Published November 1, 2026 in Market Update

North Myrtle Beach inventory is down, but sales are still moving

By Bill Sullivan

Real estate, Primary market

The one fact that changes what you should do right now: inventory in NMB's ZIP 29582 dropped 18.5% compared with the same three months last year, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Fewer competing listings can help a seller. For a buyer, it means you have less to choose from, so knowing each section matters more than ever.

All numbers below cover the three months ending August 31, 2026.

The NMB picture: fewer homes, but deals still closing

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 458 homes sold in ZIP 29582, up 1.8% from the same period a year ago. Sales rose even as inventory fell. That is a small but real sign of steady demand.

Homes sold faster too. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows the median days on market fell 17 days compared with last year. Not every home moved quickly, but the middle of the market is tightening.

Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.24% on October 29, 2026. That is the rate buyers are working with right now. It adds to monthly costs, and it is part of why some buyers are pausing. Yet closings in NMB still ticked up.

Cherry Grove: channel side and beach side are not the same market

Cherry Grove is the only section in NMB with channel homes and boat docks. A channel-side home is a different purchase from a beach-side home. They draw different buyers and carry different costs.

If you own or want a channel home in Cherry Grove, flood insurance is a major ownership cost. Factor it into your budget before you set a price or make an offer. Do not skip that step.

Beach-side Cherry Grove competes with the oceanfront condo market in OD, Crescent Beach and Windy Hill. With inventory down 18.5% across ZIP 29582, fewer options exist on both sides of that line.

OD, Crescent Beach and Windy Hill: condos and the rate question

OD is the busiest section. Main Street, shag dancing and SOS events keep foot traffic high. Oceanfront high-rise condos are a main property type in OD, Crescent Beach and Windy Hill.

If you are buying or selling a condo in any of these sections, HOA dues and special assessments are real ownership costs. They sit on top of a mortgage at 7.24%. Know what they are before you compare two listings.

East of Highway 17 is mostly short-term rental friendly, which is one reason buyers look here. That is a general pattern, not a guarantee. Whether any specific condo can be rented short term must be verified for that property.

West of Highway 17: families, retirees and relocators

Off-beach single-family homes west of 17 serve a different buyer. Year-round residents, retirees, families and people priced out of the beach side all look here. This is not a vacation-rental market by default.

West of 17 sits mostly outside the high-risk flood zones, which can mean lower insurance costs than channel-side Cherry Grove. That said, flood zone status must be verified for any specific property before you count on it.

Pending sales and new listings: what is coming next

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 507 pending sales in ZIP 29582, up 0.6% from a year ago. The pipeline is still moving. New listings came in at 540, down just 0.9% from last year.

How NMB compares with nearby ZIP codes

NMB is its own city, not part of Myrtle Beach to the south. The ZIP codes below are nearby markets, each with its own story. The Real Estate Data Aggregator tracks them separately.

Longs showed the sharpest drop in supply, down 21.1%, and the highest sale-to-list ratio at 98.3%, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Sales there jumped 35% year over year. That is a different dynamic from NMB.

Little River saw new listings rise 25.2% and pending sales climb 10.2%, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. More fresh inventory there than in NMB. Median price dipped 4.6% year over year.

The national picture, for context

The National Association of Realtors reported existing-home sales nationally reached 3.99 million units in September 2026. Prices rose 1.3% nationally in the same period. NMB's 4.7% price gain in ZIP 29582 outpaced that national number.

Realtor.com reported mortgage rates surged nearly 40 basis points in September 2026. That kind of move slows buyers everywhere. NMB held its sales volume anyway, which says something about demand here.

The ZIP code number tells part of the story. Cherry Grove channel side, OD oceanfront, a condo in Crescent Beach, a house west of 17 in Windy Hill: each one sits in its own pocket of this market. If you want to know where your specific address lands, that takes a closer look.