The story of this market
The typical home in New Hanover County, North Carolina sells for about $448,000, or $297 per square foot.
Prices are down 3.5% from a year ago, which gives buyers more room to negotiate. Homes take about 62 days to sell, which is slow. Over the long run, values in this county have grown 181% since 2000. Last year 36 of 49 neighborhoods saw prices rise, so the story isn't the same street to street. The biggest natural hazard here is hurricane, which FEMA rates very high. HUD's fair market rent for a two-bedroom is $1,705 a month.
HUD sets the fair market rent for a 2-bedroom at $1,705 a month. FEMA's National Risk Index rates overall hazard risk here as Relatively High.
Price climate
Every year of price change, 2000–2025
+1.5%
2025
Each stripe is one year's median price change across the area's census tracts (FHFA repeat-sales index). Deep blue is a strong gain year, red a falling year. Best: 2022 (+20.4%). Worst: 2010 (-9.4%). Hover to read a year.
Monthly price momentum
Home values since 2015
+2.7%
NC · past 12 months
Freddie Mac House Price Index, single-family homes, monthly through 2026-08. Each line starts at 100 in January 2015, so a reading of 180 means prices are up 80% since then.
Rent benchmark
Fair market rent by size
$2,238
3-bed / month
HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal 2027, for this county. A typical rent for a modest unit, used to set housing-voucher payments.
Neighborhood price trend
Long-run price trend, 2000–2025
+1.5%
2025 change
FHFA repeat-sales index, median of 49 census tracts in this county (2000 = 100). Bars are each year's median change.
Natural hazard exposure
The area's risk shape
92
Relatively High
FEMA National Risk Index. Each spoke is a hazard ranked nationally, where 100 is the most exposed. Expected annual loss: $257,117,204.
Mortgage activity
Home lending in this county
81.4%
2018 approval rate
| Year | Applications | Loans made | Approval | Investor share | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 13779 | 7462 | 81.4% | 10.6% | $255,000 |
CFPB Home Mortgage Disclosure Act records: every mortgage application reported by lenders for homes in this county. Approval rate is approved ÷ decided (withdrawn and incomplete files excluded). Investor share and home value are the median census tract.
New Hanover County, North Carolina
New Hanover County's housing market displays stabilized pricing following post-pandemic highs, with median sales prices settling around $448,000 to $451,000. While supply remains relatively compact under three months, active listings have seen slight inventory rebuilding and expanded days on market. Consistent in-migration and healthcare/university employment support ongoing floor demand despite coastal insurance headwinds.
No ARED distress-ledger coverage for this county yet — the foreclosure ingest rotates the national county directory, and filings appear here once the county's posted notices are read. Key-figure check: no independent anchor retained yet — first-researched cycles establish the anchor baseline this pass.
Select a city to expand its ZIP intel reports beneath · 4 cities · 10 ZIP reports
Median prices moved down 2.1% year over year.
Homes spend a median of 64 days on market with 3.8 months of supply — a fast-moving market.
22% of listings have cut prices · homes sell at 92.92% of asking — demand is holding steady.
no recorded foreclosure-ledger notices (0.0 per 10,000 residents) · unemployment 3.7% · poverty 12.5% — a stable, low-distress profile.
ACS 2024 5-year estimates. Aggregate published statistics for this county — never individual records, and never an attribute of any individual property or resident.
Owned and leased federal assets with active or excess status, per the General Services Administration's Real Estate Across the United States inventory (read 2026-09-25). A federal footprint read on this county — not a market valuation, and never an attribute of any individual property or tenant.
Deterministic aggregate of 10 researched ZIP reports — sales_count-weighted (population fallback); per point, children lacking the value or its weight are excluded. Tax rates, sentiment and context notes are tier-native and never roll.
New Hanover County, North Carolina — researched county-level history with a deterministic 1 / 3 / 5-year projection
Solid: researched ten-year history · dotted: 1 / 3 / 5-year projection extended from the historical 8.6%/yr trend — a deterministic estimate, not a published forecast or guarantee.
Each property observation weighs one in its ZIP's deterministic roll-up — property-level records (taxes, scores, permits) never roll individually. Latest property research run Oct 3, 2026.
researched Oct 8
researched Sep 16
researched Oct 8
researched Oct 8
researched Sep 30
researched Oct 8
researched Oct 8
researched Sep 16
researched Sep 16
researched Sep 16
| 28401 | Wilmington | $375,000 | $235 | -6% | 42 | 97.5% | 18% | 4.5 | 229 | $1,650 | researched Oct 8 |
| 28403 | Wilmington | $463,400 | $265 | +2.1% | 67 | 98.2% | 23% | 3.2 | 131 | $1,380 | researched Sep 16 |
| 28405 | Wilmington | $388,000 | $235 | -9.9% | 58 | 98.5% | 22% | 3.2 | 155 | $1,696 | researched Oct 8 |
| 28409 | Wilmington | $598,000 | $234 | +16.5% | 35 | 98.5% | 15% | 3.2 | 171 | $2,400 | researched Oct 8 |
| 28411 | Wilmington | $505,510 | $255 | -0.3% | 76 | — | — | 4.4 | 865 | $1,778 | researched Sep 30 |
| 28412 | Wilmington | $450,000 | $245 | +0.9% | 35 | 98.5% | 22% | 4.2 | 415 | $1,900 | researched Oct 8 |
| 28428 | Carolina Beach | $1,400,000 | $484 | — | 22 | — | — | — | — | $1,705 | researched Oct 8 |
| 28429 | Castle Hayne | $544,990 | $201 | +21.1% | 50 | — | — | — | 168 | $1,095 | researched Sep 16 |
| 28449 | Kure Beach | $825,000 | $261 | 0% | 64 | 97.6% | 23.1% | 3.7 | 1,464 | $1,420 | researched Sep 16 |
| 28480 | Wrightsville Beach | $463,400 | $265 | -6.3% | 67 | 98.5% | 23.2% | 4.1 | 1,625 | $2,336 | researched Sep 16 |
Figures are each ZIP report's own latest research — the county roll-up aggregates them sales_count-weighted (population fallback); ZIPs cycle quarterly.
Crime rates in New Hanover County are mixed, with property and violent crime rates in urbanized Wilmington tracking above North Carolina state averages while beach communities report lower incident rates.
Public education is administered primarily by New Hanover County Schools, which exhibits solid overall performance, with high-demand top performers such as Isaac Bear Early College and Hoggard High School anchoring the district.
Coastal low-lying positioning creates significant exposure to tropical storms, hurricanes, wind damage, and tidal/flash flooding along the Cape Fear River and Atlantic coast, driving rising wind and NFIP flood insurance requirements.
Economic expansion is fueled by the growing healthcare network Novant Health, the University of North Carolina Wilmington, pharmaceutical research entities, and tourism/retiree in-migration.
Property taxes are levied through the New Hanover County Tax Department with an ad valorem rate calculated per $100 of assessed real property valuation alongside municipal and special fire district levies; revaluations operate on scheduled county cycles.
Residents have access to Atlantic coastal barrier beaches, the Cape Fear Riverwalk, Airlie Gardens, multiple regional golf courses, and state recreation areas including Carolina Beach State Park.
Rental demand is steady with median rents near $1,950, sustained by university enrollment, seasonal hospitality workers, and expanding healthcare employment, alongside an active coastal short-term rental market.
The economy is diversified across healthcare services, higher education, coastal tourism, logistics through the Port of Wilmington, and pharmaceutical and life sciences manufacturing.
Primary road transit is governed by I-40 terminating in the county, alongside US-17, US-74, and I-140; regional bus transit is supplied by Wave Transit.
Development continues to concentrate on infill within Wilmington, northern county suburban tracts, and commercial revitalization along coastal and riverfront corridors.
The New Hanover County Tax Department administers real property assessments based on market values established under countywide revaluation cycles, with the current schedule set under NC General Statutes.
Parcels are subject to New Hanover County general taxes, municipal property taxes (where incorporated), and county fire/service districts in unincorporated areas.
Property insurance is heavily impacted by coastal exposure, with homeowners subject to named storm deductibles and high reliance on the NC Joint Underwriting Association (Fair Plan) and FEMA flood insurance.
- North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher4.617.6 mi
- Indochine Restaurant4.52.1 mi
- Jungle Rapids Family Fun Park4.41.2 mi
- Live Oak Bank Pavilion4.24.5 mi
- Wilmington Convention Center4.54.4 mi
- North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher4.617.6 mi
- Battleship North Carolina4.84.4 mi
- Carolina Beach Boardwalk4.512.6 mi
- Wilmington Riverwalk, Battleship Eastside Site.4.74.1 mi
- Airlie Gardens4.83 mi
- North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher4.617.6 mi
- Battleship North Carolina4.84.4 mi
- Fort Fisher State Historic Site4.817 mi
- Oak Island Lighthouse4.623.9 mi
- The Cotton Exchange4.54.2 mi
- Fort Fisher State Recreation Area4.817.5 mi
- Airlie Gardens4.83 mi
- Carolina Beach State Park4.711.9 mi
- Long Leaf Park4.70.5 mi
- Freeman Park Beach4.610.7 mi
- Deep Point Marina & Yacht Club4.520.8 mi
- Morningstar Marinas Southport4.722.1 mi
- St James Properties4.121.1 mi
- Carolina Yacht Club4.54.8 mi
- Port City Marina4.54.5 mi
- Beau Rivage Golf & Resort4.47.1 mi
- Cape Fear Country Club4.62 mi
- Castle Bay Links Golf Course4.216.5 mi
- Wilmington Municipal Golf Course4.10.7 mi
- Ironclad Golf4.118.1 mi
- Independence Mall4.11.4 mi
- T.J. Maxx4.31.5 mi
- Publix Super Market Commons at Federal Point4.611.9 mi
- Kohl's4.42.1 mi
- Marshalls4.23.2 mi
- Wilmington International Airport4.33.9 mi
Theme parks, venues, golf, airports, museums, water and shopping across the area from Google Maps, ranked by popularity within the radius shown.
The amenity base that shapes daily life and property demand in this county — what residents actually live with, and what the pipeline is adding.
A nearly two-mile scenic pedestrian walkway running along the Cape Fear River in historic downtown Wilmington, featuring dining, boutique shopping, and riverboat excursions.
A 67-acre historic public garden featuring walking trails, formal gardens, freshwater lakes, and the centuries-old Airlie Oak.
Moored across the river from downtown Wilmington, this WWII battleship serves as a memorial and popular cultural and educational destination.
A coastal state park featuring hiking trails, campgrounds, coastal wildlife habitats, a full-service marina, and native Venus flytraps.
A barrier island beach celebrated for watersports, surfing, public docks, and an active waterfront village community.
Retrieved from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year profile for New Hanover County, NC.
applies when — Applies to parcels where the title holder has created or is subject to recorded easements, restrictions, or conditions.
Imposes binding limitations on the use, development, or maintenance of the parcel as defined in the recorded instrument.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 39-6.4
A tax lien attaches to all real property, taking priority over all other liens and encumbrances regardless of when they were created.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-355
applies when — Applies to parcels governed by a Homeowners' Association (Chapter 47F) or Condominium Association (Chapter 47C) where assessments remain unpaid.
Associations may file a claim of lien and foreclose in a manner similar to a mortgage under power of sale, or through a civil action.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 47F-3-116 and § 47C-3-116
Allows for non-judicial foreclosure, though it requires a hearing before the Clerk of Superior Court to authorize the sale. Borrowers are entitled to a pre-foreclosure notice at least 45 days prior to the filing of a notice of hearing for primary residences.
N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 45, Article 2A and Article 11
Tax is calculated by multiplying the assessed value of the property by the combined state and local tax rate. The formula is: Tax = (Assessed Value / 100) * Tax Rate. Assessment is based on the true value in money, with counties required to conduct revaluations at least every eight years.
N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 105, Article 12 (2025)
Governance registry — every jurisdiction re-researches on a rolling 90-day cycle. Property reports compose these inherited burdens into a per-parcel ledger with conditional determinations. Informational only — not legal advice.