Housing costs continue to rise in Brunswick County, one northern town seeing increases in both new construction and homes prices.
The town of Leland has over $27 million worth of construction going on
, according to town planning documents. Though the area used to be considered an affordable alternative to other coast-side municipalities, newly-built homes are inching the town closer to luxury living.Even though the town remains one of the county's more attainable places to buy a home, recent development is producing an increasing number of high-end residences approaching or exceeding $1 million.
What did Leland housing prices look like 15 years ago?
Twenty years ago, Leland was primarily viewed as Brunswick affordable alternative to Wilmington.
In the mid-2000s housing boom, many Leland homes sold
in the $150,000 to $250,000 range, with new subdivisions attracting buyers seeking lower prices than Wilmington.
What is Leland's average home price today?
Leland's luxury market evolution has become a significant part of the town's housing market over the past decade, the typical home price increasing by roughly 100% to 150%. The percentage depends on the neighborhood and initial housing cost.
The average Leland home value is $388,757, up 0.1% over the past year, and homes go to pending in around 35 days, according to Zillow's July 31 update. Zillow listed Leland's median listing price at around $430,000 in 2025. Some real estate sites calculate the median sale price ranging between $395,000-$405,000.
Homes with million-dollar price points can be found in high end communities, like Compass Pointe, Brunswick Forest and The Bluffs on the Cape Fear. Large vacant lots and riverfront properties are also selling at high costs.
Leland's transparency portal includes data tracking the growth or fluctuation of property values across residential, commercial, and industrial categories over a multi-year period. The map shows the town more than doubling in total residential value over the past four years, jumping from $2,956,235,400 in 2022 to $6,019,610,474 in 2026.
Is Leland still considered affordable in Brunswick?
Leland's housing costs are higher than smaller, rural towns, but are inching close to the $400,000 average cost to own a home in Southport. However, beach communities, like Oak Island, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach and Sunset Beach, remain premium priced due to waterfront and vacation-home demand.
While Leland has several wealthy neighborhoods, statistics show million-dollar properties are more common in beachfront communities. For example, Holden Beach's average home price of almost $800,000, according to bestplaces.net.
Where are homes more affordable in Brunswick County?
Sandy Creek, Navassa and Northwest have the most affordable homes, with home selling prices between $151,300 and $225,900, according to mytownview.com. Thus, maintaining the northern Brunswick area as most affordable.
Shallotte and Calabash are also considered among the most affordable and lower-cost areas to live within Brunswick, according to Bottlenoserealty.com.
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Savanna Tenenoff covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at stenenoff@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Leland home prices are climbing toward luxury status
