every Monday morning. We have a short break, so stay tuned in. 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. Grateful to be here with you. And if you're curious uh about our company, our group, again, you can go to realestatebygreg.com. You can stop by and say hello to us. We're located in Flat Rock there on Rainbow Row. Our friends at the Flat Rock Bakery stop by, let us get you a cup of coffee. Uh, we'd love to have the conversation. We have uh the experience of over a hundred years combined at the George Real Estate Group. This is my personally my 21st year with my North Carolina broker's license, and we've just it's a privilege and honor to serve the community through real estate, to be an advocate, to be a fiduciary, to help our clients navigate through real estate. And because life happens, therefore real estate happens. And we uh we've I don't dare to say we've seen it all, but we've seen a lot, and we're constantly learning. Every situation is unique and different and in your personal situation. But if we could ever help in any way, you can call us directly 828-393-0134. 828-393-0134. Find us online. Uh, also uh, you know, be sure to subscribe to our podcasts, our social media. Again, give us a call. Uh we we would love uh love to connect with you uh and and and again help you in any way in any way we can. Um so let's have the conversation. I've been uh you know, here's the thing. One of the more interesting conversations I've been having lately uh isn't about buying real estate. It's it's what happens after you've already won. Because with people here locally in Hendersonville, Flat Rock, Western North Carolina, they they've done quote unquote everything right. They bought the property 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago. Uh, and today, you know, they're sitting on a lot of equity. But the problem might be they don't feel free. There's this shift happening right now, and it's what people are calling the silver tsunami, and it's this massive wave of wealth transfer happening across the country, and a big part of that wealth, you know, is real estate. And what's changing is this people are no longer asking how do I grow this, they're asking, you know, how do I I simplify this? How do I turn this into income without the headaches? You know, the they talk about the the the terrible tease, tenants, toilets, and taxes, the terrible T's. You know, and so you know, a client that maybe they bought uh an apartment complex back, you know, 20, 30 years ago, you know, maybe he paid 800,000 for it, but today it's worth three million dollars, and that's incredible, right? What talk about uh growing your wealth and investment, but the the but the client is done dealing with the tenant phone calls, they're done dealing with the property management, the constant maintenance, the property taxes going up. And here's the big one a lot of people you might not have ever thought you'd find yourself here, but your property is fully depreciated, and so you know, uh the our clients find themselves paying more income tax on the cash flow, and of course, if he sells it, there's a massive capital gains tax bill, and so clients can feel stuck, and they they again they're they're they don't feel like there's any options, and then people might hear about what's called a a 1031 exchange. But the challenge with 1031 exchange is okay, well, I mean the benefit is you can sell your property, move that money into another property, but and of course that sounds great because you don't pay the you defer the capital gains on it, but the reality hits is I don't want another property, I don't want another headache, I don't want to I want my time back, but I don't want to pay the taxes, and I'm done managing the property. I'm I'm even if I have a property manager, I'm done with that. And this is where you know the conversation changes. There's a a product called a Delaware Statutory Trust, a DST. It allows you to sell your property, defer the taxes, reinvest into a fractional share of a large professionally managed property, and this could be uh a student housing facility, medical buildings, distribution centers, and here's the biggest difference you're no longer the landlord. And how does how does this actually happen? Well, you sell your property, the money goes into what's called a qualified intermediator, you buy into a DST, and that investment's held typically five to seven years, and during that time, guess what? You're receiving income, but you don't have any management responsibilities. This is mailbox money. No calls, no repairs, no tenants. Again, that's just one example. Here's another one: a couple that owns three rental properties, and of course they've been great investments, but now they're in their 60s or 70s, and what used to feel like wealth now feels like more work, more headaches, the turnover, the repairs, the leasing. And they're starting to think about something bigger. What happens when we pass this on to our kids? Because now the question is, is this a blessing or a burden? And this is where DSTs can get really interesting because instead of passing down one apartment complex or three properties, you know, with all the tenants, the conditions, the headaches, they can actually pass down something that's fractional, it's structured, it's easier to divide, which can keep families together instead of creating conflict. Did you know real estate is the number one most litigated asset in in a state? And so the the thing is, when you know, kids' heirs get what's called a step up basis, which is incredible. And this is One of the most powerful concepts in all of real estate, it's actually called swap till you drop. And what it means is you keep doing 1031 exchanges, you keep deferring the taxes, you move the property uh to one to another property, to a DST, to another investment, and and guess what? When you pass on those assets, so when the when you pass those assets are the airs may receive the step-up basis, potentially no capital gains tax liabilities, and that's not just investing, it's legacy building. And so, of course, this is not for everyone. Uh you know, DSTs, not all DSTs are equal. You know, you don't and of course, uh, you know, one of the things that you you know, there's uh time versus money. You don't control the property, you can't just sell when you want, and and the markets still change. So it's not just about what's better, it's about uh the fit. And so here's the thing if you own real estate outside of your personal home, it could be land, it could be a land lease, it could be a rental property, it could be apartment complex, it could be commercial. And the question you might be asking yourself is do I still want to be a landlord five years from now? And if the answer is no, this is a conversation worth having. And the challenge for 1031 exchanges is having the replacement properties, and then there's the timelines. And so, you know, here in our market, we have people who've built serious wealth through real estate, and so the next chapter isn't about you know working harder, it's about protecting what you've built. You know, it's about simplifying your life, uh, turning real estate into true passive income. It's also planning ahead with your legacy and your estate and and taking uh and making things simpler for your heirs, taking in and again, not leaving them with a burden. Again, these are all things that we talk about when we work with our estate attorneys and and we partner with financial advisors and tax strategists, and this is about again, it's and this isn't you know, not that selling was necessarily on your um horizon, but maybe you're done managing the property, or maybe you're just curious what other options look like. Maybe this is this is something you're not aware of, whether it's now or later, you know, and this could put completely change the way you think about real estate and how this could could help with your legacy. This could be simplifying your life. There's there's so many, it's also uh it could, you know, here's some the reason a lot of people are paying attention to DSTs, it it's diversification. You can actually spread your investment across multiple properties. You have access to institutional real estate. These are uh these are anywhere from a hundred million to five hundred million dollar properties that you could probably not buy alone. Also, there's limited liability on this. There's non-recourse loans on this. You're not personally on the hook. And of course, the no management, professional trustees are handling everything. And then again, the estate planning advantage, it's easier to divide among heirs instead of you know, if you have heirs, three or four kids that are going to inherit, you know, a hundred acres, two hundred acres, a hundred houses, you know, this is something that could be a a tool. This could be something to give you options. You know, this is planning ahead to protect your legacy. And again, this is where your heirs you know have that step-up basis. Again, the uh you know, you can defer the capital gains, you know. Again, this is generational planning. And this might be perfect for you if you're and maybe you're listening, you're thinking, is this for me? And again, maybe you're tired of being a landlord, you have a highly appreciated property, you want passive income. Who likes paying taxes? I mean, we want to again, if you can defer paying taxes, and then ultimately, if you're thinking about your legacy and and and estate planning, and so we're we're talking every week with clients like this. They have they've been long-term owners, they've owned the property 10, 15, 30, 40 years for 30 or 40 years, and they've done incredibly well. Now they're asking a different question. What's next? What's the next 30, 40, 50 years look like for my family? How do I simplify? How do I protect what I've built? How do I turn this income into income without the stress? So, you know, real estate is not just about buying and selling personal homes. It it is being strategic. It is about you know making sure real estate um you know aligns with your life and your dreams, your goals, and and again, you know, thinking about these other options that you might not be aware of. And of course, at the George Real Estate Group, we would love to have the conversation. These are conversations we're having every every single week. And the people who understand them and the and the one are the ones that you know they're they're able to have other options and choices in in their thinking ahead and planning ahead. So whether it's your personal home, whether it's an investment property, whether it's real estate that you inherited through your family, again, there's options you might not be aware of. Uh, and we're we're having these conversations. We're so grateful to be here with you every Monday morning right after the nine o'clock hour. We'll be here next Monday, and of course, we podcast all of our radio shows. Uh, you can find this on your favorite podcast platform. Uh, but you're listening to the George Real Estate Group live radio broadcast here in the queue. Uh, we love sharing with you about what's happening locally. We love sharing with you about ideas. We love having guests on the radio. If you have ideas or suggestions for topics, we certainly welcome that. But have a wonderful day, have a wonderful week, and we'll see you next Monday.

SPEAKER_00 27:58

The George Real Estate Group has the experience of selling over twelve hundred properties and serving over twelve hundred 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 WTCQ.com.

Right Sizing For The Next Chapter

SPEAKER_01 28:50

Maybe the house feels a little too big these days. The stairs a little steeper. The pace of life a little too fast. But what if your next move wasn't about letting go? It was about making space for peace, for freedom, for what matters most. At the George Real Estate Group, we understand that real estate isn't just about the house. It's about transitions, timing, and trust. We've helped thousands of families in Western North Carolina make smart, thoughtful moves. Closer to nature, closer to family, closer to home. So when you're ready to right-size, simplify, or start fresh, we'll be here. The George Real Estate Group. Local, trusted, proven. Call us today, 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygreg.com because your next chapter deserves to feel just right.