North Carolina real estate
North Carolina hosts four independently-owned real estate firms operating under the “Preferred Properties” name — covering Asheville’s mountain market, the ultra-luxury resort communities of Highlands and Cashiers, the Piedmont Triad, and the Lake Gaston waterfront corridor. Each is a separate, unrelated business.
See the live North Carolina housing market report →
Editorial reference: PreferredProperties.com is an independent media resource and is not affiliated with any brokerage listed below. This directory is compiled from public sources for informational purposes — verify all details directly with each brokerage. How this directory is compiled.
North Carolina Real Estate Market Overview
North Carolina has been one of the fastest-growing states in the Southeast for over a decade, driven by technology and finance sector employment in the Research Triangle, manufacturing expansion in the Piedmont, and sustained in-migration from higher-cost Northeast and Midwest metros. The state’s real estate market reflects this growth: median prices have risen significantly while remaining below comparable coastal markets, making North Carolina a persistent relocation destination.
Western North Carolina — anchored by Asheville — represents a distinct sub-market shaped by mountain geography, a strong arts and tourism economy, and constrained land supply. The Highlands–Cashiers plateau in Macon County operates as a separate luxury resort market entirely, with seasonal buyers from Atlanta, Charlotte, and Florida driving demand for high-elevation estates and mountain-lake properties at price points that often exceed $2M.
Hurricane Helene’s 2024 flooding introduced a new risk dimension to Western NC real estate due diligence. Buyers in the Asheville area and along French Broad River corridors should research specific property flood histories and current recovery status as part of standard due diligence.