Buddy Blake Team · Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage
Market insights: Princeton
October 24, 2026
(910) 395‑1000 · buddyblake.com
Princeton: 1 in 3 listings ended without a sale
In Princeton over the last 12 months, 100 homes ended their listing and 30 didn't sell. That's 30%, up from 21% the year before. The homes that did sell took a typical 52 days and went for a median 97.1% of the first asking price, at a median sold price of $339,650.
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 Princeton over the last 12 months, the solid houses sold. The outlined ones expired or were canceled.
Priced right from day one: sold in a median 17 days. Needed price cuts: 113 days, and sold for 93.9% of the first price.
What waiting costs
| Property taxes | $147 |
| Homeowners insurance | $250 |
| Upkeep | $283 |
| Utilities | $250 |
| Your mortgage payment | if you have one |
| About | $929 + mortgage |
About $929 every month the home sits — plus your mortgage payment.
Listings that didn't sell stayed on the market a median of 228 days — roughly $6,943 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
8%
6 of about 74 before closing
Those homes that later sold
17%
83% never sold
Sold vs. first ask after a fall-through
88.7%
vs. 97.7% on the first contract
Days to sell after a fall-through
102
vs. 46 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 22% · cash 21% · VA 24% · FHA 28%.
If you're selling
- Price it right from day one. In Princeton, 36 homes priced right sold in a typical 17 days. The 34 that needed price cuts took a typical 113 days and sold at a median 93.8% of asking.
- Price range matters. Homes under $300K struggled most, with 45% not selling. The $300-400K range did best, though 26% still didn't sell.
- Waiting costs money. Holding a typical $339,650 home is estimated at about $929 a month before mortgage, or about $6,943 while it sits unsold. Listings that never sold sat a median 228 days and cut the price a median 3.0%.
- Contracts fall apart in about 1 in 13 sales, or 8%. Most often it's inspection, appraisal or financing issues, in our general experience. In Princeton, only 17% of those homes later sold, and they went at a median 88.7% of asking, versus 97.2% for the first contract. Get ahead of repairs and line up your paperwork before you list.
If you're buying
- You have room to negotiate. 74% of Princeton homes that sold went below their first asking price, and the median was 97.1% of it.
- Homes that sit give you leverage. Listings that needed price cuts and then sold went at a median 93.8% of asking, after a typical 113 days.
- Buyers here pay in different ways: 27% FHA, 26% conventional, 21% VA and 20% cash.
Did you know?
- Did you know? In Princeton, homes priced right sold in a typical 17 days, against 113 days for homes that needed cuts.
- Did you know? Of Princeton homes whose contract fell apart, 83% never sold.
- Did you know? Princeton's rate of homes not selling went from 21% the year before to 30% in the last 12 months.
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Thinking of selling in Princeton? What it takes and what it costs →
For sellers
Listings that didn't sell
31%
up 10.2 pts from a year ago
30 expired or canceled vs 68 sold
Sold vs. first asking price
97.4%
down 1.6 pts from a year ago
median sale price ÷ original list price
Sold below first asking
74%
share of homes that sold
Price cut on homes that didn't sell
3.0%
median — and they still didn't sell
For buyers
True days on market
47
down 17 days from a year ago
median for sold homes, counted from the first listing
Typical room below first ask
2.6%
how far under the original price homes sold
Didn't sell, then sold on a relist
20%
of listings that didn't sell the first time
Median sold price
$340K
up 6.2% from a year ago
68 homes sold
The last 23 months
40% latest month · Sep 26
91 latest month · Sep 26
97.9% latest month · Sep 26
By starting price
| First asking | Sold | Didn't sell | % didn't sell | True days | Sold vs. first ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $300K | 16 | 13 | 45% | 56 | 94.0% |
| $300–400K | 37 | 14 | 28% | 50 | 97.7% |
| $400–500K | 11 | 1 | 8% | 21 | 99.8% |
| $500–750K | 2 | 2 | 50% | 113 | 98.0% |
| $750K–1M | 2 | 0 | 0% | 161 | 94.7% |
Homes only (land excluded), last 12 months unless noted. "Didn't sell" = listings that expired or were canceled — withdrawn and on-hold listings are not counted (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 24, 2026. Totals only — no individual listing is shown. Buddy Blake Team · Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage · (910) 395‑1000