Hello again, from your future zip code. Memorial Day weekend is six days out, the beach nourishment we mentioned last month wrapped on schedule, and for the first time in two years the Wilmington housing market officially shifted. More on all three below.

Tide’s in.

Memorial Day weekend at the beaches. Carolina and Kure both finished their nourishment projects on schedule. May 23–26 is the unofficial start of summer here, and this year the sand is back to full width. The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA hosts its annual Memorial Day observance on board. Worth doing once if you've never been.

Sea turtle nesting season is open. May through October, loggerheads nest along Wrightsville, Carolina, and Kure. You'll start seeing roped-off nests on the beach and "lights out" reminders at oceanfront homes. It's a small thing that shapes coastal life here, and locals take it seriously.

UNCW just graduated 2,500 students. Commencement was last weekend. Wilmington loses some, keeps a lot. The university is one of the city's quietest economic engines, and graduation weekend is one of the few times of year you actually feel the population shift.

For two years, anyone shopping for a home in Wilmington was shopping in a clear seller's market. Tight inventory, fast offers, not much room to negotiate. As of the April 2026 numbers, that's no longer true.

Months of inventory is now 4.3, up 16.5% from March and up 23.8% year over year. That's the first time in two years the city has cleared the seller's market threshold. Active listings hit 1,160, the highest in twelve months. Median days on market dropped to 34. Sold-to-list ratio held at 98.7%, so well-priced homes still move quickly. Most buyers are paying 1–6% under list.

What this means for you: there are more homes to choose from, and there's negotiating room on most properties. The under-$500K segment is the only place where multiple-offer situations are still common.

If you've been waiting for the math to tilt a little in your favor, it has.

We just built a new resource to reflect all of this with neighborhoods by area, what each price tier actually buys, the NC Due Diligence process, and how the market is moving right now. It's the one resource we point people to before their first call with us.

Read: Buy a Home in Wilmington →

Last month we covered the south side and the Autumn Hall corridor. This month, the two areas relocating buyers ask us about most often. 

Of our last 123 Wilmington closings, 29 buyers ended up in Northern Wilmington and 31 in Southern Wilmington. Almost half of our Wilmington-proper deals concentrated in two zip codes.

Northern Wilmington is Porters Neck, Ogden, Bayshore, and Murrayville. Newer construction, larger lots, and a quieter pace once you're east of the highway. The catch is the Market Street commute, fifteen minutes on Google Maps and twenty-five at 5:30pm. 

Southern Wilmington is Riverlights, Pine Valley, and the River Road corridor. Riverlights is the master-planned option, with its own marina, lake, and town center. Pine Valley is the value play with mid-century homes on mature lots, ten minutes to either Mayfaire or downtown. The catch down here is Carolina Beach Road in summer, when beach traffic backs up past Monkey Junction every weekend.

Search homes in Northern Wilmington →

Search homes in Southern Wilmington →

In North Carolina, when you make an offer, two pieces of money go in. Earnest money, which is refundable until your Due Diligence period ends. And a Due Diligence Fee, which is non-refundable and paid directly to the seller. The fee can be a few hundred dollars on a starter home or several thousand on a $1M property. It's compensation for taking the home off the market while you inspect, finance, and decide. Walk away during the period and you lose the fee but get the earnest money back. Walk away after, and you lose both. It's the line item that surprises every out-of-state buyer. Worth understanding before you write the offer.

The New Hanover County GIS is the local map everyone uses for property research. Flood zone, lot lines, ownership history, school assignment. It's not pretty, but it's the source of truth. Bookmark it before you start shopping.

You're on this list because you asked for our relocation guide. We send this once a month. Just what's happening here and what's worth knowing before you make the move.

Questions welcome. Just hit reply.

- The Gillespie Group

Wilmington, NC