February 25, 2026

Contact: Kim Walker, 704-940-3149

Residential Sales Trends in York, Lancaster, Chester and  Chesterfield Counties

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Canopy MLS reports on residential sales trends in the contiguous counties to Mecklenburg County, which includes York, Lancaster, Chester, and Chesterfield, South Carolina. Data included in this report is for single-family, condo, and townhome property types only, for the geographies mentioned above. Data in this press release is sourced from Canopy MLS, a subsidiary corporation of the Canopy Realtor® Association, and reflects existing-home sales of single-family homes, condos, and townhomes only.

Housing activity across the four-county region south of Charlotte opened 2026 with exciting momentum, as both buyers and sellers re-engaged following the typical year-end slowdown. Year-over-year gains in listings and pending sales signal steady demand, even as the market continues to inch toward balance. 

In January, new listings increased 1.7 percent compared to one year ago, rising to 640 properties, while pending sales climbed 11.3 percent to 530 contracts. On a month-over-month basis, activity rebounded sharply from December, with new listings up 49.5 percent and pending sales increasing 48.5 percent, reflecting the customary post-holiday reentry of both buyers and sellers and an early indication of spring market momentum building. Builders added 152 new listings to the MLS during January. 

Closed sales totaled 349 transactions in January, down 5.9 percent year-over-year and 32.8 percent compared to December. The monthly decline reflects contracts written late in 2025 when activity slowed seasonally, rather than a weakening in underlying demand. Notably, 2025 concluded with a 7.4 percent annual increase in closed sales over 2024, underscoring the broader stability of the regional market. Homes averaged 74 days on market, an increase of 23.3 percent compared to last January and 27.6 percent higher than December. 

Inventory levels remain substantially improved from recent years. At the end of January, 1,633 homes were available for sale, representing a 23.9 percent increase year-over-year. While inventory dipped 4.6 percent from December. New builds account for 28 percent of the properties currently on the market in the micro-region. Months’ supply registered at 2.9 months, up 16.0 percent from last year but down 6.5 percent month-over-month, signaling that while supply has expanded meaningfully, buyer activity is steadily absorbing available inventory. 

“Inventory is up significantly compared to a year ago, and buyers are responding. While homes are taking longer to sell, that additional time reflects a more stable and sustainable environment rather than a slowdown in demand.” said Angela Harris, 2026 President of Piedmont Regional Association of Realtors® and a Realtor®/broker with Premier South. 

Price metrics in January experienced modest changes. The median sales price declined 2.8 percent year-over-year to $385,000 and was down 3.5 percent compared to December. The average sales price decreased 1.5 percent annually to $448,060 but rose 1.7 percent month-over-month. Notably, the rolling 12-month median remains up 3.9 percent and the 12-month average up 2.8 percent, indicating that long term price appreciation continues despite short term fluctuations. Sellers received 97.6 percent of list price on average, slightly lower than a year ago and December 2025. 

Harris added, “Pending sales growth and strong month-over-month listing activity signal that buyers and sellers are preparing for an active spring. The market is no longer defined by urgency, but by opportunity.” 

Showing activity across the four-county region indicates steady buyer engagement heading into 2026. According to the January ShowingTime data, York County averaged 4.0 showings per listing, Lancaster County recorded 3.3 showings per listing, Chester County averaged 1.8 showings per listing, and Chesterfield County with 1.0 showings per listing. The data suggests that buyers remain active and are touring properties at a steady rate, even as days on market have increased and inventory levels continue to rebuild. 

A closer look at the four South Carolina counties

York County recorded 415 new listings in January, unchanged from last year, while pending sales increased 13.1 percent to 362 and closed sales totaled 219. The median sales price declined 4.2 percent year-over-year to $402,500, and the average sales price decreased 4.3 percent to $452,145. Sellers received 93.8 percent of original list price on average. Homes averaged 70 days on market, the average list price was $463,691, inventory rose to 944 homes, and months supply reached 2.6 months.

Lancaster County saw 160 new listings in January, up 7.4 percent year-over-year, while pending sales rose 13.2 percent to 129 and closed sales totaled 87. The median sales price increased 9.6 percent to $465,000, and the average sales price climbed 11.6 percent to $514,874. Sellers received 95.4 percent of original list price. Homes averaged 88 days on market, the average list price was $486,581, inventory expanded to 471 homes, and months supply rose to 3.4 months. 

Chesterfield County reported 22 new listings in January, a 69.2 percent increase year-over-year, while pending sales rose 33.3 percent to 12 and closed sales doubled to 14. The median sales price increased 5.6 percent to $279,750, while the average sales price declined 1.4 percent to $276,064. Sellers received 97.7 percent of original list price. Homes averaged 69 days on market, the average list price was $396,560, inventory rose to 70 homes, and months supply measured 4.7 months. 

Chester County recorded 43 new listings in January, down 17.3 percent year-over-year, while pending sales increased 3.1 percent to 33 and closed sales rose 37.5 percent to 22. The median sales price climbed 15.8 percent to $254,750, and the average sales price increased 30.4 percent to $297,191. Sellers received 88.4 percent of original list price. Homes averaged 79 days on market, the average list price was $364,602, inventory expanded to 130 homes, and months supply reached 3.9 months.

Canopy Realtor^® Association provides monthly reports on residential real estate market activity for the Charlotte region based on data from Canopy MLS. This report is based on the four South Carolina counties that are also included in the Charlotte region (Chester, Chesterfield, Lancaster, and York Counties).  For more details, visit the monthly report this release is based on, and search for “Piedmont Regional Association of Realtors®". 

See also Charlotte region reports and individual county reports for York, Lancaster, Chester, and Chesterfield.  For more residential housing market statistics, visit www.CarolinaHome.com and click on “Market Data.” For an interview with Canopy MLS South Carolina representative, Colleen Coesens, Realtor®/Broker-in-charge with EXP Realty, Rock Hill, please contact Kim Walker.

Canopy MLS is a wholly-owned subsidiary corporation of Canopy Realtor® Association and is the private broker cooperative used by Realtors® to bring buyers and sellers together with access to thousands of residential listings in a multicounty service area, including Charlotte, Asheville and Catawba Valley regions spanning across North Carolina, South Carolina and outside of the Carolinas. Canopy MLS, which has 21,000 subscribers, provides the most trustworthy, timely, accurate and complete property data along with proprietary tools for showings, market stats, predictive analytics, and more. Canopy MLS is used by its members to support consumers in their residential real estate transactions, whether selling, buying, investing or renting.