This week, kids across Mecklenburg County headed back to school. While the calendar says we still have nearly a month until the autumnal equinox, for most of us, summer is officially over.

And this year, that transition feels especially relevant to real estate.

It’s been a slow summer.

I’ve seen it in the showing activity on our listings. I’ve heard it in conversations with other agents. Buyers and sellers alike seemed to have their attention focused elsewhere. Vacations, camps, travel, family schedules, and everything else that comes with summer have a way of pushing real estate to the back burner.

That’s not necessarily unusual.

Summer has always been a season of disruption. Kids are out of school, routines disappear, and life feels a little less structured. Over the years, I’ve learned not to fight it. Summer is what it is.

But when school starts back, something changes.

Families settle back into routines. Calendars become more predictable. Life regains a bit of structure. And with that structure comes space to focus on what I call “the business of life” which often includes buying or selling a home.

Historically, September and October tend to bring renewed activity to the market before the holiday season arrives with a whole new set of distractions. So as summer fades into the rearview mirror, many of us in real estate are watching to see whether that pattern repeats itself this year.

At the same time, we’re dealing with a market that’s very different from the one we’ve experienced over the past several years.

One of the most notable trends in Mecklenburg County is inventory. Over the past few months, housing supply has climbed to levels we haven’t seen since 2016.

For most of the last decade, sellers have enjoyed a significant advantage. Inventory remained tight, homes sold quickly, multiple offers were common, and prices generally moved higher.

Today, buyers have more choices.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, many would argue it’s healthier. But it does require a shift in expectations.

For years, both buyers and sellers have experienced a market where homes often sold quickly and with little friction. In some ways, we began treating real estate as though it were a highly liquid asset.

The reality is that real estate has always been somewhat illiquid. Homes take time to sell. Buyers take time to make decisions. Negotiations take time. Transactions take time.

As inventory rises and days on market increase, patience may become a more important part of the process than it has been in recent years.

That doesn’t mean homes aren’t selling. They are.

It doesn’t mean prices are collapsing. They’re not.

It simply means that buyers have more options, sellers face more competition, and both sides may need to adjust to a market that feels a little more balanced than what we’ve become accustomed to.

We’ll see what the next few months bring.

Summer is behind us. Routine is returning. Historically, that’s good news for real estate activity. And if the market continues its march toward normal, a little patience may go a long way.

For buyers, more inventory means more opportunity.

For sellers, it means proper pricing, strong presentation, and realistic expectations matter more than ever.

And for all of us, it may be a reminder that sometimes normal isn’t bad. It’s just different.

And as always, here’s a summary of the stats for single family homes in Mecklenburg County in July compared to the previous month and again to the same month last year:

• Home sales are down 5% from last month and up 8% last year.
• Average sales price is down 3% from last month and up 10% from last year.
• Median sales price is even from last month and up 6% from last year.
• Average price per square foot is down 2% from last month and up 2% from last year.
• Sale to list price ratio at 99% is even with last month and last year.
• Average time on market is down 5% from last month and up 9% from last year.
• Pending sales are down 12% from last month and 9% from last year.
• Supply is even from last month and up 18% from last year.
• Mortgage rates at 6.67% are up from 6.55% last month and from 6.58% last year.
• Average house payment is down 2% from last month and up 11% from last year.

You can always find the detailed stats on our website here.