January Is A Smart Time To Buy

One week before Christmas, we open with community news and a remarkable Hometown Hero story, then get straight to the point: January can be a surprisingly strong month to buy a home. With fewer bidders in the market, sellers often more open to negotiation, and historically softer price-per-square-foot, the winter window can reward prepared buyers. We share practical ways to navigate slower months, compare offers, and move at a sane pace without losing your edge.

From there, we unpack the local data so you can make informed decisions. Listings, pendings, and closed sales are up year over year, while prices remain resilient and days on market normalize around two months. Inventory sits near four months for single-family homes, signaling a balanced but still active market. We connect these numbers to real-life decisions—downsizing, rightsizing, or timing a move for family and work—so you can align strategy with what matters most.

The conversation zooms out to the forces reshaping North Carolina real estate. Inbound migration from higher-cost states continues to accelerate thanks to affordability, a lower overall tax burden, and quality of life that spans mountains, beaches, and vibrant city hubs. Retirees appreciate that Social Security isn’t taxed at the state level, while remote workers and families value space, schools, healthcare, and outdoor access. We highlight how this diverse flow supports market stability across price points and neighborhoods.

Finally, we shift to wealth protection and next-chapter planning. Whether it’s using a 1031 exchange to defer capital gains on investment property, applying the two-out-of-five-year rule on a primary residence, or coordinating with lenders, attorneys, and tax strategists, we outline steps that help you keep more of what you’ve built. If you’re looking for clarity, not pressure, and want a team that pairs data with empathy, you’re in the right place. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who’s weighing a move, and leave a review to tell us what question you want answered next.

Episode Transcript

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

(00:46):
Radio Broadcast here on WHKPevery Thursday morning, bringing
you positive news about yourlocal real estate market
community.
Can you believe we're a weekaway from Christmas?
Christmas is around the corner.
And actually have an exciting uhradio program next Thursday,

(01:06):
Christmas, that we're gonna run.
Uh Randy and I are gonna do aspecial Christmas show that's
also gonna run on Friday.
As you are maybe you're aware,every Friday morning the George
Roll State Group sponsors theHometown Hero Series, and we're
gonna be doing a top 10 HometownHero Series review.
We podcast all of our radioshows, and that's gonna be a fun

(01:27):
program.
We're gonna be running thatChristmas day uh at our normal
10 o'clock show time, and thenwe're also gonna be running it
starting 15 minutes earlier thannormal, uh at 8:30 Friday
morning, the day afterChristmas, and we're excited to
remember some amazing and sharesome amazing stories and reflect
on the year of the Hometown Heroprogram that we we sponsor.

(01:49):
And we're here, we are hereevery Friday morning at 8 45.
And in this Christmas and thethe day after Christmas, we're
gonna be reflecting on someincredible conversations that
we've had this year.
Uh, and uh we podcast all of ourradio shows, so we're basing the
the top 10 hometown heroes uhbased on the the downloads of of

(02:10):
the podcasts, and and we dopodcast all of our radio shows.
You can find that on yourfavorite podcast platform.
Uh we're here every Thursdaymorning, uh right after the 10
o'clock hour in the news, and welove sharing about what's going
on in our community, share aboutwhat's going on in the real
estate market, and again, we'realso here Friday mornings.
We love uh just sharing uhamazing stories and highlighting

(02:33):
uh men and women, women servingthis community, you know, uh
that here.
So again, we love being here onthe radio, and it's a privilege
and honor to spend time with youuh every week, a couple times a
week.
Tomorrow morning, actually, ourhometown hero is Dylan Kleinek,
and he's a North Henderson HighSchool student.

(02:53):
Recently, while leaving theschool, he actually noticed a
parent in the car rider line inobvious distress, and the person
was choking, and Dylan quicklystepped up to perform the
Heimlich maneuver twice,successfully dislodging the
obstruction and allowing thewoman to breathe.
And the community of NorthHenderson is so proud of Dylan,

(03:17):
and we'll chat with him tomorrowmorning, our hometown hero.
Again, amazing stories that weget to share every Friday
morning, and tune in tomorrowmorning at 8 45.
And then, like I said, next weekfor Christmas, we're gonna have
a reflection and a highlightshow uh that we'll run both
Thursday and Friday.
If you're tuning in for thefirst time ever, the George Real

(03:38):
Estate Group's located in FlatRock.
We serve all of Western NorthCarolina and the upstate South
Carolina.
If you're thinking of buying,selling, or investing in real
estate, or you're wanting tothink strategically about real
estate in regards to your life,it could be your personal real
estate.
And uh, there's so many thingsabout real estate that impact
our lives, and we know lifehappens, therefore real estate

(03:59):
happens.
And by the way, this time ofyear, you might think things
have slowed down, but theyhaven't.
I mean, relative to the summer,are is there less homes selling?
But it's if we look at the last12 months versus the previous 12
months, we've actually had a 10%increase in the number of homes
selling, and and we continue tosee that trend happen.

(04:22):
And of course, we'll talk aboutthis time of year.
I mean, actually, January uhmight be one of the best times
to buy a house.
Uh, you know, a lot of people uhyou know, a lot of people tend
to go into hibernation, youknow, while a lot of people
think that spring's the besttime to buy a house.
Actually, the data shows Januarymay actually be the best time of

(04:44):
the year uh to buy a housebecause of the low inventory.
Also, the the prices tend to belower this time of year.
January is the least expensivemonth to buy a house, according
to lending tree, and there'ssomething to say for that.
Historically, January offers oneof the lowest price per square

(05:06):
foot points of the year in thespring, because demand and
prices usually peak, you know,so it's a truth it's about the
time of year.
And so we can you know, we canshow you on we can show you the
trends, we can show you the theresearch.
You know, the the the thing isthere's why do buyers typically

(05:26):
save in the winter?
It's because winter is one ofthe slowest times in the housing
market, again, compared to thespring and summer.
And that means buyers andsellers tend to pull back
thinking it's a better time towait.
You know, it's better to wait.
So as a buyer, you actually haveless competition, you're less
likely to get into multipleoffer scenarios, and sellers

(05:46):
sometimes they might be morewilling to negotiate.
So with fewer buyers in themarket, you can take your time
browsing.
But also, sellers, it's a greattime to take advantage of the
less competition.
So it can be a very positivesituation.
And again, we know timing, it'snot about the interest rate,

(06:07):
it's not about the the economy,the the the real estate market.
Real estate happens because lifehappens.
So again, it could be a greattime of year to consider having
that conversation.
You can call us directly at828-393-0134-828-393-0134.
We'd love to have theconversation.
There's always no pressure, nocost, no obligation.

(06:30):
Give us a call.
We'd love to have theconversation and just walk you
through the process.
We have incredible agents, wehave incredible staff, we have
incredible partners we workwith, like our lenders and our
attorneys, and our appraisers,and home inspectors, and and
contractors.
I mean, we're here ultimately tonavigate through and help you
walk through your specific andunique situation, your unique

(06:54):
home.
And again, we can walk youthrough that.
Back to back to some of thedata.
In the last you know, year todate, this year versus the same
time frame last year, we've had12% more listings hit the
market.
We've actually had an almost 9%increase in pending sales, and
we've had almost an 11% increasein closed sales.

(07:17):
The median home price isactually only down about 2% this
year to date versus last yearyear to date, and it's at 445.
That's the median home price.
The average home price is at517.
That's according when we look atcondos town homes and single

(07:37):
family.
The single family home averagehome price is in the 540s.
So the market's holding.
I mean, we're averaging some 135single-family homes a month
selling in Henderson County thatcurrently on the market, active,
not including the pendings.
Right now, there's only 556active single-family homes on

(08:00):
the market in Henderson County.
And with we're averaging some135 a month selling the market.
We have about a four-monthsupply in the market.
So actually, our averagesingle-family home price the
last 12 months at 546 andchange.
The market is holding.
Is it taking a little bit longerfor homes to sell?

(08:22):
Yes.
Days on markets normalizingcloser to the 60 days in the
market for an averagesingle-family home to go under
contract.
But again, your uniquesituation, your unique home, you
know, it could be your personalhome, it could be uh land, it
could be maybe it's a realcommercial real estate, maybe
it's uh land that you have,maybe it's thinking ahead to

(08:45):
your family with planning aheadfor your estate, planning ahead
for uh your own, you know,situation.
You maybe you need to downsize,maybe you need to right size.
I mean, whatever the situationis, there's no pressure, there's
no cost, there's no obligation.
You can give us a call828-393-0134.
Find us online atrealestatebygreg.com.

(09:07):
We also welcome you to stop byour office at 2720 Greenville
Highway.
We're in the heart of Flat Rock,right there on Rainbow Row.
Uh, we're right next to the FlatRock Bakery, the Hubba Hubba
Barbecue, Campfire Grill, andour friends at Hubaloo as well.
Uh the wrinkled egg is alsothere.
Certainly, there's a great placeto do your Christmas shopping.
There's still time to goChristmas shopping there, but

(09:28):
but again, love uh to connectwith you.
I thought I'd talk this morningabout migration.
There's been a lot of migrationtrends over the last 20 years,
and specifically in regards toNorth Carolina.
You know, there's been a lot ofpeople leaving high-cost,

(09:53):
high-tax regions in thenortheast and the west coast to
the lower cost Sunbelt states inthe south and the west.
And this has especiallybenefited our state of North
Carolina.
I'm sure you imagine Florida andTexas, also Arizona and

(10:13):
Tennessee.
And then states like California,New York, and Illinois have seen
net losses.
For example, four southernstates Texas, Florida, North
Carolina, and Georgia accountedfor 93% of the U.S.
population growth in 2022 alone.

(10:35):
And again, just the trend.
In North Carolina, specifically,it's our population growth has
been driven overwhelmingly byinbound migration.
And so this is there's a numberof reasons, right?
Housing affordability, taxes,and the quality of life.

(10:59):
I tell people all the time, I'mI'm biased.
I I admit, North Carolina is Iam biased to North Carolina.
We talk with people almost everysingle day that are considering
moving here.
Nearly North Carolina, themigration now accounts for the
majority of North Carolina'spopulation growth.
Roughly two-thirds over the pastthe last 30 years came from net

(11:24):
in migration.
And there was a recent study uhfrom July 2021 to 2022, 95% of
North Carolina's populationgrowth was due to net migration.
So that that year alone, nearly100,000 people alone.
So it this influx has placedNorth Carolina near the top in
rankings for domestic migration.

(11:46):
So in the latest census data,then the year ending in July
2024, this is amazing.
North Carolina has has had thesecond highest net domestic
migration of any state, gainedabout 82,300 more people from
other states than it lost.
And it was uh the net influx wassurpassed only by Texas in that

(12:08):
period.
And of course, otherfast-growing states where we
know South Carolina, Florida,and Tennessee.
But North Carolina has has hadsuch strong appeal.
And why is it so popular?
And again, it's not just ourfeelings about it, which
certainly we know.
And I, if you talk to so manypeople here, North Carolina

(12:29):
ranked second in the nation alsofor net my uh retiree migration.
Only Florida gained moreretirees than North Carolina.
So tens of thousands of olderAmericans are been have been and
are moving to North Carolinaannually.
It's the mix of the moderateclimate, the reasonable cost of

(12:51):
living, the and the taxadvantages.
Did you know, and you if you'regetting Social Security, North
Carolina is exempt from SocialSecurity state tax, for example.
So North Carolina's ability toattract both working age and
retirees, meaning just we have amore balanced migration compared
to some other states likeFlorida and South Carolina,

(13:12):
which again, the thedisproportionate influx of near
or post-retirement movers, NorthCarolina, we have a broad range
that we attract.
And it's no it's worth notingNorth Carolina's newcomers often
hail from, you can imagine,high-cost states.
The largest uh the the state areyou know, we saw the the largest

(13:39):
increase in net migration fromyou can imagine California and
New York, no offense to our tothose states, but people are
coming where how from housingwhere housing is more expensive,
taxes are higher.
And so we see this, and we'reseeing this significantly.

(13:59):
You know, it's the it's thetaxes that are comparatively,
right?
Property taxes.
Here's a of course we're gonnatalk about this housing
affordability.
The median price of a singlefamily home in California$866

(14:20):
compared to$380 for the state ofNorth Carolina.
Also, north north uh New York'smedian home price,$576, and then
Florida's at$433.
And again, North Carolina, ourmedian single-family home price
as of again, statewide.
This is data collected as ofFebruary 2025.

(14:42):
Our median home price of thestate of North Carolina,$380,
again, compared to California,$866.
And the cost of living issignificant.
And then taxes.
The taxes, you know, NorthCarolina having you know the 5%

(15:03):
income state tax, it's a littlebit lower.
I think what is it, 4.7 again,these these things impact all of
this.
Imagine, and again, your youraffordability, your quality of
life, taxes, I mean, realestate, I mean, all these things

(15:27):
matter, and it's and it's thechance for a lot of people to
reset financially.
Maybe even a chance for somepeople to own a home in North
Carolina versus California,versus owning a single-family
home versus renting anapartment.
It's it's available, it's it'saffordability and availability.
And of course, you know, let'stalk about taxes.

(15:50):
Some states, like California andNew York, have top state income
taxes of 10 to 13 percent.
Here it's less than 5%.
And again, the big one Imentioned earlier, North
Carolina doesn't tax SocialSecurity benefits, and that's a
big reason retirees are headingthis way.
Again, I mentioned earlier wherethe North Carolina is the number

(16:11):
two for net retiree migrationbehind Florida.
Of course, great medicalfacilities, great weather,
affordable homes.
If you're listening, you'reprobably you know I'm preaching
to the choir because goodchances you relocated here.
It could be the our mountains,it could be the the beaches that

(16:31):
North Carolina is a you know, wehave too.
It's the you know, there's somany reasons why people move
here, and it's it's the qualityof life.
And it's not just the retirees,you have young professionals,
families, remote workers.
A lot of people are moving hereto North Carolina.
Also, again, the quality oflife, the cost of living, you

(16:52):
get more home for your dollar,more affordability, and I would
argue quality of life place toplace to relax.
You know, it's it's the it's thepositive business environment
that we have here.
Our cities, our our business,uh, our business environment.
It's the incredible outdoorsthat we have, the the manageable

(17:13):
taxes, the lower cost of living.
So many people are moving here.
So so many reasons why.
And we have these conversationsevery single day where people
are saying I'm done.
They could be done with wherethey're at.
They want to have quality oflife.
Again, quality of life is is isI mean, I would argue, right?

(17:36):
That it doesn't matter how muchmoney you have if you don't have
quality of life, and and thelower cost of living certainly
helps.
The on national average comparedto like groceries,
transportation, healthcare,utilities are generally more
affordable.
Our rich culture that we have,you know, our art scene, the the

(17:56):
we have incredible courts, uhcollege sports traditions, the
live music, the food scene, andthen all the outdoor living, the
outdoor, the the outdooractivities.
You know, you got you knowhiking, the you have the the
mountains, the waterfalls.
And again, we do have ourbeaches.
I mean, here in West NorthCarolina, I'll admit it's it's

(18:18):
quicker to get to the to thebeaches of South Carolina, and
and yet for our North Carolinaneighbors that live on the
coast, I mean you get to takeadvantage of that.
So, you know, and then of courseour public education and
universities, I mean NC State,UNC, uh, UNC Chapel Hill, Duke,

(18:38):
I mean, just not in regards tothe basketball, but the quality
education.
And so it's the states thatpeople are mass exodus from
California, New York, Illinois,New Jersey, Massachusetts.
It's the high cost of living,it's expensive real estate, the
high tax burden, burdens, thethe urban congestion.

(19:00):
A lot of people feel they gotpriced out, they're
overregulated, unable tomaintain the desired standard of
living.
Um, also, people could stretchtheir incomes here in North
Carolina, enjoy more space, andlive with fewer financial
pressures.
And North Carolina is continuingto be, if you can imagine, North

(19:20):
Carolina now is the second highhighest net migration.
I can go on and on.
And you hear when we hear thesestories every single day when
we're talking to peoplerelocating here, moving here,
it's a privilege and honor totalk to our clients about you
know why we consider this areaour favorite.
I I joke I got here as quick asI could.

(19:41):
Our our own family moved here inthe early 80s.
Um, and it's uh it's amazingthat we got to relocate here
ourselves from Florida and grewup here and to to call this home
and to raise our family here.
I grew up here and then my ownchildren are raised here,
growing here in It's the qualityof life.

(20:01):
And again, it's a great place uhto call home.
We love traveling and lovecoming back to North Carolina.
So if you're again love havingthese conversations and we love
talking about what's what'sgoing on in the in the real
estate market, in the community,uh the psychology behind people

(20:22):
moving here.
Again, there's so many reasonsand and so many people, it's
very rare that we have a chancein real estate.
It's interesting.
We get a lot of incomingreferrals from other real estate
agents and companies saying,hey, our clients are wanting to
move there.
That is probably 90% of theincoming referrals from other
real estate agents.
It's very rare, does it happen?
Yes, we do occasionally get torefer our clients moving out of

(20:44):
the area and it for a lot ofdifferent reasons, but it tends
to be typically to get closer tofamily.
If family's not moving here, alot of people are moving closer
to family.
That can be a really compellingreason why people are relocating
out of North Carolina to getcloser to family.
I tell people all the time,we're I'm I'm I'm biased.
I I think we live in one of thebest uh areas in states.

(21:07):
Uh and then the data continuesto show that.
We also have have the privilegeof working with families that
have been here for multiplegenerations, three and four and
five generations of familiesthat have lived here in
Henderson County, some evenlonger than that, where you know
it's it's the family familyland, it's the the the family
businesses, the multiplegenerational family businesses

(21:28):
that we work with.
And it's a it's a privilege andhonor to have those
conversations.
And so when we meet with ourclients, and and it's the bigger
picture, it's not just that thathome, it's the bigger picture,
your story that you're you haveand you're sharing, and and how
does real estate line up withthat?
It could be one of the manycomponents.
It's also the we work withattorneys, we work with tax

(21:49):
strategists, we work withfinancial advisors, it's the
bigger picture, it's a whateverit whatever complex situation
is.
And sometimes it's as simple asagain, you're you're you're
selling your your personal home.
There's also situations wherewe're working with families that
have real estate investments andand and it could be commercial
real estate, it could bemultifamily real estate, and

(22:11):
looking at you know what itmakes sense to to set yourself
up from a tax strategy.
We have we have solutions forcapital gains in in regards to
doing what's called a 1031exchange where you can exchange
real estate.
Maybe you might even find outthat you could make more money
and pay less taxes with a 1031exchange.

(22:34):
We have solutions for that.
We work closely with uh taxstrategists and attorneys and
financial advisors.
There could be solutions thatcould help reduce your your own
management.
And and again, if you can makemore money and pay less taxes
and then avoid paying thegovernment uh again, defer

(22:56):
paying the government.
Again, none of us will avoidtaxes, but you can.
There are strategic ways to todo that.
Not only with your personalhome, if you've lived in your
personal home two out of afive-year period, you can take
advantage of that tax code wherethe in per person up to four
people$250,000 of not paying anyuh capital gains on the sell

(23:17):
sale of a personal home ifyou've lived in it two out of a
five-year period.
There's also strategies for realestate.
Maybe you inherited real estate,maybe you have real estate that
you keep as rentals, maybe youhave a 10 or a 20 or a 30 unit
apartment complex.
Maybe you have commercial realestate, maybe you have a uh real
estate land lease.

(23:39):
I mean commercial land lease.
These are scenarios that we'reworking with and having
conversations every single daywith with our clients.
It's not just res personalresidential real estate, it's
it's more complex strategieswith taxes and and again we have
an incredible team in place thatwe can help you with that.
You can call us directly at828-393-0134.

(24:01):
You can find us online atrealestatebygreg.com.
You can follow us on socialmedia, Facebook and Instagram.
Uh, you can follow us on ourpodcast.
We have we we we love uh talkingabout and sharing about our
community.
Uh we love uh hearing yourstory, we love hearing how we

(24:23):
can help integrate into whatyou're doing, into what your
goals are and how this impactsuh real estate.
Again, real estate is is moreabout what's going on in your
life, and life happens, it couldbe a really positive reason why
you're buying or selling.
It could be a very challengingreason.
We don't take it lightly.

(24:44):
You know, whatever yoursituation is, with the the
empathy and care that we providein order to help walk through
with you again how real estateis impacting your life.
Uh maybe you own real estatetogether with a with a family
member.
Maybe it's the estate you'reworking through, maybe it's your
personal home.
It it's whatever simple orcomplex situation, we it's a

(25:08):
privilege and honor to help ourclients navigate through through
real estate.
So call us directly828-393-0134.
We love serving the communitythrough real estate.
We love being here everyThursday morning right after the
10 o'clock hour.
We also love being here everyFriday morning after the uh

(25:29):
right at 8 45.
And as I shared with youearlier, we have a special
program.
Randy and I have a specialChristmas program uh that we're
gonna be uh uh sharing with youon Christmas Day, and then we're
gonna re-air that on Fridaymorning as well at 8.30.
Normally we're here at 8.45, butwe're we're doing a special

(25:50):
program this coming a week fromtoday, Christmas morning at 10
a.m.
Uh we'll be gathering around themic doing the the our Christmas
program for our hometown heroes,uh recapping and reflecting on
some incredible stories thatwe've shared this year, and then
also replaying that on Fridaymorning.
But you know, we love servingthe community through real

(26:11):
estate.
We love sharing about you'vebuilt 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

(26:32):
the door to more freedom, moretime for what you love, more
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

(26:55):
legacy, and make sure Uncle Samdoesn't become your biggest
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.

SPEAKER_00 (27:16):
Thank you for listening to the George Real
Estate Group Podcast.
Tune in next time for moreindustry news, updates, and real
estate tips.
You can reach Greg, the GeorgeReal Estate Group, at
828-393-0134 or atrealestatebygreg.com.

SPEAKER_01 (27:36):
You've built a lifetime of strength, wisdom,
and independence.
And here's the best part.
You still 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

(27:57):
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

(28:19):
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.