The latest on the Cape Fear housing market: inventory is building. Here is where prices, days on market, and rates stand.
Welcome to our monthly market update. The goal is simple: skip the national headlines and tell you what is actually happening in the three counties we work in every day — New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender. No spin, just the numbers and what they mean if you are thinking about making a move this fall.
The headline this month: inventory is building. Sales activity is up sharply across all three counties compared to a year ago, prices have held modest gains rather than spiking, and homes are taking noticeably longer to sell than they were twelve months back. Buyers have more listings to choose from and more time to make a decision. Sellers who price correctly from day one are still finding buyers, just not overnight the way they might have last year. Nationally, the National Association of Realtors reports existing-home sales up 0.7% year over year in July, calling the market “remarkably stable” even with mortgage rates higher than they were in the spring. Locally, our sales counts are rising even faster than that national pace, which tells us Cape Fear buyers have not stepped back the way some other markets have.
By the Numbers
| County | Median Sale Price | Year-over-Year | Days on Market | Homes Sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hanover | $478,650 | +1.7% | 60 days | 470 |
| Brunswick | $398,875 | +1.0% | 85 days | 726 |
| Pender* | $568,000 | +3.3% | 85 days | 155 |
Source: Redfin, month ending June 2026 (New Hanover, Brunswick). *Pender median price reflects Realtor.com listing data via FRED, month ending July 2026 — Redfin’s county-level sale price was unavailable this month; Pender days-on-market and homes-sold are from Redfin, also month ending July 2026.
[Chart 1 — attach cape-fear-sept2026-chart1-price-dom.png here: median sale price by county, current vs. prior year, with days on market labeled]
New Hanover County
New Hanover — Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, and Carolina Beach — saw a median sale price of $478,650, up 1.7% from a year ago, with homes selling in a median of 60 days, about 39 days longer than a year ago. 470 homes sold in the latest month — up 2.8% year over year.
Brunswick County
Brunswick — Leland, Southport, Oak Island, and the Brunswick beaches — saw a median sale price of $398,875, up 1.0% from a year ago, with homes selling in a median of 85 days, about 36 days longer than a year ago. 726 homes sold in the latest month — up 28.0% year over year, the sharpest jump in sales volume of the three counties.
Pender County
Pender — Hampstead, the Topsail area, Burgaw, and Rocky Point — saw a median list price of $568,000, up 3.3% from a year ago. Redfin’s county-level sale price data was not available for Pender this month, so this figure reflects Realtor.com listing data instead, while days on market and homes sold are still drawn from Redfin. Homes sold in a median of 85 days, about 49 days longer than a year ago, and 155 homes sold in the latest month — up 42.2% year over year, the fastest sales growth of the three counties.
Where Rates Stand
Freddie Mac puts the average 30-year fixed mortgage at 6.66% this week and the 15-year fixed at 5.98%, both essentially flat from last week. Rates have drifted up about two-thirds of a point since late winter, but they have held in a fairly narrow band since midsummer, moving inside roughly a quarter-point range for the past two months. That stability matters more than the exact number — it lets buyers plan a monthly payment with some confidence instead of racing to lock a rate before it moves again, and it gives sellers a steadier backdrop to price against than the sharper swings earlier in the year.
[Chart 2 — attach cape-fear-sept2026-chart2-rates.png here: 30-year fixed rate, trailing 6 months, current week labeled]
What This Means for You
If you’re buying: Homes are sitting longer in every county we track, which puts real negotiating room back in your hands — on price, on repairs, on closing costs and timing. Do not wait on the sidelines for rates to drop before writing an offer. You can refinance a rate later if they do, but you cannot go back and buy at today’s price once it moves. Pender and Brunswick both saw sales volume jump well ahead of last year, so well-priced homes in good condition are still moving quickly — be ready to act when you find the right one, and lean on a local team that can tell you within a day or two whether a new listing is priced fairly for its neighborhood.
If you’re selling: Rising sales volume across all three counties means buyers are active and out looking. But they are not in a hurry, and your pricing needs to reflect that. Homes that sit past 60 or 80 days on market are usually priced for last year, not this one. Get a neighborhood-specific read on value before you list, price it correctly from the first day, and expect more negotiation on repairs and terms than you would have seen twelve months ago. The sellers doing best right now are the ones treating the first two weeks on market as their best shot at full price, not a starting point to negotiate down from later.
Have a question about your specific neighborhood or what your home would sell for in today’s market? That’s what we’re here for — reach out anytime.
— Matthew Kane, Tidal Realty Partners
Market data: Redfin, month ending June 2026 (New Hanover, Brunswick); Realtor.com via FRED, month ending July 2026 (Pender median price). Mortgage rates: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey. Figures are county-level medians and reflect general market conditions, not an appraisal or valuation of any specific property.
