January 2026- MLS Report
The High–Country Real Estate Market, which consists of Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, and Watauga counties, saw ninety closed sales of single-family, including condo/ townhouse properties, during January 2026, with a combined closing total of $57.8 million. That combined median sales price came in at $502,500 for the start of 2026.
High Country Association of REALTORS® 2026 President, James Kemper recently commented that nationally and locally the market has certainly been impacted by the weather across the country. February will surely have some of the same impacts on the market as January had. Spring is around the corner, though!
Nationally:
As housing affordability begins to improve through the fourth quarter, buyers will start to take notice that mortgage rates have fallen as income growth outpaced home growth, whereas the income required to buy a typical home declined.
According to NAR data, the monthly mortgage payment on the typical single- family home, with a 20% down payment, was $ 2,057 in the fourth quarter of 2025, which is down 5.7% from the third quarter and a 3.1% decrease compared to a year ago.
Yet, with home prices continuing to rise in most of the metro regions across the country, and slowing growth and affordability improving, hopeful buyers may get the opportunity to find their long-awaited opening.
Inventory: In the month of January 2026, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, and Watauga Counties had 721 active single-family and condo/ townhouse listings, down by 7.2% compared to December 2025, with an additional 152 new listings, up by 33.3%, creating a 4.4-month supply of inventory.
Land: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, and Watauga closed with forty-five land sales during January 2026, with median sales $126,000, which increased 84.6% from December. There were 1,209 active land inventories, with 122 new listings, resulting in a 26.9 month’s supply of inventory for January 2026.
Commercial: There were thirty-six active commercial properties listed in the High-Country Multiple Listings Service during January 2026, with two commercial sales during the month totaling $775,000.
Alleghany County: There were eight residential sales in January, down by 20.0% from December 2025. The county’s median sales for January 2026 were $357,500, up 3.6% compared to December 2025, with sixty-three active residential listings, a 1.6 % decrease from December 2025, with ten new listings, which increased by 11.1% from last month. In addition, there were three land closings in January 2026 with a median sales price of $15,000, with 221 active inventory, and eleven new listings. Leaving an impressive 73.6 -month supply of land in Alleghany County.
Ashe County: Ashe reported twenty residential sales in January 2026, a significant increase of 45.9 % compared to December 2025, with a median sales price of $387,000, up by 4.6 % from December 2025. Additionally, there were 131 active residential properties, including thirty-five new listings, reflecting a 40.0% increase from December 2025. There were also fifteen land sales, with a median sale of $75,000. The county had 301 active listings and thirty-one new listings in January 2026, up 72.2 % from the prior month creating a 20.1 month supply of inventory for land.
Avery County: Twenty- two residential properties closed in Avery County in January 2026. The median sales price was $440,000 for January 2026, with a decrease of 21.8 % compared to December 2025. Additionally, there were 240 active residential properties in inventory, with thirty-four new listings, a small decrease of 8.1% compared to last month. Avery County closed nine land sales in January 2026, with a median sales price of $165,000 up by 152.4 % increase compared to December 2025. Additionally, there are 258 active listings in inventory, with twenty- two new listings in Avery County, creating a 28.7 month supply of inventory for land.
Watauga County: Watauga County reported forty closed residential sales in January 2026, a 54.5 % decrease from December 2025. The median sales price was $655,750; a 28.6% increase compared to the previous month. There were 287 active residential properties in inventory, along with seventy-three new listings in January 2026, up 69.8% from December 2025. Additionally, eighteen land properties were sold in January 2026, a 18.2% decrease from December 2025, with a median sale price of $195,000, a significant increase 124.6% compared to last month. The county also had 429 land listings and fifty- eight new land listings in January 2026 creating a 23.7-month supply of land inventory.
Disclaimer: Figures are based on the High-Country Multiple Listing Service information. Data is for informational purposes only and may not be accurate due to MLS reporting processes. This data reflects a specific point in time and cannot be used in perpetuity due to the fluctuating nature of markets.
Report graphics generated from Domus Analytics pulled from the HCAR Web API feed. HCAR Realtor® members can access these detailed and customizable reports and graphics for professional use by logging into the HCAR dashboard. A public graphic is available on our website homepage at highcountryrealtors.org.