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.
Redfin's county data rolled forward to September, and this time the movement is on the price side. New Hanover's median came in at $464,000 and its year-over-year decline narrowed from 3.2% to 1.3%. Brunswick's gain widened to 3.7%. Pender posted $499,000 and a 16.1% jump we qualify below. Rates gave a little back as well: the 30-year fixed slipped from 7.40% to 7.32%, the first decline in Freddie Mac's survey since August. Days on market improved nowhere — all three counties still sell far slower than a year ago.
By the Numbers
| County | Median sale price | YoY | Days on market | Homes sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hanover | $464,000 | −1.3% | 61 days | 339 |
| Brunswick | $394,000 | +3.7% | 93 days | 577 |
| Pender | $499,000 | +16.1% | 83 days | 109 |
Redfin, three months ending September 2026.
New Hanover County
New Hanover — Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, and Carolina Beach — carried a median sale price of $464,000, down 1.3% from the same period a year ago. Homes sell after a median of 61 days against 34 last year, and 339 closed in September, the same count as a year ago. Active listings stood at 1,251, up 7.6% from 1,163. Prices have steadied here; the time it takes to sell has not.
Brunswick County
Brunswick — Leland, Southport, Oak Island, and the Brunswick beaches — came in at $394,000, up 3.7% year over year. The gain is wider than the 1.5% on August data even though the median moved lower; last September was the softer comparison. Closings improved, 577 in September against 558 a year ago. Homes here still take the longest to sell, a median of 93 days versus 64 last year, and active listings were 2,334, up 2.0% from 2,288. When the typical resale home sits better than three months, builder incentives set 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 $499,000, up 16.1% from a year ago. Take that with some salt. Only 109 homes sold in September, down from 120, and in a county that thin a few higher-end closings move the median hard. It is not evidence that every home in Hampstead gained 16%. Homes sell after a median of 83 days versus 51 last year. Pender is still the tightest of the three on supply: 430 active listings, down 2.1% from 439. Fewer choices is still why prices here have not slipped the way New Hanover's have.
Active listing counts: Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026.
Where Rates Stand
Freddie Mac's survey for the week ending October 22 puts the 30-year fixed at 7.32% and the 15-year at 6.68%. On a $400,000 loan, 7.32% works out to about $2,748 a month in principal and interest, roughly $22 less than at 7.40% two weeks ago. It is the first decline since August, and a small one: the climb from 7.03% in late September still costs about $79 a month. The 15-year sits 64 basis points below the 30-year, worth running if you are trading down.
If You Are Buying
Do not wait for more of that. Twenty-two dollars a month is noise next to the $79 the climb since late September added. Price your payment at today's rate and move when the right house shows up.
Ask for the rate buydown before a price cut. At 7.32%, seller-paid points usually do more for your payment than the same dollars off the list price, and with medians running 61 to 93 days, sellers are listening.
In Brunswick, compare the builder packages against resale listings before you commit — 2,334 homes are active there.
If You Are Selling
Price to the last 60 days of closings. The median home here takes two to three months to sell, and a listing priced off last spring will sit while the market passes it.
Plan the concession before you list. At 7.32%, buying down the buyer's rate is still the cheapest way to put a deal together, and easier to budget up front than to concede after a month without showings.
In Pender, do not read that 16.1% as your own appreciation. It is one thin month of sales, not a broad lift. Ask us for comparables on your street before setting a number.
Want more for your area? We keep pages for New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender with county-by-county detail. If builder incentives are in play, 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 September 2026 (price, YoY, 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 22, 2026.
Figures above are county-level medians describing general market conditions, not an appraisal or a valuation of any specific property. Payments shown are illustrative principal-and-interest figures on a 30-year amortization at the quoted survey rate; they exclude taxes and insurance and are not an offer of credit.
