December 15, 2025 • 29 mins
A quiet myth floats around every December: real estate goes to sleep. Our latest conversation shows the opposite across Western North Carolina, where Henderson County and Buncombe County are posting meaningful gains in listings, pendings, and closed sales—even as days on market rise and inventory edges higher. We unpack what those numbers mean in real life, why patience and pricing precision matter more now, and how to navigate the psychology behind offers, inspections, and time on market without losing sight of your goals.
We also open the door to a surprising bright spot: new construction. Builders are moving inventory with serious incentives, from price cuts and closing cost credits to interest rate buy-downs and free upgrades. If you’re weighing a move-up from a low-rate home, we explain how buy-downs can narrow the gap and why a well-timed contract can still close before year-end. For cash buyers, these perks can improve total value and speed. For anyone considering a sell-then-buy, we outline the steps, timelines, and team needed to thread the needle with confidence.
Finally, we talk equity and meaning—how long-term owners often have more options than they realize, and how the primary residence capital gains exclusion can power a simpler, freer next chapter. Perspective shapes outcomes, so we focus on the questions that matter: Is the price realistic? Is this repair normal? Is time on market a risk or an opening? If you’re ready for clarity in a shifting market, join us for data, strategy, and plainspoken guidance you can use today. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s planning a move, and leave a review to tell us what you want covered next.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Hello, friends.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
This is the George Real EstateGroup Podcast, which is a
production of our live weeklyradio shows hosted on multiple
radio stations here inHendersonville, North Carolina.
The George Real Estate Groupserves Western North Carolina
and Upstate South Carolina, andit is a privilege to share
positive news about our localreal estate market and
(00:22):
community.
Thanks so much for subscribing.
And of course, if you have anyreal estate questions or if we
can help you in any way, be sureto reach out.
Visit us at George Real EstateGroup Radio.com for more
information.
Good morning and welcome to theGeorge Real Estate Group, live
radio broadcast here on thequeue every Monday morning,
(00:45):
bringing you positive news aboutyour local real estate marketing
community.
We're so grateful to be herewith you.
Christmas is around the corner,just 10 days away.
Time flies, and then the end ofthe year is here as well.
I mean, so much to be thankfulfor and so much to be grateful
for, and we're grateful to behere with you.
If you're tuning in for thefirst time ever, the George Real
(01:06):
Estate Group is located in FlatRock.
We serve all of Western NorthCarolina and the upstate.
We love serving our community.
We love helping our clientsnavigating through buying and
selling and investing.
And you know, it could be yourpersonal home, it could be
investment properties, it couldbe land, it could be land
development, it could becommercial.
(01:27):
We love serving and helping ourclients navigate through what
matters to them and what thatmight look like in regards to
all things real estate.
And we don't just, you know,it's not just about the
contract, it's about you knowunderstanding what's going on in
the market.
It's understanding, looking atwhat's going on in the market in
context of your story and yoursituation and your finances and
(01:49):
your timeline, and everybody'ssituation is unique and
different, every home is uniqueand different, every property is
unique and different, and wehave the experience to navigate.
I I say all the time, I'mconstantly learning.
We continue to learn and wecontinue to learn and experience
every situation's different, andwe learn on every single one of
(02:11):
them.
This is actually my 20th yearwith my North Carolina broker's
license, and our team, we haveincredible agents, we have
incredible staff, and moreimportantly, it's our clients
that matter most.
And we're so thankful forclients and being able to serve
the community.
We haven't we've had anincredible year, and we're going
to continue to grow.
We're continuing to serve moreclients.
(02:32):
And so if you've thought aboutuh you know buying or selling or
investing in real estate or evena career in real estate, give us
a call 828-393-0134.
828-393-0134.
Love to have the conversation,love to uh connect with you and
um you know just help any way wecan.
(02:55):
You can find us online,realastatebygreg.com.
You can also uh follow us onsocial media, you can also
follow our podcast.
We podcast all of our radioshows.
Uh we'd be glad to connect withyou in that way.
So, what's happening in the realestate market?
I and if you we have data thatwe look at that tells a story,
(03:17):
and I and I've been sharingabout what's you know, we try to
give these updates and in in andwe're gonna look at Henderson
County and Bunkham County thismorning, and through the end of
November, these reports actuallyjust came out.
We've actually had uh year todate through the end of November
in Henderson County a 12.6%increase in new listings
(03:39):
overall.
We've had an 8.9% increase inpending sales, that's
significant, and then a 10.8%,almost an 11% increase year to
date, January uh through end ofNovember this year versus last
year, almost an 11% increase.
(04:01):
That's also true if you look atthe 12-month, rolling 12-month
as well, which is significant.
The you might say, um, you know,how does that what happened with
the hurricane?
Well, the hurricane, it wasn'tthat we came to a complete stand
still, still in the in in the uhmonth of November last year in
Henderson County, there's still117 homes sold.
(04:24):
It's not like it completed cameto a complete stop.
Did it slow down a little bit?
Yes.
But the current 12 months versusthe previous 12 months, I mean,
there's about a there's over a10% increase in the number of
properties sold in HendersonCounty.
Now, Bunkham County,interestingly, Bunkham County
has actually had a 26% increasein new listings compared to our
(04:47):
12%.
They've had an 8%, almost 9%increase in pending sales.
That's about the same as ours.
But the other fascinating thingis the the um number of closed
sales, the closed sales inBunker County is only up 4.4%,
only up 4.4% now versus uh wellexcuse me, versus Henderson
(05:14):
County.
Henderson County is at almost11%.
So 4.4% versus 11% increase.
It's still an increase in BuncomCounty.
Another fascinating thing isprices in both counties, uh, the
median home price in BuncomCounty is actually up 1%.
Uh Henderson County is down1.9%.
(05:38):
If you again we're comparingyear to date through the end of
Jane uh through the end of uhNovember this year versus the
end of November last year.
Um so that's so fascinating.
Again, all these things, again,it's providing uh context, it's
providing information uh andultimately for uh you know your
home, your neighborhood, yourcommunity you live in, and then
(06:00):
ultimately your your situation.
And so the market remains stronguh in Henderson County and
Buncombe County.
And is it softening?
Yes.
Uh the inventory levels areincreasing, prices aren't really
coming off that much.
Uh now the uh the significantchange is the days on market.
Days on market keep going up.
(06:22):
Days on market uh for bothHenderson County and Buncombe
County are up some almost 30, uhwell, close to 40 percent, the
days on market uh year to datethis year versus year to date
last year.
So I will say this though, thistime of year, there's low
inventory levels.
A lot of people are saying, hey,it's December, people aren't
(06:43):
buying, but that's not true.
Homes are selling uh even duringthe holidays.
Uh, you know, so even during theholidays, homes are going under
contract.
Actually, just in the last sevendays in Henderson County,
there's been 23 homes go undercontract.
I mean, just in the last sevendays, and we are anticipating
that you know December toremain, you know, in line with
(07:06):
with traditional winter months.
But right now, inventory levelsare low.
Right now, as of this morning,only 564 active single-family
homes on the market in HendersonCounty.
So we have about a four-monthsupply right now in Henderson
County.
So it's still a seller's market.
(07:27):
Uh that's softening.
But again, your unique home,your unique situation, all that.
Uh again, putting context onthat.
So we we offer a no pressure, nocost, no obligation
consultation.
You can call us directly at828-393-0134-828-393-0134.
Glad to connect with you, uh,glad to talk and sh and discuss
(07:50):
what your situation is.
I recently I I love learning andI recently came across uh a
story uh about a physicistliving in a time when uh
scientists were discoveringsomething uh something
unsettling about the universe.
Actually, um it was about atomsand particles, and they don't
(08:13):
behave like solid objects, butEdward Edwin Schroederling
Schroedering.
Edwin Schroedering, it's a it'sa name.
It's just so interesting.
Atoms, per particles don'tbehave like solid objects, they
behave like possibilities.
A particle isn't here or there,and it's described as a spread
(08:35):
of chances, and that botheredSchroedering, so he said, fine,
let's take this idea seriouslyand see where it leads.
And so this is so interesting.
He imagined, this is this is andthis is the story of uh a cat,
and and and it's and it's calledSchroeder Schröding's cat, but
he imagined a sealed boxcontaining a cat, a tiny piece
(08:58):
of radioactive material, uh, adetector, and then a vial of
poison.
And so the setup is simple.
If the atom decays, the detectorclicks and the poison releases
and the cat dies.
If it doesn't, nothing happensand the cat lives.
And so this is so interesting.
The key detail is the theradioactive decay is actually
random at the quantum level, soyou cannot predict it.
(09:21):
It's only you can only talkabout the probabilities.
So and and again, this is thisis about this is this is about
um the the this is again, I divea little bit into the weeds of
science, but this is where it'sthis is where this is the story
um is is about this is where thecat the sh Schroeder did not
(09:45):
believe cats are um you knowit's not that this cat can be
alive and dead, you know, it'sactually that it's not
metaphorically, butmathematically.
And this is where most peopleusually stop, and this is where
the meaning, but this is wherethe meaning actually starts.
Cats are not half alive, realityis nonsense.
He's saying if this theory iscomplete, it leads to a world
(10:07):
that makes no sense at a humanscale.
So the cat is a mirror and itreflects the problem back at us.
And so the story forces onebrutal question.
When does reality become real?
When the atom decays, when thedetector clicks, when the cat
(10:27):
reacts, when a human opens thebox, when is someone when
someone becomes aware?
Physics have they don't the thephysics has no agreed answer,
and this is why the cat stillmatters.
And so the moment the box opens,when the box is open, the
probabilities collapse.
One outcome becomes real, theother disappears, alive or dead,
not both.
(10:48):
And so here's the thing nothingphysically changed at the moment
except observation.
And so this is where thisactually c comes back into
Schroeder's cat theory, can comeinto life, actually.
This is again not to dive I Ididn't mean to I got more into
the weeds than I thought to onon the science of this, but but
(11:12):
this is so interesting.
So when there's a this when awhen this story is about what's
observed and what's experienced,this is this is also Einstein
actually told a story about atrain.
Two people can watch the samelightning strike from a moving
train, one standing still, theun one riding on the train, they
(11:35):
disagree about what happened,and here's the shock, both are
right.
So this is where these stories,both stories about the cat and
about the the Einstein with thewith the lightning, here's the
interest, and this is where I'mgonna land the plane.
Both stories are actuallytelling us the same thing.
Context matters, positionmatters, observation and the
(11:57):
observer matters.
So reality shows up, doesn'tshow up with a meaning already
attached, meaning forms throughperspective.
Okay, here's the thing (12:05):
two people can experience the same
moment.
The conversation, uh, you couldgo see a house, uh, the price of
something, uh, an inspectionreport.
They could walk away with twocompletely different meanings,
the same facts, differentstories.
And then here for real estate,right?
A house sits on the market,before anyone sees it, it's
(12:28):
perfect and unsellable.
It's an opportunity and risk.
It's dead and alive, just likethe cat.
And then when someone walksthrough the door and then
suddenly it's a home or it'snot.
This is where this is why here'sthe thing agents matter more
than people think.
An agent agent, a real estateagent doesn't change the house.
(12:50):
They change the context.
They help buyers and sellersanswer the real question what
does it mean?
Is this home pricedrealistically or or not?
Is this repair normal or is thisrepair scary?
Is the time on the market a redflag or is it an opening?
And and so this is sointeresting.
This actually goes back tophysics.
(13:11):
Physics learned this first.
Reality actually depends onperspective.
Life learned it next.
Experience depends on themeaning, and then real estate
lives in the middle.
You know, deals happen whenpeople agree on on what
something means.
So the cat was never the point,the train was never the point,
(13:31):
and I apologize.
I know I I butchered thosestories.
The point was this we don't justobserve the world, we're
participating in it.
And when you understand that,whether it's science, a
conversation, a classroom, orreal estate, you stop trying to
win arguments and start helpingpeople see differently.
(13:54):
And that's where clarity comesfrom, that's where decisions
happen, that's where you it canbe a win-win where you can come
together.
And so you know, it's it andthen life, right?
Two people can see the samelightning strike differently.
Um, you know, th then maybe lifeworks that way, right?
Like life gives us moments,changes, challenges, losses,
(14:15):
endings, but it doesn't tell uswhat they mean.
You know, that part's left open.
So two people can experience thesame moment and and have
different uh it this is a funfascinating story.
You you hear the story about uhthese two sons.
One is an alcoholic and one's asuccessful CEO.
And you know what they both theyboth were asked why do they
(14:37):
credit to how they ended up thatway?
They both said their father,again, the father could have
been a uh uh it was not aboutthe father, but the both sons
experienced the same father buthad two different outcomes, two
different, you know, from thesame childhood, but they they
chose to respond differentlyfrom their parents.
(14:59):
And so, you know, one personmight take their childhood as a
as a turning point or a lesson,another person might take their
childhood as a story of loss ora wound.
So same event, differentmeaning, different life.
So again, this isn't aboutdenying, it's about you know
it's more about responsibility.
Choosing a meaning doesn't igndoesn't mean we're ignoring
things, it doesn't mean we'repretending, it doesn't mean
(15:22):
we're maybe you're acting likeeverything's fine, but you know,
we get to decide what thingsmean.
Just like in real estate, we getto decide how we approach
things.
You I it's not about theinterest rates, it's not about
the economy, it's not about youknow the market.
You get to decide what you wantto do with your story, your
life, your real estate, and andwe know real estate happens
(15:42):
around life.
Life happens, therefore realestate happens.
And so, you know, it's again, II was so fascinated about I had
no clue about the story aboutthe cat.
Schroederling's cat.
I also was reminded aboutEinstein's story, but then
again, when we look at life andwe look at and this happens in
real estate, right?
The same person can look at ahouse for sale, and it can mean
(16:03):
one thing for one person andanother thing for another
person, and that's where realestate is so fascinating.
It is so psychological.
And of course, there's afinancial piece too, which we
help our clients navigatethrough that.
But I apologize for getting intothe weeds.
If you want to have aconversation, you certainly can
call me.
We can dive into those weeds.
Uh, we have a short break comingup.
You're listening to the GeorgeReal Estate Group live radio
(16:25):
broadcast here in the queue, sostay tuned in.
We'll dive more into the marketdetails when I get back.
Good morning and welcome back.
You're listening to the GeorgeReal Estate Group Live Radio
Broadcast here in the queue.
(16:45):
Christmas is around the corner,and again, if there's still
time, there's still time to getthose Christmas uh shopping
lists done.
Uh there's some uh you knowopportunities and go in person,
of course.
I think there's still time.
I don't know if you guys havebeen looking at the Amazon
countdown to still order online.
There's still time to do that.
Um so we are still busy.
(17:07):
We actually had contracts beingnegotiated over this weekend.
Um, there's still time even toclose on a house or land before
the end of the year.
You might that that might seemuh impossible, but it is.
You can still go under contractthis week and still close on
something before the end of theyear.
(17:28):
We have attorneys, we have um wehave teams that can pull this
off.
If if there's there might be atax reason why you need to close
before the end of the year.
There are there are stillopportunities.
The attorneys we work with canpull it off.
Um, it it might be tight on theuh financing.
Uh that might be, but we arecertainly in can handle a cash
(17:53):
closing before the end of theyear.
We can get all the inspectionsdone, investigations, the due
diligence, all that can be done,you know, during the uh you
know, the next week or so, andyou can still close uh before
the end of the year.
Again, time there there's stilltime.
This is a great time.
There's a lot of good deals outthere for new construction.
(18:14):
New construction uh is somethingyou might consider.
It could be a brand new home.
It gives you the uh the youmight be able to get a good deal
and something brand new.
The a lot of builders arerolling out incentives that can
make homes uh more affordable,and it's a and it's a
combination that doesn't comearound a lot.
It's it puts buyers in asurprising, surprisingly strong
(18:37):
position, you know, with wherethe moment matters and and and
it's worth it's why it's worthpartnering uh with a local real
estate agent to take advantageof it.
So there's more new homesavailable now, uh, and that's
because of the inventory levels.
And so new construction on themarket today is more than
(18:58):
normal, and that means some ofthese uh you know builders are
incentivizing things.
According to some reports, umthis group called Zonda shows
that even though it feels likenew homes are are popping up
just about everywhere, buildershave actually started pulling
(19:18):
back, and the number of starts,that's when the builders break
ground, have been slowing butsteadily declining over the past
few years, and that's that'sgood because it prevents
overbuilding nationally.
And so this is there's someforecasts that are out there,
and according nationally,roughly one in three homes in
(19:40):
the market right now are new.
That's certainly higher than thenormal, uh, but it's also the
lowest share in four years, andso uh that means builders are
throwing out incentives.
Builders are dropping the priceson their brand new homes to draw
in buyers, builders are helpingwith closing costs.
(20:00):
Builders are covering thousandsof dollars of uh in fees to
reduce the upfront cost ofbuying.
Uh, the you could you could getthese extra upgrades, maybe it's
the premium finishes, the uhappliance packages, designer
features.
Sometimes the builders arethrowing them in as incentives
at no extra cost.
And then there's a thing calleda mortgage rate buy down.
(20:25):
I'm aware of uh some communitieshere in town where the the
clients have moved from onecommunity to another because
even though maybe they're in aneighborhood right now where
they they love it, but maybetheir interest rate is in the
three or four percent, butthey've outgrown the home, then
a new neighborhood pops up nextdoor, and because the the
(20:47):
developer and the the thebuilder is buying down the
interest rates, and in somecases, this is allowing buyers
to sell or they would sell theirexisting home, but they're able
to get into a new home, maybenot at certainly not at the
three and four range, but thebuilders are buying down the
(21:09):
interest rates, and so there's alot of perks right now,
according to the NationalAssociation of Home Builders.
65% of builders say they'reusing some type of sale
incentive.
Forty-one percent of buildersreport cutting prices in
November, and that was a recordhigh in the post-COVID period,
and the first time this measureis passed 40%.
(21:33):
So this is a great time.
Builders are offeringincentives.
The the inventory, the thebuilders are wanting to get the
the new construction off oftheir books.
Again, it's just something toconsider, and this is where
working with a real estateprofessional.
A lot of people are are lookingto sell and then buy, and then
how do you thread the needle?
(21:54):
And we have the the experience,we have the systems, we have the
team in place, we can help younavigate through buying and
selling.
And and it all starts withhaving that first conversation.
There's never any pressure,there's no cost, there's no
obligation uh to have aconfidential consultation about
what your dreams are, what yourgoals are, what does this look
(22:16):
like?
Are you upsizing?
Are you downsizing?
How does it look?
Could you get into something youhave more equity in your home
than ever before?
And even though you might have alow interest rate, sometimes
taking advantage and moving theequity from your existing home
(22:38):
into another home, this is sointeresting.
This is amazing.
Nearly 40 well, 45 plus percent.
So nearly half of today'shomeowners have lived in their
home for more than 15 years, onein four for over 25 years.
The the amount of equity, if youimagine have making have been
(23:01):
making 15 to 25 years ofpayments, plus the steady
appreciation, you might besurprised on how much equity you
have in your home.
I mean, it could be in thehundreds of thousands of
dollars.
I mean, if you've owned yourhome since the nineties or the
(23:21):
early 2000s, I mean, it itwouldn't be wild, it wouldn't,
it wouldn't be uh unreal andagain, your unique home, your
unique situation.
I mean, you could be looking atthree or four or five hundred
thousand dollars of equitydepending on your home,
depending on location, dependingon size, of course, all those
factors, but the amount ofequity that you have in your
home, and then it gives youoptions.
(23:45):
It provides it the equity couldpower your next move.
Maybe you're paying cash foryour next home.
By the way, if you've lived inyour home two out of a five-year
period as your primary home, ifit's your personal home as an
individual, the first twohundred and fifty thousand
dollars is you don't pay taxeson the two first two hundred and
(24:05):
fifty thousand dollars ofprofit, you get back what you
paid for the home plus yourimprovements plus two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars ofprofits is tax free.
The the if you're married, thesecond uh you're you get another
an additional two hundred andfifty thousand dollars, so five
hundred thousand dollars on topof getting back what you paid
(24:25):
for the home, on top of gettingback what you've improved.
So it's all of that you don'tpay taxes on the capital gains
of your personal home if you'velived in it two out of a
five-year period.
So again, maybe your next homeis a cash purchase.
Maybe you're putting cash in thebank.
Again, your equity allows you tohave options, it could power
(24:45):
your next move.
And I hear from so many of ourclients, they're glad they did
it while they could.
They glad they are glad they didit while they were able to do
this.
They were able to do the move,they were able to get to a place
where they're comfortable, wherethey're in a place that they can
age in place.
They can again, it's you havecontrol, you can decide what you
want to do, and we're here tofacilitate it.
(25:06):
We're here to provide clarity,we're here to provide
information and understandingand information so you can make
a decision that's right for you.
It's not it's the market's themarket, the interest rates are
the interest rates.
Again, life happens, thereforereal estate happens, and we see
it every single day, and it's aprivilege and honor to serve the
community through real estate.
(25:27):
We're busy, even I mean, theholidays are happening, but
guess what?
I mean, we had contracts beingnegotiated over this weekend, so
we we're happy to help.
It's an honor and privilege tohelp, and it's uh we don't take
it lightly when we get the phonecall asking for a uh
consultation.
You can call us directly at828-393-0134.
(25:49):
You can uh, you know, you canstop by our office.
We're there in Flat Rock.
Uh we're there.
We serve all of West NorthCarolina and the upstate.
You can follow us on socialmedia on Facebook and Instagram.
You can also follow us on ourpodcast.
We podcast all of our radioshows uh and we'd love to
connect with you.
And again, it's it's amazing thestories we get to hear, the
(26:11):
people we get to meet.
Uh we love we've worked with youknow three and four and five
generation Henderson Countynatives, and then we work with
the families that have beendreaming about moving to Western
North Carolina.
Uh we work with people movinghere from all over the country.
In addition to that, we workwith land, we work with
commercial, we work withdevelopments, we work with
(26:32):
investment properties, you know,we work with properties that um,
you know, we work with ourclients that are maybe you're
inheriting property, maybeyou're thinking ahead to your
estate and your own planning,and maybe you're working with
trusts and you're thinking aboutthe real estate, what that might
look with.
We work with 1031 exchanges, andif you're not familiar with
that, if you have real estateand you want to defer the taxes,
(26:55):
there's solutions.
We can we might be able toimprove your cash on cash return
for your real estate holdings.
That's a conversation we canhave.
Again, no pressure, no costs, noobligation.
We're gonna be here next Monday.
We're always here Monday afterthe 9 o'clock news hour, and
just grateful to share stories.
(27:16):
Uh, if you're want to have aconversation about anything with
real estate or with uh any ofthe things, topics we talk about
on the radio, you can call us at828-393-0134.
We're so grateful to be here.
We're so grateful to serve thecommunity through real estate.
Again, be sure to subscribe tous on social media, follow our
podcasts.
But thanks so much for tuning inthis Monday morning.
(27:38):
Have a great day, have a greatweek, and we'll see you next
Monday.
SPEAKER_00 (27:47):
The George Real Estate Group has the experience
of selling over 1,200 propertiesand serving over 1,200 families
with their real estate needs inHenderson County and throughout
Western North Carolina.
The George Real Estate Group islocated in Flat Rock, North
Carolina, near Hendersonville inHenderson County.
(28:09):
You can find them online atrealestatebygreg.com.
The George Real Estate Group canbe reached at 828-393-0134 or
stop by their office at 2720Greenville Highway, Flat Rock,
North Carolina.
Tune in live each week on Mondaymornings at 905 on WTZQ FM 95.3
(28:33):
and 1600 AM, or stream online atWTZQ.com.
SPEAKER_01 (28:39):
You've built a lifetime of strength, wisdom,
and independence.
And here's the best part youstill have it.
Every decision, every step,every next chapter is yours to
choose.
Selling your home isn't aboutletting go, it's about opening
the door to more freedom, moretime for what you love, more
(29:01):
energy for the people andpassions that matter most.
At the George Real Estate Group,we believe independence isn't
behind you.
It's right here, right now.
Our team goes beyond buying andselling.
We're here to help you protectyour wealth, preserve your
legacy, and make sure Uncle Samdoesn't become your biggest
(29:23):
benefactor.
We'll guide you every step ofthe way towards your next
chapter, your next opportunity,and your freedom on your terms.
Call us at 828 393 0134.
Find us online atrealestatebygreg.com.
Hello, friends.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
This is the George Real EstateGroup Podcast, which is a
production of our live weeklyradio shows hosted on multiple
radio stations here inHendersonville, North Carolina.
The George Real Estate Groupserves Western North Carolina
and Upstate South Carolina, andit is a privilege to share
positive news about our localreal estate market and
(00:22):
community.
Thanks so much for subscribing.
And of course, if you have anyreal estate questions or if we
can help you in any way, be sureto reach out.
Visit us at George Real EstateGroup Radio.com for more
information.
Good morning and welcome to theGeorge Real Estate Group, live
radio broadcast here on thequeue every Monday morning,
(00:45):
bringing you positive news aboutyour local real estate marketing
community.
We're so grateful to be herewith you.
Christmas is around the corner,just 10 days away.
Time flies, and then the end ofthe year is here as well.
I mean, so much to be thankfulfor and so much to be grateful
for, and we're grateful to behere with you.
If you're tuning in for thefirst time ever, the George Real
(01:06):
Estate Group is located in FlatRock.
We serve all of Western NorthCarolina and the upstate.
We love serving our community.
We love helping our clientsnavigating through buying and
selling and investing.
And you know, it could be yourpersonal home, it could be
investment properties, it couldbe land, it could be land
development, it could becommercial.
(01:27):
We love serving and helping ourclients navigate through what
matters to them and what thatmight look like in regards to
all things real estate.
And we don't just, you know,it's not just about the
contract, it's about you knowunderstanding what's going on in
the market.
It's understanding, looking atwhat's going on in the market in
context of your story and yoursituation and your finances and
(01:49):
your timeline, and everybody'ssituation is unique and
different, every home is uniqueand different, every property is
unique and different, and wehave the experience to navigate.
I I say all the time, I'mconstantly learning.
We continue to learn and wecontinue to learn and experience
every situation's different, andwe learn on every single one of
(02:11):
them.
This is actually my 20th yearwith my North Carolina broker's
license, and our team, we haveincredible agents, we have
incredible staff, and moreimportantly, it's our clients
that matter most.
And we're so thankful forclients and being able to serve
the community.
We haven't we've had anincredible year, and we're going
to continue to grow.
We're continuing to serve moreclients.
(02:32):
And so if you've thought aboutuh you know buying or selling or
investing in real estate or evena career in real estate, give us
a call 828-393-0134.
828-393-0134.
Love to have the conversation,love to uh connect with you and
um you know just help any way wecan.
(02:55):
You can find us online,realastatebygreg.com.
You can also uh follow us onsocial media, you can also
follow our podcast.
We podcast all of our radioshows.
Uh we'd be glad to connect withyou in that way.
So, what's happening in the realestate market?
I and if you we have data thatwe look at that tells a story,
(03:17):
and I and I've been sharingabout what's you know, we try to
give these updates and in in andwe're gonna look at Henderson
County and Bunkham County thismorning, and through the end of
November, these reports actuallyjust came out.
We've actually had uh year todate through the end of November
in Henderson County a 12.6%increase in new listings
(03:39):
overall.
We've had an 8.9% increase inpending sales, that's
significant, and then a 10.8%,almost an 11% increase year to
date, January uh through end ofNovember this year versus last
year, almost an 11% increase.
(04:01):
That's also true if you look atthe 12-month, rolling 12-month
as well, which is significant.
The you might say, um, you know,how does that what happened with
the hurricane?
Well, the hurricane, it wasn'tthat we came to a complete stand
still, still in the in in the uhmonth of November last year in
Henderson County, there's still117 homes sold.
(04:24):
It's not like it completed cameto a complete stop.
Did it slow down a little bit?
Yes.
But the current 12 months versusthe previous 12 months, I mean,
there's about a there's over a10% increase in the number of
properties sold in HendersonCounty.
Now, Bunkham County,interestingly, Bunkham County
has actually had a 26% increasein new listings compared to our
(04:47):
12%.
They've had an 8%, almost 9%increase in pending sales.
That's about the same as ours.
But the other fascinating thingis the the um number of closed
sales, the closed sales inBunker County is only up 4.4%,
only up 4.4% now versus uh wellexcuse me, versus Henderson
(05:14):
County.
Henderson County is at almost11%.
So 4.4% versus 11% increase.
It's still an increase in BuncomCounty.
Another fascinating thing isprices in both counties, uh, the
median home price in BuncomCounty is actually up 1%.
Uh Henderson County is down1.9%.
(05:38):
If you again we're comparingyear to date through the end of
Jane uh through the end of uhNovember this year versus the
end of November last year.
Um so that's so fascinating.
Again, all these things, again,it's providing uh context, it's
providing information uh andultimately for uh you know your
home, your neighborhood, yourcommunity you live in, and then
(06:00):
ultimately your your situation.
And so the market remains stronguh in Henderson County and
Buncombe County.
And is it softening?
Yes.
Uh the inventory levels areincreasing, prices aren't really
coming off that much.
Uh now the uh the significantchange is the days on market.
Days on market keep going up.
(06:22):
Days on market uh for bothHenderson County and Buncombe
County are up some almost 30, uhwell, close to 40 percent, the
days on market uh year to datethis year versus year to date
last year.
So I will say this though, thistime of year, there's low
inventory levels.
A lot of people are saying, hey,it's December, people aren't
(06:43):
buying, but that's not true.
Homes are selling uh even duringthe holidays.
Uh, you know, so even during theholidays, homes are going under
contract.
Actually, just in the last sevendays in Henderson County,
there's been 23 homes go undercontract.
I mean, just in the last sevendays, and we are anticipating
that you know December toremain, you know, in line with
(07:06):
with traditional winter months.
But right now, inventory levelsare low.
Right now, as of this morning,only 564 active single-family
homes on the market in HendersonCounty.
So we have about a four-monthsupply right now in Henderson
County.
So it's still a seller's market.
(07:27):
Uh that's softening.
But again, your unique home,your unique situation, all that.
Uh again, putting context onthat.
So we we offer a no pressure, nocost, no obligation
consultation.
You can call us directly at828-393-0134-828-393-0134.
Glad to connect with you, uh,glad to talk and sh and discuss
(07:50):
what your situation is.
I recently I I love learning andI recently came across uh a
story uh about a physicistliving in a time when uh
scientists were discoveringsomething uh something
unsettling about the universe.
Actually, um it was about atomsand particles, and they don't
(08:13):
behave like solid objects, butEdward Edwin Schroederling
Schroedering.
Edwin Schroedering, it's a it'sa name.
It's just so interesting.
Atoms, per particles don'tbehave like solid objects, they
behave like possibilities.
A particle isn't here or there,and it's described as a spread
(08:35):
of chances, and that botheredSchroedering, so he said, fine,
let's take this idea seriouslyand see where it leads.
And so this is so interesting.
He imagined, this is this is andthis is the story of uh a cat,
and and and it's and it's calledSchroeder Schröding's cat, but
he imagined a sealed boxcontaining a cat, a tiny piece
(08:58):
of radioactive material, uh, adetector, and then a vial of
poison.
And so the setup is simple.
If the atom decays, the detectorclicks and the poison releases
and the cat dies.
If it doesn't, nothing happensand the cat lives.
And so this is so interesting.
The key detail is the theradioactive decay is actually
random at the quantum level, soyou cannot predict it.
(09:21):
It's only you can only talkabout the probabilities.
So and and again, this is thisis about this is this is about
um the the this is again, I divea little bit into the weeds of
science, but this is where it'sthis is where this is the story
um is is about this is where thecat the sh Schroeder did not
(09:45):
believe cats are um you knowit's not that this cat can be
alive and dead, you know, it'sactually that it's not
metaphorically, butmathematically.
And this is where most peopleusually stop, and this is where
the meaning, but this is wherethe meaning actually starts.
Cats are not half alive, realityis nonsense.
He's saying if this theory iscomplete, it leads to a world
(10:07):
that makes no sense at a humanscale.
So the cat is a mirror and itreflects the problem back at us.
And so the story forces onebrutal question.
When does reality become real?
When the atom decays, when thedetector clicks, when the cat
(10:27):
reacts, when a human opens thebox, when is someone when
someone becomes aware?
Physics have they don't the thephysics has no agreed answer,
and this is why the cat stillmatters.
And so the moment the box opens,when the box is open, the
probabilities collapse.
One outcome becomes real, theother disappears, alive or dead,
not both.
(10:48):
And so here's the thing nothingphysically changed at the moment
except observation.
And so this is where thisactually c comes back into
Schroeder's cat theory, can comeinto life, actually.
This is again not to dive I Ididn't mean to I got more into
the weeds than I thought to onon the science of this, but but
(11:12):
this is so interesting.
So when there's a this when awhen this story is about what's
observed and what's experienced,this is this is also Einstein
actually told a story about atrain.
Two people can watch the samelightning strike from a moving
train, one standing still, theun one riding on the train, they
(11:35):
disagree about what happened,and here's the shock, both are
right.
So this is where these stories,both stories about the cat and
about the the Einstein with thewith the lightning, here's the
interest, and this is where I'mgonna land the plane.
Both stories are actuallytelling us the same thing.
Context matters, positionmatters, observation and the
(11:57):
observer matters.
So reality shows up, doesn'tshow up with a meaning already
attached, meaning forms throughperspective.
Okay, here's the thing (12:05):
two people can experience the same
moment.
The conversation, uh, you couldgo see a house, uh, the price of
something, uh, an inspectionreport.
They could walk away with twocompletely different meanings,
the same facts, differentstories.
And then here for real estate,right?
A house sits on the market,before anyone sees it, it's
(12:28):
perfect and unsellable.
It's an opportunity and risk.
It's dead and alive, just likethe cat.
And then when someone walksthrough the door and then
suddenly it's a home or it'snot.
This is where this is why here'sthe thing agents matter more
than people think.
An agent agent, a real estateagent doesn't change the house.
(12:50):
They change the context.
They help buyers and sellersanswer the real question what
does it mean?
Is this home pricedrealistically or or not?
Is this repair normal or is thisrepair scary?
Is the time on the market a redflag or is it an opening?
And and so this is sointeresting.
This actually goes back tophysics.
(13:11):
Physics learned this first.
Reality actually depends onperspective.
Life learned it next.
Experience depends on themeaning, and then real estate
lives in the middle.
You know, deals happen whenpeople agree on on what
something means.
So the cat was never the point,the train was never the point,
(13:31):
and I apologize.
I know I I butchered thosestories.
The point was this we don't justobserve the world, we're
participating in it.
And when you understand that,whether it's science, a
conversation, a classroom, orreal estate, you stop trying to
win arguments and start helpingpeople see differently.
(13:54):
And that's where clarity comesfrom, that's where decisions
happen, that's where you it canbe a win-win where you can come
together.
And so you know, it's it andthen life, right?
Two people can see the samelightning strike differently.
Um, you know, th then maybe lifeworks that way, right?
Like life gives us moments,changes, challenges, losses,
(14:15):
endings, but it doesn't tell uswhat they mean.
You know, that part's left open.
So two people can experience thesame moment and and have
different uh it this is a funfascinating story.
You you hear the story about uhthese two sons.
One is an alcoholic and one's asuccessful CEO.
And you know what they both theyboth were asked why do they
(14:37):
credit to how they ended up thatway?
They both said their father,again, the father could have
been a uh uh it was not aboutthe father, but the both sons
experienced the same father buthad two different outcomes, two
different, you know, from thesame childhood, but they they
chose to respond differentlyfrom their parents.
(14:59):
And so, you know, one personmight take their childhood as a
as a turning point or a lesson,another person might take their
childhood as a story of loss ora wound.
So same event, differentmeaning, different life.
So again, this isn't aboutdenying, it's about you know
it's more about responsibility.
Choosing a meaning doesn't igndoesn't mean we're ignoring
things, it doesn't mean we'repretending, it doesn't mean
(15:22):
we're maybe you're acting likeeverything's fine, but you know,
we get to decide what thingsmean.
Just like in real estate, we getto decide how we approach
things.
You I it's not about theinterest rates, it's not about
the economy, it's not about youknow the market.
You get to decide what you wantto do with your story, your
life, your real estate, and andwe know real estate happens
(15:42):
around life.
Life happens, therefore realestate happens.
And so, you know, it's again, II was so fascinated about I had
no clue about the story aboutthe cat.
Schroederling's cat.
I also was reminded aboutEinstein's story, but then
again, when we look at life andwe look at and this happens in
real estate, right?
The same person can look at ahouse for sale, and it can mean
(16:03):
one thing for one person andanother thing for another
person, and that's where realestate is so fascinating.
It is so psychological.
And of course, there's afinancial piece too, which we
help our clients navigatethrough that.
But I apologize for getting intothe weeds.
If you want to have aconversation, you certainly can
call me.
We can dive into those weeds.
Uh, we have a short break comingup.
You're listening to the GeorgeReal Estate Group live radio
(16:25):
broadcast here in the queue, sostay tuned in.
We'll dive more into the marketdetails when I get back.
Good morning and welcome back.
You're listening to the GeorgeReal Estate Group Live Radio
Broadcast here in the queue.
(16:45):
Christmas is around the corner,and again, if there's still
time, there's still time to getthose Christmas uh shopping
lists done.
Uh there's some uh you knowopportunities and go in person,
of course.
I think there's still time.
I don't know if you guys havebeen looking at the Amazon
countdown to still order online.
There's still time to do that.
Um so we are still busy.
(17:07):
We actually had contracts beingnegotiated over this weekend.
Um, there's still time even toclose on a house or land before
the end of the year.
You might that that might seemuh impossible, but it is.
You can still go under contractthis week and still close on
something before the end of theyear.
(17:28):
We have attorneys, we have um wehave teams that can pull this
off.
If if there's there might be atax reason why you need to close
before the end of the year.
There are there are stillopportunities.
The attorneys we work with canpull it off.
Um, it it might be tight on theuh financing.
Uh that might be, but we arecertainly in can handle a cash
(17:53):
closing before the end of theyear.
We can get all the inspectionsdone, investigations, the due
diligence, all that can be done,you know, during the uh you
know, the next week or so, andyou can still close uh before
the end of the year.
Again, time there there's stilltime.
This is a great time.
There's a lot of good deals outthere for new construction.
(18:14):
New construction uh is somethingyou might consider.
It could be a brand new home.
It gives you the uh the youmight be able to get a good deal
and something brand new.
The a lot of builders arerolling out incentives that can
make homes uh more affordable,and it's a and it's a
combination that doesn't comearound a lot.
It's it puts buyers in asurprising, surprisingly strong
(18:37):
position, you know, with wherethe moment matters and and and
it's worth it's why it's worthpartnering uh with a local real
estate agent to take advantageof it.
So there's more new homesavailable now, uh, and that's
because of the inventory levels.
And so new construction on themarket today is more than
(18:58):
normal, and that means some ofthese uh you know builders are
incentivizing things.
According to some reports, umthis group called Zonda shows
that even though it feels likenew homes are are popping up
just about everywhere, buildershave actually started pulling
(19:18):
back, and the number of starts,that's when the builders break
ground, have been slowing butsteadily declining over the past
few years, and that's that'sgood because it prevents
overbuilding nationally.
And so this is there's someforecasts that are out there,
and according nationally,roughly one in three homes in
(19:40):
the market right now are new.
That's certainly higher than thenormal, uh, but it's also the
lowest share in four years, andso uh that means builders are
throwing out incentives.
Builders are dropping the priceson their brand new homes to draw
in buyers, builders are helpingwith closing costs.
(20:00):
Builders are covering thousandsof dollars of uh in fees to
reduce the upfront cost ofbuying.
Uh, the you could you could getthese extra upgrades, maybe it's
the premium finishes, the uhappliance packages, designer
features.
Sometimes the builders arethrowing them in as incentives
at no extra cost.
And then there's a thing calleda mortgage rate buy down.
(20:25):
I'm aware of uh some communitieshere in town where the the
clients have moved from onecommunity to another because
even though maybe they're in aneighborhood right now where
they they love it, but maybetheir interest rate is in the
three or four percent, butthey've outgrown the home, then
a new neighborhood pops up nextdoor, and because the the
(20:47):
developer and the the thebuilder is buying down the
interest rates, and in somecases, this is allowing buyers
to sell or they would sell theirexisting home, but they're able
to get into a new home, maybenot at certainly not at the
three and four range, but thebuilders are buying down the
(21:09):
interest rates, and so there's alot of perks right now,
according to the NationalAssociation of Home Builders.
65% of builders say they'reusing some type of sale
incentive.
Forty-one percent of buildersreport cutting prices in
November, and that was a recordhigh in the post-COVID period,
and the first time this measureis passed 40%.
(21:33):
So this is a great time.
Builders are offeringincentives.
The the inventory, the thebuilders are wanting to get the
the new construction off oftheir books.
Again, it's just something toconsider, and this is where
working with a real estateprofessional.
A lot of people are are lookingto sell and then buy, and then
how do you thread the needle?
(21:54):
And we have the the experience,we have the systems, we have the
team in place, we can help younavigate through buying and
selling.
And and it all starts withhaving that first conversation.
There's never any pressure,there's no cost, there's no
obligation uh to have aconfidential consultation about
what your dreams are, what yourgoals are, what does this look
(22:16):
like?
Are you upsizing?
Are you downsizing?
How does it look?
Could you get into something youhave more equity in your home
than ever before?
And even though you might have alow interest rate, sometimes
taking advantage and moving theequity from your existing home
(22:38):
into another home, this is sointeresting.
This is amazing.
Nearly 40 well, 45 plus percent.
So nearly half of today'shomeowners have lived in their
home for more than 15 years, onein four for over 25 years.
The the amount of equity, if youimagine have making have been
(23:01):
making 15 to 25 years ofpayments, plus the steady
appreciation, you might besurprised on how much equity you
have in your home.
I mean, it could be in thehundreds of thousands of
dollars.
I mean, if you've owned yourhome since the nineties or the
(23:21):
early 2000s, I mean, it itwouldn't be wild, it wouldn't,
it wouldn't be uh unreal andagain, your unique home, your
unique situation.
I mean, you could be looking atthree or four or five hundred
thousand dollars of equitydepending on your home,
depending on location, dependingon size, of course, all those
factors, but the amount ofequity that you have in your
home, and then it gives youoptions.
(23:45):
It provides it the equity couldpower your next move.
Maybe you're paying cash foryour next home.
By the way, if you've lived inyour home two out of a five-year
period as your primary home, ifit's your personal home as an
individual, the first twohundred and fifty thousand
dollars is you don't pay taxeson the two first two hundred and
(24:05):
fifty thousand dollars ofprofit, you get back what you
paid for the home plus yourimprovements plus two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars ofprofits is tax free.
The the if you're married, thesecond uh you're you get another
an additional two hundred andfifty thousand dollars, so five
hundred thousand dollars on topof getting back what you paid
(24:25):
for the home, on top of gettingback what you've improved.
So it's all of that you don'tpay taxes on the capital gains
of your personal home if you'velived in it two out of a
five-year period.
So again, maybe your next homeis a cash purchase.
Maybe you're putting cash in thebank.
Again, your equity allows you tohave options, it could power
(24:45):
your next move.
And I hear from so many of ourclients, they're glad they did
it while they could.
They glad they are glad they didit while they were able to do
this.
They were able to do the move,they were able to get to a place
where they're comfortable, wherethey're in a place that they can
age in place.
They can again, it's you havecontrol, you can decide what you
want to do, and we're here tofacilitate it.
(25:06):
We're here to provide clarity,we're here to provide
information and understandingand information so you can make
a decision that's right for you.
It's not it's the market's themarket, the interest rates are
the interest rates.
Again, life happens, thereforereal estate happens, and we see
it every single day, and it's aprivilege and honor to serve the
community through real estate.
(25:27):
We're busy, even I mean, theholidays are happening, but
guess what?
I mean, we had contracts beingnegotiated over this weekend, so
we we're happy to help.
It's an honor and privilege tohelp, and it's uh we don't take
it lightly when we get the phonecall asking for a uh
consultation.
You can call us directly at828-393-0134.
(25:49):
You can uh, you know, you canstop by our office.
We're there in Flat Rock.
Uh we're there.
We serve all of West NorthCarolina and the upstate.
You can follow us on socialmedia on Facebook and Instagram.
You can also follow us on ourpodcast.
We podcast all of our radioshows uh and we'd love to
connect with you.
And again, it's it's amazing thestories we get to hear, the
(26:11):
people we get to meet.
Uh we love we've worked with youknow three and four and five
generation Henderson Countynatives, and then we work with
the families that have beendreaming about moving to Western
North Carolina.
Uh we work with people movinghere from all over the country.
In addition to that, we workwith land, we work with
commercial, we work withdevelopments, we work with
(26:32):
investment properties, you know,we work with properties that um,
you know, we work with ourclients that are maybe you're
inheriting property, maybeyou're thinking ahead to your
estate and your own planning,and maybe you're working with
trusts and you're thinking aboutthe real estate, what that might
look with.
We work with 1031 exchanges, andif you're not familiar with
that, if you have real estateand you want to defer the taxes,
(26:55):
there's solutions.
We can we might be able toimprove your cash on cash return
for your real estate holdings.
That's a conversation we canhave.
Again, no pressure, no costs, noobligation.
We're gonna be here next Monday.
We're always here Monday afterthe 9 o'clock news hour, and
just grateful to share stories.
(27:16):
Uh, if you're want to have aconversation about anything with
real estate or with uh any ofthe things, topics we talk about
on the radio, you can call us at828-393-0134.
We're so grateful to be here.
We're so grateful to serve thecommunity through real estate.
Again, be sure to subscribe tous on social media, follow our
podcasts.
But thanks so much for tuning inthis Monday morning.
(27:38):
Have a great day, have a greatweek, and we'll see you next
Monday.
SPEAKER_00 (27:47):
The George Real Estate Group has the experience
of selling over 1,200 propertiesand serving over 1,200 families
with their real estate needs inHenderson County and throughout
Western North Carolina.
The George Real Estate Group islocated in Flat Rock, North
Carolina, near Hendersonville inHenderson County.
(28:09):
You can find them online atrealestatebygreg.com.
The George Real Estate Group canbe reached at 828-393-0134 or
stop by their office at 2720Greenville Highway, Flat Rock,
North Carolina.
Tune in live each week on Mondaymornings at 905 on WTZQ FM 95.3
(28:33):
and 1600 AM, or stream online atWTZQ.com.
SPEAKER_01 (28:39):
You've built a lifetime of strength, wisdom,
and independence.
And here's the best part youstill have it.
Every decision, every step,every next chapter is yours to
choose.
Selling your home isn't aboutletting go, it's about opening
the door to more freedom, moretime for what you love, more
(29:01):
energy for the people andpassions that matter most.
At the George Real Estate Group,we believe independence isn't
behind you.
It's right here, right now.
Our team goes beyond buying andselling.
We're here to help you protectyour wealth, preserve your
legacy, and make sure Uncle Samdoesn't become your biggest
(29:23):
benefactor.
We'll guide you every step ofthe way towards your next
chapter, your next opportunity,and your freedom on your terms.
Call us at 828 393 0134.
Find us online atrealestatebygreg.com.
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.