If you’re thinking about selling a home in Cary, NC, I finally have a little good news for you.

After what felt like a pretty brutal June and July for many sellers, I started seeing a shift in August. Showings picked up. Offers started coming in. More homes were closing.

Does that mean we’re suddenly back in the crazy seller’s market we experienced a few years ago?

Absolutely not.

But sellers may finally be getting a little bit of leverage back.

Here’s what I’m seeing in the Cary housing market right now — and more importantly, what it means if you’re thinking about selling your home.

Watch the video where I discuss all this month’s updates on my Youtube channel.

Is Cary, NC Still a Buyer’s Market?

Right now, I would describe the Cary real estate market as more balanced than heavily favoring one side.

Buyers still have negotiating power. They’re asking for closing costs, repair credits, rate buy-downs and other concessions that sellers didn’t have to consider nearly as often during the height of the seller’s market.

But the market also appears to be stabilizing.

And that distinction matters.

A stabilizing market does not necessarily mean home values are collapsing or that sellers have lost all leverage. It means buyers are becoming more selective, pricing matters more, and homes need to be properly prepared before they hit the market.

Cary Home Listings Were Down in July 2026

When comparing July 2026 with July 2025, new listings in Cary were down approximately 4%.

That doesn’t surprise me.

Sellers watched homes sit on the market throughout May and June. Some homeowners who didn’t have to sell immediately may have decided to wait rather than enter a slower market.

July is also traditionally a big vacation month, which can influence both seller and buyer activity.

Lower new-listing activity can eventually help sellers if buyer demand remains steady because there are fewer new homes entering the market and competing for those buyers.

Cary Median Home Prices Dropped in July

According to the MLS data I reviewed, Cary’s median sales price in July 2026 was approximately 5% lower than July 2025.

That number alone can sound scary.

But this is why I constantly tell sellers that you cannot look at one statistic in isolation.

For several years, we saw home prices increase at an unusually fast pace. What we are experiencing now looks much more like normalization and stabilization than some dramatic housing-market collapse.

Buyers have more choices and more negotiating power, so sellers simply cannot price their homes the way they did when multiple offers were almost expected.

Homes Are Taking Longer to Sell

Days on market were also higher when comparing July 2026 with the previous year.

And I saw that firsthand.

Some homes simply were not getting many showings.

Other listings were getting plenty of showings but still weren’t receiving offers because buyers didn’t agree with the asking price or felt the home needed too much work.

This is why your pricing strategy matters so much in the current market.

A home can be beautiful and still sit if the price doesn’t match what buyers believe it is worth.

Cary Housing Inventory Has Increased

Inventory was also higher year over year.

More inventory means buyers have choices.

And when buyers have choices, sellers have competition.

You are no longer competing only with the house down the street. Depending on your price point and location, you may also be competing with:

• Updated resale homes
• New construction
• Builder incentives
• Mortgage rate promotions
• Closing-cost incentives
• Homes that are already priced aggressively

That means sellers need to think strategically about both condition and price before going on the market.

August 2026 Brought Better News for Cary Sellers

This is where things started getting interesting.

When I pulled the preliminary August 2026 Cary MLS numbers, there were approximately:

• 391 active listings
• 201 pending transactions
• 149 closed sales

By comparison, there were approximately 135 closed sales in August 2025.

So closed sales increased.

That is an encouraging sign.

It means homes are moving through the market and reaching the closing table.

Cary Median Sales Price Increased in August

Even more interesting was the change in median sales price.

The median sales price in Cary during August 2025 was approximately $575,000.

In August 2026, the median sales price was approximately $640,000.

That doesn’t mean every Cary home appreciated dramatically or that every seller suddenly has the upper hand.

Real estate statistics can change based on which homes happened to sell during a particular month.

But after softer July numbers, seeing stronger August sales activity and a higher median sales price gives sellers something we didn’t have much of earlier this summer:

A little momentum.

Are Cary Home Sellers Getting Their Leverage Back?

A little.

But I want to be very clear about what that means.

We are not back in the market where sellers can put virtually any price on a house and expect buyers to line up.

Buyers are still negotiating.

I’m seeing sellers asked to contribute toward:

• Buyer closing costs
• Home repairs
• Repair credits
• Mortgage rate buy-downs
• Other transaction expenses

That is simply part of today’s market.

The sellers who understand that before listing are much better prepared when an offer arrives.

Should You Get a Pre-Listing Inspection Before Selling?

For certain homes, I absolutely think a pre-market inspection can be worth considering.

Buyers are stretching their budgets.

Between down payments, closing costs, mortgage payments and moving expenses, many buyers do not have a huge amount of cash left over to immediately start repairing a home.

Giving buyers confidence that major systems have been evaluated can make your home more attractive.

It can also give you the opportunity to deal with issues before a buyer discovers them during their inspection.

Whether a pre-listing inspection makes sense depends on the property, which is why I evaluate this on a case-by-case basis with my sellers.

Service Your HVAC Before Listing Your Home

This is one of the easiest things sellers can do before putting a house on the market.

If your HVAC system is due — or almost due — for service, get it done.

Keep the receipt.

Keep the service records.

The same applies to major repairs or maintenance you’ve completed throughout your ownership.

Buyers love documentation.

Having organized maintenance records shows that the home has been cared for and can give a buyer additional confidence when deciding whether to make an offer.

Condition Matters More Than Ever

Today’s buyers are paying attention to the amount of money they may need to spend after closing.

That means a clean, well-maintained, move-in-ready home can have a significant advantage.

You don’t necessarily need to renovate the entire property.

But deferred maintenance matters.

Before listing, I want my sellers thinking about:

• HVAC servicing
• Plumbing issues
• Electrical concerns
• Roof condition
• Exterior maintenance
• Paint and cosmetic repairs
• Landscaping
• Cleaning
• Known inspection issues

The goal is not perfection.

The goal is removing unnecessary objections.

Sellers Also Need to Pay Attention to Buyer Financing

There is another issue sellers sometimes overlook when evaluating an offer:

Who is financing the buyer?

A pre-approval letter is important, but not every pre-approval is created equal.

I’ve had transactions where buyers appeared qualified and then financing problems surfaced later in the process.

That can be devastating for a seller who has taken the house off the market, started packing and planned around a closing date.

When evaluating an offer, your listing agent should communicate with the buyer’s lender and understand how thoroughly that buyer has been reviewed.

You want confidence that the buyer is truly prepared to close.

Pre-Qualification vs. Pre-Approval: Why Sellers Should Care

A basic pre-qualification may rely primarily on information the buyer provides.

A stronger pre-approval typically involves a more thorough review of the buyer’s financial situation.

As a seller, you want to understand the strength of the financing attached to the offer — especially if you have multiple offers or if the buyer is asking you to make significant concessions.

Price matters.

But the likelihood that the transaction will actually close matters too.

So, Is Now a Good Time to Sell a Home in Cary?

For the right property, yes.

August gave us some encouraging signs that activity is improving after a slower summer.

But this is not a market where strategy is optional.

Today’s Cary home seller needs to think carefully about:

• Pricing
• Property condition
• Competition
• Buyer incentives
• Repairs
• Financing strength
• Negotiation strategy

The sellers who understand the market before listing will have a much better chance of getting the result they want.

Thinking About Selling in Cary, NC?

If you’re considering selling a home in Cary, Raleigh, Apex, Morrisville or anywhere in the Triangle, broad market statistics are only the beginning.

Your neighborhood may behave completely differently from another neighborhood just a few miles away.

Your price range can also have very different showing activity, inventory and buyer demand.

I can pull the numbers for your specific neighborhood and price point so you can see what buyers are actually doing before you decide when — and how — to put your home on the market.

The market may be shifting again.

And for sellers who are prepared, that could create an opportunity.