Buddy Blake Team · Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage
Market insights: Johnston County
October 20, 2026
(910) 395‑1000 · buddyblake.com
In Johnston County, 1 in 4 homes didn't sell
Over the last 12 months, 920 Johnston County homes ended their listings. 708 sold and 212 didn't, a 23% didn't-sell rate, up from 21% the year before. The typical home that did sell took 57 days.
Summary written October 17, 2026 from that day's numbers. The figures in the tiles update every hour, so they can differ slightly.
Which pile do you want to be in?
Out of every 20 homes listed in Johnston County over the last 12 months, the solid houses sold. The outlined ones expired, were withdrawn or were canceled.
Priced right from day one: sold in a median 41 days. Needed price cuts: 91 days, and sold for 94.1% of the first price.
What waiting costs
| Property taxes | $146 |
| Homeowners insurance | $250 |
| Upkeep | $280 |
| Utilities | $250 |
| Your mortgage payment | if you have one |
| About | $927 + mortgage |
About $927 every month the home sits — plus your mortgage payment.
Listings that didn't sell stayed on the market a median of 158 days — roughly $4,785 in taxes, insurance, upkeep and utilities alone, and the home still didn't sell.
An example, not a quote: Johnston County rate 0.52 per $100 (NC Department of Revenue, 2025-26 county rates); town taxes add more inside town limits; insurance, upkeep (1% of value a year) and utilities are typical estimates.
When contracts fall apart
Contracts that fell apart
11%
90 of about 803 before closing
Those homes that later sold
73%
24% never sold
Sold vs. first ask after a fall-through
98.4%
vs. 98.7% on the first contract
Days to sell after a fall-through
80
vs. 55 on the first contract
The MLS doesn't record why a contract ends. In our experience the most common reasons are home inspection findings, appraisals that come in below the price, and buyer financing. How buyers paid on closed sales: conventional 48% · cash 13% · VA 14% · FHA 19%.
If you're selling
- Price it right from day one. The 448 homes priced right sold in a median of 41 days. The 260 that needed price cuts took 90 days and sold at a median of 94.1% of asking.
- Know your price range. In Johnston County, $500–750K had the highest didn't-sell rate at 43%. $300–400K was the lowest at 16%.
- Waiting costs money. Listings that never sold sat a median of 158 days, and the median price cut was only 1.3%. On a typical $336,288 home, estimated carrying costs run about $927 a month before the mortgage, or about $4,785 while it sits unsold.
- About 1 in 9 contracts fell apart, or 11%. Most often that's inspection, appraisal or financing issues, based on general industry experience. Get ahead of them by fixing known problems and pricing so an appraisal can hold up. It matters because homes that fell through took a median of 80 days to sell, against 55 days for a first contract.
If you're buying
- There's some room to negotiate. 61% of homes sold below their first asking price, and the median sale came in at 98.6% of first ask.
- Homes that sit are the best place to look. Listings that never sold sat a median of 158 days with only a 1.3% median price cut, so sellers are slow to move.
- You won't be the only one using a loan. Buyers were 48% conventional, 19% FHA and 14% VA, and 13% paid cash.
Did you know?
- Did you know? The median sold price in Johnston County over the last 12 months was $336,288.
- Did you know? When a contract fell apart, 74% of those homes later sold, but 25% never did.
- Did you know? Homes that sold after a contract fell apart went for a median of 98.4% of asking, close to the 98.7% for first contracts.
Get the Johnston County report every month
The same numbers, updated monthly, straight to your inbox. No spam, one click to stop.
For sellers
Listings that didn't sell
23%
up 2.7 pts from a year ago
212 expired, withdrawn or canceled vs 710 sold
Sold vs. first asking price
98.6%
down 0.4 pts from a year ago
median sale price ÷ original list price
Sold below first asking
61%
share of homes that sold
Price cut on homes that didn't sell
1.3%
median — and they still didn't sell
For buyers
True days on market
57
up 9 days from a year ago
median for sold homes, counted from the first listing
Typical room below first ask
1.4%
how far under the original price homes sold
Didn't sell, then sold on a relist
12%
of listings that didn't sell the first time
Median sold price
$337K
down 1.7% from a year ago
710 homes sold
The last 24 months
39% latest month · Sep 26
42 latest month · Sep 26
99.4% latest month · Sep 26
By starting price
| First asking | Sold | Didn't sell | % didn't sell | True days | Sold vs. first ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $300K | 164 | 52 | 24% | 48 | 96.7% |
| $300–400K | 368 | 70 | 16% | 63 | 99.7% |
| $400–500K | 111 | 46 | 29% | 62 | 98.2% |
| $500–750K | 48 | 35 | 42% | 52 | 96.7% |
| $750K–1M | 14 | 6 | 30% | 80 | 98.4% |
| $1M+ | 5 | 3 | 38% | 58 | 91.5% |
By town
Homes only (land excluded), last 12 months unless noted. "Didn't sell" = listings that expired, were withdrawn or were canceled (some owners stop for reasons that have nothing to do with the market); true days on market counts from the first listing, even when a home was relisted. Source: Hive MLS listing and sales records, updated October 20, 2026. Totals only — no individual listing is shown. Buddy Blake Team · Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage · (910) 395‑1000