Published September 28, 2026 in Market Update

North Myrtle Beach inventory is down, even as sales moved up

By Bill Sullivan

Real estate, Primary market

The National Association of Realtors reported national supply hit 4.9 months in August 2026, the highest in over ten years. You might read that and think the pressure is off. In North Myrtle Beach, it is not. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 477 homes sold in ZIP 29582 in the three months ending July 31, 2026, up 12.5% from the same months of 2025. At the same time, homes for sale in that ZIP fell 16.5%. More buyers, fewer choices. That is the local story.

The big picture for NMB

Across all six ZIP codes the Real Estate Data Aggregator tracks for this market, 2,062 homes sold in the three months ending July 31, 2026, up 4.1% from a year before. Homes for sale across those same ZIPs fell 18.6%, to 2,894. New listings rose 3.8%, to 2,430. Buyers are showing up. Supply is not keeping pace.

Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 7.03% as of September 24, 2026. That is real pressure on buyers. Yet sales still rose here. That tells you something about demand in this market.

NMB vs. the nation

Nationally, the picture looks looser. The National Association of Realtors reported existing-home sales fell 2.0% month over month in August 2026, reaching 3.98 million. Supply nationally sits at 4.9 months. Here in NMB, months of supply in ZIP 29582 came in at 5.5 months, down 1.9 months from a year before. In ZIP 29568, it was 2.7 months, down 2.3 months. The national number and the local number are moving in opposite directions.

Cherry Grove and OD, Crescent Beach, Windy Hill: ZIP 29582

ZIP 29582 covers Cherry Grove, OD, Crescent Beach, and Windy Hill. These are not the same market. Cherry Grove channel homes carry flood insurance as a real ownership cost. Oceanfront high-rise condos in OD, Crescent Beach, and Windy Hill come with HOA dues and the possibility of special assessments. Keep those costs in mind when you look at any price here.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 477 homes sold in ZIP 29582 in the three months ending July 31, 2026. The median sale price came in at $431,000, down just 1.7% from a year before. Homes sold in a median of 93 days, 4 days shorter than a year ago. Sellers received an average of 96.7% of list price, up 0.2 points.

About 21.3% of homes in ZIP 29582 went under contract within two weeks of listing. That is down 0.9 points from a year before. Not every home sold fast. But more than 1 in 5 did not last two weeks on the market.

A note for condo buyers in OD, Crescent Beach, and Windy Hill: east of Highway 17 is mostly short-term rental friendly, but that must be verified for any specific property. No rental income figure should be assumed.

Cherry Grove channel side: a different market

Cherry Grove is the only NMB section with channel homes and boat docks. Channel-side buyers want water access. That is a different buyer than someone shopping for an oceanfront condo. Flood insurance is a major cost on the channel side. It belongs in your budget before you make an offer, not after.

ZIP 29566: Little River area

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 273 homes sold in ZIP 29566 in the three months ending July 31, 2026, up 14.2% from a year before. The median sale price was $314,000, down 6.3%. Prices dipped, but buyers showed up in larger numbers. Homes sold in a median of 95 days, 22 days shorter than a year ago. That is a meaningful move.

In ZIP 29566, 22% of homes went under contract within two weeks of listing, up 3.2 points from a year before. New listings rose 25.5%, to 389. More homes came on, and they still moved. Homes for sale fell 16%, so the new supply did not pile up.

ZIP 29568: West of 17, single-family

ZIP 29568 covers off-beach single-family homes west of Highway 17. This is where year-round families, retirees, and buyers priced out of the beach side are landing. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 445 homes sold here in the three months ending July 31, 2026, up 34.8% from a year before. That is the largest sales jump of any ZIP in this market.

At 2.7 months of supply, ZIP 29568 is the tightest ZIP in this market. Homes here are mostly outside the high-risk flood zones, though that must be verified for any specific property. The median price of $325,000 held steady, up just 1.6%.

About 25.1% of homes in ZIP 29568 went under contract within two weeks of listing. That is down 2.9 points from a year before, so not every home moved instantly. But 1 in 4 did not last two weeks.

ZIP 29579: A busier ZIP with more choices

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 484 homes sold in ZIP 29579 in the three months ending July 31, 2026, down 15.4% from a year before. The median sale price was $367,950, down 5.7%. Homes sold in a median of 70 days, 31 days shorter than a year ago. That is the fastest median of any ZIP here.

Fewer homes sold here than a year ago, and pending sales fell 21.2%. But the homes that did sell moved faster. Prices dipped a little. Buyers who stayed patient found more room to work with.

ZIP 28467 and ZIP 28468: The North Carolina side

ZIPs 28467 and 28468 sit on the North Carolina side of the NMB market. They tell two different stories.

In ZIP 28467, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 246 homes sold in the three months ending July 31, 2026, down 12.8% from a year before. The median sale price was $344,450, down just 0.9%. Days on market rose 15 days, to 86. That is the only ZIP in this market where homes are taking longer to sell than a year ago. New listings fell 12.8% and pending sales fell 12.7%. This ZIP moved more slowly.

ZIP 28468 ran the other way. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 137 homes sold there, up 3%. The median sale price was $430,000, down 2.3%. Days on market rose 51 days, to 97. Homes for sale jumped 34.7%. So inventory grew and homes took longer to sell. But 16.8% of homes sold above list price, up 13.8 points from a year before. That is a wide spread inside one ZIP.

What the rate environment means here

Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 7.03% as of September 24, 2026. The 15-year averaged 6.42%. Those are not small numbers. They slow some buyers down. But the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows sales still rose across most NMB ZIPs. Local demand is absorbing the rate pressure better than the national market is.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 2.1% year over year between the second quarter of 2025 and the second quarter of 2026. That is a slow, steady national trend. NMB prices moved in different directions by ZIP, from up 1.6% in 29568 to down 6.3% in 29566. The national average does not tell your street's story.

Concessions are rising nationally. What about here?

Nationally, sellers gave concessions to buyers in 44.7% of U.S. home sales in August 2026, up from 42.6% a year earlier, according to data reported by a national real estate data firm. About 15% of buyers got both a price cut and seller concessions. That is a national pattern. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows NMB sellers still averaged 96.7% to 98.4% of list price across most ZIPs. Concessions here may be less common than the national figure suggests, but that varies by property and section.

These numbers cover whole ZIP codes. One street in Cherry Grove, one building in OD, or one neighborhood west of 17 can read very differently from the ZIP total. If you want to know what your address looks like against what actually sold nearby, reach out.