The 20 most competitive housing markets in North Carolina

Across much of the U.S., people are struggling to buy and sell homes. Homebuyers are scared off by high prices and economic uncertainty, while home sellers are staying put until they can earn more profit from the sale. Student loan debt is adding even more pressure on younger buyers. As such, houses are selling at a historically slow rate, especially in the Sun Belt—even as mortgage rates fall.

That's not the case everywhere, though. In today's market, understanding your local level of competition can help you make smarter decisions. It affects everything from how quickly homes sell to how much negotiating power buyers and sellers have.

Conditions vary widely across North Carolina—but this list can help. Redfin Real Estate ranked the most competitive cities in North Carolina based on their combined months of supply (lower is better), average sale to list ratio (higher is better), and median days on market (lower is better). All data is an average for the January-October 2025 period. To see the most competitive cities in the country, read this recent Redfin article.

#1. Apex, North Carolina
- Days on market: 26.0 days
- Sale to list ratio: 99.5%
- Months of supply: 2.1 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 24.1%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 47.8%
- See homes for sale in Apex on Redfin.com

#2. Holly Springs, North Carolina
- Days on market: 24.85 days
- Sale to list ratio: 99.2%
- Months of supply: 2.14 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 26.4%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 52.0%
- See homes for sale in Holly Springs on Redfin.com

#3. Cary, North Carolina
- Days on market: 25.57 days
- Sale to list ratio: 99.3%
- Months of supply: 2.22 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 30.5%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 52.3%
- See homes for sale in Cary on Redfin.com

#4. Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Days on market: 30.13 days
- Sale to list ratio: 100.7%
- Months of supply: 2.68 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 40.7%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 56.5%
- See homes for sale in Chapel Hill on Redfin.com

#5. Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Days on market: 25.32 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.4%
- Months of supply: 2.04 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 27.5%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 43.5%
- See homes for sale in Jacksonville on Redfin.com

#5. Morrisville, North Carolina
- Days on market: 35.88 days
- Sale to list ratio: 99.0%
- Months of supply: 2.46 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 25.0%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 38.9%
- See homes for sale in Morrisville on Redfin.com

#7. Matthews, North Carolina
- Days on market: 44.81 days
- Sale to list ratio: 99.4%
- Months of supply: 2.56 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 34.3%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 54.7%
- See homes for sale in Matthews on Redfin.com

#8. Wake Forest, North Carolina
- Days on market: 42.4 days
- Sale to list ratio: 99.1%
- Months of supply: 2.67 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 20.8%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 36.0%
- See homes for sale in Wake Forest on Redfin.com

#9. Greensboro, North Carolina
- Days on market: 37.85 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.4%
- Months of supply: 2.48 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 26.7%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 46.1%
- See homes for sale in Greensboro on Redfin.com

#10. Durham, North Carolina
- Days on market: 31.58 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.8%
- Months of supply: 2.98 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 29.3%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 42.8%
- See homes for sale in Durham on Redfin.com

#11. Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
- Days on market: 44.24 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.7%
- Months of supply: 2.74 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 20.9%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 35.8%
- See homes for sale in Fuquay-Varina on Redfin.com

#12. Charlotte, North Carolina
- Days on market: 46.87 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.9%
- Months of supply: 2.84 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 25.5%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 45.8%
- See homes for sale in Charlotte on Redfin.com

#12. Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Days on market: 39.02 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.3%
- Months of supply: 2.7 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 28.4%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 44.5%
- See homes for sale in Winston-Salem on Redfin.com

#14. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Days on market: 32.65 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.6%
- Months of supply: 2.92 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 22.7%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 42.1%
- See homes for sale in Raleigh on Redfin.com

#15. Garner, North Carolina
- Days on market: 46.0 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.7%
- Months of supply: 2.8 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 13.2%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 30.3%
- See homes for sale in Garner on Redfin.com

#15. Wilmington, North Carolina
- Days on market: 26.16 days
- Sale to list ratio: 97.9%
- Months of supply: 2.77 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 19.8%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 41.2%
- See homes for sale in Wilmington on Redfin.com

#17. Kernersville, North Carolina
- Days on market: 53.57 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.6%
- Months of supply: 2.54 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 21.1%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 34.8%
- See homes for sale in Kernersville on Redfin.com

#18. Fayetteville, North Carolina
- Days on market: 31.31 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.0%
- Months of supply: 2.82 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 23.9%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 34.2%
- See homes for sale in Fayetteville on Redfin.com

#19. Huntersville, North Carolina
- Days on market: 53.22 days
- Sale to list ratio: 99.0%
- Months of supply: 3.13 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 19.7%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 41.1%
- See homes for sale in Huntersville on Redfin.com

#20. Clayton, North Carolina
- Days on market: 50.11 days
- Sale to list ratio: 98.7%
- Months of supply: 2.89 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 16.6%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 31.9%
- See homes for sale in Clayton on Redfin.com