Two Markets, One Move: What's Really Happening in Triangle and Coastal NC Real Estate Right Now
Most real estate blogs cover one market. We cover two — and that's exactly why this update looks different.
Live Oaks Realty works both sides of North Carolina: the Triangle, where Garner and Raleigh continue to grow around a booming tech and biotech economy, and the Brunswick County coast, where towns like Leland and Southport are absorbing some of the fastest population growth in the state. Because our brokerage holds dual membership in both the Doorify MLS and Hive MLS, we get a front-row seat to both markets at once — and right now, they're telling two very different stories.
Here's what buyers and sellers in each region need to know this fall.
The Triangle: A Market Finding Its Balance
After several years of frantic bidding wars, the Raleigh-area market has settled into something buyers haven't seen in a while: room to negotiate.
1. Prices have softened slightly. Recent Redfin data puts Raleigh's median home price at roughly $425,000 over the last three months, down a few percentage points from the same period last year.
2. Homes are taking a bit longer to sell, with typical listings going under contract in about a month rather than days.
3. Competition has cooled but hasn't disappeared. Well-priced homes in strong school districts and established neighborhoods are still drawing multiple offers, just not the 15-offer frenzy of a few years ago.
4. Longer term, the fundamentals stay strong. The Triangle's tech and biotech pipeline — including continued investment tied to Apple's regional campus — is expected to keep pulling new residents into Wake County, with some forecasts projecting home prices in the Raleigh-Durham area approaching $450,000 as demand catches back up with the current dip in supply.
What this means if you're selling in Garner or Raleigh: Pricing accurately from day one matters more than it did two years ago. Overpriced listings are sitting; correctly priced ones are still moving in around a month.
What this means if you're buying: You have more leverage than you've had in years — more inventory, more negotiating room, and less pressure to waive every contingency. It won't stay this way indefinitely if the tech-driven population growth continues as forecast.
Brunswick County: Still Running Hot
Head two and a half hours southeast and the story flips. While the Triangle is cooling, the Brunswick County coast — particularly Leland, Southport, and the beach communities like Oak Island and Sunset Beach — is still very much a seller-friendly market.
1. Leland remains the growth engine of the county, with population and sales activity climbing in the double digits year-over-year and home values up roughly 7% over the past year.
2. List-to-sale price ratios are running at or above 100% in Leland and Southport, meaning well-positioned homes are still selling at or above asking price — a sharp contrast to the Triangle's more negotiable climate.
3. New retail and infrastructure investment is accelerating growth, including a new Target anchoring Leland Village and ongoing revitalization near the Wilmington corridor, both signs that the migration into Brunswick County isn't slowing down.
4. Insurance costs and inventory are the two factors to watch. Rising coastal insurance premiums are starting to factor into affordability conversations, even as new construction adds inventory across the county.
What this means if you're selling on the coast: Brunswick County sellers are still in a strong position, especially in amenity-rich or waterfront communities. Homes here are behaving more like 2021-2022 inventory than the rest of the state.
What this means if you're buying: Move decisively on well-priced coastal listings — they're not sitting long. But don't assume every property will bid up; pricing and demand still vary block by block between the Leland growth corridor and the quieter southern beach towns.
Why It Pays to Watch Both Markets at Once
Plenty of North Carolinians are moving between these two worlds right now — retiring out of the Triangle toward the coast, relocating inland for work, or buying a second home in Brunswick County while keeping a primary residence near Raleigh. If you're navigating that kind of move, working with a brokerage that tracks both markets in real time (rather than just one) means fewer surprises and better timing on both ends of the transaction.
That's the gap Live Oaks Realty is built to fill.
Thinking about a move between the Triangle and the coast — or just want a read on your specific neighborhood? Reach out to Hilary Wayne Kennedy at Live Oaks Realty: hilary@liveoaksrealty.com or 910-918-1332.
Sources: Redfin, NC REALTORS®, Norada Real Estate Investments, and regional market reports on the Triangle and Brunswick County/Cape Fear markets, current as of August 2026.
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