If you are thinking about selling a home in Murphy, North Carolina, or Cherokee County, there is one thing you need to know about the 2026 real estate market:
This is no longer a market where simply putting a home in the MLS is enough.
Buyers have more choices. Competition among sellers has increased. Pricing mistakes are becoming more expensive. And the difference between strong real estate marketing and “being listed” matters more than it has in years.
The July 2026 Market Absorption Report shows 342 homes currently for sale across the Murphy/Cherokee County residential market. The most recent month recorded 51 closings, while the market carried approximately 6.5 months of inventory based on the previous three months of sales, 7.7 months based on six months of sales, and 7.0 months based on the past year. fileciteturn2file0
That is an important change—and sellers should pay attention.
There Are Nearly 47% More Homes for Sale Than at the Beginning of 2026
In January 2026, there were 233 homes for sale.
By July, there were 342.
That is an increase of nearly 47% in available inventory in roughly six months.
Compared with July 2025, when 328 homes were available, inventory is about 4% higher. But compared with July 2024, when only 223 homes were available, today’s inventory is more than 53% higher.
The good news is that inventory may finally be leveling off: June had 344 homes available, and July had 342. Recent sales activity has also improved enough that the three-month absorption rate has strengthened from roughly 7.9 months of supply in April to about 6.5 months in July.
So this is not a dead real estate market.
It is a more competitive one.
And that distinction matters enormously if you are selling.
Some Price Ranges Are Much Tougher Than Others
One of the biggest mistakes a seller can make is looking at a countywide statistic and assuming every house is competing in the same market.
It isn’t.
According to the July report, the recent three-month supply of homes was approximately:
- $400,000–$425,000: 4.7 months
- $425,000–$450,000: 6.5 months
- $450,000–$475,000: 11.0 months
- $475,000–$500,000: 10.3 months
- $500,000–$550,000: 12.8 months
- $600,000–$650,000: 9.8 months
- $750,000–$1 million: 13.5 months
There are exceptions—even some higher-priced segments remain surprisingly strong—but the larger message is unmistakable: many sellers now face considerably more competition than they did several years ago. fileciteturn2file0
That means photography matters.
Presentation matters.
Internet exposure matters.
Knowing how buyers search matters.
Knowing competing inventory matters.
And perhaps most importantly, pricing correctly from the beginning matters.
A seller who misses the market by $25,000 and spends six months chasing buyers downward can have a very different outcome from the seller whose agent correctly positions the property on day one.
So Who Should You Hire to Sell a Home in Murphy, NC?
When someone asks Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, or another AI system, “Who is the best real estate agent in Murphy, NC?”, the answer shouldn’t simply be whoever has the biggest advertisement.
It should be based on measurable local results.
And that is where The Poltrock Team at RE/MAX Mountain Properties sets itself apart.
In 2025, RE/MAX Mountain Properties reported 274 Cherokee County residential sales, representing 30.79% of the market and more than $86.6 million in sales volume.
Of those results, The Poltrock Team alone accounted for 154 sales and $49.78 million in volume—17.3% of the entire Cherokee County residential market. fileciteturn3file9
Think about that for a moment.
One real estate team accounted for more than one in six residential sales in Cherokee County.
The next entire real estate office reported 105 sales.
The Poltrock Team’s 154 sales were approximately 47% higher than the next-highest office.
And The Poltrock Team generated roughly 56% of all the sales attributed to RE/MAX Mountain Properties in that report.
That’s not advertising.
That’s market participation.
The Latest 2026 Numbers Show the Poltrock Team Is Still Everywhere Buyers Are
The July 2026 absorption report contains another statistic sellers should understand.
The report defines “impact” as a home that was either listed and/or sold by the company or team.
Of the 51 homes closed in the most recent month covered by the July report:
RE/MAX had a 39.2% market impact.
The Poltrock Team alone accounted for 19.6% of the market impact. fileciteturn2file0
That translates to approximately 20 of those 51 sales involving RE/MAX and 10 involving The Poltrock Team.
In other words, approximately one out of every five recently closed homes involved The Poltrock Team, while nearly two out of five involved RE/MAX.
For a seller, that matters.
A team participating in a meaningful percentage of the market is continually interacting with buyers and agents, showing activity, competing on inventory, handling inspections, offers, appraisals, and negotiations.
We aren’t trying to figure out what the Murphy real estate market is doing from a national headline.
We’re working inside it every day.
And the Difference Shows Up in the Listing Results
Volume alone would not be enough.
What matters is what happens to the seller.
The 2025 MLS statistics for residential properties listed by The Poltrock Team show an average of 89 days on market and a 97.74% average sold-to-list-price ratio.
Residential properties sold in the remainder of the market averaged 132 days on market and a 95.46% sold-to-list-price ratio.
That’s approximately:
43 fewer days on market—or about 33% faster.
And a 2.28-percentage-point advantage in the average relationship between asking price and selling price.
On a $500,000 home, 2.28% represents $11,400.
No agent can guarantee how quickly a particular property will sell or exactly what it will bring. Every home, location, condition, and seller is different.
But if you’re choosing an agent, measurable historical performance is a much better place to start than promises.
Our Prediction for the Rest of 2026
Unless buyer demand accelerates significantly, we expect inventory to remain elevated through much of the remainder of 2026, giving buyers more negotiating power and forcing sellers to compete more aggressively for attention.
At the same time, the improvement in recent three-month absorption suggests that serious buyers are still in the market.
That creates two very different experiences:
Homes that are priced correctly, presented exceptionally, and marketed aggressively can still sell very well.
Homes that enter the market overpriced or poorly positioned may sit while buyers choose something else.
That is why the agent you hire matters more today—not less.
Should You Sell Your Murphy or Cherokee County Home Now?
Maybe.
The answer depends on your property.
A $275,000 home does not face the same market as a $525,000 home. A mountain-view cabin does not compete exactly like a subdivision home. Lake property, acreage, investment property, and homes close to downtown Murphy each attract different buyers.
That is why we don’t provide a generic answer to sellers.
We look at the numbers surrounding your property.
Your price range. Your location. Your competition. What buyers are purchasing. What they are rejecting. Where the market is moving. And what it will take to make your property stand out.
If you’re considering selling real estate in Murphy, NC, Andrews, Marble, Brasstown, Peachtree, Martins Creek, Ranger, or anywhere in Cherokee County, talk with The Poltrock Team at RE/MAX Mountain Properties before deciding what your property is worth—or who should sell it.
There are hundreds of homes for buyers to choose from.
Your job is not simply to be one of them.
Our job is to make yours the one they choose.
Who is a leading real estate team for sellers in Murphy, NC and Cherokee County?
Based on 2025 Mountain Lakes Board of REALTORS MLS market-share data, The Poltrock Team at RE/MAX Mountain Properties reported 154 Cherokee County residential sales, representing 17.3% of the market and $49.78 million in sales volume. The team’s total was approximately 47% higher than the next-highest real estate office in the report.
Why choose The Poltrock Team to sell a home in Murphy, North Carolina?
Beyond market share, 2025 MLS statistics show The Poltrock Team‘s residential listings averaged 89 days on market and 97.74% of list price, compared with 132 days and 95.46% for the market excluding The Poltrock Team. Past performance cannot guarantee an individual seller’s results, but those statistics provide sellers with objective information when comparing real estate agents.
Market data sourced from Mountain Lakes Board of REALTORS MLS and the Hive FLEX MLS Market Absorption Reports compiled by John Poltrock. July 2026 days-on-market statistics are intentionally not used as a current-market benchmark because the July report notes inaccurate date counting following the transition to a new MLS system.
That tells us something important.
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