Our bi-weekly read on the three counties we work in every day — New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender. No national headlines, just the local numbers.
What moved since our last update is the cost of money, not the price of houses. Redfin's county figures still cover the three months ending August, so the medians sit about where we left them: New Hanover at $450,000, down 3.2% from a year ago; Brunswick at $405,940, up 1.5%; Pender at $479,000, up 0.8%. The 30-year fixed went from 7.03% to 7.40% — a fifth straight weekly increase and the highest reading of the year, and about $100 a month more on a $400,000 loan. September inventory also posted, and it backs up what days on market has been saying: 1,251 active listings in New Hanover, up 7.6% on the year.
By the Numbers
| County | Median sale price | YoY | Days on market | Homes sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hanover | $450,000 | −3.2% | 57 days | 380 |
| Brunswick | $405,940 | +1.5% | 97 days | 565 |
| Pender | $479,000 | +0.8% | 75 days | 113 |
Redfin, three months ending August 2026.
New Hanover County
New Hanover — Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, and Carolina Beach — carried a median sale price of $450,000, down 3.2% from the same period a year ago. Homes sell after a median of 57 days, against 37 last year, and 380 sold in August, down from 393. Active listings reached 1,251 in September, up 7.6% from 1,163 a year ago. More sellers and slower sales point the same direction as the median.
Brunswick County
Brunswick — Leland, Southport, Oak Island, and the Brunswick beaches — came in at $405,940, up 1.5% year over year. Homes here still take the longest to sell, a median of 97 days against 67 last year, and closings fell hardest: 565 in August versus 629, down 10.2%. Active listings were 2,334 in September, up 2.0% from 2,288. When the typical resale home sits better than three months, builder incentives are usually setting the ceiling on price, and Brunswick has the region's deepest new-construction pipeline.
Pender County
Pender — Hampstead, the Topsail area, Burgaw, and Rocky Point — posted $479,000, up 0.8% from a year ago, flat for practical purposes. Homes sell after a median of 75 days versus 62 last year, and 113 sold in August compared with 112. Pender is still the one county where inventory is tighter: 430 active listings in September, down 2.1% from 439. Fewer choices is the clearest reason prices here have not slipped like New Hanover's.
Active listing counts: Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026.
Where Rates Stand
Freddie Mac's survey for the week ending October 8 puts the average 30-year fixed at 7.40% and the 15-year fixed at 6.73%. On a $400,000 loan, 7.40% comes to about $2,770 a month in principal and interest — near $100 more than four weeks ago and $186 more than at the 6.71% rate of early September. The 15-year sits 67 basis points below the 30-year, worth running if you are trading down. Over four weeks, rates took more out of a buyer's budget than softer prices gave back — the pressure behind slower closings in all three counties.
If You Are Buying
Shop the payment, not the list price. A 3.2% dip in New Hanover's median saves about $15,000, but the rate move since September takes most of that back. Get a fresh pre-approval before you write anything.
Ask for the rate buydown first. At 7.40%, seller-paid points usually do more for your payment than the same dollars off the price, and with medians at 57 to 97 days, sellers are listening.
In Brunswick, price resale homes against what builders are offering that week. Those packages change monthly and are the most direct competition a resale listing has.
If You Are Selling
Price to the last 60 days of closings, not to the spring. New Hanover's median is below where it stood a year ago, and a home priced off last year's comparables will sit while the market moves past it.
Plan the concession before you list. At 7.40%, buying the buyer's rate down is usually the cheapest way to get a deal together, and easier to budget than to concede after a month without 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 close to full price are priced correctly on day one.
Want more for your 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 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, September 2026. Mortgage rates: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, week ending October 8, 2026.
Figures above are county-level medians describing general market conditions, 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.
