Henderson County Real Estate Update With Real Numbers

The market feels different when homes stop selling in a weekend, but different doesn’t mean broken. We walk through what we’re seeing right now across Hendersonville and the wider Western North Carolina real estate market, using real numbers to add context. Inventory in Henderson County is still tight at under 600 homes for sale, prices are holding with an average single-family home price around $547,000, and the big shift is pace: roughly 100 days on market is becoming normal. We explain why that timeline matters, how interest rates in the 6% range fit into a longer historical view, and why “normalizing” can actually be healthy. 

From there, we get practical about selling strategy. Every homeowner ends up choosing between time and money, and we talk about how pricing and positioning should match your goals, your home’s condition, and your competition. We also share how we approach decisions as fiduciaries: we slow things down, bring clarity, and sometimes the best advice is to wait. For investors and long-time landlords who are tired of managing tenants and maintenance, we touch on options like a 1031 exchange and other ways to stay in real estate while changing what you own and how it’s managed. 

Then the conversation turns personal. It’s graduation season, and we reflect on how fast milestones arrive, especially for parents. We tell the surprising story of Dr. Seuss, including the many rejections that almost kept his first children’s book from ever reaching readers, and we read from “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” as a reminder that courage, setbacks, and forward motion belong to all of us, not just the graduates. If this resonates, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave us a review so more people can find it.

Transcript

Welcome And Ways To Connect

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 WHKP. Every Thursday morning, bringing you positive news about your local real estate market community. We're so thankful to be here with you this Thursday, May 21st. And wow, time's flying when you're having fun. So much to be grateful for. And we'll uh the a lot of graduations happening uh this week uh for Henderson County students and seniors, and and then actually my fifth my fifth graders graduating today from fifth grade, which is exciting. I'll uh we'll touch on uh just the the importance again of acknowledging this time of year and the big milestones for kids and graduations and moving on to that next step. Um, but before we do that, again, if you're tuning in for the first time ever, welcome. We're here every Thursday morning, right after the 10 o'clock news, sharing sharing with you positive news about our community and about our market and uh gonna give a market update, what's going on? Uh the George Real Estate Group, we're growing, we're helping more people. We are so thankful. We love our clients. We we we genuinely love serving the community through real estate. And it and it and it happens to be houses. It's about serving and advocating and facilitating. And if we can help you in any way with your personal home, it could be your uh you know, maybe family land, it could be or how you know there's so many different situations. An investment property could be upsizing, downsizing, trying to figure out what to do with your estate, and maybe you're an investment uh portfolio of real estate and rental properties or commercial. I mean, we have it uh or just a lot. I mean, from you know, from the you know, $25,000 lot to the you know multimillion dollar property. I mean, we work across the board and we have incredible agents, we have incredible staff from uh you know all walks of life, incredible uh you know, service, again, servant-minded and and service-minded uh agents that are here to serve our community and our clients. And so if we can help you in any way, we'd be honored to have a conversation. There's no pressure, there's no cost, there's no obligation uh for confidential consultation. You can call us directly, 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygreg.com. Follow us on social media, Facebook and Instagram. We have some really fantastic properties you can you can see. You can see our agents there. I would love for you to follow us on on uh social media. We also uh podcast all of our radio shows. You can find it on your favorite podcast platform. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, that's been growing as well, and we'd love to connect with you there. Uh, so we're here every Thursday morning right after the 10 o'clock news.

Market Cycles And What Normal Means

SPEAKER_01 3:28

We've been doing this radio program since 2011, and my tagline was positive news, and it still is positive news. And you can imagine in the real estate market in 2010, 2011. I mean, it was it was uh a very challenging market, and and the thing that I've learned through the years, by the way, this is my 21st year with my North Carolina broker's license. It was 2005 when I uh first uh got my North Carolina broker's license in 2005, and you know, experiencing all types of cycles on the market, you know, the you know, the different cycles. I mean, you have a uh the the top of the market, and guess what? You never know when you're at the top till things start going down, you have a downturn, then you have the bottom of the market, and you never know when you're at the bottom until things start going up, and and then the cycle repeats, and it's this cycle. And and we are not the market today is not what it was, you know, in the previous challenges. I mean, the market's certainly uh you know normalizing, I would say. I mean, we're we're not you know, it's not the oh houses are getting 10 offers and we're selling in a in a couple days. It's uh we had those experiences. You know, days on market's getting longer. Henderson County, you're closer to 100 days average days on market uh before you're going under contract. And and I remember back in 2000 you know, 10 and 11 and 12, I mean, the average if if you were fortunate enough to sell, uh, you know, because it was, I think it was one in only one in four houses that went on the market actually sold back in the day, and I'll have to uh double check that. But you know, if you were fortunate enough to sell even, you know, days on market was close to six months. I mean, we're the 180 days. That was normal. I mean, we were averaging some hundred, excuse me, we were averaging only about 75 homes a month selling in Henderson County, but we had a two-year supply of homes. This market's not the same. We we right now in Henderson County, we still have very low inventory. In fact, you know, as of this morning, uh less than 600 homes on the market in Henderson

Inventory Levels And Recent Sales Pace

SPEAKER_01 5:30

County. And you know, we've been we've actually had more homes sell in the last 12 months than the previous 12 months. I mean, we're averaging some 137 selling over the last over the last uh you know 12 months. And so, I mean, we actually have a four uh little less a little less than four and a half, four point three five average month supply versus you know, again, the different market. We had a two-year supply, 24 months of inventory. Right now we have a four-month supply. Six months is considered a balanced market, less than six months is a seller's market, but just again, things are just more normal. Things are taking a little bit longer. I think it's it's it's like we were adjusting when interest rates are at the two and three percent range. Now we're adjusting to instead of selling in you know one or two weeks on average, now it's you know, two, three, four, five months. Again, averages is four months. I mean, excuse me, three a hundred days is the average now. Again, so it's not like there's a problem if your home hasn't sold in the first couple months. However, the price has to be reflective of the market, the condition, the interest rates. I mean, the interest rates are the interest rates. I will say this again, positive news. We've had more homes sell. Uh, over a hundred more homes have sold in the last 12 months than the previous 12 months. So demand has actually picked up currently, this rolling 12 versus the previous 12. Interest rates are the interest rates. I mean, we, you know, I think you're in the in the 6% range, which of if you look over the last 50 years, that's normal. Again, it's just putting context on the market. And of course, when you price your home, it has to be priced in context of your competition, of the of the homes that have sold recently. And so, you know, there's and we take a very specific approach to your home, your situation. You know, every every home's unique and different, every situation is unique and different. Do you are you selling it with uh your personal home? Are you selling uh property with your family members? Are you trying to plan ahead for your state? Are you thinking ahead? I mean, whatever the situation, we take a very custom approach and and calculated approach, and we're not going to rush into anything. We're we slow it slow it down, we take a chance to analyze and evaluate the the whatever dynamics going on. And our goal is to provide you with options and with clarity and information so you can decide what's right for you. Our our role is really a fiduciary role. We're we're there, you have we're here to do what's best for you. And guess what? Sometimes that means not selling is the right decision. And that's what our goal is to provide you with information so you can decide what's best for you. It's not about us just getting another home sold, it's about providing clarity and information so you can decide is it the right thing to do? When is it the right time? Again, it's right when it's right for you. Timing is on your timing. There's not homes sell year-round. We are selling homes year round. We and we're grateful for for that and that opportunity to to give clarity and to to advocate for our clients as they're navigating through. And it could be your commercial property, it could be land, it could be uh a lot, it could be your second home, it could be family property. I mean, you name the situation. I mean, uh in my career, we've had the I've had the privilege of helping over 1,600 families uh with our team. And again, we've had every day we're learning more, and we certainly don't pretend to know it all. We love what we do, we love serving our community, and we love to have the conversation. So I would encourage you if you're considering or curious about the market, about your situation, about your home, we'd love to have that confidential consultation. Call us directly, 828-393-0134, 828-393-0134.

Pricing Strategy And 100-Day Reality

SPEAKER_01 9:20

And again, it just from a the numbers are the numbers. I mean, Henderson County is absolutely still moving. The market's moving. I mean, the the inventory levels are low. That's why prices are holding. The prices are holding. Our average single family home price over the last 12 months 547. 547,000 is the average single-family home price over the last 12 months. I mean, the market's holding. Again, the thing that of most uh significance is days on market are longer. But if you're trying, every seller has to decide between time and money. I'm telling you that 100 days is normal. That may or may not be what you want or need. And if you and every seller has to decide between time and money. If you if you're not okay waiting 100 days, again, your price might have to be reflective of a more aggressive price in order to cause your home to sell sooner. If you're trying to to to really sell in the higher end of the range, you you are dancing with the fact that it might take longer, and you're dancing and hoping that the market continues to stay strong. No one can predict that. We don't know that. So again, when we provide information and knowledge and and clarity, our clients can decide. Is time more important? Is money more important? You know, how do we position and strategize and how do we put place your home, position your home strategically in the market? Again, those are conversations that we have. And we're gonna shoot straight with you, we're gonna be candid. And it is the combination of care and candor. It's both, right? We care about our clients. And so because we care, we're gonna be candid with you. And because and we and you can know that we're can't we care because we are candid. So again, it's the it's the experience, the knowledge, the systems. We have incredible agents, we have incredible staff, and and ultimately it's our clients that make it all possible. So if we can help you in any way, if you're curious about the market, if you're thinking about buying, if you're thinking about selling, if you're thinking about a career in real estate, if you're thinking about investing in real estate, maybe you're thinking about what's the next phase

Real Estate Investing And 1031 Options

SPEAKER_01 11:30

of my real estate investment portfolio. Maybe you've spent a lifetime acquiring real estate and and you're done managing the tenants and the toilets and the taxes, and you want to think of a there might you might be fascinated to find out there is another option that you can keep your money in real estate. You can do a 1031 exchange and you can move your money tax deferred, and you can move it into a property that's managed by again, there's managed property, there's institutional properties that you can actually buy into that we've helped our clients do that. Again, there are other options than you hiring a property manager and you dealing with it yourself. There are options, and you might be surprised if you've owned real estate and you've already fully depreciated it. You might be surprised. Yes, there is a scenario where you can actually make more money and pay less taxes. You might think that's impossible, but it's not. And we can show you how to do that with your real estate portfolio and your real estate. And and again, it's again, these are type conversations. It's everything from your personal home to your real estate investments. Again, we we look at it strategically and and we work with estate attorneys, trust attorneys, tax strategists, and financial advisors. And we work, we really quarterback the team together, and we want to help, and we want to provide peace of mind in options for you. And so again, we'd love to have that conversation. Give us a call, 828-393-0134, 828-393-0134.

Graduation Milestones And Time Moving Fast

SPEAKER_01 13:00

So today is a special day in our family. My daughter's graduating from fifth grade, and and if you're a parent, you know these milestones have a way of sneaking up on you. One minute, you're walking them into kindergarten with a backpack bigger than they are. The next thing you know, they're finishing elementary school, stepping into middle school, and growing right in front of your eyes. And so many of my friends had uh, you know, their their their children graduate from high school, graduate from college. And so it got me thinking about a book that shows up a lot at graduations this time of year. And it's by Dr. Seuss, and it's called Oh the Places You'll Go. And most of us know Dr. Seuss is the man behind The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Here's a Who, and The Lorax. But here's the rest of the story. Dr. Seuss was not actually Dr. Seuss. His real name, and I'll see if I can pronounce this correctly, Theodore Seuss Geisel. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1904, and he didn't start out as a children's author. He began as a cartoonist, a humorist, a magazine illustrator, and advertising artist. And before he wrote stories for children, he was learning how to make a pitcher speak. He was learning how to use rhythm, humor, exaggeration, and imagination to make an idea memorable.

Dr. Seuss Origins And The Rejection Story

SPEAKER_01 14:37

And those skills would eventually change children's literature. His first book was And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was published in 1939. And the story behind the book is almost as important as the book itself. In 1936, Theodore Giesel and his wife were coming back from Europe by ship, and as the story goes, the rhythm of the ship's engines got stuck in his mind, and that steady beat helped inspire the rhythm of what became his first children's book. And the story was about a boy named Marco who sees something ordinary on the street, a simple horse in a wagon, but in his imagination, that ordinary scene turns into something extraordinary, bigger, brighter, wilder, and more wonderful. In other words, it was a story about imagination, but publishers didn't know what to do with it. They didn't immediately see genius, they saw something strange, too playful, too rhythmic, too imaginative, and uh and too unlike the children's books they were used to publishing. And at that time, children's books were expected to be more straightforward, more proper, more obviously moral. But Dr. Seuss had written something different. He'd written something that celebrated the inner world of a child. And because it was different, you might not realize this, but it was rejected not once, not twice, not even ten times. And depending on which account you read about it, Dr. Seuss's first children's book was rejected more than 20 times. And the most famous number of rejections was 27. 27 times the publisher said no. 27 times someone looked at the work of a man who became one of the most beloved children's authors of all time and said, in effect, I don't get it. We don't see it. And isn't that something? The very thing that they rejected was the very thing that made him unforgettable. His oddness, his rhythm, his playful words, his refusal to sound like anyone else. That was not the problem. In fact, it was the gift. And then the then came the moment that sounds like something from a storybook. After one of those rejections, Dr. Seuss was w walking down Madison Avenue in New York City with a manuscript under his arm, and of course he was discouraged. And some versions of the story say he was actually ready to give up entirely. And he ran into an old Dartmouth classmate, Mike McClintock, who'd just become a children's book editor. McClintock asked if he was what he was carrying, and Dr. Seuss showed him the manuscript, and at that chance encounter helped to get the book published. Think about it. Had he walked down the other side of the street, had he gone home five minutes earlier, or thrown away the manuscript right after that meeting, the the world may never have met Dr. Seuss, the children's author. And that first book opened the door, and over time that unusual imagination became one of the most recognizable voices in American literature. Dr. Seuss went on to teach generations of children to read. Not by reading Not by reading or making reading feel like homework, but by making it feel like play. He understood rhythm. He understood silliness. He understood that children don't just need information, they need wonder. And near the end of his life, after all the cats and hats and grinches and hoos and the green eggs in hand, Dr. Seuss published one of his most beloved books, Oh the Places You'll Go. It was published in 1990, and it was the first book he publ it was the final book, the final book he published during his lifetime, and that matters. Because after a lifetime of writing for children, one of his final messages was not just about silliness, it was about life. It was about setting out, succeeding, failing, waiting, getting confused, finding courage, and deciding to keep going anyway. Maybe that's why it's become such a graduation tradition, because every graduation is really a doorway. You know, for my daughter, today marks the end of elementary school. And I know in the grand scheme of life, fifth grade graduations may seem small, but to a child it's not. It's not small. It's a mountain, it's a marker. It's one of those first moments where they begin to realize I'm growing, I'm moving forward, life is getting bigger. And as parents, we feel both sides of that. We're proud. We're it's we're a little nostalgic. I bet you remember your fifth grade teacher. We want them to run toward the future. We also want them to hold on just a little longer. And we want them to be brave, but we still remember when they need help tying their shoes. And so we want them to discover the world, but we also know the world can be complicated, and that's why this book still matters, not because it pretends life is easy, because it tells children and maybe reminds adults that life is an adventure worth stepping into. And Dr. Seuss had a way of saying big things and small words. He had a way of taking wisdom and making it feel like play. So today my daughter graduates from fifth grade. I'm reminded that every child needs people in their life who say, You can go, you can try, you can stumble, you can get back up, you can become who God created you to be. And maybe that's the lesson behind Dr. Seuss's own life, too. You know, before he encouraged generations of children to go places, he had to keep going himself. You know, before his words were printed in millions of books, he had to survive rejection. You know, before he became beloved, he was misunderstood. You know, before the world celebrated his imagination, publishers rejected it again and again. And so for every graduate this week, and today, including my daughter, there's a powerful reminder here. You may hear no in life, you may have people misunderstand your gifts. You may be told your imagination is too big, your dreams are too different, your path doesn't look like anybody else's. But sometimes the thing that makes you different is not a weakness. Sometimes it's the calling card of your future, and sometimes what the world first rejects, it later recognizes as remarkable. Dr. Seuss's first book was almost thrown away, and instead it began the became the beginning of a career that helped millions of children fall in love with the reading. So don't give up too early, don't bury the gift just because someone else doesn't recognize it yet. The world may not understand your story on the first try, and but it doesn't mean your story's over. So today, you know, this is for my daughter. And for every student stepping into a new chapter, and it's for every parent watching time move too fast, and it's for every teacher who helped a child believe they could could do more than they thought they could. And so for every one of us, no matter how old we are, there are still places ahead of us. There's still doors to walk through, and there's still dreams to chase. And so, in honor of my daughter's fifth grade graduation today, I wanted to share from Dr. Seuss's Oh the Places You'll Go. Because sometimes the best thing we can say to a child is also the thing we need to hear ourselves.

Reading Oh The Places You’ll Go

SPEAKER_01 22:36

So I was gonna read from Dr. Seuss's Oh the Places You'll Go. Uh and it's really a again a book that's become a graduation tradition that captures the joy, the uncertainty, and the courage of stepping into what comes next. So Oh the Places You'll Go. Congratulations. Today, this is Dr. Seuss's Oh the Places You'll Go. Congratulations. Today is your day. You're off to great places, you're off and away. You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know, and you are the guy who decide where to go. You'll look up and down streets, you'll look over 'em with care, and some will say, and some you will say and some you will I say, I don't choose to go there. With your head of full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you're too smart to go down any not so good street. And you may not find any you'll want to go down. In that case, of course, you'll head straight out of town. It's opener there. It's the wide open air. Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you. And when things start to happen, don't worry, don't stew. Just go right along. You'll start happening too. Oh, the places you'll go. You'll be up on your way. You'll be up, excuse me, you'll be on your way up, you'll be seeing great sights. You'll join the high flyers who soar to great heights. You won't lag behind because you'll have the speed. You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best. Wherever you go, you'll top all the rest. Except when you don't. Because sometimes you won't. I'm sorry to say, but sadly it's true that bang ups and hang ups can happen to you. You can get all hung up in a prickly perch, and your gang will fly on. You'll be left in a lurch. You'll come down from the lurch with an unpleasant bump, and the chances are then that you'll be in a slump. And when you're in a slump, you're not much in for fun for much fun. Unslumping yourself is not easily done. You'll come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lightened, but mostly they are they're dark. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin. How you dare to stay out? How you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win? And if you go in, should you turn left or right or right in three quarters, or maybe not quite, or go back and sneak in from behind? Simply, simple it it's not. I'm afraid you will find for a mind making for a mind maker upper to make up his mind, you can get so confused that you'll start in race, uh start in to race down long wiggled rocks at a neck breaking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, towards a most useless space place, the waiting place. For people just waiting, waiting for a train to go, or a bus to come, or a plane to go, or the mail to come, or the rain to go, or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow, or waiting around for a yes or no, or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting, waiting for the fish to bite, or waiting for the wind to fly a kite, or waiting around for Friday night, or waiting perhaps for their uncle Jack or a pot to boil, or a better break, or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants, or wig with curls, or another chance. Everyone is just waiting. No, that's not for you. Somehow you'll escape all that waiting and staying, and you'll find the bright places where the boom bands are playing. With banner flip flapping, once you'll once more you'll ride high, ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you're that kind of guy. Oh the places you'll go. There is fun to be done, the points to be scored, there are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning winner of all. Fame. You'll be famous as famous can be, with the whole world what whole wide world watching you win on TV. Except when they don't, because sometimes they won't. I'm afraid that sometimes you'll play lonely games too. Games you can't win because you'll play against you. All alone, whether you like it or not, alone will be something you'll be quite a lot. And when you're alone, there's a very good chance you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. And there are some down the road between hither and yon that can scare you much so much you won't want to go on. But you on you will go through the w though the weather be foul, on you will go through though the enemy's prowl, on you will go through the hack and cracks howl, up onward, up many a frightening creek. Though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike, and I know you'll hike far and face your problems wherever they are. You'll get mixed up, of course, and you already know you'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. Be sure when you step, step with care and great tact. And remember that life's a great balancing act. Just never forget to be dexterious and deft, and never mix up your right foot with your left. And will you succeed? Yes, you will. Indeed. 98 and 34% guaranteed. Kid, you'll move mountains. So be your name Buxham or Bixie or Bray or Mordecai Alley Van Allen O'Shea, you're off to great places. Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way. That is from his book, Oh the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss.

Courage For Life Changes Big And Small

SPEAKER_01 29:18

So the beauty of it, whether you're graduating from fifth grade, starting middle school, launching a career, moving to a new town, buying your first home, selling your home full of memories, or simply trying to figure out the next step, life keeps inviting us forward. So congratulations to my daughter today. Congratulations to all the students, families, and teachers celebrating this season. And may we all remember the next chapter may be unknown, but that does not mean we should fear it. It just means there's more adventure ahead. You're listening. We're here, the George Real Estate Group live radio broadcast here every Thursday. Congratulations to our community and to our students. We're here every Thursday morning. We'll also be here tomorrow morning, our hometown hero series. So thanks so much for tuning in. Have a wonderful day. Have a wonderful week. See you tomorrow morning.

Wrap Up And George Real Estate Group Message

SPEAKER_01 30:17

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 the most. At the George Real Estate Group, we understand that real estate isn't just about the house. It's about transition, 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 write size, simplify, or start fresh, we'll be here. The George Real Estate Group. Local, trusted, proven. Call us today, 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygreg.com because your next chapter deserves to feel just right.

SPEAKER_00 31:16

Thank you for listening to the George Real Estate Group Podcast. Tune in next time for more industry news, updates, and real estate tips. You can reach Greg, the George Real Estate Group, at 828-393 0134 or at realestatebygreg.com.