CautiousUpdated SEP 1, 2026

Grassy Creek, NC

ZIP 28631· Ashe County· 724 residents· Median income $28,798· Leaning Buyer

28631 · Grassy Creek, NC has a HavenScore of 35 — affordability is the drag — prices are stretched against local incomes.

At the ZIP's typical value, the estimated monthly payment takes 82% of the local median income (Zillow, US Census ACS). The buyer/seller gauge leans narrowly toward buyers, and has for 7 months. Typical values were flat over the last 90 days (Zillow ZHVI). The cautious band reflects the longer-run affordability and risk picture; the buyer lean is the near-term negotiating climate, and the two can differ.

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 $333,537 in Aug 2024; the latest value is -5.3% from that peak, 23 months on. Since January 2019 it is +45.1%. The sharpest 12-month move was -6.2%, ending Sep 2025.

Median price
$315,952
+0.13% past 12 mo
Est. monthly payment
$1,956/ mo
20% down · 30-yr fixed · 6.71% · incl. tax + insurance
33
HavenScore: higher than 2% of scored ZIPs.
▲ +2 / 90d#91/93 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
15/100
Growth
55/100
Risk
44/100
Momentum
51/100
Livability
21/100
Score · trailing 12 mo
2635
+9 points
30-day
+1
90-day
+2
1-yr
+9

Snapshot

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

Median price
$315,952
up+0.1% 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 43% of scored ZIPs.
Twelve-month trend shown as a sparkline; the newest value is $315,952.
Price-to-income
11.0×
Median home value divided by median household income. Under 4× has historically been comfortable; over 5× stretches most budgets.
Price-to-income: higher than 96% of scored ZIPs.
Est. monthly payment
$1,956
At the median value with 20% down, a 30-year fixed at 6.71%, plus property tax and insurance.
Est. monthly payment: higher than 95% of scored ZIPs.
Active listings
7
Homes listed for sale right now (Realtor.com). Rising inventory usually favors buyers; falling inventory favors sellers.
Active listings: higher than 3% of scored ZIPs.
Twelve-month trend shown as a sparkline; the newest value is 7.
Days on market
133
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 99% of scored ZIPs.
Twelve-month trend shown as a sparkline; the newest value is 133.
Price cuts
+20.00%
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 +20.00%.
Median income
$28,798
Median household income here, from the latest US Census American Community Survey.
Population
724
Current resident estimate. Growth is a demand tailwind; decline is a structural risk.
Twelve-month trend shown as a sparkline; the newest value is 724.
Overvaluation
+20.02%
How far today's values sit above the long-run price trend. Positive means stretched; negative means discounted versus trend.
Vacancy
32.8%
Above-average. Share of housing units that are vacant in this ZIP, from the latest US Census ACS 5-year tables.
Owner-occupied
72%
of homes. Share of occupied housing units owned by their occupants (vs. rented), from the US Census ACS.
Denial rate
22.6%
Above-average. Share of mortgage applications denied in this ZIP, from the latest CFPB / FFIEC HMDA disclosures.
Lending activity
575
originations. Mortgage originations recorded in this ZIP in the most recent HMDA reporting year. Higher counts = more active lending market.
Net migration
+6.7%
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
$81k
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 3.3 of 20 · EPA Smart Location Database · Jun 2021 · above 1% of scored ZIPs
Transit accessNo transit data
EPA publishes no stop distance for most block groups
Typical commuteShorter commute than typical
18 minutes one way · US median ZIP 22 · US Census ACS · above 79% of scored ZIPs
Jobs nearbyFew jobs nearby
2 jobs per sq mi · US Census LODES · above 1% 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 8 scored ZIPs in Ashe County

Housing cost burden · US Census ACS
Owners spending over 50% of income0%
US median ZIP 6%
Renters spending over 30% of income0%
US median ZIP 45%

What drives the score

Five pillars, each scored 0–100

Affordability

15/100

Growth momentum

55/100

Market risk

44/100

Momentum

51/100

Livability

21/100
Walkability
1–20 index · June 2021 vintage·EPA Smart Location Database
3.3
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
2.1

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
Tailwinds2
  • Strong migration inflow
    +6.7% net — people moving in
  • Strong job market
    2.8% unemployment
Headwinds3
  • High price-to-income
    11.0× income — well above the national median
  • Potentially overvalued
    20% above historical price-to-income
  • Slow-moving market
    133 days on market — homes sitting longer
Buyer / seller gauge

Market conditions

Leaning Buyer

Conditions are easing in buyers' favor. The score reads more negotiation room than balanced.

-9
Strong buyerBalancedStrong seller
Trend
Heating toward seller
Gauge since Mar 2026Leaning Buyer now

Cycle read. Cooling: prices +0.1% over the trailing year, with the market leaning toward buyers.

Asking vs closed
Typical value (index)
$315,952
Zillow ZHVI · Sep 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
$333,537
Aug 2024
From peak
-5.3%
23 mo ago
Since Jan 2019
+45.1%
Worst 12 mo
-6.2%
to Sep 2025
Best 12 mo
+21.9%
since 2018

Zillow ZHVI peaked at $333,537 in Aug 2024; the latest value is -5.3% from that peak, 23 months on. Since January 2019 it is +45.1%. The sharpest 12-month move was -6.2%, 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+0.1%+0.1%/yrHigher than 31% nationallyHigher than 37% in North Carolina
3 yearsdown-2.1%-0.7%/yrHigher than 10% nationallyHigher than 4% in North Carolina
5 yearsup+11.3%+2.2%/yrHigher than 13% nationallyHigher than 2% in North Carolina
10 yearsup+60.2%+4.8%/yrHigher than 18% nationallyHigher than 2% in North Carolina
Since 2015up+61.6%+4.6%/yr

Starter homes vs the top tier

Zillow ZHVI tiers · Jul 2026
Bottom third (starter homes)
$195,895
up+29% 5Y
Middle third
$315,952
up+8% 5Yup+56% 10Y
Top third
$468,436
down-16% 5Yup+15% 10Y

Starter homes here rose 29% in five years while top-tier homes fell 16% (Zillow ZHVI tiers) — the bottom of the market outpaced the top.

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
$310,581
-1.7%
80% range $291.2K$320.7K
6-month
🔒 Haven
12-month
🔒 Haven

Of the 3-month ranges we published since December 2025, 60% 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
$1,956/ mo

20% down · 30-yr fixed · 6.71% · tax 0.82%

Principal$219
Interest$1,413
Property tax$216
Insurance$108
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, $1,291 a year (Treasury Federal Insurance Office).

Payment share of income

82%of the ZIP’s median income at the median value ($1,956/mo against $28,798 · 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 $28,798

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

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

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Equity assumes flat home value; real appreciation could push it higher · Rate 6.71%

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Comparable ZIPs

Same shape, lower entry

ZIPs the score groups near 28631 on Affordability and Growth — sorted by lowest median value. Each tile names what the lower price trades: commute (ACS), walkability band (EPA) and hazard rating (FEMA).

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:GreatSchoolsNCES School SearchFBI Crime Data Explorer

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