Best In North Carolina Real Estate™: Asheville

Black Mountain leads North Carolina in housing vacancy rate at 26.3%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. This is not a sign of distress but a signal of structural imbalance: a high concentration of second homes and seasonal units displacing permanent residents. As Asheville’s western corridor expands, the data from https://alex-companies.com/data/2026-10-20-asheville-vacancy-share-place-mkt reveals a critical tension between tourism-driven real estate and long-term community sustainability. How can we grow the market without sacrificing the people who live here? This is the real estate strategy challenge of the next decade. Housing Vacancy Rate, top 10 (ALEX Intelligence — U.S. Census Bureau 2024) #1 Black Mountain — 26.3% #2 Woodfin — 25.6% #3 Asheville — 25.3% #4 Swannanoa — 20.2% #5 Waynesville — 16.9% #6 Mills River — 14.0% #7 Brevard — 13.3% #8 Etowah — 10.2% #9 Hendersonville — 8.3% #10 Fletcher — 7.1% Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Slide 1: bobistraveling (CC BY 2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=166215326; Slide 2: w_lemay (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=129253299; Slide 3: Warren LeMay (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=154024502; Slide 4: w_lemay (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=129253318 Source: https://alex-companies.com/data/2026-10-20-asheville-vacancy-share-place-mkt View and join any or all of our communities — AI, quantum, and real estate: https://alex-companies.com/reports/linkedin-groups If there's an AI, quantum, or real estate community you'd like to see us convene, tell us — this portfolio grows by request. Real Estate Strategy & Intelligence Leader. Democratized Blue Ocean Strategist & Operator. Diane Hart Alexander, MBA, MHA Chair & CEO, ALEX Companies Designated Broker, Alexander Tiffany Southwest, LLC dba ALEX.realestate, et.al. Texas License #574877-B · Broker License #565194-BB [email protected] · +1 713.591.9902