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Spring Market Update: What Raleigh Home Sellers Need to Know Right Now

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Welcome to your Invest in Her Real Estate market update! If you’ve been keeping an eye on the news, you might be hearing mixed signals about the spring housing market. To help you separate the headlines from reality, we’re breaking down recent data reported by the Triangle Business Journal so you can approach your sale with confidence and strategy.

Here is the succinct, no-nonsense breakdown of what is happening in the Raleigh area right now.

The Shift: Homes are Taking a Little Longer to Sell

It’s true that the frenzied pace of the last few years is cooling. Nationally, homes are sitting on the market about nine days longer than they did last year. Locally, the shift is more pronounced: Raleigh has seen a year-over-year increase of 30 days on the market, while Durham has seen a 28-day jump.

Broader economic factors and fluctuating mortgage rates have simply given buyers more time to pause and evaluate their options before making an offer.

The Silver Lining: The Sky Isn’t Falling

It is easy to look at “days on market” increases and panic, but a deeper dive into the data reveals a very encouraging picture for sellers:

  • Move-in-ready homes still move fast: Nationally, 34% of homes are still selling within just two weeks. The properties on the market the longest are typically overpriced or require more work than buyers are prepared to offer or can afford.
  • Profit margins remain historically strong: While we aren’t seeing the record-shattering peak margins of mid-2022, sellers are currently averaging 44.1%. To put that in perspective, a typical “good” profit margin prior to the pandemic was around 30%. You are still in a fantastic historical position to build wealth through your home sale.

The Takeaway for Would-Be Sellers

What does this mean if you are preparing to list in the Triangle this year? It just means we need to lean into the fundamentals of real estate:

  1. Price Strategically: The days of pricing a home aspirationally high and expecting a bidding war on day one are largely behind us. Overpriced homes are the ones inflating those “days on market” statistics.
  2. Prep to Impress: Because buyers have the luxury of time to be a bit more selective, your home’s presentation matters more than ever.
  3. Pack Your Patience: Expect the process to take a few weeks, not a weekend.

At Invest in Her Real Estate, we know how to position your property so it lands in that fast-selling 34%. If you’re curious about what your specific home is worth in today’s shifting Raleigh real estate market, let’s connect and build a winning strategy together: 919-229-9725 or Hello@InvestInHerRealEstate.com.

Honoring North Carolina’s Veterans—Today and Every Day

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As a REALTOR® with the Military Relocation Professional (MRP) certification, serving the real estate needs of those who serve our country is more than a professional specialty—it’s a personal commitment. Although Veterans Day has passed, the gratitude and respect I have for our military community extends far beyond one day on the calendar.

North Carolina is home to one of the largest veteran and active-duty populations in the nation, shaping every corner of our state with their leadership, service, and resilience. A recent report from Business North Carolina highlighted just how significant this community is:

  • 618,846 military veterans call North Carolina home—approximately 8% of our state’s population, placing us eighth nationally.
  • 12% of North Carolina’s military veterans are women, a powerful and growing demographic whose contributions deserve expanded visibility and support. This compares with women making up 17.7% of active-duty military personnel nationwide.
  • Our state is also home to more than 91,000 active-duty service members, ranking fourth in the U.S. for active-duty military population.

These numbers reflect more than statistics—they represent families relocating between duty stations, veterans transitioning to civilian life, and military spouses navigating frequent moves with strength and adaptability. Each deserves a real estate professional who understands the complexities of military life, VA loan processes, timelines, and the resources available to them.

My commitment as an MRP-certified REALTOR® is to help streamline that process with compassion, expertise, and advocacy. Whether it’s coordinating a cross-country PCS move, navigating a competitive market on a tight timeline, or helping a veteran achieve their dream of homeownership using hard-earned benefits, serving military families is an honor I’m grateful for year-round.

To every veteran, active-duty service member, reservist, and military family in North Carolina and beyond: thank you. Your service shapes our communities, strengthens our state, and inspires my work every day.

If you or someone you know in the military community has questions about buying, selling, or relocating, I’m here to help with guidance tailored to your unique needs: 919-229-9725 or Lisa@InvestinHerRealEstate.com.

Thinking About Buying a Coastal Rental? Read This First.

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What Wilmington’s Rental Market Tells Us About Coastal Investing in the Post-Pandemic Era

A new article from May 2024 focused on Wilmington, NC, but if you’ve been watching coastal markets across the country, the story will sound familiar: short-term rental demand is down, and supply has officially outpaced it.

https://www.whqr.org/local/2024-05-23/wilmingtons-airbnb-stock-is-outstripping-demand

The WHQR piece highlights a sharp increase in the number of active Airbnb units in the Wilmington area—and not enough guests to fill them. That kind of oversaturation isn’t unique to Wilmington. We’re seeing similar patterns in many beach and vacation markets nationwide: too many listings, not enough bookings, and increasingly savvy travelers being more selective about where they stay.

So what does that mean if you’re considering buying a coastal property?

Coastal Buyers, Take Note: Short-Term Rental Trends Are Shifting

It depends on your goals.

If you’re aiming to run a high-occupancy, short-term rental business, you’ll need a strong plan and realistic expectations. The days of throwing a property on Airbnb and expecting it to book itself are behind us in many markets.

But if your goal is to use your beach home and rent it out occasionally to help subsidize your ownership costs—especially with mid- or short-term stays—there’s still a smart play to be made.

This model works especially well for buyers from the Triangle and beyond who want to enjoy the coast without the pressure of operating a full-time rental machine. And if you’re looking for easier management and more consistent income, long-term rentals are also worth a second look.

The bottom line? Coastal investing isn’t one-size-fits-all in 2024. Whether you’re looking at Wilmington or another waterfront market, now’s the time to get clear on your goals and align them with current market realities.

Let’s talk about how to make it work for you.

Contact Me Today: Lisa@InvestInHerRealEstate.com

“Study: N.C. has one of country’s highest declines in homeownership”

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Via Asheville Citizen Times by way of Business North Carolina’s Daily Digest,

This is definitely not the direction we want to move, North Carolina.

A study showed that North Carolina is No. 7 in the country for highest decline in home ownership. Real estate school and media company Agent Advice analyzed housing vacancy and homeownership data from government census numbers between 2014 and 2023. North Carolina’s 66.2% homeownership rate in 2014’s fourth quarter compared to 65.8% in 2023.

If you’ve been sitting on the fence waiting for interest rates to come down or are stuck on the spinning wheel of feeling like a lifelong renter, give me a call, send me a text, or toss me a quick email, and let’s connect to get you in the buyer’s lane! 919-229-9725 or Lisa@InvestInHerRealEstate.com.

No matter where you want to call home, we can work together to design an achievable plan to accomplish your goal of home ownership.

Image Credit: Ketut Subiyanto via Pexels

Considering Home Improvements? Think Twice About Upgrades That Don’t Add Value

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Zillow recently shared a lineup of home improvement projects that aren’t high on the list of appealing upgrades for would-be buyers. Do you recognize any of these projects on your upcoming home improvement hot list? If you’re doing it for your enjoyment with no plans to sell in the near future, then we say, “Go for it!” (especially the walk-in closet), but if you’re considering a sale in the next few years, keep in mind that your investment may be better spent on that pesky “honey do” list instead, as a “well-maintained home can sell for about 10% more than a similar home in average condition,” according to the story.

The projects that don’t deliver a dollar-for-dollar return include:

  • All-white kitchens
  • Walk-in closets
  • Decks
  • Converting garages to bedrooms
  • In-ground swimming pools
  • Poorly done DIY projects
  • Wall-to-wall carpeting
  • Bamboo flooring
  • Laminate countertops
  • High-end fixtures

Dig into the story to read about the reported sales metrics for each project if you’ve been considering investing in one of these home improvement projects this year!

From Co-signers to Homeowners: The Rise of the Single Woman Buyer

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It’s hard to believe that only sixty years ago, a woman couldn’t get a credit card or a mortgage without a male co-signer. Fast forward to today, and the landscape of real estate has shifted dramatically.

2022 Axios Visual of Share of Housing Units Owned and Occupied by Single Women

According to a recent report by Axios, single women aren’t just entering the market—they are leading it. From the national stage to right here in North Carolina, women-led households are becoming a powerhouse force in the economy.

The Numbers Behind the Trend

The data from LendingTree and Maxwell tells a compelling story of financial independence:

  • The Majority Share: In North Carolina, single women own nearly 14% of homes, while single men own just over 9%.
  • Solo Strength: In 2023 alone, solo female mortgage applicants made up 18% of the total market.
  • Financial Lead: Interestingly, one in three women with partners chose to buy their homes on their own because they were in a stronger financial position to do so.

A Generational Shift

While “strength in numbers” plays a role—women outnumber men in most age groups—the real intrigue lies in who is buying. Gen Z and Millennials made up the largest share of single women mortgage applicants last year. This isn’t just a trend; it’s a generational shift in how women view wealth and stability.

The Work That Remains

While we celebrate these milestones, the Axios report reminds us that opportunity isn’t yet equal across the board.

  • The Equity Gap: Homeownership rates for single Latina and Black women remain the lowest in the U.S. (39% for Latinas vs. 62% for non-Hispanic white women).
  • Single Mothers: This group also faces significantly lower homeownership rates compared to single fathers.

Our Take

At Invest in Her Real Estate, we believe that homeownership is one of the most powerful tools for building generational wealth. Helping women claim their stake in the market is exactly why we do what we do.

We aren’t just watching the numbers grow; we are committed to ensuring that all women—including single mothers and women of color—have the resources and support to turn the “dream” of ownership into a reality.

Data Source: Originally reported by Axios Raleigh.