Buddy Blake Team · Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage
Market insights: New Hanover County
October 22, 2026
(910) 395‑1000 · buddyblake.com
One in four New Hanover County listings ended without a sale
Over the last 12 months, one in four listings in New Hanover County ended without a sale. Of 5,614 listings that ended, 4,160 sold and 1,454 didn't, up from 23% the year before. The typical sale took 31 days, closed at a median 97.1% of first ask, and had a median sold price of $475,000.
Summary written October 21, 2026 from that day's numbers. The figures in the tiles update every hour, so they can differ slightly.
Which pile do you want to be in?
Out of every 20 homes listed in New Hanover County over the last 12 months, the solid houses sold. The outlined ones expired or were canceled.
Priced right from day one: sold in a median 10 days. Needed price cuts: 69 days, and sold for 93.0% of the first price.
What waiting costs
| Property taxes | $121 |
| Homeowners insurance | $250 |
| Upkeep | $396 |
| Utilities | $250 |
| Your mortgage payment | if you have one |
| About | $1,019 + mortgage |
About $1,019 every month the home sits — plus your mortgage payment.
Listings that didn't sell stayed on the market a median of 130 days — roughly $4,355 in taxes, insurance, upkeep and utilities alone, and the home still didn't sell.
An example, not a quote: New Hanover County rate 0.306 per $100 (NC Department of Revenue, 2025-26 county rates); town taxes add more inside town limits; insurance, upkeep (1% of value a year) and utilities are typical estimates.
When contracts fall apart
Contracts that fell apart
16%
803 of about 4,976 before closing
Those homes that later sold
61%
36% never sold
Sold vs. first ask after a fall-through
94.1%
vs. 97.4% on the first contract
Days to sell after a fall-through
78
vs. 26 on the first contract
The MLS doesn't record why a contract ends. In our experience the most common reasons are home inspection findings, appraisals that come in below the price, and buyer financing. How buyers paid on closed sales: conventional 58% · cash 26% · VA 5% · FHA 5%.
If you're selling
- Price it right from day one. Homes priced right sold in a median 10 days, and 2,140 did.
- Homes that needed price cuts took a median 69 days to sell, and the typical sale came in at 93.0% of asking.
- Listings that never sold had a median price cut of 2.1% and sat a median 130 days before they ended.
- Price range matters. 33% of listings from $750K–1M didn't sell, compared with 22% from $300–400K.
If you're buying
- There's room to negotiate. 71% of homes sold below their first ask.
- Homes are sitting more. The didn't-sell rate rose from 23% to 26% in a year.
- Cash was 26% of buyers, conventional 59%, VA 5% and FHA 5%.
Did you know?
- The median sold price in New Hanover County was $475,000.
- Estimated carrying costs for a typical $475,000 home run about $1,019 a month before mortgage.
- Of homes whose contract fell apart, 62% later sold and 36% never sold.
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For sellers
Listings that didn't sell
26%
up 2.6 pts from a year ago
1,455 expired or canceled vs 4,161 sold
Sold vs. first asking price
97.1%
about the same as a year ago
median sale price ÷ original list price
Sold below first asking
71%
share of homes that sold
Price cut on homes that didn't sell
2.1%
median — and they still didn't sell
For buyers
True days on market
31
up 4 days from a year ago
median for sold homes, counted from the first listing
Typical room below first ask
2.9%
how far under the original price homes sold
Didn't sell, then sold on a relist
21%
of listings that didn't sell the first time
Median sold price
$475K
up 3.3% from a year ago
4,161 homes sold
The last 24 months
27% latest month · Sep 26
35 latest month · Sep 26
97.0% latest month · Sep 26
By starting price
| First asking | Sold | Didn't sell | % didn't sell | True days | Sold vs. first ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $300K | 496 | 193 | 28% | 31 | 96.2% |
| $300–400K | 901 | 246 | 21% | 25 | 97.4% |
| $400–500K | 749 | 207 | 22% | 24 | 97.7% |
| $500–750K | 1,071 | 338 | 24% | 38 | 97.4% |
| $750K–1M | 408 | 205 | 33% | 33 | 97.5% |
| $1M+ | 536 | 266 | 33% | 46 | 95.5% |
By town
| Town | Sold | Didn't sell | % didn't sell | True days | Sold vs. first ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington | 3,492 | 1,056 | 23% | 27 | 97.4% |
| Carolina Beach | 345 | 266 | 44% | 58 | 96.0% |
| Castle Hayne | 283 | 52 | 16% | 30 | 98.4% |
| Kure Beach | 100 | 67 | 40% | 63 | 94.6% |
| Wrightsville Beach | 102 | 29 | 22% | 62 | 93.7% |
Homes only (land excluded), last 12 months unless noted. "Didn't sell" = listings that expired or were canceled — withdrawn and on-hold listings are not counted (some owners stop for reasons that have nothing to do with the market); true days on market counts from the first listing, even when a home was relisted. Source: Hive MLS listing and sales records, updated October 22, 2026. Totals only — no individual listing is shown. Buddy Blake Team · Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage · (910) 395‑1000