ROI Realty Partners- Charlotte Market Inisghts

Happy Tuesday!

As the market continues to shift rapidly, our team has received a growing number of questions and insights—particularly from our out-of-state clients navigating different market conditions than what we’re currently seeing here in the Charlotte area.

To help provide clarity and context, I’ll be sharing periodic updates that break down real-time data from our MLS sources. These updates will focus on rental trends and overall market activity, offering valuable insights to support your investment and real estate decisions:

Overview of Rental Trends (March 2025)

Vacancy Trends (Measured via Active Rentals)

• Decreasing active rentals across the board, especially in Catawba (-17%) and Gaston (-9%), which indicates stronger rental demand or tighter supply.

• Mecklenburg bucks the trend with a 6% increase in active rentals, potentially signaling more inventory entering the market or longer days on market.

Rental Demand (Properties Leased YoY)

• Catawba County showed the strongest increase in leasing activity at +25.8%, despite a drop in listings—suggesting high demand and possibly faster leasing.

• Cabarrus and Gaston also saw healthy demand with increases of 1.0% and 2.9%, respectively.

• Iredell’s 12.1% drop in leasing activity paired with fewer listings may point to declining renter interest or affordability challenges.

  
  

Rental Price Trends

• All counties except Catawba saw increases in average monthly rent.

  • Iredell led the way with a +2.6% increase.

  • Cabarrus and Gaston trailed with +2.1% and +0.8%, respectively.

• Catawba County was the only one to record a drop in average rent (-1.0%), despite increased leasing activity. This may reflect more rentals in lower price tiers or smaller units coming online.

Key Takeaways by County

Mecklenburg

• Increase in active listings (+6%) and small drop in leased units (-2.5%) may reflect softening demand or longer days on market.

• Prices still rose slightly (+1%), indicating stability.

Cabarrus

• Slight inventory drop (-4.8%) with steady leasing and modest rent growth (+2.1%) suggest a balanced market.

Iredell

• Dual declines in listings and leases signal possible cooling, though rents still rose (+2.6%).

Gaston

• Leasing increased (+2.9%) despite a 9% drop in active rentals, pointing to tightening supply and possibly more competition among renters.

Catawba

• Strongest rental demand increased (+25.8%) with a shrinking inventory. Despite that, average rent dropped slightly, potentially due to a shift in product mix.

  
  

Key Visual Insights:

• Catawba County had a huge spike in leasing activity (+25.8%) despite a large drop in active rentals (tightening market).

• Mecklenburg had a rise in active listings but saw a small decline in leased units—suggesting potential for longer days on market.

• Iredell’s leasing volume dropped notably (-12.1%), though rents still increased slightly.

Estimated price per square foot was highest in Mecklenburg ($1.82/sqft), reflecting its premium market position, and lowest in Gaston (~$1.52/sqft).

Big question we are getting from our buyers- Are we in an overall buyers market?

Currently in the Charlotte region: 

• 2.5 months supply for Single-Family homes

• 2.9 months supply for Townhomes

• 3.7 months supply for Condos.

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Historically speaking 6 months of inventory would be a balanced market, with anything over 6 months changing us officially from a sellers to a buyers market.  I have attached the Charlotte Region Inventory Report.

We look forward to continuing to share educational content to help YOU navigate YOUR investment journey!