Wake County saw its median real estate sales price rise by $5,000 in November 2025, reaching $470,000. This increase comes as the county recorded a total of 2,501 real estate transactions for the month, which is a decrease from October’s total of 2,934 transactions.
The county’s very high-value segment—sales worth $30 million and above—recorded three transactions in November, matching the number from October. In the high-value segment (transactions between $1 million and $30 million), there were 159 transactions totaling $391.8 million. This represents a drop of $101.5 million compared to the previous month.
Most activity took place in the core market, defined as properties valued at $1 million or less. There were 2,339 core market transactions in November, down by 391 from October. The report notes that changes in median prices are primarily influenced by this segment since it accounts for about 90% of all monthly transactions.
The total value of all real estate sales across segments was just under $1.2 billion for November 2025.
Real estate lending activity also declined during November compared to October but showed a slight increase over November 2024 levels. There were 2,821 deed of trust transactions recorded in November—854 fewer than October’s figure of 3,675—but up by approximately 3% year-over-year.
Deeds and deeds of trust are used to track property transfers and loan activity within Wake County. The statistics provided come from records filed with the Wake County Register of Deeds office. Under state law, all changes in property rights must be recorded with this office when they occur within Wake County.
Excise tax on real estate transfers is assessed at a rate of one dollar per every five hundred dollars exchanged in consideration for property sales. According to the report, about 99% of these transfers involved deeds; other types included right-of-way acquisitions and similar actions.
The report highlights that not all deed recordings involve monetary exchanges—for example, family transfers may occur without money changing hands. In November 2025, more than half (51%) of recorded deeds did not attract excise tax due to such circumstances.
For additional context on local real estate trends—including rezoning applications and building permits—the public can access further information published by the Register of Deeds at https://www.wakegov.com/news?department=29
“This report was initially released on December 1, 2025.”
For questions regarding this data or to receive future releases from the Wake County Register of Deeds office, contact Tammy Brunner at tammy.brunner@wake.gov or call O.919-856-5460.
