Published November 2, 2026 in Market Update

Bidding Wars Stopped 63 Days Ago in NMB Condos

By Bill Sullivan

Real estate, North Myrtle Beach Condo

I pulled every lived-in condo that sold in North Myrtle Beach through October 30, 2026. That is 675 closed sales. I was looking for one thing: which sellers got more than they asked, and when did that stop happening.

A bidding war, the way I count it here, means a lived-in condo that sold 3% or more above its asking price. Brand-new builds are left out because their price moves with upgrades, not with competition. By that measure, only 3 sales in this entire file qualify. The last one went under contract on August 28 in Robbers Roost. The biggest of the three closed $10,500 over asking. That is the ceiling. In 66 sales since August 28, not one buyer has gone that far.

What the pros did differently

The sellers who did best priced close to where the market actually was. Look at The Havens at Barefoot Resort: 17 sales, and the typical home closed at 98.2% of its asking price. Crescent Shores, the high-rise section in Crescent Beach, closed at 98.5% across 12 sales. Those are not accidents. A price that lands near what buyers are already paying does not need a price cut to find a buyer.

The sellers who struggled priced above what the market would bear and then gave ground. The whole market closed at 96.8% of the last asking price. That last asking price is after any cuts. So the gap between what a seller first asked and what they got is wider than 3.2%. The 3.2% gap is the cost of starting too high, not a negotiating win.

Bedroom count tells the same story. Three-bedroom condos closed at 97.4% of asking across 220 sales. One-bedroom condos closed at 95.3% across 88 sales. The smaller the unit, the harder buyers pushed back on price. If you own a one-bedroom, that extra gap matters when you pick your number.

Do this, not that

The most common mistake, and what it cost

The most common mistake is pricing for a market that no longer exists. Bidding wars in NMB condos were never common, even at their peak. Three out of 675 is less than half a percent. But some sellers still price as if a competing offer is coming to save them.

The numbers show what happens instead. The typical home in the second half of the file, May 2026 through October 2026, sold for $294,750. In the first half, November 2025 through May 2026, the typical sale was $326,000. That is a $31,250 difference in the typical price between the two halves. The share of asking price held steady at 96.8% in both periods. So the market did not get stingier about negotiating. It just moved to a lower price level. A seller who priced to the first half and waited for the second half gave up more than they planned.

One honest note: the file only shows what a home sold for once the sale closes. Condos that went under contract in the last few weeks are not counted yet. That is why I say 66 sales since August 28 with no bidding war, not more.

What sellers and buyers should do right now

If you are selling, the price you pick on day one is the most important decision you make. The typical NMB condo closed at 96.8% of its last asking price. That last asking price already includes any cuts. Start closer to where buyers are, and you skip the cuts and the longer wait. If you own in a section like OD or Crescent Beach with oceanfront high-rise units, also budget for HOA dues and ask your association whether any special assessments are on the horizon before you set your number.

If you are buying, the bidding war era in NMB condos is over for now. Sixty-three days and 66 sales have gone by without one. That does not mean sellers are desperate: 96.8% of asking is still a strong close rate. But you are not likely to lose a unit to a competing offer the way buyers did a few years ago. Rates are still a real factor. The 30-year fixed mortgage averaged 7.24% as of October 29, 2026, more than one full percentage point above where it was in late October 2025, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey. That rate shapes what you can afford and what sellers will see from their buyer pool. At 7.24%, the monthly cost of the same loan is meaningfully higher than it was a year ago, and that is keeping some buyers on the sideline. If you are ready to move, that is actually useful: less competition, and sellers who know the bidding war days are behind them.