Photo: (User:Wgreaves) · CC BY 3.0532 homes sold in Chapel Hill in the last year, at a typical $576K
Houses and condos split the market almost evenly. Below: what each kind of home sells for, what your budget buys, the best months to buy, how hard you’ll have to bid, and a shortcut to every site where Chapel Hill homes are listed.
Every place Chapel Hill homes are listed, in one stop
We don’t copy listings: the agents’ sites have the photos and the latest price changes. Set what you want once and we open each site already filtered to Chapel Hill.
For sale
Rent
New, land & open houses
Links open the listing sites; TownRatings isn’t paid for them and doesn’t rank one above another. Rentals and government-owned homes come from sources outside the MLS.
A quarter of Chapel Hill’s sales are condos, at $458K less than a house
294 houses and 129 condos sold in the year to May 2026. Houses sell faster and draw more bidding wars.
typical sale · 294 sold in 12 months
- Per square foot
- $295NC $207
- Days to sell
- 38
- Sold over asking
- 35%
- Listings with a price cut
- 29%
typical sale · 129 sold in 12 months
- Per square foot
- $275NC $275
- Days to sell
- 47
- Sold over asking
- 10%
- Listings with a price cut
- 26%
Multi-family (2–4 units): 6 sold, typical $598K
Townhouses: 103 sold, typical $443K
Too few sales in 12 months for reliable figures.
Fewer homes sell than before 2022, at 1.7 times the 2016 price
532 sales in the last year, against 910 in 2021 and a low of 522 in 2024. The typical sale went from $332K in 2016 to $576K.
Source: Redfin Data Center, MLS sales. Typical price and $/sq ft are the monthly medians, weighted by sales.
What $600K buys in Chapel Hill
Check a listing against what Chapel Hill homes sold for
Against the town’s median price per square foot over the last 12 months. A rough check: condition, lot and location within town move a price more than this can see.
Bidding wars in Chapel Hill are back to pre-pandemic levels, but a quarter fewer homes come up for sale
We read every month of Chapel Hill’s home sales since 2012 so you don’t have to. Each figure covers 12 months, because a single month in a town is too few sales to mean much. Latest: the year to May 2026, 532 sales.
If you’re buying in Chapel Hill
- Shop in March. It brings about 113 new listings a month, close to the busiest month, with fewer bidding wars (36% over asking).
- You can negotiate. 28% of listings have cut their price, against 17% before the pandemic.
- Bid near asking. Buyers paid 98.6% of the list price on average; 24% paid over.
- You’ll usually have time. Only 41% of homes go under contract within two weeks; the typical one takes 43 days.
Spring brings both the most homes and the most bidding wars
March has the most new listings (about 113 a month), but May is the most competitive: 43% of May sales close over asking. January has the least competition (22%) but only about 49 new listings.
Averages for each calendar month, 2015 on.
Calmer than the 2021 frenzy, and hotter than North Carolina
| Chapel Hill now | 2017–19 | 2021 peak | NC now | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sold over askingShare of sales that closed above the list price | 24% | 27% | 59% | 17% |
| Gone within two weeksShare of homes under contract within 14 days | 41% | 29% | 35% | 30% |
| Listings with a price cutShare of homes for sale that cut their price | 28% | 17% | 12% | 27% |
| Price paid vs. askingAverage sale price ÷ list price | 98.6% | 98.6% | 103.5% | 97.8% |
| Days to sellMedian days from listing to contract | 43 | 57 | 35 | 62 |
159 homes for sale on a typical day
That’s twice the 2023 low (76), 28% fewer than in 2017–19 and well under 2015’s 398.
1 in 4 listings has cut its price
28% in the last year, against 17% in 2017–19 and 27% across North Carolina. More sellers are pricing high and coming down.
Since 2019, houses are up 56%, condos 80%
A house typically sold for $780K in the last year (294 sales), a condo for $322K (129).
Median sale price, weighted by sales each month. Years with fewer than 4 sales of a type are left out.
Chapel Hill ranks 23rd of 224 busy North Carolina markets for bidding wars
Share of sales over asking in the last year, among towns with 60 or more sales. Chapel Hill is one of the state’s hottest markets.
Source: Redfin Data Center, city market tracker, January 2012 to May 2026 (MLS sales, not seasonally adjusted). Ratios are weighted by homes sold; price cuts by homes for sale.
Owning the typical Chapel Hill home costs about $3,568 a month
Price: Chapel Hill’s typical sale, last 12 months. Property tax at Chapel Hill’s 1.2% (median bill ÷ median value, Census ACS); insurance at 0.35% of price a year. Before PMI, HOA dues, upkeep and the tax deduction. Whether Chapel Hill is affordable on local pay is on Cost of living.
Six things worth knowing
New listings in March
The month with the most choice. December has the fewest, about 23.
Best time to buyProperty tax, a year
Of a home’s value: the median bill over the median home value. On a $576K home, about $6,740 a year.
Taxes vs. neighborsSchools
The schools grade for Chapel Hill, from test results, graduation and how much students grow.
Schools in Chapel HillTypical commute
The average one-way trip to work for people who live in Chapel Hill.
Work & commuteCheck the flood map
Flood insurance isn’t in a standard policy, and lenders require it in FEMA flood zones. Check the address before you make an offer.
Natural hazardsLook up any property
Assessed value, lot size and every past sale of a home you’re eyeing are public, at the town or county assessor and the registry of deeds.
Governors Village, Governors Club, Briar Chapel, Durham and Fearrington Village sell for less a square foot
The busier markets within 25 miles of Chapel Hill, by what sold. Prices, taxes and how far a paycheck goes next door are on Cost of living.
| Sold | Typical sale | $/sq ft | Over asking | Days to sell | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham | 3,198 | $423K | $231 | 21% | 44 |
| Chapel Hill | 532 | $576K | $282 | 24% | 43 |
| Carrboro | 204 | $595K | $289 | 28% | 36 |
| Briar Chapel | 118 | $611K | $261 | 14% | 58 |
| Fearrington Village | 59 | $600K | $251 | 24% | 47 |
| Governors Club | 40 | $1.1M | $264 | 10% | 96 |
| Governors Village | 20 | $591K | $250 | 15% | 42 |
Redfin Data Center, June 2025 to May 2026. Towns with fewer than 20 sales are left out, and Redfin doesn’t report every town separately.
Post your home to Chapel Hill, free
Selling it yourself, renting out an apartment or looking for a roommate? Post it to Chapel Hill. People who follow the town see it, and so do people comparing Chapel Hill with their own town. No commission, no listing fee.
Questions about buying a home in Chapel Hill
What do homes sell for in Chapel Hill, NC?
532 homes sold in the year to May 2026 at a typical $576K, $282 a square foot. Houses sold for about $780K, condos for about $322K.
Is Chapel Hill a buyer’s or seller’s market?
A seller’s market: 215 homes were for sale in May 2026 and 63 sold, about 3.4 months of supply. Buyers paid 98.6% of asking on average, and 28% of listings cut their price.
When is the best time to buy in Chapel Hill?
March brings the most new listings. The sales history shows which months have fewer bidding wars.
How much are property taxes in Chapel Hill?
About 1.2% of a home’s value a year. On a $576K home that’s near $6,740.
Where can I see homes for sale in Chapel Hill?
Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and Homes.com all carry Chapel Hill’s MLS listings; the search links above open each one filtered to Chapel Hill.
Sales, prices, days on market and listings: Redfin Data Center (MLS, monthly, not seasonally adjusted). Property tax rate: Census American Community Survey. Two-bedroom rent: HUD Fair Market Rent. Typical home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Schools grade: TownRatings (how grades work).