What Are the Real Rental Numbers for Matthews and Stallings Investors Right Now?
Rents in the Charlotte Metro, including Matthews and Stallings, have actually been falling, not rising, for almost three years straight. If you're evaluating a rental purchase here, that number matters more than the sticker price.
Quick Answer: Jennifer Ledford, an eXp ICON who has guided 250+ Charlotte Metro transactions, says the Matthews and Stallings rental market is currently soft, with rents down year over year, but multifamily forecasts point to a recovery starting in 2027 as new supply thins out. This is a market to buy carefully, not avoid.
I don't sugarcoat numbers for investors. After 250+ closings in this region, what I've learned is that the buyers who do best are the ones who look at the real data before they fall in love with a property.
Where rents actually stand right now
The broader Charlotte multifamily market has posted eleven straight quarters of year-over-year rent declines as of early 2026, with average asking rent in the Charlotte region around $1,516 a month, according to Matthews.com's Q1 2026 multifamily report. Matthews specifically has followed that same trend, with median rents down roughly 5% year over year through the first half of 2026.
That's not the story most people expect to hear about a growing metro. It's the direct result of a heavy supply pipeline over the last few years, a lot of new apartment product hit the market at once, and it's still working its way through.
What this means if you're buying now
Buying into a soft rental market isn't automatically a mistake. It can actually be the smarter entry point, if you go in with real numbers instead of assumptions based on what rents were doing two years ago.
Matthews.com's own forecast projects Charlotte multifamily rents returning to positive growth by 2027, around 1.8% annual growth, as the delivery pipeline of new units thins out through late 2026. For an investor buying now and holding for five or more years, that means you may be buying near the bottom of a cycle rather than the top of one.
$2728 is the average rent for Matthews/Stallings area. Rent softness affects single-family rentals differently than large apartment complexes, and the two don't always move together.
What draws investors to Matthews and Stallings specifically
Even with rents down, the fundamentals here haven't changed. Downtown Matthews has genuine character, independent shops, the Matthews Community Farmers Market on Trade Street every Saturday, and a small-town feel that keeps renters and buyers coming back. Squirrel Lake Park and the McAlpine Creek Greenway give the area real outdoor appeal too.
Matthews and Stallings sit close enough to Charlotte's job centers to attract steady renter demand, while pricing lower than Marvin, Weddington, or South Park. That combination is exactly what makes this market worth watching for investors, even in a soft rent cycle. Buying at a discount now, with a clear recovery forecast ahead, is a different bet than buying at the top.
If you're deciding whether to hold, sell, or buy a rental in this market, I can pull the specific comps for your situation. You can also check what a current property is worth here: see current home values.
Frequently asked questions
Are rents actually going down in Matthews and Stallings right now? Yes. The Charlotte Metro area has seen eleven consecutive quarters of year-over-year rent declines heading into 2026, and Matthews has followed that same softening trend.
Is now a bad time to buy a rental property in Matthews or Stallings? Not necessarily. Buying during a soft rent cycle can mean a lower entry price with a forecasted recovery starting in 2027. It depends on your hold timeline and whether the current numbers still cash flow.
What's driving the rent decline across Charlotte? A heavy wave of new apartment construction delivered over the past few years increased supply faster than demand could absorb it. That pipeline is expected to thin out significantly by late 2026.
How do I know if a specific Matthews property will actually cash flow? You need current rent comps for that exact property type and size, not metro-wide averages. I can pull those comps directly so you're deciding on real numbers, not a general trend.
About Jennifer Ledford: Jennifer Ledford is a licensed real estate agent with The Ledford Group at eXp Realty LLC, serving buyers and sellers across Mecklenburg, Union, Stanly, and York Counties since 2016. She is among the top 3% of 18,000+ agents in the Charlotte Metro, an eXp ICON, and has guided 250+ clients through some of the most significant transactions of their lives. Reach her at 704-607-6996 or https://the-ledford-group.com.
Jennifer Ledford | 704-607-6996 | https://the-ledford-group.com
