The 2020 Southern Living Idea Home in Asheville’s Ramble Biltmore Forest sold for $3.04 million, the highest-priced of five home sales reported in the Asheville, North Carolina metro area for the week ending August 16, 2026. Together, the five closings totaled $10.18 million.
The week’s sales span Ramble Biltmore Forest, Biltmore Forest and Marshall, with Biltmore Forest addresses appearing more than once on the list. The homes range from a 1925 English Tudor to a 2023 mountain farmhouse on more than 16 acres, and two Asheville real estate agents, Hope Byrd and Brett Whitt, held the listing side on both the No. 3 and No. 5 sales.
No. 1 — $3,040,097 · 97 Emerald Necklace Dr, Asheville, North Carolina
The 2020 Southern Living Idea Home at 97 Emerald Necklace Drive sold for $3,040,097, the highest reported price in the metro this week. The four-bedroom house in The Ramble Biltmore Forest carries five bathrooms and a reported 3,800 square feet, and it closed on August 10, 2026.
Southern Living built the house as its Idea Home for 2020, working with a team of architects, builders and designers on a contemporary reading of classic Southern architecture: gabled rooflines, deep porches and balanced symmetry, drawn in natural materials and daylight. Wide-plank white oak floors run beneath custom cabinetry and layered finishes, and large windows frame the surrounding landscape while doors open onto porches and outdoor rooms.
An additional double corner lot buffers the property from its neighbors, and the surrounding Ramble Biltmore Forest community is organized around preserved forest, walking trails and protected natural ground. Furnishings were negotiable in the sale. The property previously changed hands for $2,100,000 in 2021.
Elizabeth Putnam of Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty was the listing agent. The $3,040,097 closing put Putnam on the listing side of the highest-priced sale in RealtyWire’s Asheville Metro Area Top 5 for the week ending August 16, 2026.
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No. 2 — $2,300,000 · 30 Cedarcliff Rd, Asheville, North Carolina
A 1925 English Tudor across from the Biltmore Estate took second place at $2,300,000. The Biltmore Forest house has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms and a reported 5,017 square feet, set back on a quiet, non-through street framed by mature trees. The sale was completed August 12, 2026.
Wood floors, arched doorways and leaded-style windows carry the original craftsmanship, while a renovated kitchen adds custom cabinetry, stone countertops and premium appliances. The primary suite sits upstairs with three more bedrooms, and a third-floor room serves as guest quarters or a studio.
Beyond the main house, a guest cottage and an updated gardener’s shed stand within manicured gardens behind a gated entry. The property previously changed hands for $1,400,000 in 2015.
Marilyn Wright of Premier Sothebyβs International Realty was the listing agent. The transaction ranked No. 2 in RealtyWire’s Asheville Metro Area Top 5 for the week, placing Wright on the listing side of one of the week’s highest-priced reported sales. Hope Byrd of Howard Hanna Beverly-Hanks Asheville-Biltmore Park represented the buyer.
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No. 3 — $1,677,500 · 423 Vanderbilt Rd, Asheville, North Carolina
A 1963 house on a 2.42-acre corner lot in Biltmore Forest changed hands August 12, 2026 for $1,677,500. The five-bedroom home carries a reported 4,473 square feet, with mature trees, stonework, a fire pit and a newly built grass play field on the grounds.
The main floor runs from an entry foyer to a living room, formal dining room and den, with a bright kitchen and breakfast area lit by skylights. The primary bedroom and three more bedrooms share that level, and a fifth bedroom and bath sit off the kitchen at the opposite end. Downstairs, a recreation room and lounge include a large screen, a second kitchen and a half bath.
A rear patio and grilling area extend the entertaining ground outdoors. The current owners added a new roof in 2025 along with new main-floor windows and other improvements. The property previously changed hands for $1,325,000 in 2023.
Hope Byrd and Brett Whitt of Howard Hanna Beverly-Hanks Asheville-Biltmore Park were the listing agents. The closing ranked No. 3 in RealtyWire’s Asheville Metro Area Top 5 for the week, and the same pair held the listing on the roundup’s No. 5 sale. Oby Morgan of Ivester Jackson Blackstream represented the buyer.
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No. 4 — $1,650,000 · 615 Don Felmet Rd, Marshall, North Carolina
A custom-built 2023 farmhouse on more than 16 private acres outside Marshall sold for $1,650,000 and closed on August 10, 2026. The sale covered five bedrooms, five bathrooms and a reported 3,704 square feet, with long-range mountain views from the property.
Vaulted ceilings with exposed beams, reclaimed barnwood floors and a gas fireplace set the tone in the main house, where an open plan runs into a kitchen with an oversized granite island, Fulgor Milano appliances and a walk-in pantry concealed behind a restored antique door. The main-level owner’s suite has a tiled walk-in shower and an oversized closet, and a guest suite occupies the level above the attached garage.
Across the drive, a separate modern farmhouse barndominium adds two bedrooms, two full bathrooms and an oversized garage and workshop; listing materials identify it as an operating short-term vacation rental, with a covered patio, hot tub and fire pit area. Fenced pasture, mature forest and open recreational ground fill out the acreage, and whole-home generators serve both residences. The property previously changed hands for $23,000 in 2021, before the current residence was completed in 2023.
David Plyler of Lusso Realty was the listing agent. The $1,650,000 closing ranked Plyler’s listing No. 4 in RealtyWire’s Asheville Metro Area Top 5 for the week ending August 16, 2026, and the only Marshall address on the roundup. Rachel Brown of BHGRE Integrity Partners represented the buyer.
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No. 5 — $1,516,965 · 30 White Oak Rd, Asheville, North Carolina
The week’s fifth-ranked sale, $1,516,965 for a 1955 house on a 0.42-acre landscaped lot in Biltmore Forest, was recorded August 11, 2026. The four-bedroom home carries a reported 3,721 square feet and came through a full renovation in 2022 and 2023.
That work brought vaulted ceilings, a custom kitchen and all-new bathrooms. The main level pairs an open living and dining room with a paneled office or den, a sunroom and a laundry room, and the primary suite has a fireplace, a walk-in closet and a bathroom with heated floors, joined by two more main-level bedrooms. A newly finished lower level adds a den, a bedroom and bathroom, a kitchenette, a large storage room and a rear-entry two-car garage.
A front porch, back deck and stone patio sit within a fenced backyard reached through a secure driveway gate. The property previously changed hands for $690,000 in 2022.
Brett Whitt and Hope Byrd of Howard Hanna Beverly-Hanks Asheville-Biltmore Park were the listing agents. The sale closed RealtyWire’s Asheville Metro Area Top 5 at No. 5 for the week and gave Whitt and Byrd their second listing on this week’s roundup. Hope Byrd of Howard Hanna Beverly-Hanks Asheville-Biltmore Park represented the buyer.
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RealtyWire selected these transactions from publicly reported residential sales identified for the calendar week ending Sunday, August 16, 2026. The report may exclude private, off-market, delayed or nondisclosed transactions. Prices, property details and professional representation are reported as available at publication and may be updated following confirmation from transaction participants.
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