Is Your Real Estate Building Your Life Or Holding It Hostage

The loudest real estate headlines keep promising a crash, but the numbers on the ground in Henderson County tell a different story. We walk through what we’re seeing right now in the Hendersonville NC real estate market: sales volume, active inventory, price trends, and why a four-month supply changes the entire “doom” narrative. If you’ve been waiting on the sidelines for 2008 to repeat, we explain why that mindset can cost you time, opportunities, and peace of mind.

From there, we break down three big fears we don’t see playing out: a housing crash, a price free-fall, and a sudden flood of inventory. We talk about the lock-in effect from low-rate mortgages, how sellers behave differently today, and what a reset market means in plain terms. Buyers may get a little more leverage as days on market extend, but homes priced right still move. Sellers have to be sharp, strategic, and realistic, because “name your price” is gone while “give it away” still isn’t here.

Then we go deeper than the stats. We share a mindset shift we love: stop chasing butterflies and start building a garden. That leads into a practical conversation for landlords and investors who feel stuck, over-allocated, or exhausted, including ideas from Die With Zero and the concept of memory dividends. We connect the dots to real estate investing tools like the 1031 exchange and Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs) for people who want to simplify, diversify, and align their portfolio with their life.

If this brought you clarity, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review so more Western North Carolina homeowners and investors can find it.

Transcript

Welcome And How To Reach Us

SPEAKER_02 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 dot com for more information. Good morning and welcome to the George Real Estate Group Live Radio broadcast here on the queue every Monday morning sharing the positive news about your local real estate market and community. So grateful to be here with you. Can you believe April is at the end of the uh we're at the end of the chapter of April. So uh May's around the corner. Uh this is uh just uh so thankful for the rain this weekend. It was uh we need more of that, uh, but so much to be thankful for. Uh you know, what's it the saying April showers bring May flowers? We need more April showers, uh, which we'll we'll certainly hopefully see that uh this week. But again, uh just grateful to be here with you. And time is flying when you're having fun, and so much to be grateful for. We've had an incredible year so far uh already in 2026, and looking forward to finishing and not even finishing, we're we're in the middle of it, and we're having so much fun and grateful for our clients, our community, and our our uh just an opportunity to serve the community through real estate. If you're thinking of buying, selling, or investing in real estate, we'd love to interview for the job. No pressure, no costs, no obligation, no cons, no, no cost consultation, confidential consultation. You can call us directly at 828-393-0134-828-3930134. We had a couple of open houses this weekend, a lot of activity. Uh, if you're curious about our upcoming open houses, you can follow us on our social media, Facebook and Instagram. Uh, we'd love to connect with you. You can also follow our podcast. We podcast all of our radio shows. You can find that on your favorite podcast platform. And you can stop by our office. We're in Flat Rock on Rainbow Row. Stop by anytime. Uh we'd love to say hello. And we're next to our friends at the Flat Rock Bakery, Hubba Hubba Barbecue, Campfire Grill, The Wrinkled Egg, and Dogwood. Stop by and say hello. We'd love to visit. Uh, we are so thankful that the here's here's a quick snapshot of our market. Uh, you know, and and then I'll talk about you know, there's a lot of headlines out there about the market as well. Um, but really, in the last you know, twelve months uh in Henderson County, uh, we've had over sixteen hundred single-family homes sell in in Henderson County. Now, we work in all of the counties, Bunkham and Transylvania and Polk and uh Haywood, and and and again, if you're Rutherford County, again, but just to give you a snapshot, because uh this radio program is in Henderson County. Majority of our business is Henderson County, but we do work in all of the Western North Carolina counties. But just a snapshot of Henderson County, 134, 134 single-family homes a month selling uh over the last 12 months. Uh there's only five hundred and forty-eight, five hundred and forty-eight active homes on the market. So, I mean, you know, we have only a four-month supply of homes, inventory versus demand. Uh, we've actually had a hundred more homes sell in the last 12 months versus the previous 12 months. Our prices, average single family home price in Henderson County over the last 12 months is at 542. That's about$1,000 higher than the previous 12-month average price. But there's a lot of noise out there. You know, you turn on the news, you scroll social media, and you'd think the housing market is on the edge of collapse again. But here's the truth there's three things that are not going to happen in today's market. And if you understand this, it changes how you think, how you buy, how you sell, and how you invest. And let's just start here. Housing crashes not coming. I mean, people are waiting, they're hoping, even rooting for a crash. But here's the reality: we simply don't have enough homes for sale to create a crash. Inventory levels is still below normal levels, and that matters. You know, in real estate, crashes happen when supply overwhelms demand. And as I shared earlier, we have a hundred, we're averaging 135 single-family homes a month selling. We have some 500 available. Right now, it's actually the opposite. In nationally, experts are saying the same big thing. This is a stabilizing market, not a collapsing one. So if you're sitting on the sidelines waiting for 2008 to repeat, you might be waiting a long time. Another another uh you know uh thing that's not going to happen. Prices are not going to plummet. Now, could prices adjust in certain neighborhoods? Yes. Could prices soften? Yes. But a nationwide drop, that's not the story. So even when inventory rises a little, it's still not enough to drive down prices significantly. And today's sellers are different. They, if they don't get their price, they don't panic, they just pull the house off the market, and that creates a floor under pricing. And and what are economists saying, you know, prices are expected to move, but slowly, more like a steady glide than a drop. And so this is not a crash market. This isn't this is a plateau market. And so another the third thing, a flood of inventory is not coming anytime soon. And this one is subtle but powerful. You might think, well, what if everyone decides to sell at once? And here's the problem millions of homeowners are sitting on 2%, 3%, 4% mortgages, and they're not eager to trade for that 6%. And that's what we call the lock-in effect. And and while it may ease over time, it's keeping a lid on inventory growth. And the translation is there's no tsunami of homes coming to the market, and without that surge, prices stay supported. And so if those three things aren't happening, you know, what is happening? We're in something different, not a boom, not a bust, a reset. You know, a market where prices are stabilizing. The fact that in the last two years, the average single-family home price in Henderson County has only changed$1,000. Prices are stabilizing. You know, inventory is still tight, but it is improving. We are seeing days on the market longer. Buyers are a little bit more, there's not there's not the rush on either side. I mean, the sellers or the buyers. I mean, and we've talked about this, right? The life happens, therefore real estate happens. But it's it's not the the crazy days that we saw before. It's not the by the way, these interest rates, these interest rates, if you look over the last 50 years, are the average. And again, people, it's all about perspective. If you'd have told somebody in the 80s and 90s you would have had interest rates in the low sixes, they'd be thrilled. Again, perspective. So here's the thing buyers are gaining a little bit of leverage because of the days on market. Sellers are having to be a little bit more strategic. You still have to price it the way it is. And right here in Henderson County, you know, we're feeling that exact same shift. Homes that are priced right, well, they're moving. Homes that are aspirational, they're sitting. You know, so it's no longer a name your price market, but it's also far from a give it away market. And so what if the opportunity isn't waiting for a crash? And what if the opportunity is understanding the market we actually have? You know, because the people who win in real estate aren't the ones waiting for perfect conditions, they're the ones who see clearly when others are confused. And I I always remember Warren Buffett's uh statement you know, be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when people are fearful. Again, it's this counterintuitive, but again, the market's always going to be ebbing and flowing. The interest rates are always gonna be ebbing and flowing, but you know, real estate is again driven by life. And life happens, therefore, real estate happens, and we're seeing it, we're seeing it every day. You know, the market is is still moving. The market is still, we are still in a very healthy, stable market, low inventory. I mean, Henderson County has only 540 active single-family homes in the market over the last and then over the last 12 months, 135 homes a month are are selling. We still see over 25% of the homes sold or purchased with cash. Uh uh close to 30%. Uh over over um almost half of the homes are still selling in the first 30 days. Uh two-thirds are selling in the first 60 days. But the market's the market. Your unique situation, your unique home. Again, we do a no pressure, no cost, no obligation, confidential consultation. But again, I I uh again, these are just these conversations that we're having. Uh, and again, we'd we'd love to have the conversation. I heard uh you always wonder if you know where these uh quotes come from, and uh there was this the apparently uh over in Europe, instead of saying don't waste your time, they phrase it a little differently. They say stop chasing butterflies. You know, the the idea is simple. If you spend your life chasing butterflies, they always stay just out of reach. But if you take that same time, same energy, and you build a beautiful garden, the butterflies come to you, and that's just a different way to think about life. Because most of us were taught the opposite, right? You're s you're taught to chase success, uh chase money, chase attention, chase relationships, chase the next deal. And and to be fair, chasing can work for a moment. You might catch a butterfly, and but here's the problem when you catch it that way, it doesn't stay. You know, it's fragile, you know, it's temporary, it flies off the moment you lose you your grip loosens. So what do you do? You go chase another one and then another one and another one until one day you look up and realize you've been running your whole life exhausted, busy, but not necessarily fulfilled, and that's where this idea of building a garden changes everything. Because a garden doesn't chase anything, a garden focuses on becoming a place that attracts, a place that invites, and it becomes a place that sustains life. And so when you shift your mindset from chasing to building, your questions change. You stop asking, how do I get more right now? And you start asking, Am I creating an uh a place that people are naturally drawn to? In business, it might look like this. Instead of chasing every deal, you build trust, instead of chasing attention, you build value, instead of chasing clients, you build relationships. And and here's the the part nobody talks about building the garden is slower, you know, it's not flashy, there's no instant hit of dopamine. It's a daily consistent work showing up, doing what you said you'd do, improving your craft, taking care of people. I've joked that I'm an overnight success that's taken twenty-one years of showing up every day. It's tending the soil when nobody's watching, you know, but over time something shifts. You stop operating from this place of scarcity, like everything is just out of reach, and you start operating from confidence, not loud confidence, you know, steady confidence, the kind that says, I know what I bring to the table, and people feel that, especially right now, in markets that feel uncertain, in relationships that feel fragile, in a world that feels noisy, people are brought are drawn to stability, they're drawn to clarity, and they've they're drawn to people who aren't chasing them, but are grounded in who they are and what they've built. And that's the garden. And here's the payoff. When you chase butterflies, you might get one for a moment. When you build a garden, they come, they stay, and they bring others with them. And that's that's the referrals, that's the repeat business, that's the reputation that starts working for you even when you're not working. So maybe the question today isn't what should I go chase next? Maybe the question is, or the better question is what kind of garden am I building? Because if you get that right, you'll spend a lot less time running and a lot more time receiving. So we are live here on the queue every Monday morning, and again, bringing you positive news, sometimes a little bit of a uh life insight. Um, but we're here every Monday morning, we're after the 9 o'clock hour, and we love sharing about the market, love sharing about life, love sharing about the community. Uh, and this is a live radio broadcast. We podcast all of our radio shows. You can find and follow us on your favorite podcast platform. We have a lot more to cover in the second half of the show. We have a short break coming up, but thank you for tuning in. 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. Thank you so much for tuning in. What a beautiful day it is. A lot to be thankful for and grateful to be here with you. Uh, if you're tuning in for the first time ever, the George Real Estate Group, we have over a hundred years combined experience. We've helped over 1,600 families. Uh, we help in the residential world, we help in the commercial world and the investment world, and come alongside our clients to provide clarity and information and and and ultimately advocating and and facilitating and being a fiduciary for our clients. You know, when real estate is involved, it could be your personal home, it could be your investment property, it could be inherited real estate, it could be land, you know, whatever situation you might find yourself in, again, providing clarity and information so you can decide what's right for you. We'd love to come alongside. We'd love to have the conversation. And you can call us directly at 828-393-0134-828-393-0134. You can find us online at realestatebygreg.com. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. You can also follow our podcast. We podcast all the radio shows. We'd love to connect with you there. And then stop by our office. Uh, we're there uh almost every day. Someone is uh we love serving the community through real estate. But we're located on Rainbow Row, uh, there with our friends at the Flat Rock Bakery, Hubba Hubba Barbecue, Campfire Grill, the Wrinkled Egg, and Dogwood. Again, grateful for uh there to be there uh along Rainbow Row. So stop by anytime and and stop in and say hello if we can help you in any way. So the market, again, just a quick snapshot, 134 homeless 135 uh single-family homes a month uh selling in Henderson County over the last over the last 12 months. It's interesting though, that you know, when we look at year-to-date, uh, we've had more homes already. Number of homes sold in Henderson County year to date uh is is already trending and tracking ahead uh in Henderson County. The other thing that's absolutely fascinating is the pending sales, homes going under contract in Henderson County, and this is where I think this is so interesting. This this will show up in April and May, but last March in 2025, there was 128 properties in Henderson County that went under contract. This March there was 171. So we're gonna see uh we should see a huge bump in the number of homes sold this April, this this final when April finishes up versus last April. So again, it does tend it does seem to show that the the trajectory and the amount of uh homes going under contract this year, when you look at this these months this year versus the same months last year, again, it's it's significant to point out. The other thing that's significant is the number of new listings. This is again, we have more listings, but this is where the demand is at is outpacing the inventory. That's why we only have a four-month supply. That's why home prices are holding. I mean, our average single-family home price in Henderson County is$1,000 higher this 12 months versus the previous 12 months. We're at$542, uh, which is which is significant. So, you know, there's a there's a quiet mistake happening right now, you know, not in the stock market, not in interest rates, in people's lives. And it happened, and it we see this all the time. It's happening with landlords, investors, and property owners who did everything quote unquote right, and yet they end up they're ending up with the wrong outcome. You know, too much money, tied up in the wrong places, and then too little time to actually enjoy it. Most people were taught you buy real estate, you hold it forever, you pay it off, you pass it down, and on and on paper that works. Yeah, but in reality, people end up over-allocated to properties that no longer serve their life. And then this author that I've I've referenced him before, Bill Perkins, wrote a book called Die With Zero, and he changes the conversation. He says the goal isn't to die with this with the most money, the goal is to maximize your life experiences, and he calls it memory dividends. The idea that the return on your money isn't just cash, it's the experiences you get to relive for decades. And now let's connect this to what's happening in the real estate right now. We're in the middle of the largest wealth transfer in history, trillions of dollars, majority of it's tied up in in real estate, and our owners are aging. And this is where most people don't realize the owners aren't just managing properties anymore, they're navigating taxes, legacy, their health, and time. And so this is where this is let's let's this is where this really gets practical. You know, there is sometimes you've owned real estate that's been fully depreciated. The depreciation is gone, and now as an real estate investor, you're paying maximum taxes on income. So that's not efficient. Maybe you own land, vacant land, and so with no structures on it, there's no depreciation, and so a hundred percent of the income is taxable, and that's where repositioning becomes critical. And maybe you're earning less than four percent return on your real estate, and that's not being optimized. And there are structures structures that may produce comparable or even better income with less effort. Now maybe you have a high appreci high appreciation and a low basis problem. You know, you've won, but now you're stuck, and so if you were to sell it, you'd have massive capital gain taxes. And so you don't do anything. And then doing nothing becomes the biggest risk. Maybe you're the tired landlord. This is this is this the this the tenants, it's the toilets, it's the taxes, it's the insurance. You don't want more property. You ac you actually want your life back. And then it could be the the life transition where everything accelerates. It could be retirement helping your kids and grandkids now. Assisted living, retirement living decisions and estate planning. And this is where real estate becomes a tool, not a trophy. And so this is where most people stop. They identify the problem, but they don't know what's next. There are options. We've helped clients use a 1031 exchange. Investors can sell property, defer capital gains taxes, reinvest into new opportunities. And this is the bridge, not the destination. And for most people with 1031 exchanges, they're aware of it, but they don't have any replacement properties or they don't want to buy more headaches. They don't want to buy more tenants. But one of the options is to simplify with a DST. And these options, one of these options is a Delaware statutory trust. And this would actually this is what actually what that actually means in real life. You can own a piece of a large institutional property. You don't manage anything. You receive income. You can sell your property, your funds go to a qualified intermediator, you exchange it into a DST, and you receive mailbox money and decide future options later. And this is where it really gets powerful. You can build flexibility into the future. With DSTs, you can diversify across properties, you can avoid the boot, this taxable leftover cash. You can continue exchanging over time. You can create liquidity options later, and then ultimately you can align your investments with your life. And this is now let's this is the book. Again, the Die With Zero book, Bill Perkins. If you've not heard of it or read it, I encourage you to read it. Let's bring it all together. This is the part nobody talks about enough. Instead of this is the memory dividends. Instead of holding a property that creates stress, what if you could convert that into travel, time with family, experiences while your health is strong? Because those memories compound. How about give earlier? Instead of leaving everything at the end, what if you helped your kids by maybe helping them with their first home? Funding opportunities while you're alive, because money is even more valuable when it can be used. And then how about investing in your in your health and in time? You can have all the money in the world, but you don't have if if you don't have your energy, if you don't have your time, if you don't have mobility, you can't enjoy it. So here's the truth most people will never hear. Real estate is incredible for building wealth, but never but but but if you but but it is terrible if you never convert that wealth into life. And so again, most people are still chasing butterflies, more more properties, more doors, more accumulation. But the ones who understand the game, they build the garden, they create systems where their money works for them, their time expands, their life actually improves, because in the end it's not about whoever dies with the most assets or the most toys. It's actually using those assets to create the most meaningful life possible. So are you holding your real estate or is your real estate holding you? Because behind every property is a decision, and the best decisions aren't just about maximizing returns, they're about maximizing life. And here at the George Real Estate Group, we are here not just to grow your wealth, but actually use it. And we'd love to have the conversation. And again, it's a holistic approach. Could be your personal home, it could be your investment portfolio, it could be your estate planning with real estate. Again, however, we can help you. From our financial advisors to our tax strategists to our attorneys we're working with, it's a collaboration of the best in each of their fields. We work together ultimately for you to help you decide what's right for you. We're so thankful to be here with you every Monday morning, again, sharing with you positive news about your local real estate marketing community and just some different perspectives. And hopefully we've we added some thoughts and perspectives on this Monday morning. We love being here with you. Again, we're here every Monday morning right after the 9 o'clock hour. You can follow us on social media, Facebook and Instagram. You can please subscribe to our podcast. We podcast all our radio shows. And ultimately, give us a call, 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygreg.com and have a great day.

SPEAKER_01 27:17

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 WTCQ.com.

SPEAKER_02 28:09

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.