The Asheville market is one of the hottest real estate markets in the entire Southeast. For those choosing to move to Asheville, quality of life tops the list of what brings them here. Specifically, new residents cite Asheville’s distinct weather seasons, access to nearby national parks, top-rated dining, and more than three dozen breweries. Some of the area’s population growth in recent years also has to do with the post-pandemic world allowing people to work anywhere.

By some accounts, 5,000 new residents are added to the greater Asheville area every month. The population influx is reflected in the passenger traffic for the Asheville Regional Airport, which experienced one of the country’s most dramatic increases in the last several years (although a portion of that was attributable to tourism).

Land investors and developers who watch building permit numbers see that Asheville is among the Southeast’s leaders in multi-family permits. Most such construction caters to Asheville’s top real estate buying market: retirees and older part-time residents.  

Single-family development is also robust (and underserved) in Asheville, but the area’s topography limits where large subdivisions can go – perhaps more so than most other mid-market cities in the South. In fact, parts of the Asheville area are affected by a “steep slope” ordinance that limits the development of tracts with considerable topography. In addition, many large tracts in the area are not developable – the 9,000-acre Biltmore Estate and the 1,000-acre Billy Graham Center are just a couple of examples. 

The area is also home to several large college campuses and hundreds of thousands of acres of national forest land that surround the city. There is certainly flat land to be had, but one must know the market to find it. Only a fraction of transacted properties make it into MLS, CoStar, or LoopNet before they go under contract. An experienced Land Professional can be vital in the search for available properties since they have access to databases and listings that general consumers simply do not.

Asheville is a community very near and dear to my heart. I grew up in the Asheville area and am still based there. It’s where I’ve started and grown my career as a long-time real estate sales professional who has been involved in more than $10 billion in real estate transactions over the years. I’ve specialized in brokering deals for builders and developers of all sorts who want access to the greater Asheville market. 

Finding properties that are suitable for particular uses and matching them with the right buyer is what I do best. For those developers new to the market, I assist them in identifying locations and areas of Asheville that are most likely to generate desired outcomes based on demographics, access, infrastructure, and entitlements/permitting.

For help with your Asheville land search, give me a call at 980.309.5656 or send me an email at dcarver@nationalland.com. I’d be happy to help you find your next property.