Market Update

Topsail Island Real Estate: The Real Numbers for Summer 2026

Prices are up across all three towns. So is time on market. Here's what that combination actually means.

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Here's the headline that doesn't usually get explained clearly: prices are up in all three Topsail Island towns this year, and homes are also taking longer to sell in all three towns this year. Those two things sound like they contradict each other. They don't. They're describing the same market from two different angles, and which one matters more depends on whether you're buying or selling.

The short version: this isn't the frantic, multiple-offers-in-a-weekend market from a few years ago. It's a market where sellers are still winning on price but losing on speed, and where buyers finally have a little room to breathe, if they know where to look for it.

Key Takeaways

  • Topsail Beach: $999,456 median, +43.0% YoY, 63 days on market (was ~30 a year ago).
  • Surf City: $558,000 median, +17.4% YoY, 68 days on market, up sharply from 15 a year ago.
  • North Topsail Beach: $617,164 median, +27.3% YoY, but the lowest competitiveness score of the three (29/100), the most buyer leverage on the island right now.
  • Prices are up everywhere; speed is down everywhere. Sellers should price carefully, buyers finally have some room to negotiate.

Topsail Beach: The Priciest Stretch Just Got Pricier

Topsail Beach, the southern end of the island, posted a median sale price of $999,456 over the three months ending June 2026, up 43.0% from the same period last year. Price per square foot climbed to $744, up 46.0% year-over-year.

The catch: homes are sitting longer to get there. Median days on market is now 63, up from about 30 a year ago, more than double. Only 14 homes sold in June, though that's actually up 138.9% from the 6 that sold the same month last year, mostly reflecting how few homes trade hands here at all. Sellers are still getting paid (the sale-to-list ratio is 96.3%), but the days of an offer inside a week are largely gone; Redfin scores the market 32 out of 100 for competitiveness, "somewhat competitive."

Surf City: Where the Real Slowdown Is

Surf City's median sale price hit $558,000 last month, up 17.4% year-over-year, with price per square foot at $251 (up 9.6%). That's healthy appreciation. What's changed is velocity: homes are averaging 68 days on market, compared to just 15 days a year ago, a genuinely dramatic shift for the island's most walkable, most year-round town. Only 20 homes sold in July, down from 35 the year before.

With 120 homes currently for sale and a Redfin competitiveness score of 56 out of 100, Surf City still isn't a buyer's paradise, but it's a different negotiating table than it was twelve months ago. Homes are selling for roughly 2% below asking on average, a small but real crack of daylight for buyers who couldn't get a foothold here in 2024 or 2025.

North Topsail Beach: Where Buyers Still Have Leverage

North Topsail Beach, the larger, less developed northern stretch, is the most buyer-friendly of the three towns by a clear margin. Median sale price is $617,164, up 27.3% year-over-year, but the competitiveness score is just 29 out of 100, the lowest on the island. Homes are averaging 85 days on market, and 56 homes sold in June, up 19.8% from a year ago, meaning there's real inventory moving here, just without the bidding-war pressure of Topsail Beach or Surf City.

For buyers priced out of the southern end of the island, or anyone who wants more land and doesn't need to be walking distance from downtown Surf City, this is currently where the actual room to negotiate lives.

What This Actually Means If You're Buying or Selling

If you're selling on Topsail Beach or Surf City, the pricing news is genuinely good. You're very likely still ahead of where you'd have been a year ago. The adjustment is patience: price it right the first time, because overpricing in a market where days-on-market is already climbing tends to compound, not correct itself.

If you're buying, North Topsail Beach is currently the town where that patience works in your favor instead of against you. And across all three towns, insurance is a bigger part of the real cost of owning than it was even two years ago. Flood premiums on this island vary block to block now under FEMA's newer pricing model, which is worth understanding before you fall in love with a specific address. (More on that in the waterfront buying guide.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is now a good time to buy on Topsail Island?

It depends which stretch of the island. North Topsail Beach currently has the most buyer leverage: the lowest competitiveness score and the most days on market of the three towns. Topsail Beach and Surf City are still appreciating quickly, so waiting for a big price drop there isn't a strong bet, but buyers do have more room to negotiate than they did a year ago.

Why are days on market going up even though prices are also going up?

It usually means demand is still real but buyers are being more selective and taking longer to commit, often because financing costs and insurance costs are now a bigger part of the monthly-payment math than they used to be. Sellers are still getting paid well; they're just not getting paid quickly.

Which part of Topsail Island is most affordable right now?

North Topsail Beach, with a median sale price of $617,164 versus $999,456 in Topsail Beach and $558,000 in Surf City. Note that Surf City's median is currently lower than North Topsail's, largely reflecting a different mix of home sizes and lot types between the two towns.

How often does this market update get refreshed?

Molly updates the numbers on this page as new market data comes in. Check the "last updated" date above before relying on the specific figures for an offer.

Median sale price, days on market, and sales-volume figures: Redfin, three-month trailing data ending June 2026 (Topsail Beach and North Topsail Beach) and July 2026 (Surf City). Figures are medians and change as new sales close. Always confirm current numbers before making an offer.

Questions About Your Own Situation?

Molly White is a licensed North Carolina real estate agent with Landmark Sotheby's International Realty. Call or text 910-746-8485 or email mollywhiterealestate@gmail.com.