Home Sales
Home sales in New Hanover County went bonkers in 2020 and 2021, with over 6300 homes sold each year, but since then the numbers have been tanking. In 2022 home sales fell 21% compared to 2021, and in 2023 sales fell 19%. In 2024, sales dropped just 1%. In 2025 the trend finally reversed, with a modest 3% increase in sales.

Nearby counties had mixed results. Pender was up 3%, Brunswick was up 9%. As a whole, the three county region had a 6% increase in sales, the second straight year of more sales.

It is anybody's guess what home sales will do next year, there are a lot of variables in the mix. But the economy has been strong the past few years, and there are a lot of people moving here, so that bodes well.

Home Prices
Over the last several years home prices have been spiking, but the trend seems to be a levelilng of increase. Last year saw the average sales price hit a record $612,771, but that was only 3% over 2024. In 2024 the average price of a sold home was up 14% from 2023. In 2023, prices were up 8% compared to 22, and prices were up 18% from 2021 to 2022.

The average price per square foot of a sold home was $307 in 2025, another record, but that number was only up 2% from 2024.

Brunswick and Pender Counties also hit record high prices. Brunswick average home sale prices were also up to just under $488k, but the average price per square foot of $255 was down $1 from 2024. Pender was up to over $519k, and $250 per square foot, up $4 from 2024.

Hard to predict how things will fall out in 2025. I think that home prices have gone up too far, too fast, and will likely continue to level out this year.

Days on the Market
After falling for ten straight years, the average number of days to sell a home has been up the last three years. In 2022 it was 26 days, in 2023 it was 33 days, in 2024 it was 48 days, and in 2025, it was 55 days. Houses are sitting longer, another sign that it is less of a sellers market.

Inventory
Inventory is always a driving factor for New Hanover County, because it is a small county with little space to build. I have been checking the inventory of homes for sale in New Hanover County every month since 2008, and while the numbers are still historically very low, they are definitely on the rise. The average inventory for for 2025 was 1108, up 24% from 2024. Recent years are down dramatically down from the peak in 2008 (3577).

Random numbers of a somewhat intriguing nature:
For the biggest, the smallest, the priciest, the cheapest, the oldest, and much more,
Go here to find the extremes of what sold in New Hanover County last year.

Click on the links at left to navigate the Year in Review