Key Takeaways
- Prices held: Redfin's median sale price was $464,779 for the three months ending September 2026, up 3.3%. Zillow's typical value was $419,038 on August 31, 2026, down 0.1%.
- The wait nearly doubled: sold houses took a median 55 days to go under contract, up from 32. In every three-month window from March through August 2026, the wait ran more than double the year before (Redfin).
- Supply jumped: Redfin counted 765 city houses for sale, up 50.3%, and 4.8 months of supply, up from 3.2 (Redfin Data Center, September 2026).
- Buyers are still here: the Wilmington metro added about 5,900 jobs, or 3.1%, from February 2025 to February 2026 (Bureau of Labor Statistics data, reported April 2026).
- Time has a price: city and county taxes alone run about $247 a month on a house assessed at $465,000, before insurance, utilities, or a second mortgage payment.
- Listing still wins for many: a clean, well-priced house can sell near list. A fixed date, needed repairs, or storm history can tilt the math toward a cash offer.
The Wilmington NC housing market in 2026 has two halves. Prices in Wilmington, North Carolina barely moved, and on Redfin's measure they rose. The time it takes to sell is what changed, and for most of this year it ran about twice as long as in 2025.
That split matters if you are doing math on a relocation or a house you would rather not list. Every figure below is dated and sourced, and nothing here is a price forecast.
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Let's chatWilmington NC Housing Market 2026 at a Glance
The Wilmington NC housing market in 2026 shows steady prices, slower sales, and far more houses for sale than a year ago. Redfin's latest window covers the three months ending September 2026 (Redfin, Wilmington housing market, September 2026 data, read October 2026).
| Redfin metric (city of Wilmington) | 3 months ending Sept. 2026 | 3 months ending Sept. 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $464,779 | $450,000 | Up 3.3% |
| Median days on market | 55 days | 32 days | 23 days longer |
| Houses sold | 494 | 486 | Up 1.6% |
| Inventory (houses for sale) | 765 | 509 | Up 50.3% |
| Months of supply | 4.8 | 3.2 | 1.6 months more |
| Sale-to-list ratio | 97.2% | 97.3% | Down 0.12 point |
Inventory and months of supply come from the Redfin Data Center city file, updated October 7, 2026. Redfin revises recent months, so older August figures may differ slightly.
Are Prices Rising or Falling in Wilmington?
Wilmington prices are holding steady in 2026, with a modest gain on Redfin's measure and a flat reading on Zillow's. Redfin's median sale price was $464,779 for the three months ending September 2026, up 3.3% from $450,000 a year earlier (Redfin, September 2026). Redfin also says the city's median sale price is 11% above the national average.
Zillow measures something different. Zillow's typical value for the city was $419,038 on August 31, 2026, down 0.1% from $419,345 a year earlier (Zillow ZHVI, August 2026). That is a flat line, and it is the newest month Zillow had published when this was written.
The regional MLS tells a similar story for the wider metro. Cape Fear REALTORS reported a median sales price of $430,000 for the Wilmington MSA in April 2026, up 7.5% (Cape Fear REALTORS, April 2026 data).
Why the sources disagree
The sources disagree because each counts a different set of houses, and none of them is wrong.
- Redfin: the median price of city houses that sold over three months.
- Zillow ZHVI: a smoothed estimate of the typical value of every house in the city, sold or not.
- Cape Fear REALTORS: MLS sales across the Wilmington metro, one month at a time.
- Realtor.com: listings across the metro, including houses that have not sold.
Read each number against its own past. Averaging two sources produces a figure neither one published.
Wilmington, NC House Values by ZIP Code
Wilmington, NC house values by ZIP code ranged from $330,529 to $513,664 in Zillow's August 2026 data, and the year's moves were small in both directions. Three of the six ZIPs below rose and three slipped, none by more than 1.4% (Zillow ZHVI, August 2026). These are ZIP figures, and ZIP lines do not follow neighborhood lines.
| ZIP code | Zillow ZHVI for the ZIP, August 31, 2026 | Year over year |
|---|---|---|
| ZIP 28401 | $330,529 | Down 0.8% |
| ZIP 28403 | $397,870 | Up 1.1% |
| ZIP 28405 | $375,126 | Down 0.1% |
| ZIP 28409 | $513,664 | Up 0.5% |
| ZIP 28411 | $467,517 | Up 0.4% |
| ZIP 28412 | $393,240 | Down 1.4% |
A ZIP value is a smoothed estimate for every house in that ZIP code, so it says little about one street or one house. Some of these ZIPs also reach past city limits into unincorporated New Hanover County.
Why Is It Taking Longer to Sell a House in Wilmington?
It is taking longer to sell a house in Wilmington because far more houses are for sale while the number of sales has barely grown. Redfin counted 765 city houses for sale in the three months ending September 2026, up 50.3% from 509 (Redfin Data Center, September 2026). Sales over the same months rose only 1.6%, to 494.
More choice for buyers means each listing waits longer. Months of supply, the time it would take to sell every listing at the current pace, rose to 4.8 from 3.2.
How long the wait has run
Redfin's median days on market was 55 for the three months ending September 2026, against 32 a year earlier (Redfin, September 2026). The gap was wider earlier in the year. For the window ending August 2026 it was 55 days against 26, more than double.
From March through August 2026, every three-month window ran more than twice the year before, peaking at 71 days in March (Redfin chart data). The narrower September gap comes from a slower September 2025, while the 2026 figure held at 55 days.
The listing side looks different
Realtor.com tracks every listing in the Wilmington metro, including unsold ones, and its numbers moved less. Active listings were 4,016 in September 2026, up from 3,893 a year earlier (Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026). Its median listing spent 71 days on the market, against 73 a year earlier.
One reasonable reading: a year ago, many houses sold fast while others sat. In 2026, even the houses that sell are taking about two months. A median cannot tell you which group your house will land in.
Price cuts and the gap to list
Sold houses still closed near asking, at a 97.2% sale-to-list ratio (Redfin, September 2026). Redfin also reported that 37.7% of listings had a price drop, up 1.1 points from a year earlier.
The local association's spring reports describe the same shape. In February 2026, Cape Fear REALTORS reported 3,938 active listings, up 12.2%, with houses staying on the market for roughly three months (Cape Fear REALTORS, February 2026 data). By April, active listings reached 4,490, up 9.25%.
Who Is Still Buying: Jobs, UNCW, the Port, and the Hospital
Buyers are still active in Wilmington because the local job base kept growing into 2026. The Wilmington metro added about 5,900 nonfarm jobs from February 2025 to February 2026, growth of 3.1% (WilmingtonBiz, April 2026, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics data). That ranked No. 8 among 387 metro areas in the report.
Leisure and hospitality led the gains at 8.2%, followed by education and health services at 4.3%, according to the same report. The metro's population also grew by more than 12,000 residents, or 2.6%, from July 2024 to July 2025 (Census Bureau data, reported by WilmingtonBiz, April 2026).
The anchors behind relocations
- UNCW: the university describes itself as having "nearly 19,000 students and about 2,500 employees" (UNC Wilmington, read October 2026).
- Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center: "The region's only Level II Trauma Center" (Novant Health, read October 2026).
- Port of Wilmington: "26 miles from the open sea on the Cape Fear River" and home to a "600,000 TEU capacity container terminal" (NC Ports, read October 2026).
These employers bring people to Wilmington and also move them out on a schedule. A job start or a transfer sets a calendar that a 55-day median ignores.
What a Longer Wait Costs a Seller Who Needs a Date
A longer wait costs a Wilmington seller roughly one more month of ownership expenses, and more if the house sits past the median. Those costs run until closing, and most of them are on bills you already have.
- Property taxes: inside city limits, the 2026-2027 rates are 30.6 cents per $100 for New Hanover County and 33.15 cents for the City of Wilmington (Port City Daily, July 2026).
- Insurance: your homeowners premium, plus flood coverage if you carry it, divided by 12.
- Utilities and upkeep: power, water, lawn care, and pest control, even on an empty house.
- A second mortgage payment: if you already bought or rent in your next city, every extra month means paying for two places to live.
A worked example
New Hanover County assesses houses at 100% of estimated market value as of its last revaluation (New Hanover County, Revaluation FAQs). On an illustrative house assessed at $465,000, the combined 63.75-cent rate comes to about $2,964 a year. That is roughly $247 a month in taxes alone.
Add an illustrative $2,500 monthly mortgage payment you are still making after a relocation, and one extra month costs about $2,750 before insurance and utilities. These figures are examples only, not a forecast or a Propcash number. Swap in your own bills to see your real figure.
Storm season sits inside the wait
A longer listing period can also stretch into hurricane season. First Street data on Redfin's city page puts 17% of Wilmington properties at risk of severe flooding over the next 30 years (Redfin, read October 2026). It rates 65% at extreme risk of a severe wind event. Risk is set by address, so check yours on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.
Storm history also shapes what buyers' insurers quote. Our guide to how rising Wilmington insurance costs affect a sale covers the buyer's quote. Our guide to selling a flood- or storm-touched house in Wilmington covers the disclosure form's flooding questions.
Sell My House Fast in Wilmington, NC: List or Get a Cash Offer?
If you need to sell your house fast in Wilmington, NC, the right path depends on the house and the date. A clean, well-priced house can still sell near its asking price. The trade-off is the 55-day median wait, then a financed buyer's appraisal, inspection, and loan steps.
When listing may net more
If your house is updated, priced to recent sales, and you can carry it for a few months, listing with an agent may net you more, even after commission. If that describes your house, we will tell you so and can point you to a local agent. We may receive compensation from agents we refer.
When a cash offer may fit better
A cash offer tends to fit when the open market's slow steps are the problem:
- You have a fixed date, such as a job start, a transfer, or a closing on your next house.
- The house needs repairs a lender's inspector would flag.
- The house has storm or water history that a buyer's insurer may price high.
- The house has already sat. See our page on what to do when a house won't sell.
Propcash is a direct cash homebuyer that makes offers as a principal. You can get one transparent, data-backed cash offer, with the reasoning shown. There are no fees or commissions, and the house goes as-is. A cash sale can close in as few as 7 days, and you pick the closing date.
Our offer stands while you compare, with no aggressive follow-up. You can get a cash offer on your Wilmington house and set it beside what a listing would net. Our page on selling a Wilmington, NC house fast for cash covers the local process. The North Carolina overview covers the rest of the state.
Either way, North Carolina's deed excise tax is $1 per $500 of the price, paid by the seller (G.S. 105-228.30). On an illustrative $465,000 sale, that is $930.
Why wait? Sell your house “as is” for cash today
Tell us about your house. We'll make you a cash offer based on local market data.
Let's chatFrequently Asked Questions
What is the median house price in Wilmington, NC in 2026?
Redfin reported a median sale price of $464,779 in Wilmington, North Carolina for the three months ending September 2026, up 3.3% from a year earlier. Zillow's typical value for the city, a different measure, was $419,038 on August 31, 2026, down 0.1%. The two figures count different houses and should never be averaged.
How long does it take to sell a house in Wilmington, NC right now?
Wilmington houses that sold took a median 55 days to go under contract in the three months ending September 2026, up from 32 days a year earlier (Redfin). From March through August 2026, the median wait ran more than double the year before. A financed sale then adds appraisal, inspection, and loan steps before closing.
Why do Redfin and Zillow show different Wilmington numbers?
Redfin reports the median price of city houses that actually sold, while Zillow's ZHVI estimates the typical value of every house in the city. That is why Redfin showed $464,779 for September 2026 and Zillow showed $419,038 for August 2026. Neither figure is wrong, and each should be compared only with its own history.
Are more houses for sale in Wilmington than last year?
More houses are for sale in Wilmington than a year ago. Redfin counted 765 houses for sale in the city of Wilmington in the three months ending September 2026, up 50.3% from 509. Months of supply rose to 4.8 from 3.2. Across the wider metro, Realtor.com counted 4,016 active listings in September 2026, up from 3,893.
How much does an extra month on the market cost a Wilmington seller?
Inside Wilmington city limits, the 2026-2027 county and city tax rates add up to 63.75 cents per $100 of assessed value. On an illustrative house assessed at $465,000, that is about $247 a month in taxes alone. Insurance, utilities, upkeep, and any second mortgage payment after a relocation come on top of that.
Can I sell my house fast in Wilmington, NC without listing it?
Yes, a direct cash sale skips the listing period, showings, and the buyer's loan steps. Propcash is a direct cash homebuyer that can make one data-backed cash offer on a Wilmington house as-is, with no fees or commissions. A cash sale can close in as few as 7 days, on a date the seller picks.
Data Sources: Redfin and First Street, Zillow ZHVI, Realtor.com via FRED, Cape Fear REALTORS, WilmingtonBiz, Port City Daily, New Hanover County, and the North Carolina General Statutes. Propcash is a direct cash homebuyer, not a brokerage or law firm.