Housing Market in Durham
Durham's housing figures carry a genuine, disclosed disagreement not just on the exact number but on direction: one aggregator (Houzeo, citing roughly May 2026 data) put the city-proper median sale price at $418,000, down 2.79% year-over-year, while Redfin's own city page (for a later month) cited $420,000, up 5.0% year-over-year. Durham County as a whole, a separate and more stable figure, ran $426K over the three months ending roughly June 2026, down a modest 0.34% year-over-year.
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Learn moreCity vs. County, and a Genuine Direction Disagreement
The base Durham record already flags lower confidence in the city-proper figure than the county figure, and this session's research reinforces why: Houzeo-sourced reporting put the city median at $418,000 for roughly May 2026, down 2.79% year-over-year, while a separate Redfin pull for a later month in the same year cited $420,000, up 5.0% year-over-year. These aren't just two slightly different point estimates -- they disagree on whether Durham city prices are rising or falling, which is a more significant disclosure than a typical range-of-values disagreement. Durham County as a whole is comparatively steadier: $426K over the three months ending around June/July 2026, down 0.34% year-over-year (essentially flat). Treat the city-level trend direction as genuinely unresolved this session rather than picking one source's story.
Market Pace
Days-on-market figures also varied by source and geography within this same research pass: Durham County homes were cited selling in around 32 days on average (same as the prior year), while city-of-Durham-specific figures ranged from about 44 days to 52 days depending on the source consulted. Homes are cited receiving about 3 offers on average, with roughly 1.56 months of inventory supply -- consistent with a "somewhat competitive," moderately balanced market rather than an extreme seller's or buyer's market in either direction.
Neighborhood Variance
As in any city, a citywide or countywide median blends genuinely different submarkets. Trinity Park, Durham's historic, walkable inner-city neighborhood near downtown, runs from the $400,000s to more than $1 million depending on the specific home. In southwest Durham, Woodcroft's median sale price over the trailing 12 months was cited around $423,000 (down about 2% year-over-year), Hope Valley around $444,000, and Southpoint around $472,000 (as of November 2025) -- with all three areas cited as reporting lower violent and property crime rates than east and southeast Durham (see the crime-safety topic page). See the best-areas topic page for a fuller neighborhood-by-neighborhood picture.
Durham's National Livability Standing
Durham ranked 40th among the 100 best U.S. cities in a 2026 Livability ranking, per WRAL reporting reviewed this session -- a real, if secondary, data point suggesting Durham's overall market position (not just its raw price figures) reads as solidly above-average nationally, distinct from and worth citing alongside the more granular price and pace data above.
Key takeaways
- City-of-Durham median sale price is genuinely disputed this session on both level and direction: $418K (down 2.79% YoY, Houzeo/~May 2026) vs. $420K (up 5.0% YoY, Redfin/later month) -- both are disclosed rather than reconciled.
- Durham County overall is steadier: $426K over the three months ending roughly June/July 2026, down 0.34% YoY (essentially flat).
- Days on market varied by source: about 32 days countywide, but 44-52 days depending on the source for city-of-Durham figures specifically; homes average about 3 offers with roughly 1.56 months of supply.
- Neighborhood variance is real: Trinity Park runs $400K-$1M+; southwest Durham (Woodcroft ~$423K, Hope Valley ~$444K, Southpoint ~$472K) is comparatively more affordable and reports lower crime than east/southeast Durham.
- Durham ranked 40th among the 100 best U.S. cities in a 2026 Livability ranking.
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