FairUpdated OCT 1, 2026

Riegelwood, NC

ZIP 28456· Columbus County· 3,565 residents· Median income $48,164· Seller's Market

28456 · Riegelwood, NC has a HavenScore of 45 — downside-risk signals are what hold the score back.

At the ZIP's typical value, the estimated monthly payment takes 35% of the local median income (Zillow, US Census ACS). The buyer/seller gauge leans firmly toward sellers, and has for 7 months. Typical values moved higher over the last 90 days (Zillow ZHVI).

Saved ZIPs on Haven get an email when the score moves 5+ points as monthly data lands, when the market gauge flips between buyers and sellers, when its valuation read moves against the model value, or when distress jumps in a week.

Zillow ZHVI peaked at $204,176 in Aug 2026, which is the latest value. Since January 2019 it is +73.4%. The sharpest 12-month move was -2.6%, ending Sep 2025.

Median price
$204,176
+5.56% past 12 mo
Est. monthly payment
$1,408/ mo
20% down · 30-yr fixed · 7.28% · incl. tax + insurance
46
HavenScore: higher than 26% of scored ZIPs.
▲ +5 / 90d#69/93 in NCBuyer Score
Rank

This ZIP has fewer than 5,000 residents, so it isn’t ranked against larger markets. The HavenScore is shown for reference.

Switch perspective

Buyer view active — Leans harder on affordability and downside risk.

Score inputs below recompute for this view

Affordability
47/100
Growth
54/100
Risk
41/100
Momentum
41/100
Livability
35/100
Score · trailing 12 mo
43 → 48
+5 points
30-day
+3
90-day
+5
1-yr
+5

Snapshot

Numbers at a glance, with a year of history under each

Median price
$204,176
up+5.6% 12 mo
Typical home value across the middle tier of homes here — a smoothed Zillow index, steadier than individual sale prices.
Median price: higher than 17% of scored ZIPs.
Twelve-month trend shown as a sparkline; the newest value is $204,176.
Price-to-income
4.2×
Median home value divided by median household income. Under 4× has historically been comfortable; over 5× stretches most budgets.
Price-to-income: higher than 47% of scored ZIPs.
Est. monthly payment
$1,408
At the median value with 20% down, a 30-year fixed at 7.28%, plus property tax and insurance.
Est. monthly payment: higher than 38% of scored ZIPs.
Active listings
2
Homes listed for sale right now (Realtor.com). Rising inventory usually favors buyers; falling inventory favors sellers.
Active listings: higher than 1% of scored ZIPs.
Twelve-month trend shown as a sparkline; the newest value is 2.
Days on market
54
How long the typical listing sits before going under contract. Shorter means a tighter market; longer means more room to negotiate.
Days on market: higher than 47% of scored ZIPs.
Twelve-month trend shown as a sparkline; the newest value is 54.
Price cuts
0.00%
Share of active listings that have lowered their asking price. Rising cuts usually precede softening values.
Twelve-month trend shown as a sparkline; the newest value is 0.00%.
Median income
$48,164
Median household income here, from the latest US Census American Community Survey.
Population
3,565
Current resident estimate. Growth is a demand tailwind; decline is a structural risk.
Twelve-month trend shown as a sparkline; the newest value is 3,565.
Overvaluation
+85.96%
How far today's values sit above the long-run price trend. Positive means stretched; negative means discounted versus trend.
Vacancy
19.3%
Above-average. Share of housing units that are vacant in this ZIP, from the latest US Census ACS 5-year tables.
Owner-occupied
84%
of homes. Share of occupied housing units owned by their occupants (vs. rented), from the US Census ACS.
Denial rate
42.3%
Above-average. Share of mortgage applications denied in this ZIP, from the latest CFPB / FFIEC HMDA disclosures.
Lending activity
665
originations. Mortgage originations recorded in this ZIP in the most recent HMDA reporting year. Higher counts = more active lending market.
Net migration
+14.8%
net inflow. Net migration as a share of population, from IRS SOI county-to-county migration data. Positive = more people moving in than out.
Income inflow
$47k
average. Average gross income of households moving INTO this ZIP, from IRS SOI data. Higher = ZIP attracting higher-income households.

Place

What it is like to live here, and what could flood or burn

Place profile
WalkabilityLeast walkable
EPA index 3.8 of 20 · EPA Smart Location Database · Jun 2021 · above 4% of scored ZIPs
Transit accessNo transit data
EPA publishes no stop distance for most block groups
Typical commuteTypical commute
22 minutes one way · US median ZIP 22 · US Census ACS · above 49% of scored ZIPs
Jobs nearbyFew jobs nearby
15 jobs per sq mi · US Census LODES · above 9% of scored ZIPs
Physical riskRelatively High (FEMA)
FEMA National Risk Index composite · Dec 2025 release · above 14% of scored ZIPs

Bands are each source’s own · tick marks the national median ZIP · not blended into the score

Hazard ledger · FEMA National Risk Index

Tract-level rolled up to ZIP · not a property-level rating · no future-year projection · refreshed annually (Dec 2025 release) · county tick = median of 13 scored ZIPs in Columbus County

Housing cost burden · US Census ACS
Owners spending over 50% of income3%
US median ZIP 6%
Renters spending over 30% of income43%
US median ZIP 45%

What drives the score

Five pillars, each scored 0–100

Affordability

47/100

Growth momentum

54/100

Market risk

41/100

Momentum

41/100

Livability

35/100
Walkability
1–20 index · June 2021 vintage·EPA Smart Location Database
3.8
Transit access
Ranked against every scored ZIP·EPA Smart Location Database
—
Job density
Jobs per square mile, ranked against every scored ZIP·US Census LODES
14.6

See every input behind the pillars, with its value and source

Inside: Affordability: Price-to-income, Property tax rate, Median income · Growth momentum: 12-month price change, 12-month rent change, Population · Market risk: Overvaluation, Active listings, Price cuts · Momentum: Days on market, Buyer / seller gauge, Demand dial

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Market signals

Tailwinds and headwinds right now

Top 5 of 14 signals
Tailwinds4
  • Strong price appreciation
    +5.6% year-over-year
  • Strong migration inflow
    +14.8% net — people moving in
  • Limited new supply
    Only 1.1 permits per 1,000 — supply constrained
  • Few price reductions
    Only 0% of listings cutting price
Headwinds1
  • Potentially overvalued
    86% above historical price-to-income
Buyer / seller gauge

Market conditions

Seller's Market

Sellers hold the leverage. Bidding wars and over-asking offers are common.

+45
Strong buyerBalancedStrong seller
Gauge since Mar 2026Leaning Seller now

Cycle read. Accelerating: prices +5.6% over the trailing year, with the market leaning toward sellers.

Asking vs closed
Typical value (index)
$204,176
Zillow ZHVI · Oct 2026
Median sale price
—
Redfin
Sale-to-list
—
Redfin
Sold above list
—
Redfin

The Zillow figure is a smoothed index of typical value, not a list price; the Redfin figures are closed sales for the month shown. Redfin does not publish every ZIP every month; a dash means no closed-sale figure for the latest month.

Momentum check

What's changed in the last 90 days

🔒 Haven
Locked

Median price

——
🔒 Haven
Locked

Inventory

——
🔒 Haven
Locked

Days on market

——

Change vs. prior 90 days · arrow shows direction, not whether it’s good or bad

Pulse signals unlock with Haven, plus a one-line market interpretation.

The 90-day numbers behind each tile open with Haven

Trend

Where it's been

Peak
$204,176
Aug 2026
From peak
0.0%
At peak
Since Jan 2019
+73.4%
Worst 12 mo
-2.6%
to Sep 2025
Best 12 mo
+20.4%
since 2018

Zillow ZHVI peaked at $204,176 in Aug 2026, which is the latest value. Since January 2019 it is +73.4%. The sharpest 12-month move was -2.6%, ending Sep 2025.

Cycle position — prices vs the model’s value estimate and the payment’s share of income vs five years ago — opens with Pro

Appreciation by window

Zillow ZHVI · rank among scored ZIPs
WindowChangePer yearUS rankNorth Carolina rank
1 yearup+5.6%+5.6%/yrTop 14% nationallyTop 5% in North Carolina
3 yearsup+2.1%+0.7%/yrHigher than 28% nationallyHigher than 29% in North Carolina
5 yearsup+30.8%+5.5%/yrHigher than 74% nationallyHigher than 74% in North Carolina
10 yearsup+83.1%+6.2%/yrHigher than 53% nationallyHigher than 25% in North Carolina
Since 2000up+241.0%+4.7%/yr——

Starter homes vs the top tier

Zillow ZHVI tiers · Aug 2026
Bottom third (starter homes)
$107,481
up+7% 5Yup+38% 10Y
Middle third
$204,176
up+37% 5Yup+91% 10Y
Top third
$300,245
up+25% 5Yup+73% 10Y

Starter homes here rose 7% in five years while top-tier homes rose 25% (Zillow ZHVI tiers) — the top of the market outpaced the bottom.

The historical reading — which months run highest and lowest here — opens with Haven

Rent, inventory, days on market, Zillow’s market heat, the % view and state and US reference lines open with Haven

Forecast

Where it's heading

The HavenScore Forecast Model (v1) projects this ZIP’s median value at 3-, 6-, and 12-month horizons, with 80% prediction intervals; Pro adds 24- and 36-month horizons.

Price Forecast

3-month projection · 80% range

🔒 Haven
—————
3-month shown  |  6 & 12 months with Haven →
3-month
$217,121
+6.3%
80% range $207K–$227K
6-month
🔒 Haven
12-month
🔒 Haven

Of the 3-month ranges we published since December 2025, 54% contained the actual price. Track record →

6- and 12-month projections, their 80% ranges, and what moves the forecast unlock with Haven.

Forecasts are the model’s projection, not a prediction. Actuals will differ.

See the 6- and 12-month price ranges for this ZIP and what moves the forecast

Haven · 14-day free trial · then from $8/mo

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Monthly cost

What you'd owe each month

Est. monthly payment
$1,408/ mo

20% down · 30-yr fixed · 7.28% · tax 0.82%

Principal$127
Interest$991
Property tax$140
Insurance$151
Rent vs buy

Rent data isn’t published for this ZIP, so we can’t compute a rent-vs-buy gap.

Insurance uses the average homeowners premium insurers reported for this ZIP in 2022, $1,807 a year (Treasury Federal Insurance Office).

Payment share of income

35%of the ZIP’s median income at the median value ($1,408/mo against $48,164 · Zillow, Freddie Mac PMMS, US Census ACS). Your own marker appears once you set an income or price in the calculator below.

Price-to-income · ZIP vs state vs US

Median home value ÷ median household income · Zillow ZHVI, US Census ACS · under 4× has historically been comfortable

Run the numbers

Your price, rate, down payment and income

Cost of ownership over time

Cumulative housing cost, interest paid, and equity built · 20% down · ZIP median income $48,164

See the 1-, 5-, and 30-year cost of owning here

Inside: Total housing cost · Interest paid · Principal paid · Equity built

Try Haven free for 14 days

Equity assumes flat home value; real appreciation could push it higher · Rate 7.28%

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Sources

Every number, traced

Every metric above is sourced from public datasets, normalized against the national ZIP distribution. Home values and rents refresh monthly; demographics refresh annually.

Zillow Research
Home values, rents, inventory, transactions
Realtor.com
Inventory, days on market, price-cut share
Redfin
Sale prices, transaction volume
US Census ACS
Income, population, vacancy, cost burden
Freddie Mac PMMS
Current 30-year fixed mortgage rates
FHFA HPI
Long-term price trends
HUD Small Area FMR
Per-ZIP fair market rents (rural fallback)
BEA & IRS
Personal income growth, net migration
Lending & accessibility
Lending and neighborhood-access signals
Research the restNo crime or school rating here — why. The primary sources:GreatSchools→NCES School Search→FBI Crime Data Explorer→

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