Real estate investing in Winston-Salem, NC is a steady-income play in a stable market. The typical Winston-Salem home is worth about $260,000, and houses rent for around $1,720 a month.1,2 That's a healthy rent-to-price ratio, though job and population growth are slower here than in Charlotte or the Triangle.
Winston-Salem is North Carolina's fifth-largest city, with about 257,000 residents in 2025, up 3.1% since 2020.3 Forsyth County passed 400,000 residents in 2025.9 The city is home to Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem State University and Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, and its older neighborhoods of single-family homes make single-family rental homes a big part of the market.
Why investors are watching Winston-Salem in 2026
- Solid rent relative to price. At about 7.9% a year, the gross rent-to-price ratio is well above the Triangle and Charlotte.1,2
- A growing medical and research district. The Innovation Quarter, home to Wake Forest's medical school, has unveiled plans for a 28-acre second phase.4
- Health care keeps hiring. Health care added more than 4,600 jobs in Forsyth County from 2019 to 2025.8
- Homes sell quickly. Listings go under contract in about 26 days on average.1
Winston-Salem housing and rental market in 2026
Winston-Salem's home prices are holding steady. Zillow's typical home value of about $260,000 is roughly flat from a year ago, and homes go under contract in around 26 days.1
House rents are steady too. The average house rents for about $1,720 a month, down about $8 from a year ago, with about 489 houses listed for rent and an average of about 54 days on the market.2 Across all rentals, including apartments, the average is about $1,400.2
- Typical home value: ~$260,000, about flat year over year.1
- House rent: ~$1,720 a month, down ~$8 year over year.2
- All rentals: ~$1,400 a month.2
- Days to pending: ~26 days.1
- Gross rent-to-price: ~7.9% a year. Annual house rent ($1,720 × 12) ÷ typical home value ($260,047), before taxes, insurance, repairs and vacancy.
Gross rent-to-price is only a first screen. Before you invest in rental property, run the net numbers too, such as cap rate and cash-on-cash return, which account for taxes, insurance, repairs and vacancy.
Jobs, growth and population: what's driving demand
Health care and research drive Winston-Salem's economy. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist is the area's largest employer, and its $100 million eye institute is being built in the Innovation Quarter.6 The Innovation Quarter, a former tobacco district turned medical and tech campus, bought a former Wells Fargo building in 2025 for lab and biomanufacturing space and has plans for a second phase of about 2.7 million square feet.4,5
Manufacturing is adding smaller wins. Projects since 2020 have brought about 4,400 incentivized jobs to Forsyth County, mostly in advanced manufacturing, including recent medical-supply and materials plants.7,8 Overall job growth is slow, though, at about 0.2% over the year to March 2026, and some large employers have trimmed staff.8,15
Winston-Salem neighborhoods and areas to know
West End and Ardmore
Historic, walkable neighborhoods next to downtown and the Wake Forest Baptist medical center, popular with medical students, residents and young families.10 Older homes need careful inspection.
Downtown and the Innovation Quarter
The city's employment core, with lofts, apartments and new research space. Phase two of the Innovation Quarter allows for up to 450 more homes.4
East Winston
More affordable neighborhoods east of downtown, where the city's East End plan includes a 300-unit mixed-income development.11 Prices are low, but many homes need work.
Kernersville and eastern Forsyth
A growing town between Winston-Salem and Greensboro, near industrial parks and an easy drive to both cities. Newer homes and steady family demand.7
Comparing North Carolina markets? See our 2026 market guides to Apex, Cary, Charlotte, Durham, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Greenville, High Point, Raleigh and Wilmington, or browse all of our real estate market guides by city.
Risks to weigh before investing in Winston-Salem
- Slow job growth. Forsyth County jobs grew only about 0.2% over the past year, below the state rate, and Wells Fargo announced layoffs in Winston-Salem in 2025.8,15 Understand real estate market cycles before you buy.
- Property taxes. The 2025 revaluation raised residential values about 60% on average, and even after the city cut its rate the average home's city tax bill rose about 25%. Both the city and county raised rates again for 2026-27.12,13
- New apartment and student housing supply. New student communities near Wake Forest and new downtown apartments add competition for renters.14
- Rising insurance costs. North Carolina homeowners insurance base rates rose an average of 7.5% in 2025 and again in 2026.16 Get quotes before you buy. Our guide to real estate market analysis walks through what else to check.
3 ways to invest in Winston-Salem rental property, including fractional real estate investing
There are three common ways to invest in rental properties in a market like Winston-Salem. They differ mainly in how much money you need up front and how much work you take on.
Buy a rental home yourself
Investment property loans typically require 20% to 25% down. On a $260,000 home, that's roughly $52,000 to $65,000 before closing costs and repairs. You also find tenants and handle maintenance, or pay a property manager. Our guide to choosing the right rental property covers what to check before you buy.
Buy a REIT or real estate fund
A REIT lets you invest with less money, but you own a slice of a large national portfolio rather than specific Winston-Salem homes. See more ways to invest in real estate without buying property.
Invest in fractional real estate online
Fractional real estate lets you buy shares of individual rental homes instead of the whole property. With a real estate investment platform like Tirios, you can invest in real estate online starting at $100 per share, through the website or the Tirios app. Our guide to investing in rental property online explains how it works. The team handles tenants and maintenance, and rent is paid out as quarterly dividends, which makes it a hands-off way to earn passive income from real estate.
How Tirios evaluates a market like Winston-Salem
Every home on Tirios is one our team sourced, underwrote and invested in ourselves. Technology helps us find the deals and amplifies the returns. Here's the process, or read more about how Tirios works.
Winston-Salem, NC real estate FAQs
Is Winston-Salem, NC a good place to invest in rental property in 2026?
Winston-Salem is an affordable, stable market in 2026. The typical home value is about $260,000 and houses rent for about $1,720 a month, a gross rent-to-price ratio of roughly 7.9% a year. Health care and research support demand, but job growth is slow and property taxes rose after the 2025 revaluation, so careful underwriting matters.
Are home prices dropping in Winston-Salem, NC?
No. Zillow's typical Winston-Salem home value is about $260,000, roughly flat from a year earlier, and homes go under contract in around 26 days.
How much does a house cost in Winston-Salem, NC?
The typical home value in Winston-Salem is about $260,000 as of September 2026, according to Zillow. Homes in Ardmore, Buena Vista and the West End often cost more, while homes in East Winston often cost less.
What is the average rent in Winston-Salem, NC?
Houses in Winston-Salem rent for about $1,720 a month on average, about flat from a year earlier. Across all rentals, including apartments, the average is about $1,400, according to Zillow.
Can I invest in Winston-Salem real estate online?
Yes. With Tirios, a real estate investment platform, you can buy shares of single-family rental homes online starting at $100 per share, and rent is paid out as quarterly dividends.
Explore more real estate market guides by city, or brush up on terms like cap rate and appreciation in our real estate investing glossary. New to investing? Read our guide on how to start investing in real estate.
Sources
- Zillow, Winston-Salem NC home values (Sept 2026)
- Zillow Rentals, Winston-Salem NC rental market trends (Oct 2026)
- U.S. Census Bureau estimates via Wikipedia (July 2025)
- WFAE, Innovation Quarter updates its expansion plans (Nov 2025)
- Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Innovation Quarter acquires Linden Center (July 2025)
- Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Renovations begin on eye institute (May 2025)
- Winston-Salem Chronicle, New manufacturing projects expected to create 70 jobs (Apr 2025)
- Winston-Salem Chronicle, Forsyth wages and workforce growth (Oct 2026)
- FRED, Resident population of Forsyth County (2025)
- Wikipedia, Ardmore Historic District
- WFDD, $60 million development project comes to East Winston (Mar 2022)
- City of Winston-Salem, Property tax FAQ (Aug 2025)
- Forsyth County, Adopted budget (June 2026)
- IREI, New student housing development in Winston-Salem (July 2025)
- WARN Tracker, Wells Fargo layoff notice in Winston-Salem (Nov 2025)
- NC Newsline, Homeowners insurance rate increase over two years (Jan 2025)