BIG MAN ON CAMPUS AWARD
If you judge popularity, when it comes to real estate and neighborhoods, by the total number of sales, then Brunswick County is the home of the coolest cliques. In 2022 the top four neighborhoods in sales were located in Brunswick County. Leading the pack for the second year in a row is St. James Plantation, a large community with many amenities located in Southport. St James Plantation offers 81 holes of golf, with four clubhouses and restaurants, a marina with 475 boat slips on the Intracoastal Waterway along with swimming pools, tennis courts, and many other outdoor recreation activities. In 2022 a total of 296 homes sold in St James with an average price of $614,533 (compared to 2021 when a total of 375 homes sold with an average price of $517,502.)
Top Five most popular neighborhoods
| NEIGHBORHOOD | LOCATION | NUMBER OF SALES | AVERAGE PRICE |
| St. James | Southport/
Brunswick County |
296 | $614,533 |
| Brunswick Forest | Leland/
Brunswick County |
252 | $526,204 |
| Tranquil Harbor | Leland/
Brunswick County |
187 | $486.042 |
| Sea Trail Plantation | Oak Island/
Brunswick County |
131 | $437,469 |
| Landfall | Wilmington/
New Hanover County |
120 | $1,207,040 |
TALK OF THE TOWN AWARD
The neighborhoods that finished in first and second place for single family homes, also finished in first and second place for most sales of townhomes. That is a sign that buyers in all price points are interested in communities with a lot of amenities. Finishing in third place in the Talk of the Town category is a brand new community in Wilmington. Construction at the Townes at Lewis Creek started in 2021, with the bulk of the homes hitting the market in 2022. Unlike the two communities that ranked higher in sales, the Lewis Creek development does not offer a lot of amenities, but it still attracted plenty of buyers with units that average 2,000 square feet and that started in the low $300’s.
| Townhome Community | LOCATION | NUMBER OF SALES | AVERAGE PRICE |
| St. James | Southport, Brunswick County | 60 | $491,501 |
| Brunswick Forrest | Leland, Brunswick County | 56 | $412,028 |
| Townes at Lewis Creek | Wilmington , 28405 | 46 | $331,456 |
| Ibis landing | Leland, Brunswick County | 32 | $289, 282 |
| Calabash Lakes | Carolina Shores, Brunswick County | 28 | $285,732 |
THE HURRY, HURRY, HURRY AWARD
This award is given to those communities where homes did not stay on the market very long.
You’ve heard the stories, especially during the summer months, of homes coming on the market in the morning and then being under contract by mid afternoon. Our relocation experts watched that scenario play out over and over again in 2022. Still, it would be virtually impossible for a neighborhood to go the entire year while maintaining an average of zero days on the market.
Five neighborhoods managed to pull off an average of just two days. Collectively these communities share the Hurry Hurry, Hurry Award, because they forced buyers to move very quickly.
| Neighborhood | LOCATION | Average Days on the Market | AVERAGE PRICE |
| Chatham Glen | Ocean Isle Beach, Brunswick County | 2 Days | $313,632 |
| Cypress Grove | Hampstead, Pender County | 2 Days | $255,575 |
| Seaspray Cove | Southport, Brunswick County | 2 Days | $312,733 |
| Weatherwood | Wilmington, 28405 | 2 Days | $277,778 |
| Whitney Pines | Wilmington, 28411 | 2 Days | $292,950 |
THE MORE THAN WE ASKED FOR AWARD
Once again in 2022 buyers were willing to go into their wallets and paying more than sellers were asking for- actually way more. Last year the winner of this award was a community where the average price was $16,608 over the listed price. This year, four communities shattered last year’s mark.
Top five neighborhoods where the average sale price was above the average asking price:
| Neighborhood | LOCATION | Homes Sold | AVERAGE PRICE DIFFERENCE |
| Crown Pointe | Hampstead, Pender County | 27 | $27,211 |
| Anchors Bend | Wilmington, 28411 | 13 | $18,822 |
| Inland Greens | Wilmington, 28405 | 15 | $17,653 |
| Covil Estates | Wilmington, 28405 | 15 | $17,239 |
| Johnson Farms | Wilmington, 28412 | 21 | $16,088 |
THE LET’S MAKE A DEAL AWARD
Even in a competitive market buyers were able to find deals. The greatest leverage belonged to those shopping in the luxury market. Properties on the extreme high end were still going below the seller’s asking price. The greatest disparity was found in Oak Island’s W. Long Beach community. A total of 17 homes sold in the Brunswick County neighborhood. The average asking price was $1,198,394 but the average sale price was nearly $70,000 lower at $1,128,747.
Top five neighborhoods where the average price was below the average asking price:
| Neighborhood | LOCATION | Homes Sold | AVERAGE AMOUNT UNDER ASKING PRICE |
| W. Long Beach | Oak Island, Brunswick County | 17 | – $69,667 |
| Islander Resort | Ocean Isle, Brunswick County | 14 | – $54,586 |
| BHI | Bald Head Island, Brunswick County | 31 | – $45,960 |
| Yaupon Beach | Oak Island, Brunswick County | 21 | – $42,790 |
| New Topsail Beach | Topsail Beach, Pender County | 28 | – $31,982 |
THE KING OF THE CONDOS AWARD
The two most popular locations for condominiums in the Cape Fear Region were communities on golf courses in southern Brunswick County, and neighborhoods in Wilmington’s midtown area. Leading the way with the most sales was Crow Creek in Calabash. This is a large amenity rich neighborhoods, with patio homes, single family homes, large estates and a section of condos that overlook the golf course. In 2022 a total of 53 units sold in the community for an average price of $272,168.
Top five most popular condominium communities.
| Neighborhood | LOCATION | Homes Sold | AVERAGE PRICE |
| Crow Creek | Calabash, Brunswick County | 53 | $272,168 |
| Brunswick Plantation | Calabash, Brunswick County | 48 | $223,267 |
| Bellingham Park | Wilmington, 28412 | 39 | $185,984 |
| Breezewood | Wilmington, 28412 | 39 | $234,328 |
| Sea Trail Plantation | Sunset Beach, Brunswick County | 37 | $255,646
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THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK AWARD
Buyers who were looking for something new had a lot of options in 2022. Many existing communities, some that have been around for years, still have empty lots for sale waiting for a new construction home to be built. We did not consider those existing communities for this award. To take the coveted spot as the New Kid on the Block the bulk of the homes in the communities had to come on the market in the last 12 months. The most popular new community is Eagle Run in Carolina Shores.
Top five most popular new communities:
| Neighborhood | LOCATION | Homes Sold | AVERAGE PRICE |
| Eagle Run | Carolina Shores | 61 | $393,982 |
| Dabney Park | Leland | 33 | $314,851 |
| The Highlands at Boiling Spring Lakes | Boiling Spring Lakes | 28 | $281,933 |
| The Lakes at Pine Forest | Oak Island | 22 | $474,669 |
| Olde Georgetowne | Bolivia | 16 | $256,796 |