Eastern NC Housing Market: 2025 Recap & 2026 Forecast for Craven, Pamlico & Carteret Counties

During the New Year it is easy to look back at what has been, especially in the real estate market. However, the hope that comes with a New Year is the part that usually excites us. Looking back to see where we have been, gives us perspective on how to make the future brighter. We may make New Year’s Resolutions or pick My One Word for the year as a guide to improve our situations. My favorite thing about writing the January article is it is a wonderful time to really look back at the numbers to determine how the real estate market has been. Plus, I take the privilege of making predictions about the market for the upcoming year. As a 23-year real estate numbers nerd, I get a kick out of making future guesses and I believe I am getting better at it!

The data points above tell an interesting story. However, they do not tell the whole story. Most people I do not believe would want to read the novel that would encompass the whole story as real estate is hyper-local. Looking at the real estate market from a county level gives perspective and again misses some of the story based on what a person is looking to buy or sell. Different price points, neighborhoods, and markets are better or worse than others. That is why I love talking about real estate because no two stories, as well as needs of buyers and sellers, are the same.

Now what does 2026 hold for our part of Eastern North Carolina? I believe this coming year we will see the market remain steady as it has in 2025. As a Team, we at the Homes Sales Team were up 20% in the number of properties sold, closing 133 homes this year. We like to keep our fingers on the pulse of the market as we are in it daily. I feel inventory levels will continue to slowly increase. This is a good thing to balance out the supply of homes. I believe prices will remain flat this year with small increases in most segments of the market. We are expecting interest rates to hang close to where they are as well with FHA and VA financing currently in the 5.5-6% range with Conventional Loans being in the upper 5% to low 6% range depending upon your length of financing. There are still great loan options and rates are lower now than they have been in the past 2-3 years. I do believe we will continue to see our area grow and bring more people in which will keep the number of sales ticking up as well.

Overall, 2026 should be a good year. Once the road construction is completed for Hwy 42, I think it will make Craven, Pamlico, and Carteret County more accessible for people and businesses. If you include the growth happening at Cherry Point over the next couple of years, our area is poised for excellent growth in the real estate market throughout the next 5-10 years. If you are considering buying or selling, we would love to have a conversation with you to show you where your property fits into this data and tell you the rest of the story. As we like to say, if buying or selling a home is your dream, give us a call at the Home Sales Team!