Burlington, North Carolina Housing Market

What stands out in Burlington?

• Prices were above the year before in 98% of months: among the most consistent price growth of 765 tracked cities. Drops here have been short.

Is housing keeping up with Burlington's growth?

The population in Burlington's ZIP codes grew 11.4% over five years, faster than 88% of the cities we track. Households (+11.7%) grew faster than housing (+9.6%). Demand is outrunning supply. Homes for sale are 16% below 2017–2019 at this time of year.

Is now a good time to buy in Burlington?

The median asking price is 18.6% below its Jun 2023 peak. Per square foot the gap is smaller: 2.1% below the Jun 2026 high. Part of the drop is smaller homes coming to market. Prices stopped falling about a year ago. They are flat now. Waiting will not get you a cheaper house. It might still get you a more motivated seller. Burlington prices have risen in 109 of the last 111 months. Drops here have been short and shallow. Buying in a slow month has rarely hurt a long hold.

This market is turning. Which way is not settled yet. Check the monthly numbers above before you commit.

How does Burlington compare with other North Carolina markets?

Ranked among the 21 North Carolina markets we track:

• Asking price: 8th cheapest of 21. Burlington is at $315,277. Closest: Kannapolis and Greensboro.
• Buyer competition: 4th most competitive of 21. Burlington is at 0.50 buyers per home. Closest: Jacksonville and Concord.
• Time on market: 8th longest time on market of 21. Burlington is at a median of 63 days on market. Closest: Raleigh and Charlotte.
• Price cuts: 7th fewest price cuts of 21. Burlington is at 24% of sellers cutting. Closest: Wilmington and Rocky Mount.

Who will rent from you in Burlington?

In Burlington, 40 out of every 100 households rent. That is nearly half. That share has held steady for five years. Burlington added about 1,300 renter households in five years. Renter households average 2.2 people. Two and three bedrooms fit the typical renter.

The median Burlington household earns $61,536 a year. Incomes here have grown 5.1% a year since 2019. Incomes and home prices are rising in step. A typical home costs 5.1 times the median income. That is the national middle. Neither cash flow nor appreciation is free here. At 30% of income, a tenant on the median income can pay about $1,538 a month.

To see what one Burlington address would rent for and cash flow, run it through the app.

How much can you negotiate in Burlington?

For every 100 homes still for sale, 50 are under contract. In 2017–2019 at this time of year it was 26. The rest are still waiting for a buyer. About 1 in 4 sellers has already dropped their price. Each one has learned their first price was too high. Start your offer below their new price.

The typical Burlington listing has been on the market 63 days. There are 269 homes for sale in Burlington. That is 6.7 times the tightest month on record, but below the peak of 480. Supply is steady against last year.

What to do about it

• Judge each listing on its own.
• Homes listed 90+ days ago with a price cut are where your discount is.
• Fresh, well-priced homes will not move on price. Do not waste offers on them.

What numbers should you underwrite a Burlington deal with?

• Price growth to assume — +5.0%/yr. Burlington grew 7.5% a year over the decade. Ignore that rate. Most of it landed in the 2020 and 2021 boom. Without the boom, Burlington grows about 5.0% a year. That is the number to type in. Prices fell 0.5% over the last year. Use it for timing. The five-year rate is the better guide.
• Months of carrying cost — 3. Budget at least 63 days of holding costs, the current median listing age, when you exit or refinance.
• Odds you cut your price to sell — 1 in 4. 24% of Burlington listings have cut their asking price. Underwrite your exit below asking.
• Comp on price per square foot — $185/sqft. The typical Burlington listing shrank from 1,897 to 1,731 sqft since Jul 2016. So median price hides real growth: 115% per sqft versus 82% on the median. Comp on median price and you will overpay for small homes.

Read how population change affects rentals and how we read these numbers, then run the numbers on a deal.

What is the median home price in Burlington?

The median asking price in Burlington is about $315,000 as of Sep 2026, down 5.1% from a year ago. This is the asking price on homes listed for sale. Sites that report sold prices or estimated home values will show a different number. Our Burlington figures cover the 3 ZIP codes with a Burlington mailing address, which can reach past city limits.

Is Burlington a buyer's or seller's market in 2026?

Neither side has the upper hand in Burlington right now. We compare Burlington with 2017–2019 at this time of year: there are 50 pending sales per 100 listings, against 26 then; 24% of sellers have cut their price, against 15% then; there are 16% fewer homes for sale.

Are Burlington home prices going up or down?

The median asking price is 18.6% below its Jun 2023 peak. Per square foot the gap is smaller: 2.1% below the Jun 2026 high. Part of the drop is smaller homes coming to market. Prices stopped falling about a year ago. They are flat now. Waiting will not get you a cheaper house. It might still get you a more motivated seller.

What is the best month to buy a house in Burlington?

Across 9 full years, Burlington asking prices ran lowest in January, about 4.9% below the year's average. They peaked in December. The most homes for sale show up in November, about 10% above the yearly average.

Are there more homes for sale in Burlington than before the pandemic?

No. There are 269 homes for sale, 16% fewer than in 2017–2019 at this time of year.

What is the fair market rent in Burlington?

HUD's fiscal year 2026 fair market rent for Alamance County is $1,348 a month for 2 bedrooms and $1,670 for 3 bedrooms. The figures include tenant-paid utilities and cover the whole county.