About This Brokerage

Preferred Properties of Asheville is headquartered on Woodfin Street — a location just north of downtown Asheville’s core, placing it close to the River Arts District and within easy reach of the city’s most active residential neighborhoods. As an independent brokerage operating through preferredprop.com, the firm serves a market that spans urban walkable neighborhoods, suburban mountain communities, and the broader western North Carolina mountain region.

Asheville’s real estate community has navigated one of the more intense demand surges of any mid-size American city — a surge that long predated the pandemic and has been sustained by the city’s status as a top relocation destination for remote workers, retirees, and lifestyle buyers from Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, and the Northeast.

The Asheville Real Estate Market

Asheville has consistently ranked among the top relocation destinations in the Southeast, driven by its mountain setting, temperate climate, craft beer and food culture, thriving arts scene, and proximity to major metros without their cost structure. That popularity has had a profound effect on the housing market: Asheville is now one of the least affordable housing markets in the South relative to local income levels.

Asheville’s topography is a defining constraint on its market: the city sits in a mountain basin ringed by steep ridges, and much of the surrounding terrain is not easily developable. This geographic limitation on new supply, combined with sustained in-migration demand, has kept inventory tight and prices elevated relative to surrounding Western NC communities. Helene (2024) brought significant flooding to parts of the region; buyers should research specific property flood histories and current recovery status.

What to Know Before Buying in Asheville

Short-term rental regulations are a moving target. Asheville has been one of the most contested battlegrounds in the country over short-term rental regulation. The city has imposed restrictions on non-owner-occupied STRs in certain zones, and the regulatory landscape continues to evolve. Buyers purchasing with STR income expectations should verify current permitting status and applicable zoning before committing.

Flood history research is newly essential. Hurricane Helene’s 2024 flooding affected parts of the French Broad River corridor and surrounding low-lying areas. Due diligence on any property near waterways — including flood insurance cost modeling and FEMA flood zone verification — is now standard practice in the Asheville market.

Mountain terrain means site-specific due diligence. Steep lots, well and septic systems, private road maintenance agreements, and mountain access issues (driveways that become impassable in ice or heavy rain) are all considerations that urban buyers moving to Asheville frequently underestimate.