Buyer Tips · Southwest Wake County
Apex vs. Holly Springs vs. Cary: What an $800K Budget Buys in 2026
At about $800,000 in 2026, Wake County qualified sales show Apex and Holly Springs buyers typically getting newer, larger homes, while Cary (Wake) sales in the same price band are older and smaller per dollar. This post compares heated square feet, lot size and price per foot only.
If you are shopping Southwest Wake with a budget near $800,000, the same number buys a different mix of age, size and lot in each town. I pulled Wake County Tax Administration qualified sales for Package (land plus building), single-family homes priced $750,000 to $850,000, sold Oct 27, 2025 through Oct 26, 2026, inside town limits in Apex, Holly Springs and Cary. The file is stamped Oct 31, 2026. Below is what that public record shows, so you can compare housing attributes—not who lives where.
What the Numbers Show at About $800K
Across the three towns, median sale prices in this band land right around the budget: $800,000 in Apex and $790,000 in Holly Springs and Cary. The differences show up in heated square footage, lot size, year built and how much of the sample is brand-new construction.
| Measure | Apex | Holly Springs | Cary (Wake) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales in sample | 112 | 92 | 189 |
| Median sale price | $800,000 | $790,000 | $790,000 |
| Median heated sq ft | 3,160 | 3,410 | 2,980 |
| Middle half, sq ft | 3,026–3,336 | 2,946–3,719 | 2,739–3,190 |
| Median $/heated sq ft | $250 | $231 | $271 |
| Median lot (deeded acres) | 0.18 | 0.24 | 0.24 |
| Median year built | 2021 | 2021–22 | 2000 |
| % built 2025–2026 | 45.5% | 40.2% | 6.3% |
Source: Wake County Tax Administration, Qualified Sales Past 24 Months file (stamped Oct 31, 2026; sales through Oct 26, 2026). Sample: in-town Apex, Cary and Holly Springs; Package/single-family; sale price $750,000–$850,000; Oct 27, 2025–Oct 26, 2026; single-parcel deeds with heated area and deeded acreage at sale. Heated area and acreage are tax-record figures and may differ from MLS. Cary figures are Wake County parcels only. Not a guarantee of what any specific home will sell for.
Two patterns stand out. First, Apex and Holly Springs sales in this band are heavily new or near-new: about 45.5% of Apex sales and 40.2% of Holly Springs sales were built in 2025–2026, with a median year built around 2021. Second, Cary’s Wake County sales in the same price band skew older (median year built 2000) and smaller on heated area (median 2,980 sq ft), which is why Cary’s median price per heated square foot is the highest of the three at about $271.
The middle-half ranges matter as much as the medians. In Apex, half the heated-area values sat between about 3,026 and 3,336 square feet on lots mostly between 0.16 and 0.24 acre. Holly Springs stretched wider on size (about 2,946 to 3,719 sq ft) with lots mostly 0.22 to 0.32 acre. Cary’s middle half ran about 2,739 to 3,190 sq ft on lots mostly 0.18 to 0.33 acre. If you are comparing listings online, those ranges are a better “typical home” check than any single address.
Apex: Newer Homes, Tighter Lots
In Apex, the 112 sales in the sample had a median heated area of 3,160 square feet and a median lot of 0.18 acre. Median price per heated square foot was about $250. Nearly half the sample was built in 2025 or 2026, so many $800K purchases here are competing with new construction streets rather than 1990s resales.
If you want a deeper town overview before you tour, start with living in Apex. Use that page for location context; use the table above for what this specific price band has actually closed for.
One practical takeaway for Apex shoppers in this band: expect to tour a lot of newer inventory, and weigh finish level and lot usable space carefully, because heated square footage alone will look similar across many of the recent closings.
Holly Springs: More Heated Space and Slightly Larger Lots
Holly Springs posted 92 sales in the same filters. The median heated area was about 3,410 square feet—the largest of the three towns—with a median lot of 0.24 acre and a median about $231 per heated square foot. About 40.2% of those sales were built in 2025–2026, so new construction is also a major share of this price band.
The middle half of heated area (about 2,946 to 3,719 sq ft) is also the widest, which means two homes at the same price can feel very different in size. For town context beyond this budget slice, see living in Holly Springs.
At roughly $800K, you are not buying “the same house in three towns.” You are buying different age, size and lot tradeoffs.
Cary (Wake): Older Stock, Higher Price Per Foot
Cary had the largest sample—189 Wake County in-town sales—with a median heated area of 2,980 square feet, a median lot of 0.24 acre, and about $271 per heated square foot. Only about 6.3% of the sample was built in 2025–2026, and the median year built was 2000. In plain terms, an $800K Cary purchase in this window was more often an established resale than a brand-new build.
These figures cover the Wake County portion of Cary only. The Chatham County portion of Cary was not included in the source file for this analysis, so it is not verified here. For a town overview, see living in Cary.
For buyers coming from outside Southwest Wake, Cary’s older median year built in this price band often means more variation in systems, roof age and layout than a 2025–2026 build. That is not better or worse on its face—it is a due-diligence planning difference you should budget time for with inspections and an NC real estate attorney at closing.
How to Use This Comparison Without Steering Yourself Wrong
Treat this as a price-band snapshot of closed housing attributes, not a ranking of towns. Bedroom and bath counts are not in the Wake qualified-sales extract I used, so I am not inventing them. Square footage here is heated area on the tax record, which can differ from MLS marketing square footage. Acreage is deeded acreage at the time of sale.
- Match the home, not the headline. Decide whether newer construction, heated square footage or lot size matters more for your household, then tour with that filter.
- Stay inside Fair Housing-safe questions. Compare property features, commute and layout. Skip assumptions about who lives in a neighborhood.
- Pair the data with a local search plan. If you are relocating, my post on renting vs. buying when you move to Raleigh covers the timing decision that often sits next to this budget question.
Property taxes are a separate line item from purchase price. FY 2026–27 combined county-plus-town rates on $800,000 of assessed value (not sale price) differ by town. Ask a tax advisor how assessed value and the 2027 revaluation apply to any specific home.
Comparing Apex, Holly Springs and Cary at your budget?
I can help you match homes and neighborhoods in Southwest Wake County to what you actually need, not just a list of listings.
Find your best-fit neighborhoodFrequently Asked Questions
What does an $800K budget buy in Apex vs. Holly Springs vs. Cary in 2026?
In Wake County qualified sales from Oct 27, 2025 through Oct 26, 2026, priced $750K–$850K, Apex medians were about 3,160 heated sq ft on 0.18 acre at roughly $250/sq ft. Holly Springs medians were about 3,410 heated sq ft on 0.24 acre at roughly $231/sq ft. Cary (Wake) medians were about 2,980 heated sq ft on 0.24 acre at roughly $271/sq ft.
Why is Cary’s price per square foot higher in this sample?
In this price band, Cary’s Wake County sales were older on median year built (2000) and smaller on median heated area (2,980 sq ft) than Apex or Holly Springs, so buyers paid more per heated square foot for the homes that closed.
Does this include new construction?
Yes. About 45.5% of Apex sales and 40.2% of Holly Springs sales in the sample were built in 2025–2026. Only about 6.3% of Cary’s Wake sample was built in those years.
Is Cary’s Chatham County portion included?
No. The analysis uses Wake County Tax Administration parcels with Cary corporate limits. Chatham County Cary sales are not verified in this post.
Should I pick a town based only on these medians?
No. Medians describe a closed-sale sample in one price band. Layout, condition, lot usable space and your commute still decide fit. Use the numbers to set expectations, then tour.