Commercial Real Estate Market in Highlands, NC
Updated monthly: sale, lease, property records, location trend, and more… · Last update: August 31
120 active listings and 316 off-market properties in Highlands, NC.
Market Trends
Highlands, NC spans 90.3 square miles in Macon County, North Carolina. Figures below refresh monthly; last updated 31 August 2026.
Office
Office space in Highlands, NC asks $192/SF to buy. Vacancy runs 20.2% across the South region in 2025, up from 14.4% in 2019.
Average Sale Price $/SF
Listings
Vacancy Rate % in South region
Retail
Retail space in Highlands, NC asks $300/SF to buy. Vacancy runs 5.4% across the South region in 2025, down from 7% in 2020.
Average Sale Price $/SF
Listings
Vacancy Rate % in South region
Industrial
Industrial vacancy in Highlands, NC runs 7.9% across the South region in 2025, up from 6% in 2019. Nearly 2.3x the 2022 low of 3.5%.
Vacancy Rate % in South region
Multifamily
Multifamily vacancy in Highlands, NC runs 11.3% across the South region in 2025, up from 8.5% in 2022.
Vacancy Rate % in South region
Zoning & Land Use
Land Use Mix share of zoned land by category
- Residential 74.8%
- Civic 16.7%
- Commercial 5.1%
- Industrial 3.4%
Largest Zones share of zoned land by district
Residential District
Residential District
Business District
Governmental Institutional District
Residential District
Highlands, NC zones 4,097 acres across 14 districts. Commercial zoning covers 5.1% of zoned land, residential 74.8% and industrial 3.4%. The largest single district is Residential District at 73.7%. For commercial buyers the practical constraint is that only 8.5% of land carries a commercial or industrial designation.
Residential District (R-1)
The R-1 Residential District is exclusively a low-density residential district for single-family dwellings with customary accessory outbuildings, together with such other related uses which are of a residential character or contribute to the residential character of the district
Market overview
Demographics & Economy
Highlands, NC has 3,736 residents in 6,089 households. Density runs 41 people per square mile. Median household income here is $68,874 and median gross rent $862 a month.
3,736
Population
6,089
Households
0.6
Avg Household Size
60
Median Age
48%
College-Educated
90%
High-School Grad
90.3 sq mi
ZIP Area
41
Density / Sq Mi
$68,874
Median Household Income
$40,298
Median Earnings
$862
Median Rent
$596,100
Median Home Value
Tools
Nearby Markets
| Market | Average Sale Price, $/SF | Average Lease Price, $/SF/Yr |
|---|---|---|
| Cashiers | — | — |
| Norton | — | — |
| Scaly Mountain | — | — |
| Sky Valley | — | — |
Frequently Asked Questions
What zoning applies to commercial property in Highlands?
Highlands, NC zones 4,097 acres across 14 districts, of which 5.1% is commercial and 3.4% industrial. The largest single district is Residential District at 73.7% of zoned land. The R-1 Residential District is exclusively a low-density residential district for single-family dwellings with customary accessory outbuildings, together with such other related uses which are of a residential character or contribute to the residential character of the district Residential zoning covers 74.8% and open space 0%.
Where does Realmo's Highlands market data come from?
Realmo compiles Highlands, NC figures from 120 active sale listings, 316 tracked off-market properties, the current Highlands zoning release. Sale and lease figures refresh monthly; vacancy annually. Last updated 31 August 2026.
Methodology & data sources
- Asking prices and averages
- Computed from 120 active for-sale and 0 active for-lease listings in Highlands, NC. These are ASKING figures from live listings, not closed-transaction prices, and a segment carried by a handful of listings reads as indicative rather than an average.
- Vacancy rates
- Published per-sector market series, taken at the metro level where one exists and otherwise at the Census-region level — a chart reading "in <region> region" is a regional number, not this city's.
- Zoning and land use
- The current municipal zoning release: 4,097 zoned acres across 14 districts. Shares are of zoned land, so parcels the release leaves unclassified are excluded from the mix.
- Refresh
- The monthly aggregates close at the end of the previous month, so 31 August 2026 — not today — is the honest last update.
- Known limitations
- office vacancy is reported at South region level, retail vacancy is reported at South region level and industrial vacancy is reported at South region level.
- Coverage
- Metrics below the 10-observation threshold fall back one geographic level. The geography used is named on each figure.
Compiled by the Realmo Data team · reviewed 31 August 2026 · report a data issue
