Buddy Blake Team · Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage
Market insights: Wilmington
October 22, 2026
(910) 395‑1000 · buddyblake.com
One in four Wilmington listings didn't sell in the last year
In the last 12 months, 4,550 listings in Wilmington ended, and 3,497 of them sold. The share that didn't sell rose to 23%, up from 20% the year before, so about one in four. A typical home that sold took 27 days.
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 Wilmington 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 9 days. Needed price cuts: 64 days, and sold for 93.2% of the first price.
What waiting costs
| Property taxes | $117 |
| Homeowners insurance | $250 |
| Upkeep | $383 |
| Utilities | $250 |
| Your mortgage payment | if you have one |
| About | $1,003 + mortgage |
About $1,003 every month the home sits — plus your mortgage payment.
Listings that didn't sell stayed on the market a median of 120 days — roughly $3,955 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%
654 of about 4,165 before closing
Those homes that later sold
64%
34% never sold
Sold vs. first ask after a fall-through
94.8%
vs. 97.7% on the first contract
Days to sell after a fall-through
72
vs. 22 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 60% · cash 26% · VA 6% · FHA 5%.
If you're selling
- Price it right from day one. Homes priced right from the start typically sold in 9 days.
- Waiting costs money. Listings that needed price cuts typically sold in 64 days, at a median 93.1% of the first ask.
- Watch the price range. $1M+ homes had the highest didn't-sell rate at 33%, and $500–750K had the lowest at 19%.
- Contracts do fall apart, about 1 in 6 of them. Most often that's inspection, appraisal or financing issues, so get those lined up before you list.
If you're buying
- There's room to negotiate. 70% of homes sold below their first asking price, and the median sold price was $459,900.
- Some homes sit. Listings that never sold had a typical stay of 120 days, and the median price cut on them was 2.0%.
- Plenty of buyers are using conventional loans. 60% used conventional, 26% paid cash, 6% used VA and 5% used FHA.
Did you know?
- About 1 in 6 contracts fell apart in the last 12 months, a 16% rate.
- For a typical home at $459,900, estimated carrying costs before mortgage are about $1,003 a month.
- While a typical home sits unsold, estimated carrying costs before mortgage come to about $3,955.
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Thinking of selling in Wilmington? What it takes and what it costs →
For sellers
Listings that didn't sell
23%
up 3.1 pts from a year ago
1,055 expired or canceled vs 3,498 sold
Sold vs. first asking price
97.3%
about the same as a year ago
median sale price ÷ original list price
Sold below first asking
70%
share of homes that sold
Price cut on homes that didn't sell
2.0%
median — and they still didn't sell
For buyers
True days on market
27
up 4 days from a year ago
median for sold homes, counted from the first listing
Typical room below first ask
2.7%
how far under the original price homes sold
Didn't sell, then sold on a relist
23%
of listings that didn't sell the first time
Median sold price
$460K
up 4.5% from a year ago
3,498 homes sold
The last 24 months
25% latest month · Sep 26
26 latest month · Sep 26
97.2% latest month · Sep 26
By starting price
| First asking | Sold | Didn't sell | % didn't sell | True days | Sold vs. first ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $300K | 453 | 186 | 29% | 29 | 96.3% |
| $300–400K | 820 | 205 | 20% | 24 | 97.4% |
| $400–500K | 630 | 158 | 20% | 24 | 97.7% |
| $500–750K | 956 | 227 | 19% | 30 | 97.8% |
| $750K–1M | 288 | 111 | 28% | 21 | 98.0% |
| $1M+ | 351 | 168 | 32% | 43 | 96.0% |
Neighborhoods in Wilmington
| Neighborhood | Sold | Didn't sell | % didn't sell | True days | Sold vs. first ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverlights | 164 | 22 | 12% | 47 | 98.4% |
| Landfall | 100 | 29 | 23% | 36 | 95.9% |
| Blake Farm | 71 | 2 | 3% | 47 | 97.8% |
| Porters Neck Plantation | 36 | 29 | 45% | 69 | 97.4% |
| Indigo at Abbey Preserve | 65 | 0 | 0% | 2 | 100.0% |
| Downtown | 35 | 25 | 42% | 21 | 96.0% |
| Historic District | 36 | 21 | 37% | 31 | 95.2% |
| Riverlights - Del Webb | 30 | 27 | 47% | 81 | 95.8% |
| Fawn Valley | 26 | 22 | 46% | 38 | 100.0% |
| Echo Farms | 36 | 12 | 25% | 24 | 97.3% |
| Pine Valley Estates | 31 | 16 | 34% | 31 | 97.1% |
| The Cape | 36 | 10 | 22% | 50 | 96.6% |
| Village at Motts Landing | 28 | 14 | 33% | 51 | 97.5% |
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