November 18, 2025

Contact: Kim Walker, 704-940-3149

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Catawba Valley Region’s housing market adjusted in October, as declining prices and rising contract activity signaled a shift in buyer behavior following the Federal Reserve’s recent rate cut. Data in this report comes from Canopy MLS and includes single-family homes, condos, and townhomes across Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba Counties.

Prices led the month’s story. The median sales price fell 8.3 percent year-over-year to $281,500 and moved 7.7 percent lower than in September, while the average sales price increased 1.9 percent annually to $363,692 and rose slightly month-over-month. The combination of softer pricing and lower borrowing costs created new momentum for buyers. Sellers continued to list homes at higher figures, with the average list price rising 8.2 percent year-over-year and nearly 5 percent from September to reach $424,483. Consequently, the percent of original list price received dipped to 93.5 percent, a sign that buyers regained some negotiating room even as demand remained steady.

New listing activity slowed, falling 2.9 percent from last year and 9.2 percent from September. Builders continued to produce new inventory this month adding 104 properties to the MLS. Even so, the market gained energy on the demand side: pending sales surged 20.0 percent year-over-year and 17.6 percent month-over-month to 420 contracts, the third-highest monthly level in two years. This month 366 properties closed, marking the fifth consecutive month of annual gains. However, this was a slight 3.4 percent dip from September’s sales.

“We’re seeing renewed confidence as buyers realize that waiting for perfect conditions isn’t necessary, opportunities are opening up now, especially with more inventory and slightly more flexibility on price” said Dawn Kilby, Realtor®/broker with Realty Executives of Hickory and 2025 president of the Catawba Valley Association of Realtors®.

Inventory across the region grew 16.5 percent compared to last October, reaching 1,243 homes, though supply fell 8.0 percent month-over-month as buyers absorbed more options. This was the 6^th consecutive month with inventory above 1200. New construction made up 28 percent of available homes. The region ended October with 3.5 months of supply, up 9.4 percent from last year, edging closer to the six-month threshold associated with a fully balanced market.

Homes spent an average of 53 days on market, up from 41 days last year and roughly in line with late-summer trends. Showing activity remained strong, with 5,153 total appointments across the region and buyers averaging 3.3 showings per listing. Hickory continued to lead with 4.0 showings per listing, while Newton averaged 3.4 and Lenoir and Morganton each recorded 3.3. These figures highlight a stable level of buyer engagement even as prices recalibrated.

Kilby added, “The current environment is much healthier than what we saw during the pandemic surge. Buyers have more selection, sellers still benefit from strong values, and the rate landscape is finally easing. We expect this balance to carry into the winter selling season, which could make the next few months more active than usual.”

A closer look at sales across the four counties:
(Due to smaller sample sizes in counties where there is a smaller pool of listings, percentage increases or decreases may seem extreme)

Alexander County experienced a strong pickup in buyer demand in October. New listings doubled year-over-year to 44, while pending sales increased 60.9 percent to 37 and closed sales jumped 78.6 percent to 25. Prices softened compared to last October, with the median sales price down 10.7 percent to $269,000 and the average sales price inching down 1.2 percent to $354,116. Sellers received 89.2 percent of their original list price, slightly lower than last year. Homes spent an average of 75 days on market, up from 60 days a year earlier. The average list price climbed 25.5 percent to $477,593, reflecting increased seller confidence and higher-end listings entering the market. Inventory rose 34.4 percent to 82 homes, bringing months of supply to 3.5.

Burke County saw a cooler pace of seller activity, with new listings down 9.9 percent from last year to 64, while pending sales increased slightly by 1.6 percent to 63. Closed sales fell 15.3 percent to 72. Pricing metrics slipped this month with the median sales price down 7.0 percent year-over-year to $260,500, while the average sales price dipped 1.3 percent to $345,411. Sellers received 93.1 percent of their original list price. Homes averaged 51 days on market, compared to 39 days a year ago. However, the average list price reached $376,670, up 5.5 percent. Inventory rose to 239 homes, an increase of 9.1 percent, and months of supply grew to 3.7, the highest among the four counties.

Caldwell County recorded one of the strongest months for contract activity in the region. New listings rose 24.3 percent to 87, pending sales expanded 58.2 percent to 87, and closed sales increased 14.5 percent to 79. Prices moderated slightly, with the median sales price down 1.8 percent to $265,000 and the average up 3.5 percent to $346,995. Sellers received 93.3 percent of their original list price. Days on market rose to 52, up from 40 last year. The average list price reached $368,053—an increase of 5.8 percent—and inventory grew 30.8 percent to 225 homes. Months of supply rose sharply from 2.7 to 3.5, mirroring the region’s broader trend toward balance.

Catawba County may be the region’s largest and most active market but it experienced slower seller activity in October. New listings declined 14.5 percent to 271, while pending sales rose 11.0 percent to 233 and closed sales dipped 3.6 percent to 190. Prices adjusted downward, with the median sales price falling 7.8 percent to $299,500 and the average sales price increasing 3.1 percent to $378,822. Sellers received 94.3 percent of their original list price. Homes averaged 51 days on market, up from 41 days a year ago. The average list price climbed 8.3 percent to $445,060, driven by more newly built and upper-tier homes entering the market. Inventory increased 13.3 percent to 697 homes, while months of supply held steady at 3.4.

For more residential-housing market statistics, visit www.CarolinaHome.com and click on “Market Data.” For an interview with 2025 president of Catawba Valley Association of REALTORS® Dawn Kilby, Realtor®/Broker at Realty Executives of Hickory, 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.