Selling first and buying first each come with real tradeoffs, and today’s more typical market conditions open up options that weren’t always practical a couple of years ago. This week’s RealGuide walks through what each approach actually gives you, when a contingent offer is worth considering, and how to build a sequence that accounts for both sides of your move.
Orange County’s median sales price jumped 16.4% year over year in August, but price per square foot moved just 1.1%, the same wide mix-shift gap that’s defined this market for three months running. Inventory climbed 32.8% year over year, the sharpest growth logged anywhere in this series, yet days on market actually improved rather than worsened. Lisa Ellis explains why the headline price number remains the least reliable read on Orange County’s real estate market right now.
Early autumn settles in this weekend, with two very different Friday night options: a laid-back garden concert or a Dolly Parton tribute at American Tobacco Campus. Saturday piles on even more, a pumpkin-picking train ride, an Outlander-inspired Scottish festival, a Shrek-themed block party, and a free evening of modern dance in Cary. Here’s my full guide for Friday, September 25 through Sunday, September 27.
Falling leaves, football games, and a suspicious number of inflatable skeletons: fall doesn’t feel like real estate season, but the sellers who list anyway tend to find more serious buyers and a lot less competition. This week’s RealGuide covers what actually matters when you’re prepping a home for market this time of year, pumpkin decor opinions included.
Wake County’s median sales price fell 5.2% year over year in August, and for the first time in months, price per square foot moved too, down 1.8% after sitting flat at $224 for nearly a year. Closed sales fell for a second straight month while days on market continued to climb, confirming the cooling trend that first showed up in July’s numbers. Lisa Ellis breaks down what a genuinely softening market means for buyers and sellers heading into fall.
CenterFest takes over downtown Durham this weekend, kicked off Friday by Third Friday’s art walk before the festival fills the streets Saturday and Sunday. Layer in a luminary program at Bennett Place, a new sculpture garden debuting in Pittsboro, a dragon boat festival in Cary, and a night with John Waters closing things out, and there’s a lot to choose from between Friday, September 18 and Sunday, September 20.
Is Durham’s housing market actually cooling off, or does it just feel that way after a few unusually hot years? A look back at twenty-two years of MLS data across six Triangle counties shows today’s slower pace and softer prices sit far closer to a healthy, sustainable market than to anything resembling 2008. The full county-by-county picture, with Durham front and center, is in the latest RealGuide.
Chatham County’s median sales price dipped 1.5% year over year in August, but price per square foot tells a very different story, up 6.3% over the same period. New listings surged nearly 40% year over year and closed sales rose over 20%, signaling a market with real momentum on both sides. Lisa Ellis explains why the headline price number is the least reliable read in this month’s report.
Hopscotch takes over downtown Raleigh for its 16th year this Friday and Saturday, while Durham stacks its own weekend with a Ruby Bridges literary celebration, a 60th anniversary for the Eno River Association, and Oktoberfest at Motorco. Add a new outdoor concert series at Hub RTP and a plant-based festival at Durham Central Park, and there’s something for just about everyone from Friday, September 11 through Sunday, September 13.
Buyers and sellers often see the exact same house very differently, and that gap shapes everything from first impressions to how showing feedback should actually be read. This week’s RealGuide looks at what buyer psychology really tells us about pricing, presentation, and preparation, and where it’s more useful to lean on market evidence than on any single reaction.
