2025 Real Estate Trends: Why Now Is the Time to Invest in Eastern North Carolina

Hindsight is 20/20, so it is always easier to look back at what has happened. Predicting the future in this fascinating world we live in is more exciting and something I will take a stab at as well. However, let us get the easy stuff out of the way first and see where the markets ended up in 2024.

Now that we have seen how the local real estate market has continued to thrive while normalization has eased back in, let us look forward and see what will happen in the year 2025… if I can find the batteries to my crystal ball!

The story for 2023 and 2024 has been mortgage interest rates. While people have been sitting around waiting for interest rates to drop, average prices have jumped 15+% in the last two years. If you or anyone you know is waiting for interest rates to drop to buy a home, STOP waiting and buy the house! Prices will continue to increase locally, though I believe at a slower pace than in the last two years. From a long-term perspective, real estate is still a solid investment from both a personal home and purchasing rental property standpoint. The demand for housing in eastern North Carolina still outweighs the inventory available to sell. Builders cannot build them fast enough, and many people are still more in love with their 3% interest rate than they are with their home, which will keep inventory low.

We also have people moving here with jobs as Cherry Point grows, Interstate 42 brings expansion, and the overall allure of eastern NC attracts residents. Days on the market and the time houses sit unsold will remain steady. Though two months is the average, which seems long for recent years, 10 years ago the average days on the market was just under 6 months.

Hindsight is 20/20, so it is easy to see where we have been and how prices have grown exponentially over the last 5, 10, and 20+ years locally. I expect that pace to continue for the next 10 years with the growth coming our way. I am actively looking to add real estate to my investment portfolio, and we are here to help advise you as you make decisions about buying, selling, or investing in real estate.

Looking forward… I look forward to seeing all of you on January 15th sometime between 4:30-7 PM at the Flying Fox on Broad Street in New Bern for our Happy Hour!