Welcome to our bi-weekly market update: no national headlines, just what is happening in the three counties we work in every day — New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender.
The change since our last update is a real one. The year-over-year price gains we reported all summer are gone. Four weeks ago New Hanover was running 9.5% ahead of last year and Brunswick 10.0% ahead. On the three months ending August, New Hanover is down 3.5% and Brunswick is up just 2.2%. In the same stretch the 30-year fixed crossed 7% for the first time this year. Prices leveling off and borrowing getting more expensive at once is an unusual combination, and it changes the math on both sides of a deal.
By the Numbers
| County | Median sale price | YoY | Days on market | Homes sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hanover | $448,000 | −3.5% | 58 days | 396 |
| Brunswick | $409,000 | +2.2% | 98 days | 579 |
| Pender | $477,000 | +0.5% | 76 days | 115 |
Redfin, three months ending August 2026.
New Hanover County
New Hanover — Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, and Carolina Beach — carried a median sale price of $448,000, down 3.5% from the same period a year ago. Homes sell after a median of 58 days, against 37 days last year. Volume held up: 396 homes sold in August versus 393 a year ago. Supply is what changed. Active listings hit 1,249 in August, up 10.2% from 1,133 a year earlier, and that added competition among sellers is the likeliest explanation for the price move.
Brunswick County
Brunswick — Leland, Southport, Oak Island, and the Brunswick beaches — came in at $409,000, up 2.2% year over year. Still a gain, but far off the double-digit figure from a month ago. Homes here take the longest of the three to sell, a median of 98 days against 67 last year, and closings slipped to 579 in August from 628. Active listings were 2,250, up 1.6% from 2,214. Brunswick has the deepest new-construction pipeline in the region, and when resale homes sit this long, builder incentives are usually part of the reason.
Pender County
Pender — Hampstead, the Topsail area, Burgaw, and Rocky Point — posted $477,000, up 0.5% from a year ago, which is flat in any practical sense. Homes sell after a median of 76 days versus 62 days last year, and 115 sold in August compared with 111. Pender is the one county where inventory tightened: 423 active listings, down 4.9% from 445. Fewer choices and steady demand are why prices here held their ground.
Active listing counts: Realtor.com via FRED, August 2026.
Where Rates Stand
Freddie Mac's survey for the week ending September 24 puts the average 30-year fixed at 7.03% and the 15-year fixed at 6.42%. The 30-year was 6.71% when we last published, so this is its first close above 7% this year. On a $400,000 loan, the 30-year rate works out to about $2,669 a month in principal and interest — roughly $85 more than the same loan cost four weeks ago. That is landing at the same moment prices stopped climbing, which is why more buyers are asking sellers to cover a rate buydown instead of cutting the price.
If You Are Buying
You have more room than in several years, and the numbers back that up. With New Hanover at 58 days and Brunswick at 98, most listings you see will have sat long enough that the seller is ready to talk about price, repairs, or closing costs.
Ask for a rate buydown before you ask for a price cut. On a $400,000 loan, a seller-paid buydown often does more for your payment than an equivalent price reduction, and sellers watching their days-on-market climb are frequently willing.
In Brunswick, price resale homes against what builders are offering that week. Those incentives move month to month.
If You Are Selling
Price to the last 60 days, not to the spring. New Hanover's median is below where it was a year ago, and a home priced off last year's comparables will sit while the market moves past it.
Budget for a concession up front. At 7.03%, buying the rate down is often the cheapest way to put a deal together, and it is easier to plan for than to concede after a month of no showings.
Your first two weeks are your best two weeks. Where the median home takes two to three months to sell, the listings that get full price are priced correctly on day one.
Want more for your own area? We keep running pages for New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender with county-by-county detail. If builder incentives are in play for you, our new construction page tracks what is being offered locally.
Question about your specific neighborhood, or what your home would sell for today? That is what we are here for — reach out anytime.
Market data: Redfin, three months ending August 2026 (median sale price, year-over-year change, days on market, homes sold). Active listing counts: Realtor.com via FRED, August 2026. Mortgage rates: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, week ending September 24, 2026.
Figures above are county-level medians describing general market conditions. They are not an appraisal or a valuation of any specific property. Mortgage payments shown are illustrative principal-and-interest calculations on a 30-year amortization at the quoted survey rate; they exclude taxes and insurance and are not a quote or an offer of credit.
