Learn About the Asheville Real Estate Market

Do you really need to understand the Asheville real estate market? Well, you don’t have to have it completely figured out, but it’s a good idea to have a general feel for it.

There's a simple and fun way that I can help you get a feel for what’s out there. This may feel more “real” to you than a lot of numbers and graphs: using a Listing Cart. It's definitely more fun!

Once you’ve figured out your budget and how much you’re realistically comfortable paying for your home, you can begin having a Realtor send you Multiple Listing Service (MLS) information about the homes for sale in the areas that interest you.

I would be happy to create one or more Listing Carts for you. I love Listing Carts! Let me explain what they are...

After you have read and understood the N.C. document “Working with Real Estate Agents,” you can give me your home criteria with priorities, price range and areas of interest. I can then use that information with our local MLS to generate a Listing Cart account for you that will list all the homes that fit your description.

The Listing Cart is regularly updated with new property and changes to the old. Each time, you’ll be notified by email and given a link to click on to take you to your cart.

The main cart page has the list of homes with one photo and a basic description for each. From there, you can change the order of the list, link to photos, detailed information, print or email the detailed view, make personal comments, and delete properties you aren’t interested in. There’s also a way to schedule a showing appointment, but it’s probably better to email me directly to discuss doing that.

In the detailed view, if you click on the address, you’ll be taken to a map view – very helpful in figuring out where places are.

You’ll want to print out your favorites with your notes to add to your notebook.

Organize them by area.

Locate them on your map with a highlighter.

This is a great way to find out “what’s out there.” With this understanding of the real estate market, you can see just what you can get for your dollar in the areas of your interest – because they can vary a lot. For example, in general, homes in north Asheville may be more expensive than west.

If you aren't planning to move here for a year or two or more, you can see how the market is changing over time with your cart - the general trends. There maybe more or fewer homes coming on the market or you may notice the quality or size of what you can get in a certain price range changes over time.

This is also a good time to get familiar with how an MLS sheet is set up. The detailed view has a lot of information: square feet, taxes, kind of heating and cooling, directions, and more. After looking at a few of these you begin to feel comfortable with them and that’s important. You don’t want to feel intimidated by anything in this process.

Remember, some homes look better in photos, but some actually look worse. If you’re getting serious about certain homes, ask your Realtor for more information.

It’s time to schedule another trip! On to Step 9.

On to Step 9 - Visiting Homes