Metropolitan market · North Carolina · September 2026 data

What is the Durham, NC real estate market doing?

As of September 2026, the median home listed in Durham, NC asks $460,135, down 4.0% year over year. Homes spend a median of 60 days on market, with 2,310 active listings and 24% carrying a price cut; pending contracts equal 41% of active listings, and inventory sits at 126% of the same month in 2019 — a balanced market. Estimated gross rental yield on the median listing is 4.3%. Figures come from public records and industry data, updated monthly.

Median listing price
$460,135
▼ 4.0% YoY
Median $ / sq ft
$242
1,968 sq ft median
Median days on market
60
September 2026
Active listings
2,310
For sale now
New listings
816
September 2026
Listings with price cuts
24%
Share of active
Inventory vs 2019
126%
Same month, 2019 = 100
Pending / active
41%
Contract activity
Median sale price (closed)
$450,000
▼ 3.2% YoY · closed sales · July 2026
Sale-to-list ratio
98.3%
Closed sales · July 2026, seasonally adjusted
Homes sold / month
734
Closed sales · July 2026, seasonally adjusted

What is the Durham, NC housing market doing right now?

The Durham, NC housing market lists at a $460,135 median as of September 2026, down 4.0% year over year, with a 60-day median market time and 2,310 homes for sale (24% with a price cut). Active inventory is 126% of the 2019 level, reading as a balanced market under WealthyBud's published buyer/seller rule. Gross rental yield is about 4.3%.

Durham housing market statistics

The table summarizes Durham's key housing figures for September 2026 — median listing and closed-sale prices, market pace, inventory and rental yield — each computed from public records and industry data. Closed-sale figures are Redfin's July 2026 data, the latest settled month Redfin reports for Durham.

Durham, NC housing market at a glance — September 2026
MetricLatestDetail
Median listing price$460,135-4.0% YoY
Median price per sq ft$2421,968 sq ft median
Median days on market60+4% YoY
Active listings2,310+18% YoY
New listings this month816September 2026
Listings with a price cut24%Share of active
Median sale price (closed)$450,000-3.2% YoY · closed sales, July 2026
Sale-to-list ratio98.3%Closed sales, July 2026, seasonally adjusted
Pending-to-active ratio41.1%950 pending
Inventory vs 2019126%Active listings vs same month in 2019
Gross rental yield4.3%2BR fair market rent

How have home prices changed in Durham?

Durham home prices are down 4.0% year over year and -2.1% month over month as of September 2026, at a $460,135 median listing price. The chart tracks the trailing eight-quarter trend in the metro's median asking price.

$495K$486K$478K$469K Q4'24Q1'25Q2'25Q3'25Q4'25Q1'26Q2'26Q3'26

Median listing price, Durham NC · trailing 8 quarters · source: public records and industry data.

The 10-year view
$542K$506K$471K$435K '17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26

10-year median listing price, Durham NC · June of each year, 2017–2026 · source: public records and industry data.

How much inventory is on the market in Durham?

Durham has 2,310 active listings, 816 new this month, 950 pending as of September 2026. About 24% of active listings have cut their price, and inventory sits at 126% of its 2019 level — a balanced market by pace.

Active listings
2,310
New this month
816
Pending
950
Price-reduced
556

Is Durham a good real estate investment?

Durham scores 41/100 on WealthyBud's composite Investor Score, ranking #638 of 933 covered U.S. metros as of September 2026. The score blends price momentum, value, rental yield, supply and market heat into one percentile. It is a research opinion, not advice.

Investor Score
41/100
#638 of 933 covered metros
12-month outlook
-4.1%
▼ Cooling · model output, not advice
Price volatility
Medium
σ 6.2% · 20-yr price-index swings
Momentum
33
Value
34
Rental yield
63
Supply risk
79
Market heat
59

Durham scores 41/100 on our composite Investor Score (#638 of 933 covered metros), a percentile blend of momentum, value, rental yield, supply and market-heat readings; the metro's long-run house price index has it up 58% over five years and +118% over ten, leaving prices 61% above its own 2000–2019 trend; at the published FY2026 fair market rent of $1,660/mo for a two-bedroom, the gross rental yield on the median listing is about 4.3%; active inventory sits at 126% of its June 2019 level, so supply is fully rebuilt past pre-pandemic norms; listing prices are down 4.0% year over year; all against a national 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 7.28% (national weekly average, 2026-10-01).

Scores are percentile ranks (0–100) across all covered U.S. metros, computed from the public data cited on this page — formulas here. They are data-derived opinions, not investment advice. See how Durham ranks on the trending markets index.

How much is a monthly mortgage payment in Durham?

A home at Durham's $460,135 median listing runs about $2,519 a month in principal and interest — 20% down on a 30-year fixed loan at the current 7.28% national average rate. Taxes, insurance and HOA are extra.

If rates fall 1% · 6.28%
$2,274/mo
−$245/mo vs today
At today's rate · 7.28%
$2,519/mo
National weekly average
If rates rise 1% · 8.28%
$2,773/mo
+$255/mo vs today

Principal & interest on the $460,135 median listing with 20% down and a 30-year fixed loan — excludes taxes, insurance and HOA. Current rate: 7.28% (national weekly average, 2026-10-01). Model a full deal in the deal analyzer.

How much income do you need to buy a home in Durham?

To buy Durham’s $460,135 median listing with 20% down, a household needs about $121,000 a year in gross income, keeping principal, interest and property tax ($2,829/mo) at 28% of income. That is 1.5× the area’s $81,017 median household income, so a typical Durham household cannot afford the median listing on these terms.

Income needed to buy the median home in Durham, NC — September 2026
ItemAmountBasis
Median listing price$460,135September 2026
Down payment (20%)$92,027Assumption
Principal & interest (7.28%, 30-yr fixed)$2,519/moRate as of 2026-10-01
Property tax (0.81% effective rate)$311/moCensus ACS
Income needed (28% rule)$121,000Gross household income / yr
Median household income$81,017Census ACS 2023 ACS 5-year

Excludes homeowners insurance, HOA dues and mortgage insurance, so the true income needed is higher. Compare every market in the income-needed ranking and the price-to-income ranking.

What is driving the Durham housing market?

Longer-run demand in Durham shows up in 6,188 homes permitted in 2025; net migration of -193 residents; +0.5% job growth. Natural-hazard risk rates Relatively Moderate. These federal supply-pipeline, migration and jobs signals shape where prices head next.

Building permits (2025)
6,188
▲ 60.7% vs 2024
10.4 per 1,000 residents
Net migration (2022–2023)
-193
▼ people, via tax-return records
net income flow +$126.0M/yr
Job growth (YoY)
+0.5%
▲ 359.6k nonfarm jobs · August 2026
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively Moderate
National hazard index · top hazard: Riverine flooding

Based on public government records — building-permit, tax-return migration, employment and natural-hazard statistics, aggregated to the metro. Details on /methodology.

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Durham housing market FAQ

What is the median home price in Durham?
As of September 2026, the median listing price in Durham, NC is $460,135, down 4.0% year over year (source: public records and industry data). Figures cover the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area.
How much does it cost to buy a home in Durham?
The median home listed in Durham asks $460,135 as of September 2026. With 20% down on a 30-year fixed loan at the current 7.28% national average rate, that runs about $2,519 a month in principal and interest, before taxes, insurance and HOA.
How fast are homes selling in Durham?
The median property in Durham spends 60 days on the market, with 2,310 homes actively listed and 24% of them carrying a price cut — a balanced market as of September 2026.
Is it a buyer's or seller's market in Durham?
With a median 60 days on market and 24% of active listings carrying a price cut, pending contracts at 41% of active listings, Durham reads as a balanced market as of September 2026. Labels use WealthyBud's published DOM / sale-to-list / price-cut / pending rule. Conditions shift monthly.
Is Durham a good place to invest in real estate?
Durham scores 41/100 on WealthyBud's Investor Score, ranking #638 of 933 covered U.S. metros as of September 2026. The score blends price momentum, value, rental yield, supply and market heat. It is a data-derived research opinion, not investment advice.
Who are the top real estate agents in Durham?
See WealthyBud directories for the top-producing agents, teams and brokerages serving Durham and the wider North Carolina market, ranked by recent sales from public profile data.
Based on public records and industry data, September 2026 — see our methodology for how every figure is computed. Figures cover the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area. Figures change monthly — verify current conditions with a local agent or MLS. Portions of market data courtesy of Realtor.com and Redfin; additional statistics from U.S. government sources.

More North Carolina housing markets

Marcus Bell Real Estate Market Analyst

Marcus Bell leads market and career research at WealthyBud, turning public housing and labor data into plain-English answers for investors and agents. He focuses on U.S. metro housing markets, agent economics and licensing.

Editorial persona: WealthyBud bylines are editorial personas, not real individuals. Pages are produced by the WealthyBud research team from the public data cited on each page.