Published November 1, 2026 in Market Update

Primary market has more choice, but fewer deals are closing

By Frances Marcou

Real estate, Primary market

Fewer sales closed. That is the one number every seller in this market needs to see first.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,523 homes sold across the Primary market in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is down 7% from the same period in 2025. At the same time, 2,070 homes were for sale, unchanged from a year before. More choice for buyers, more competition for sellers.

Nationally, the National Association of Realtors reported 1.60 million homes in inventory in September 2026. That broader rise in supply matches what we are seeing locally. Buyers have more to look at everywhere.

Pending sales across the Primary market came in at 1,470, down 4.4% from a year before, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. New listings also dipped, down 3.4% to 1,901. So fewer homes are coming on, and fewer are going under contract. Pricing and preparation carry more weight in that kind of market.

Rates are adding pressure too

Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.24% as of October 29, 2026. The 15-year fixed averaged 6.60% that same week. Realtor.com noted mortgage rates surged nearly 40 basis points in September 2026. Higher rates slow buyers down, and that shows up in our closing numbers.

How each ZIP code read in the three months ending August 31, 2026

The market does not move as one. Here is what the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted, ZIP by ZIP.

A few ZIP codes worth a closer look

Cottontown (37048) stood out. The Real Estate Data Aggregator showed a median sale price of $522,000, up 12.3% from 2025. Median days on market fell 66 days shorter than a year before, landing at 57 days. One in four homes there sold above list price.

Greenbrier (37073) told a different story. Median days on market reached 93 days, 27 days longer than 2025, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Only 5.3% of homes sold above list price, down 7.7 points from a year before. Pricing carefully there matters more than almost anywhere else in this market.

Castalian Springs (37031) saw the sharpest drop in closings. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted just 11 homes sold, down 59.3% from 2025. Median days on market hit 111 days. Not every corner of this market is moving at the same pace, and that gap is...

What this means if you are selling

Homes that priced right still sold close to list. Across most ZIPs, the sale-to-list ratio held near 98% to 99%, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. White House (37188) led at 99.9%. The share of homes selling above list fell in most ZIPs, though. In Hendersonville (37075), it dropped 6.9 points to just 11.2%. That tells you the days of automatic overbids are quieter now.

About 1 in 4 homes across most ZIPs still went under contract within two weeks of listing. That group priced and prepared well. The rest took longer.

What this means if you are buying

More homes to compare is a real advantage. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 2,070 homes for sale across the Primary market. That is more room to be selective than buyers had when supply was tighter. Median days on market across most ZIPs ran 56 to 69 days, so you generally have time to think.

Rates still shape what you can afford. Freddie Mac reported the 30-year fixed at 7.24% as of October 29, 2026. Realtor.com put the national median listing price at $414,000 for the week ending October 24, 2026. Locally, medians range from $354,990 in Portland to $560,000 in Castalian Springs, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator.