Does a Sevierville Home Sell Slowly When So Many Nearby Homes Sit Empty Between Visits? Reading the Seasonal Vacancies, the Cooling Prices and the Long Waits

Which Sevierville price figure should an owner trust?

None of them alone, and the reason is that the four sources measure different things at different dates. Redfin's $537,340 is a median of homes that closed over three months ending in May, and the $530,000 sold median on Realtor.com's page for September is close to it. The listing median of $675,000 is a median of asking prices, which is 27.4% above the Realtor.com sold median, computed here. Zillow's $420,849 is an index of values for the whole city, down 0.1%, which implies about $421,270 a year earlier, and the Realtor.com sold median is 25.9% above it.

The gap between asking and selling is large and visible. Homes sold 3.98% below the asking price on average, and the sale-to-list ratio of 96.1% on Redfin agrees. But the listing median is about 27.4% higher than the sold median, which means that the homes that list are, on the whole, larger or higher priced than the homes that close, or that sellers start well above where buyers end up. Which of the two is true is an inference the pages cannot settle.

Prices are falling in the sources that report a change. Redfin's median sale price is down 12.6% in a year, which implies about $614,805 a year earlier, and its price per square foot is down 4.3%, which implies about $302 a year earlier. Realtor.com's listing median is down 12.94%, which implies about $775,327 a year earlier. Its sold median is up 2.91%, which implies about $515,013. A median can move a long way when the mix of homes that sell changes, so the 12.6% fall is not necessarily a fall in what a given house is worth.

The Census value is lower than any of the market figures. The median owner value of $321,700, plus or minus $34,912, is an average over five years of owners' own estimates, and it includes older homes, mobile homes, condominiums and houses bought long ago. It is 5.4 times the median household income of $59,792. The Redfin median is 9.0 times that income, which is one reason sales in this area lean on buyers from elsewhere, an inference from the gap between local incomes and prices.

The practical answer is a short list of closed sales of homes like the owner's, the same size, age, setting and view, within the last few months. An owner who has that list can read the pages as a general guide and set a price from the sales. An owner who has only the pages will be reading a median across cabins, condominiums, mobile homes and subdivisions as if it described one house.

Sources as cited. Ratios and year-earlier values in this section are computed from the published figures and percentages.

How much supply is there in Sevierville, and how long do homes wait?

Supply is large for the size of the place. Realtor.com shows 988 active listings, down 0.19% in a month, which implies about 990 a month before, and up 10.16% in a year, which implies about 897 a year earlier. Redfin counted 130 homes sold in May against 138 a year before, so listings are growing while closings are slipping, and that pairing is what a slowing market looks like. An owner's home is one of nearly a thousand competing for a smaller group of buyers.

The wait is long. Redfin shows an average of 93 days to sell in the three months to May, against 79 a year before, which is 14 days more, and its page says homes go pending in around 100 days. Realtor.com shows a median of 107 days in September, up 6.06% in a month and down 0.94% in a year, which implies about 108 days a year earlier. Zillow's pending time for the city, around 64 days, is shorter, and the difference is another sign of how the sources differ.

Redfin's competition score for the area is 22 out of 100, which it labels not very competitive, and its page says multiple offers are rare, that the average home sells about 4% below list price and that homes can sell for around list price when they go pending in about 37 days. The score is Redfin's own measure and not a count of anything, but the description agrees with Realtor.com's ratio of 96% and its statement that the area is a buyer's market in September 2026.

Rents tell a thinner story. Realtor.com shows a median rent of $2,000, up 21.21% in a month and down 14.89% in a year, which implies about $2,350 a year earlier. A monthly swing of more than a fifth is almost certainly noise from a small number of rentals, so the brief does not rely on the monthly change. The page's neighborhood table lists areas of another city, South Knoxville and Vestal among them, and that table was discarded.

Sources as cited. Year-earlier values and differences are computed from the published percentages.

Why are so many homes empty in Sevierville, and what does that do to a sale?

The Census count of vacant homes is the most unusual figure here. Of 14,207 housing units, 4,868 are vacant, 34.3%. Of those, 822 are for rent, 79 are rented but not yet occupied, none are for sale only, 52 are sold but not yet occupied, 1,580 are held for seasonal or occasional use and 2,335 are vacant for other reasons. Seasonal homes are 11.1% of all housing units, and homes in the other-vacant group are 16.4%.

A survey asks about the home on the day it is answered, and an empty home counted as vacant may be a vacation rental that is booked for the weekend, a second home used a few weeks a year, a home between owners, or a home in poor repair. The Census category called other vacant does not say which. It would be a guess to call all 2,335 of them short-term rentals, and the brief does not make that claim. What the figure does show is a large stock of homes that are not someone's full-time residence.

That stock matters for a seller in three ways. First, some buyers are looking for a second home or an income property and will weigh a purchase by what it can earn on a rental calendar, which is a different test from what a family pays to live there. Second, a neighborhood with many empty homes can feel quiet in the off-season, and some buyers like that and others do not. Third, rental income and local rules on stays shape what a buyer will pay, and an owner should know what those rules are for the property, which is for the owner to check with the town and county.

An owner who has used the home as a rental or as a second home has an advantage when selling to a buyer who wants to continue. Booking records, income, maintenance logs and the reviews of past guests are the kind of proof such a buyer asks for. A private buyer who can look at that record in a single meeting and make an offer on the spot is a way to turn that proof into a price without a listing period.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, table B25004, via Census Reporter. Shares are computed here.

Who owns a house in Sevierville, and what kind of loan do they carry?

Of 9,339 occupied homes, 5,717 are owner-occupied, 61.2%, and 3,622 are rented, 38.8%. Renters are a bigger share than in most places in this series, and that fits an area with many apartments, condominiums and mobile homes. Of the 5,717 owner households, 83 moved in during 2023 or later, 1.5%, 689 between 2020 and 2022, 12.1%, 2,068 between 2010 and 2019, 36.2%, 1,376 between 2000 and 2009, 24.1%, 605 in the 1990s, 10.6%, and 896 before 1990, 15.7%.

Tenure is mixed. Owners who arrived since 2010 are 49.7% of owner households and those who arrived before 2000 are 26.3%. A household that has been in a home for decades often has a lot of equity and a low loan balance, and it may be deciding whether to stay. A household that arrived in the last few years may have a larger loan and less room to cut a price, which is an inference from tenure, not a measure of anyone's loan.

Mortgages are less common here than in most of this series. Of 5,717 owners, 3,112 have a mortgage, 54.4%, and 2,605 do not, 45.6%. Among owners with a mortgage and a computed figure, 779 of 3,105 spent 30% or more of income on housing, 25.1%, and 335 spent half or more, 10.8%. Among owners without a mortgage, 351 of 2,605 spent 30% or more, 13.5%, and 122 spent half or more, 4.7%.

Renters feel the strain. Of 3,622 renters, 3,274 had a computed figure, and 1,492 of them spent 30% or more of income on rent, 45.6%, and 544 spent half or more, 16.6%. The median gross rent is $1,004, plus or minus $54. Local incomes are modest, with a median household income of $59,792, plus or minus $7,523, and that is part of why housing at the prices in the market pages is a stretch for many local households.

The population of 21,767 is older than the national picture. Of those counted, 3,891 are under 18, 17.9%, 1,943 are 18 to 24, 8.9%, 2,673 are 25 to 34, 12.3%, 2,513 are 35 to 44, 11.5%, 5,664 are 45 to 64, 26.0%, and 5,083 are 65 or older, 23.4%. The margin on the total is plus or minus 1,246. Many owners are at an age where a move to be near family or to a smaller place is common, which is an inference.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B01001, B25003, B25038, B25070 and B25091, via Census Reporter. Shares are computed here.

What kinds of homes are in Sevierville, and how old are they?

The stock is a mix. Of 14,207 units, 9,258 are detached, 65.2%, 369 are attached, 2.6%, 654 are in two-unit buildings, 437 in buildings of three or four, 919 in buildings of five to nine, 600 in ten to nineteen, 448 in twenty to forty-nine and 518 in fifty or more. Another 973, 6.8%, are mobile homes, and 31 are boats or recreational vehicles. A median in this area mixes cabins, houses, condominiums and mobile homes.

The age is middle-aged. Of 14,207 units, 439, or 3.1%, were built before 1940, 173, or 1.2%, in the 1940s, 569, or 4.0%, in the 1950s, 805, or 5.7%, in the 1960s, 1,344, or 9.5%, in the 1970s, 2,274, or 16.0%, in the 1980s, 2,929, or 20.6%, in the 1990s, 3,839, or 27.0%, in the 2000s, 1,403, or 9.9%, in the 2010s and 432, or 3.0%, in 2020 or later. The median build year is 1995, and 23.4% were built before 1980.

The 1990s and 2000s together produced 47.6% of the homes, and the build of the 2000s is the single largest decade. Houses of that age are now old enough that roofs, cooling systems, decks and exterior finishes need work, and a buyer's inspector will ask about them. Mountain weather adds its own wear: wet winters and temperature swings are hard on decks, retaining walls, drainage and crawl spaces, which is an inference about the setting and not a finding.

Bedrooms are mostly three. Of 5,717 owner households, 101 live in a home with no bedroom, 77 in a one-bedroom, 1,340 in a two-bedroom, 3,128 in a three-bedroom, 835 in a four-bedroom and 236 in one with five or more. Three-bedroom homes are 54.7% of owner homes and two-bedroom homes 23.4%. Homes with five or more bedrooms, the size often built as a group cabin, are only 4.1% of owner homes, which suggests that such cabins are more often held by investors, an inference. Readers comparing markets can also read the Charlotte Park brief and the Belle Meade brief.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B25024, B25034 and B25042, via Census Reporter. Shares are computed here.

What should a Sevierville owner ask before choosing a listing or a private sale?

Five questions are worth asking. Is my price based on closed sales of similar homes in the last few months and not on a median across all kinds of homes? Can I carry the home for three months or more while it waits? What will a buyer's inspector find in a house of this age and setting? What do the fees cost? And what date do I need to close?

Fees are simple arithmetic, and no rate is assumed here. Each 1% of a $450,000 sale is $4,500, of a $725,000 sale is $7,250 and of a $1,200,000 sale is $12,000. Three percent is $13,500, $21,750 and $36,000, and five percent is $22,500, $36,250 and $60,000. On the Redfin median of $537,340, 1% is $5,373, 3% is $16,120 and 5% is $26,867. On the Zillow city value of $420,849, 1% is $4,208, 3% is $12,625 and 5% is $21,042.

A private sale has no showings and no neighbors talking about it, which is the first benefit. The second benefit is a closing date that fits the seller, which helps a household that needs time to find a new home. The third and fourth are no commission costs and no closing costs, and the fifth is no inspection repairs, which matters in a home of a certain age and a mountain setting.

In a market with many listings, long waits and prices below asking, an owner is right to compare a listing with a private offer. The comparison includes the months on market, the chance of cuts, the carrying costs of a home that stands empty, and the cost of repairs a buyer may ask for. Only the owner can supply the numbers for taxes, insurance, upkeep and plans.

Maison Off-Market buys luxury homes and estates directly from their owners and speaks only to sellers. It does not say that a private sale always beats a public listing. If you would like a private, no-obligation offer for a home in Sevierville, call 401-219-4207 or use the contact form on this site.

Sources as cited. Fee illustrations are arithmetic only and assume no commission rate.

Methodology and limitations

Each page's date, title and place were read before use. The Redfin page covers the three months ending May 2026, four months before this brief, and is dated accordingly. The Realtor.com page carries key indicators as of September 2026; its monthly rent change of more than a fifth was treated as noise, and its neighborhood table, which listed areas of another city, was discarded. The Zillow page was updated on August 31, 2026 and covers the city, not the postal area. Only established data publishers and the Census are cited. Percent changes were taken as published, year-earlier values were computed by dividing by one plus or minus the change, and every ratio and sum was computed in code. Census Reporter figures are five-year averages and carry margins of error; the median owner value is plus or minus $34,912.

Conclusion

The record for Sevierville, as far as the pages allow, is a postal area where a third of the homes are vacant at the time of the survey, listings are up about a tenth in a year, homes take about three months to sell at prices a few percent below asking, and the medians disagree because they measure different things. The useful number for an owner is a closed sale of a similar home in the last few months, and a private buyer can price the home as it stands, in its setting, and close on the owner's schedule.