There can be a lot of reasons why houses, historic and otherwise, sell for far less than their listed prices. Sometimes the sellers (and their agents) are just too optimistic. Sometimes inspections reveal previously unknown problems that would be costly to fix.
Here are seven historic houses that, for one reason or another, have sold recently at conspicuously lower prices than the sellers wanted. They include an 1885 house in Mount Airy, whose sale was especially painful; a 1929 bungalow in a very popular Greensboro neighborhood; a 1915 house in a Greensboro historic district; farm houses in Davidson and Davie counties; a Mid-Century Modern house in Greensboro; and a 1950s mansion in Reidsville. Some of the sellers at least deserve credit for facing reality and reducing their asking prices to get their houses sold in less than a year.
308 W. Church Street, Mount airy, $300,000 (-$99,900, -25%)
- Sold for $300,000 on April 14, 2025 (originally $399,900)
- The buyer’s address of record is in The Villages, Florida.
- 4 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, 3 half-bathrooms, 3,360 square feet, 0.28 acre
- Price/square foot: $89
- Built in 1885
- Listed February 22, 2024
- Last sales: $380,000, August 2023; $267,000, May 2019
- Neighborhood: Mount Airy Historic District (NR)
A rare historic home for which the sellers not only didn’t get even close to the price they wanted, they actually took a loss, receiving $80,000 less than they paid for it. Much of the historic character has been stripped away (though not be these sellers) — vinyl windows and siding, textured ceilings, fluorescent lights in the kitchen, plank boards on the porch. The 2019 listing said all the interior walls were torn out and replaced in a 1996 renovation. Fourteen months from initial listing to closing.
122 Kensington Road, Greensboro, $600,000 (-$174,900, -23%)
122 Kensington Road, Greensboro
The Pattie and James Price House
- Sold for $600,000 on April 22, 2025 (originally $774,900)
- 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2,787 square feet, 0.22 acre
- Price/square foot: $215
- Built in 1929
- Listed October 16, 2024
- Last sale: $20,900, October 1967
- Neighborhood: Sunset Hills Historic District (NR)
This one was priced initially near the top end of the neighborhood’s price range. It’s a Period Cottage that appears to be in good condition in a very popular neighborhood where prices are moving from high to way high. Six months from listing to closing.
746 Park Avenue, Greensboro, $349,000 (-$50,000, -12.5%)
746 Park Avenue, Greensboro
The William and Espie Forbis House
- Sold for $349,000 on April 11, 2025 (originally $399,000)
- 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2,152 square feet, 0.19 acre
- Price/square foot: $162
- Built in 1915 (per county, put probably a bit earlier; see note)
- Listed October 18, 2024
- Last sales: $194,481, November 2023 (auction); $38,000, February 1980
- Neighborhood: Dunleath Historic District (local), Summit Avenue Historic District (NRHP)
House flippers are adding immensely to the inflation of historic-home prices, but this flipped foursquare didn’t live up to expectations. As always, caveat emptor, especially with flipped houses. Six months from listing to closing.
4132 Dogwood Drive, Greensboro, $575,000 (-$100,000, -17%)
4132 Dogwood Drive, Greensboro
The Ned and Betty Lawrence House
- Sold for $575,000 on April 4, 2025 (originally $675,000)
- 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, 2,915 square feet, 0.39 acre
- Price/square foot: $197
- Built in 1958
- Listed November 22, 2024
- Last sale: $270,000, December 2008
- Neighborhood: Hamilton Lakes
- Note: The house has had just three owners.
Mid-Century houses tend to sell at pretty good prices. This one, in a very upscale neighborhood and apparently in very good condition, is quite an exception. The price per square foot is relatively low for Hamilton Lakes. Four months from listing to closing.
1620 Fairway Drive, Reidsville, $594,500 (-$80,500, -12%)
1620 Fairway Drive, Reidsville, Rockingham County
The Benjamin and June Goodes House
- Sold for $594,500 on March 24, 2025 (originally $675,000)
- 5 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms, 4,694 square feet, 5.29 acres
- Price/square foot: $127
- Built in 1952
- Listed July 26, 2024
- Last sale: $407,000, July 2021
- Neighborhood: Belmont Forest
Other styles come and go, but Colonial Revival houses tend to remain popular. At $127 per square foot, this is getting down toward what you’d pay for a restoration project, which it isn’t. Eight months from listing to closing.
515 Jake Shoaf Road, Davidson County, $700,000 (-$300,000, -30%)
515 Jake Shoaf Road, Davidson County
- Sold for $700,000 on April 10, 2025 (originally $1 million)
- Sold to an LLC in Kernersville
- 4 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 2,547 square feet, 43.36 acres
- Price/square foot: $275
- Built in 1800
- Listed January 3, 2023
- Last sale: The listing says the property has been in the Hyatt-Oman family since the 1600s.
The house needs work, but the property is 40-plus acres. A creek runs through it. The property includes a barn and other outbuildings. It has a Lexington mailing address but is located north of the city, east of Welcome and west of Thomasville. Two long years and three months from listing to closing.
256 Pine ridge Road, Davie County, $187,000 (-$202,000, -52%)
256 Pine Ridge Road, Davie County (brochure)
The Forbes-Luther Cabin, Sleepy Hollow
- Sold for $187,000 on April 1, 2025 (listed at $389,000)
- Sold to the Historic Preservation Foundation of North Carolina
- 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 1,237 square feet (per listing) and 27.5 acres
- Price/square foot: $151
- Built in 1953
- Listed October 28, 2024
- Last sale: October 1936, price not recorded on deed
- Neighborhood: Located near the Jerusalem community, about 7 1/2 miles south of Mocksville, just off U.S. 601, and about 3 miles east of Cooleemee. It’s also about 11 miles north of Salisbury.
- Note: Preservation North Carolina holds a preservation easement on the property.
Listing: “The Forbes-Luther Cabin’s centerpiece is a monumental stone fireplace in the vaulted main living area. … The entire interior is clad in knotty pine. Prospective buyers may wish to modernize the existing kitchen and bath.” A two-story hardwood dog-trot log barn is believed to date back to the mid-19th century, when the property was part of the large Livengood plantation. Five months from listing to closing.
Piedmont Historic Homes 