March is doing that thing where it can’t decide if it’s winter or spring, and honestly, the real estate market has the same energy right now. Some homes are flying off the shelf like the last box of Cadbury eggs before Easter; others are sitting there wondering why no one’s calling. The good news? If you know how to read the room — and I do — there’s opportunity everywhere in this market right now. Let’s get into it.
MARKET UPDATE
TL;DR
- Buyers: Half of all closings still go under contract in 10 days or less — the right home moves fast. Stay pre-approved and ready.
- Sellers: Expired listings are up 63% year over year. Price for this market, not last year’s.
- Investors: Motivated sellers and longer timelines mean negotiating room that hasn’t existed in 18 months.
For Buyers
If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines waiting for the market to “cool down,” here’s the nuanced truth: it already has — and it hasn’t. The median days on market has climbed to 47 days, up sharply from 28 days this time last year, and that number might make the whole market feel sluggish. But don’t let it fool you. Of the 1,017 homes that closed this period, 517 of them — that’s just over 50% — went under contract in 10 days or less. The right homes are still moving at a sprint.
What that means practically is that you’re navigating a split market, and your strategy needs to reflect that. The homes sitting at 60, 70, 90 days? Many of them are overpriced, underloved, or both — and they’re dragging that average up. But the well-priced, well-presented home in a desirable neighborhood is still drawing urgency. With 1,359 new pendings against 1,745 new listings — a pending-to-listing ratio of about 78% — there’s real absorption happening. Stay ready, stay pre-approved, and when something good hits, treat it like it’s still a competitive market. Because for that home, it is.
For Sellers
The market is telling a very honest story right now, and the sellers who are listening are doing well. Homes are still closing at 98.3% of list price on average, and 11.3% of closings are happening above list price. That’s not a distressed market — that’s a functional one. But compare that to this time last year, when 16% of homes closed above list and sellers were receiving 98.9% of list price, and you can feel the shift. The ceiling has come down, and pricing precision matters more than it did twelve months ago.
The number that should get every seller’s attention is this: 326 homes expired this period, compared to 200 in the same period last year — a 63% increase year over year. Those aren’t bad homes in bad neighborhoods. Many of them are perfectly fine properties that were priced with last year’s optimism in a this-year market. Buyers have more choices now, with new listings up to 1,745 from 1,676 a year ago, and they are not feeling pressured to overpay. If you price right, prepare well, and present your home honestly to the market, you can absolutely win. But the data is clear about what happens when you don’t.
For Investors
The conditions shaping up in this market are quietly interesting for investors who know how to read between the lines. That 63% jump in expired listings — from 200 to 326 year over year — represents motivated sellers who have already been through the disappointment of a failed listing cycle. They came to market with high expectations, sat through weeks of limited showings, and are now recalibrating. That psychological shift creates real negotiating room that simply didn’t exist 12 to 18 months ago. Combine that with a median days on market of 47 days, and you have sellers who are increasingly open to conversations they wouldn’t have had before.
The 98.3% list-price-received average is still respectable, but it’s a mean — and means hide the tails. Properties that have been sitting, that have already expired once, or that need work are closing meaningfully below that figure. With new listings running ahead of new pendings by a ratio that suggests the market isn’t fully absorbing supply, patient and well-capitalized investors have real leverage. This isn’t a distressed market, and it shouldn’t be approached like one — but it is a market where disciplined offers, longer negotiation timelines, and value-add plays are back on the table in a way they weren’t a year ago.
Field Notes
What the data doesn’t capture is the feeling in the room at showings right now. I’m seeing buyers who are more deliberate — not timid, but thoughtful. They’re asking sharper questions about days on market, about why a home is priced where it is, about what the seller’s situation actually looks like. That shift in buyer posture is real, and it’s something I haven’t felt this consistently since before the frenzy years. There’s a patience returning to the process that, honestly, makes for healthier transactions for everyone involved.
On the seller side, the conversations I’m having before listings go live have changed too. There’s more humility in the room — more willingness to hear honest pricing guidance and act on it, rather than test the market and hope. The sellers who come in prepared, who’ve done the work on presentation, and who price based on where the market actually is rather than where they wish it were — those are the people walking away from the closing table satisfied. The ones who don’t are becoming that expiration statistic. My job right now is making sure the people I’m working with never end up in that column.
LOCAL HAPPENINGS
TL;DR
- March 20 – Apex Community Dance, downtown Apex. $2, all ages, live music.
- March 21-22 – Model Train Show, Cary. Free, kids’ displays, LEGO layouts.
- March 21 – Spring Fling at NMAC, Holly Springs. Easter egg hunts, bunny meet & greets.
- March 28 – Community Wide Yard Sale, Holly Springs. 8 a.m., seller reg closes March 25.
- Ongoing – Downtown Candy Hop, Fuquay-Varina. Easter Bunny, merchant treats, rain or shine.
All Aboard! Model Train Show – March 21-22, 2026 Listen, whether you’re a full-on Sheldon Cooper about trains or just looking for something genuinely cool to do with the kids, this one’s for you. The Herbert C. Young Community Center in Cary is hosting an incredible model train show featuring O, G, S, N, and Z scale layouts — plus a LEGO scale layout because apparently someone said “why not make it even more awesome.” Interactive kids’ displays, zero admission drama, and enough intricate detail to keep everyone entertained for hours. Learn More
Apex Community Dance – Friday, March 20, 2026 Y’all, for $2 you can learn to square dance, English Country dance, AND contra dance all in one night in historic downtown Apex — that’s less than a gas station coffee and approximately 900% more fun. No experience needed because they walk you through everything, which means even those of us with two left feet (hi, it me) are welcome on that floor. All ages, all abilities, live music — this is the kind of wholesome Friday night that’ll have you feeling like you accidentally wandered into a really good Hallmark movie. Learn More
Downtown Candy Hop – Fuquay-Varina Grab your Peeps — the human kind AND the marshmallow kind — and head to downtown Fuquay-Varina for the Downtown Candy Hop along Main and Broad Streets, where participating merchants are basically handing out happiness by the basketful. The Easter Bunny AND a Spring Chick will be there for photo ops, which honestly sounds cuter than anything I’ve seen on Pinterest lately. It’s rain or shine and follows right after the town egg hunt, so go ahead and block off the whole morning because Fuquay is bringing the spring energy. Learn More
Holly Springs Community Wide Yard Sale – Saturday, March 28, 2026 One person’s attic chaos is another person’s treasure, and Holly Springs is about to have a lot of treasure available at the North Main Athletic Complex starting at 8 a.m. sharp. This is the kind of event where you show up with $40 cash and leave with something inexplicable but deeply satisfying — think vintage Tupperware, a lamp that belongs in a John Hughes movie, maybe even a bread maker still in the box. Seller registration closes March 25th, so if you’ve been staring at your garage like it personally offended you, now’s your moment. Learn More
Spring Fling at NMAC – Saturday, March 21, 2026 Holly Springs is going full Easter mode with Spring Fling at North Main Athletic Complex, and honestly it sounds like the most adorable morning you could possibly have with your little ones. We’re talking bunny meet & greets, a stadium scavenger hunt, vendors, games, and not one but TWO egg hunts divided by age group — because Holly Springs looked at chaos and said “we can do better.” Ages 0-4 hunt at 11 a.m. and ages 5+ at noon, so pack your baskets, slap on some sunscreen, and go make some memories. Learn More
DAY TRIPS
2026 Uptown Wine Down – Saturday, March 21, 2026 Lexington, NC is calling and it wants you to sip wine and shop your way through its charming Uptown district — and honestly, that sounds like the perfect Saturday to me. Brewer’s Kettle is curating a wide variety of wines while local shops roll out the welcome mat for a full day of sip-and-shop bliss. It’s about an hour and a half from Raleigh, which is just long enough to feel like a real getaway without requiring a packed bag. [Learn More]
