Featured Listings
Arden
Arden is an unincorporated community located in southern Buncombe County, North Carolina, in the United States.[1] Arden is approximately considered the area between Skyland and Fletcher near the Hend ...
View moreBrevard
Brevard is a city and the county seat of Transylvania County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 7,609 as of the 2010 census. Brevard is located at the entrance to Pisgah National For ...
View moreFletcher
The Town of Fletcher, which was incorporated in 1989, is located in Henderson County, North Carolina approximately 13 miles south of Asheville. The Town contains 6.1 square miles of land area and meas ...
View moreHendersonville
Hendersonville, North Carolina is a charming, 2,200-foot elevation mountain community steeped in history and cradled by the Blue Ridge Mountains. With a population of 13,000, it is a quarter the size ...
View more
What Actually Makes a Listing Stand Out in 2026
The playbook for selling a home has changed fast. Buyers have more options, more leverage, and they are using it. Active housing inventory rose more than 16% year-over-year in 2025 — one of the largest annual increases since the pandemic-era crunch.¹ At the same time, 62% of homebuyers in 2025 paid below the original list price, the highest share since 2019, with the average discount hitting 7.9%, the biggest in over a decade.²
What does that mean for sellers? It means the days of putting a home on the MLS, snapping a few photos, and waiting for offers are over. Today's buyers are more informed, more cautious, and more willing to walk away. The listings that win are the ones that eliminate friction at every stage — from the first scroll to the final offer.
Here is what that actually looks like.
Know What the 2026 Buyer Is Filtering For
Before we talk strategy, it helps to understand what is driving buyer decisions right now. It is not just about bedrooms and bathrooms anymore. Today's buyer is thinking about what a home will cost them after they buy it.
Layout and Function Over Size
Estate's 2026 Design Trends Report, 86% of buyers say flexible layouts help them see past square footage. Dedicated home offices, walk-in pantries, multipurpose rooms — these features outweigh raw size. Nearly half of buyers in that same study said they will not buy a home that does not feel right the moment they walk in.³
Move-In Ready Is Increasingly Non-Negotiable
Home inspections are the number one reason deals fall apart today.4 In mid-2025, 15% of pending sales fell through, above the 12% historical norm, largely because financially stretched buyers will not absorb surprise repair costs.4
The tolerance for deferred maintenance has evaporated. Buyers are already stressed about affordability. When a buyer sees deferred maintenance, they do not see "potential." They see risk. In fact, 58% of agents report buyers want closing cost credits, and 20% recommend sellers reduce price based on inspection findings.5
Energy Efficiency as a Financial Filter
Energy efficiency is being evaluated as a financial hedge — against utility costs, against climate risk, against future insurability. According to Zillow's 2026 Home Trends Report, terms like "zero-energy ready" and "home battery system" appearing far more frequently.6 Sellers who understand this can position features like updated HVAC systems, new windows, or solar panels not as nice-to-haves, but as cost-saving assets.
The bottom line: sellers who understand this mindset can position their listing to meet it head-on.
Win the Screen Before You Win the Showing
The online listing is the first showing. By the time a buyer walks through the front door, they have already decided they are interested — or they have scrolled past.
The First Photo Is Everything
85% of homebuyers consider listing photos the most critical factor when evaluating a property online.7 Not the price. Not the description. The photo.
Listings with professional photography receive up to 61% more views and sell 32% faster.7 In a market where inventory is rising and buyers are choosier, professional photography is an enormous opportunity for sellers who take presentation seriously.
Go Beyond Standard Photography
Going above and beyond can garner even more attention for your home. Twilight photos used as the primary listing image average 76% more views.7 Homes with aerial or drone photos can often sell faster.8 Listings with video get 403% more inquiries.8
These are not small edges. In a market where buyers have more options, these are the differences that help a listing generate momentum.
3D Tours Are Becoming Expected
Virtual tours do two things at once. They filter out unqualified buyers before they waste anyone's time. And they give serious buyers the confidence to move faster when they do show up in person. In fact, listings with 3D virtual tours sell up to 31% faster and for up to 9% more. 9,10
The visual package for a listing is doing the work of an open house before anyone sets foot in the property. If the first photo does not stop the scroll, the square footage and the price will never get a chance to matter.
Remove Every Reason to Say "No"
In a slower market, uncertainty creates lower offers or no offers. Every unanswered question is a reason to negotiate down or walk away.
The smartest move? Answer the scary questions before they are asked.
That starts with a pre-listing inspection. For $300 to $800, a seller can identify and address issues on their own timeline and terms — before a buyer's inspector turns a minor finding into a deal-killing negotiation. NAR has been actively encouraging this approach, noting that pre-listing inspections allow sellers "the opportunity to address any repairs before the For Sale sign even goes up." 11
Beyond the inspection, consider providing the ages of major systems (HVAC, roof, water heater), a 12-month utility cost history, and documentation of any recent repairs. This is not about over-sharing. It is about removing the discount that buyers are mentally applying for risk and uncertainty.
Photos win hearts. Data wins brains. A winning listing needs both.
Price It Right or Pay the Price
Everything above — understanding the buyer, presenting beautifully, being transparent — leads here. Pricing. Overpriced listings do not just sit longer. They sell for less than if they had been priced correctly from the start.
The Overpricing Trap
39% of all listings nationwide had price reductions in 2025. The typical home sold for nearly 4% under its asking price during peak season — the steepest discount in six years.12
When a listing sits, days on market climb and buyers start to assume something is wrong — even when the only issue was the price. That stigma is real and hard to undo. Buyers begin to wonder what they are missing.
The First Two Weeks Are Everything
A listing's visibility and buyer interest peak immediately after launch. Pricing high to see what happens is dangerous — every week of inactivity makes the next correction less effective.
Pricing competitively from the start can attract multiple offers and often results in a higher final sale price.13 The goal is not to leave money on the table by underpricing. The goal is to price with precision, right at the point where serious buyers recognize value and act fast.
One Bold Move Beats Death by a Thousand Cuts
Multiple small reductions signal desperation and train buyers to wait for the next drop. A single strategic correction, aggressive enough to restart the clock, is almost always more effective.
Homes with repeated small reductions sell for significantly less as a percentage of original list than those with one well-timed adjustment.13 The market reads hesitation as weakness.
Pricing correctly from day one is not conservative. It is strategic. And it is one of the most valuable things a good agent brings to the table.
The New Definition of a Winning Listing
The 2026 winner is not the cheapest or the biggest. It is the most ready.
Prepared with the buyer's mindset in mind. Presented with scroll-stopping professional media. Supported by transparency that builds confidence. Priced with precision from day one.
That is the new bar. Meet it, and your listing competes. Miss it, and you are watching it sit.
If you are thinking about selling or if you have a listing that is not performing the way you expected — let's talk. The difference between a home that moves and one that sits often comes down to strategy, not the property itself.
Sources
- HousingWire – "The U.S. Housing Market in 2025: A Year of Normalization" https://www.housingwire.com/articles/the-u-s-housing-market-in-2025/
- Redfin – "Homebuyers Are Scoring the Biggest Discounts in 13 Years" https://www.redfin.com/news/homebuyer-discounts-below-list-price-2025/
- Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate – 2026 Design Trends Report (via HousingWire) https://www.housingwire.com/articles/better-homes-and-gardens-real-estate-details-2026-homebuyer-trends/
- Redfin – "Why 15% of Home Sales Are Falling Apart" https://www.redfin.com/news/price-drops-record-rate-august-2025/
- HomeLight – "What Buyers Want in a Home: Top Must-Haves in 2026" https://www.homelight.com/blog/what-buyers-want-in-a-home/
- Zillow 2026 Home Trends Report (via New American Funding) https://www.newamericanfunding.com/learning-center/homeowners/what-will-be-hot-in-2026-the-7-bold-and-the-surprisingly-practical-home-trends/
- PhotoUp – "Hot Real Estate Photography Statistics You Need to Know in 2025" https://www.photoup.net/learn/real-estate-photography-statistics
- RubyHome – "Real Estate Photography Statistics" https://www.rubyhome.com/blog/real-estate-photography-stats/
- Matterport – "With 3D Tours, Properties Sell Up to 31% Faster and at a Higher Price" https://matterport.com/blog/3d-tours-properties-sell-31-faster-and-higher-price
- Matterport – "New Study Shows Property Buyers and Sellers Overwhelmingly Prefer Listings with 3D Tours" https://matterport.com/news/new-study-shows-property-buyers-and-sellers-overwhelmingly-prefer-listings-3d-tours
- NAR Magazine – "Agents Turn to Pre-Listing Inspections to Prevent Canceled Contracts" https://www.nar.realtor/magazine/real-estate-news/sales-marketing/agents-turn-to-pre-listing-inspections-to-prevent-canceled-contracts
- Redfin – "Home Sellers Are Cutting Prices at a Record Rate to Lure Skittish Buyers" https://www.redfin.com/news/price-drops-record-rate-august-2025/
- NAR Magazine – "Listing Price Reduction? How to Navigate It With Buyers, Sellers" https://www.nar.realtor/magazine/real-estate-news/sales-marketing/listing-price-reduction-how-to-navigate-it-with-buyers-sellers
Should I Move with Today’s Mortgage Rates?
When mortgage rates spiked up over the last few years, some homeowners put their plans to move on pause. Maybe you did too because you didn’t want to sell and take on a higher mortgage rate for your next home. But is that still the right strategy for you?
In today’s market, data shows more homeowners are getting used to where rates are and thinking it may be time to move. As Mark Zandi, Chief Economist at Moody’s Analytics, explains:
“Listings are up a bit as life events and job changes are putting increasing pressure on locked-in homeowners to sell their homes. Homeowners may also be slowly coming to the realization that mortgage rates aren’t going back anywhere near the rate on their existing mortgage.”
A recent study from Bank of America sheds light on some of the things homeowners say would make them sell, even with rates where they are right now (see visual below):
What Would Motivate You To Move?
Now that you know why other people would move, take a minute to think about what would make a move worth it for you. Is it time to take a chance and go for your dream job, even though it’s not local? Are you looking for a neighborhood that has more to offer and a close-knit sense of community? Maybe you just need more space, you’re looking for your next great adventure, or you want a house that opens up rental opportunities to pad your income.
And here’s something else to consider. Mortgage rates are still expected to go down over the course of the year. And once that happens, there’s going to be a big rush of buyers jumping back into the market. While you could delay your plans until rates drop, you’ll only have more competition with those buyers if you do.
So, does that mean it’s worth it to move now, even with rates where they are? The answer is: that it depends.
You'll want to consider today’s mortgage rates, where they’re expected to go from here, and what would prompt you to want to make a change as you decide on your next steps. An expert can help with that.
Bottom Line
Other homeowners are getting used to rates and deciding to move. Let’s chat to go over what matters most to you and if it’s time for you to jump back into the market too.
Is It Better To Rent Than Buy a Home Right Now?
You may have seen reports in the news recently saying it’s more affordable to rent right now than it is to buy a home. And while that may be true in some markets if you just look at typical monthly payments, there’s one thing that the numbers aren’t factoring in: and that’s home equity. Here’s a look at how big of an impact equity can have and why it’s worth considering as you make your decision.
What the Headlines Are Based on
The graph below uses national data on the median rental payment from Realtor.com and median mortgage payment from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) to compare the two options. As the graph shows, especially if you’re not looking for a lot of space, it can be more affordable on a monthly basis to rent:
But if you’re looking for something with 2 bedrooms, the gap between the median rent and the median mortgage payment starts to shrink to a difference that may be more doable. The median monthly mortgage payment is $2,040. The median monthly rent for 2 bedrooms is $1,889. That’s a difference of about $151 a month. But here’s what happens when you factor in equity too.
How Equity Changes the Game
If you rent, your monthly rental payments only go toward covering your housing costs and your landlord’s expenses. So other than saving a bit more per month and maybe getting your rental deposit back when you move, the money you spent on housing each month is gone – forever.
When you buy, your monthly mortgage payment pays for your shelter, but it also acts as an investment. That investment grows in the form of equity as you make your mortgage payment each month and chip away at what you owe on your home loan. Your equity gets an extra boost as home values climb – which they typically do.
To give you a clearer idea of how equity can really stack up fast, here’s some data for you. Each quarter, Fannie Mae and Pulsenomics publish the results of the Home Price Expectations Survey (HPES). It asks more than 100 economists, real estate professionals, and investment and market strategists what they think will happen with home prices. In the latest release, those experts say home prices are going to keep going up over the next five years.
Here's an example of how equity builds based on the projections from the HPES (see graph below):
Imagine you purchased a home for $400,000 at the start of this year. Chances are, since you bought, you plan to stay put for a while. Based on the HPES projections, if you live there for 5 years, you could end up gaining over $83,000 in household wealth as your home grows in value.
Here’s how that stacks up compared to renting, using the overall median rent from above:
While you may save a bit on your monthly payments if you rent right now, you’ll also miss out on gaining equity.
So, what’s the big takeaway? Whether it makes more sense to rent or buy is going to vary based on your personal finances. It’s not a good idea to buy if the numbers truly don’t work for you. But, if you’re ready and able, adding equity as the final puzzle piece may be enough to help you realize buying is a better move in the long run.
Bottom Line
When it comes down to it, buying a home gives you a benefit renting just can’t provide – and that’s the chance to gain equity. If you want to take advantage of long-term home price appreciation, let’s go over your options.
It’s Not Just Mold: Every Homebuyer Should Be Checking for These 3 Other Hazards Before Buying
While mold often ranks high on a homebuyer's radar due to its often-visible growth and well-publicized health risks, it's far from the only concealed danger that could be lurking within a property.
Beyond the damp, musty presence of mold, buyers should ask about several other pervasive and potentially dangerous hazards during the home inspection process. These include the silent but serious threats of lead; the invisible, odorless gas known as radon; and the equally dangerous asbestos, often found in building materials from decades past.
Understanding how to accurately identify these hidden hazards is critical, as each presents unique challenges in detection and remediation. And as a buyer, it's also important to know what recourse you have if one of these hazards is found during the inspection.
Lead
Lead contamination can occur through paint, water pipes, or soil surrounding the home.
Any home built before 1978, the year lead-based paint was prohibited, could be at increased risk. Lead exposure can lead to severe health issues, especially in children. These include delays in development and damage to the nervous system. In adults, exposure can also result in headaches, abdominal pain, and anemia.
"Lead dust, not just paint chips, poses the biggest threat because it’s easily inhaled or ingested," says environmental testing expert Robert Weitz, founder of RTK Environmental Group.
Your home inspector may test for lead paint, but you should confirm that service is included. If it's not, you can hire a certified lead inspector for $300 to $700 on average.
If lead is found in or around the property, it's recommended that a lead abatement expert be hired to inspect the issue and resolve the problem.
"Lead cannot be removed by cleaning alone," says Weitz. "Professional abatement or encapsulation is needed to permanently and safely eliminate exposure."
According to HomeGuide, professional lead-based paint removal costs around $6 to $17 per square foot.
"With proper testing and professional abatement, the risks can be managed effectively," says Weitz.
Radon
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas you can’t see or smell. It forms when uranium in the soil breaks down and can seep into homes through cracks or openings in the foundation, where it may become trapped and build up.
"Prior to buying a house, every homebuyer should get a radon test," says Insoo Park, CEO and founder of Ecosense, a provider of radon-detecting and monitoring solutions. "Radon's biggest concern is that long-term exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers."
Costs for a professional radon test can range from $75 to $250, but if you're buying a home, it should be included in your home inspection.
If elevated radon levels are detected, it's definitely not something that should be taken lightly.
"You should immediately contact a certified radon mitigation professional, who will then assess the situation and recommend an appropriate mitigation system," says Park. "A mitigation system can reduce radon levels by up to 99%, which will bring the home to safe conditions."
Professionals typically install active depressurization systems that safely vent the gas outdoors, according to Park. "Sealing cracks in the foundation is also an important complementary step," he says.
The cost varies depending on the size of your home, but typically runs less than $4,000.
"What’s essential is to follow up with continuous or regular radon monitoring, because conditions can change over time," warns Park. "Technology today makes it easy to track radon levels in real time from your smartphone."
Asbestos
Asbestos fibers are microscopic and can cause serious illnesses when inhaled, including asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. "These diseases often develop years after exposure," says Weitz.
Before 1978, when it was banned in some U.S. products, asbestos was widely used in insulation, tiles, siding, and other materials.
While asbestos testing was once a standard part of home inspections, it’s typically not included today. To confirm whether asbestos is present, you’ll need a special asbestos inspector.
The initial inspection, report, and lab fees cost $400 to $800 for an average 1,500-square-foot house, according to the White Lung Association.
If asbestos is found, you should contact an environmental testing firm to assess the situation. "If the asbestos is intact and undamaged, it may be safer to leave it in place and monitor it," says Weitz. "If it’s damaged or deteriorating, professional removal or encapsulation is required."
Only licensed asbestos abatement professionals should remove or seal asbestos materials, and it costs anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000, depending on the house.
It's certainly not cheap, but it's money well spent.
"As long as asbestos is properly managed or remediated by professionals, the home can still be a safe investment," says Weitz.
What homebuyers should do
If your dream home has any of these hidden hazards, what's the best way to proceed?
First, check to see if the seller is willing to fix the issue or cover the costs.
"You are in the position to ask for concessions, and should absolutely address the fact that one or more of these issues were found with the seller," says Cara Ameer, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker who is licensed in Florida and California. "Just keep in mind that repair costs can exceed any concessions offered, since the issue may be more extensive than what an inspection or assessment reveals."
A pre-listing inspection is a smart move for sellers to identify and possibly fix issues upfront.
"That way, they can either handle the repairs, offer clear disclosures, or be ready to negotiate if buyers push back," says real estate agent and investor Ron Myers of Ron Buys Florida Homes. "It helps prevent surprises that can derail a deal later on."
When a home is sold “as is,” it usually means the buyer takes on any problems that come with it. Sellers still have to disclose known hazards—like lead paint in homes built before 1978, and in some states, asbestos or radon if they know about them, according to attorney James Roswold.
After you buy an “as-is” home—whether you’ve been informed of hazards or done your own testing—any repair or remediation costs are generally on you.
However, you can still ask for a price reduction before you close the deal.
"The 'as-is' seller may not budge, especially if they already priced the home lower to reflect the condition," explains Myers. "But either way, it’s worth the conversation—especially when it comes to health hazards."
If you decide to buy a home with potential asbestos, radon, or lead issues, know what you're walking into.
"Understand what it’ll cost to remediate, and lean on your agent or real estate attorney to make sure you’re protected," says Myers. "Sometimes, walking away is the smartest move. But if the numbers work out, you can still end up with a great deal."
