By DON FENLEY

The Tri-Cities townhome market posted nearly flat overall sales volume in the first quarter of 2026. Buyers took longer to commit, the forward pipeline is thinning, and prices are moving higher in most markets.

Across the area tracked by the Northeast Tennessee Association of Realtors® (NETAR), sales totaled 68 units, up from one sale from last year. That near-identical count came alongside an 18.9% drop in new listings and a 33.7% decline in pending sales.

The one-transaction gain in regional sales is best understood as a statistical coincidence rather than a signal of strength. Strip out Sullivan County’s 40% volume jump, and the rest of the region actually lost ground. With pending sales were down by a third and new listings contracting across every county in the report, the townhome segment enters the spring season with less momentum than a year ago. Days on market in every county with meaningful volume now exceed 100 days. Whether that reflects affordability headwinds, buyer caution, or simply a thinner selection of product is a question the second-quarter data will answer.

Sullivan Co. leads on volume

Sullivan Co. posted the region’s strongest transaction growth. Sales rose from 20 to 28. The median price rose to $211,450. The cumulative days on market increased to 121 from 90 last year.

Washington Co. holds volume

Washington Co., TN, the region’s highest-volume townhome market, matched its Q1 2025  sales total of 34 units. The median sales price edged up to $225,000. Townhomes sat on the market 102 days before going under contract, up from 68 days last year.

Greene Co. posts big price jump on thin volume

Greene Co. recorded three townhome closings, up from two a year earlier. The median sales price was $332,000, compared with $245,000 last year. Properties were on the market 156 days before going under contract.

Carter Co. slows sharply

Carter Co. recorded two closings, down from seven a year earlier, while pending sales fell from 12 to three. The median sales price was $214,500. Listings were on the market for 128 days, more than two months longer than last year.

Washington Co. VA: one closing, not a trend

Washington Co., Va., recorded a single townhome closing, down from four last year. The three days-on-market figure reflects the nature of a single pre-negotiated or new-construction closing. The sales price was $235,450.

This report is a combined product of human and AI analysis.

Categories: REAL ESTATE