As new developments hit the market, average home sale prices in the Wilmington area have jumped six figures in the past five years.
Homebuilder D.R. Horton has been rolling out new homes at Sidbury Station throughout 2026. The community is just one of several ongoing master-planned developments working to fill the area’s housing gap, and its price points are in line with the major growth that the Cape Fear region has seen post-pandemic.
The company purchased the Sidbury Station property, which has since been subdivided into dozens of parcels, for $10,482,500 in 2021, according to New Hanover property records. Plans for the growing Castle Hayne community feature 1,200 homes, including townhomes and single-family homes with up to five bedrooms.
Here’s how the high demand and rapid development have impacted the Wilmington housing market.
State of the market
The latest data from Cape Fear Realtors, which reflects the state of the market in June, shows that the median sales price was $439,999 across New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties. The area’s median sales price has jumped nearly 42% in the past five years, an increase of $129,999 from when the figure was $310,000 in June 2021. Much of the increase occurred throughout 2022 and 2023.
Home prices across the country have hit an all-time high after rising for 36 straight months, according to data from the National Association of Realtors.
Available single-family homes in Sidbury Station range from $405,999 to $465,790, in line with the current median prices. As of July 30, there were 8 move-in ready homes available, according to listings for the community.
The Cape Fear region ended May 2026 with 4,550 active listings, nearly double the inventory in the area just three years prior. Closed sales, pending sales and new listings have all increased by more than 10% over the past year.
“The June market reflects a healthy balance between supply and demand,” Cape Fear Realtors President Manda Price said in a news release announcing the latest statistics. “Today’s market is creating opportunities on both sides of the transaction. Buyers have more choices and greater flexibility than they’ve had in years, while sellers continue to benefit from steady demand and strong home values.”
Growth along Sidbury
Sidbury Road is one of the fastest-growing corridors in New Hanover County, with multiple large-scale developments in the works.
Sidbury Holdings is the latest proposal on the strip, with 240 homes planned in the 9900 block of Sidbury Road. The site is at the eastern end of the street in Scotts Hill, near the Pender County line and the historic Poplar Grove Plantation.
The Sidbury Holdings site totals roughly 96 acres and the project has a low density at 2.5 units per acre. The subdivision will have 47.76 acres of open space, more than double the required 19.25 acres of open space.
Home sales are underway for the first phase of Avenue One, a subdivision in the 5300 block of Sidbury Road with a master plan of 733 homes. The development has a total density of 4.6 units per acre and 33.6 acres of open space. The planned development is roughly half of the 1,462 units permitted to be built on the property.
Daniel Sheehan covers New Hanover County for the StarNews. Reach him at dsheehan@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Data shows six-figure rise in Wilmington home prices since 2021
