Grand Strand Real Estate Market Update: September 2026 Trends for Buyers & Sellers

lorimendieta

Sep 2

3 min read

Every fall, I get some version of the same question: "Is now a good time to buy or sell?" The honest answer is always the same — it depends on what the data says, not on a feeling. So let's look at what the numbers are actually doing, straight from the MLS.

Where Mortgage Rates Stand Right Now

As of August 27, 2026, Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the 30-year fixed rate at 6.66%, barely moved from 6.65% the week before, and only slightly above the 6.56% we saw this time last year. The 15-year fixed sits at 5.98%.

Translation: rates aren't dropping in a way that should keep you on the sidelines waiting for a number that may not show up for a while. If your budget works at today's rate, refinancing later is always an option — but you can't refinance a house you didn't buy.

What the MLS Data Shows: Myrtle Beach, July 2026

This comes directly from the Coastal Carolinas Association of REALTORS® Local Market Update for Myrtle Beach (ZIP codes 29572 and 29577), current as of August 10, 2026 — the most recent official numbers available as this post.

Single-family homes:

Median sales price: $480,000 in July 2026, down 9.9% from July 2025's $532,500. Year-to-date through July, the median sits at $525,000, down 2.8% from the same period last year.
Closed sales: 58 in July, flat year-over-year — but year-to-date closings are actually up 7.4% (378 vs. 352).
Days on market: 130, up 9.2% from a year ago (136 days year-to-date, up 3.8%).
Inventory: 319 homes for sale, up 14.3% year-over-year.
Sellers are still receiving 96.9% of list price on average.

Townhomes/condos:

Median sales price: $217,450 in July, down 3.4% year-over-year; year-to-date median down a sharper 10.0% to $207,000.
Closed sales: 138 in July, down 9.8%; inventory up slightly to 1,446 units.
Days on market: 144, actually down 6.5% from last July — condos that are priced right are still moving.

Reading This Correctly

Put together, this is a market where inventory is building and price growth has cooled, but it isn't a market where nothing is selling — closed sales on single-family homes are up for the year, not down. That combination (more homes to choose from, prices easing off last year's highs, sales still happening) is what a normalizing market looks like after several years of rapid appreciation. It's also why a single headline number never tells the whole story — the July snapshot and the year-to-date trend are telling two related but different parts of it.

What This Means If You're Buying

More inventory and longer days on market add up to leverage. With single-family homes sitting nearly a week and a half longer than they did a year ago, there's more room to negotiate on price, ask for repairs, or request seller-paid closing costs — particularly in the condo market, where sellers are accepting a larger discount off list price.

What This Means If You're Selling

This is a market that rewards accurate pricing over optimistic pricing. Homes priced to where the market actually is right now are still finding buyers — sellers are averaging 96.9% of list price on single-family homes. Homes priced to last year's numbers tend to sit, and every extra week on market usually invites lower offers, not higher ones.

If you want the full walk-through of this report in plain English — including how I'd advise a buyer or seller on each number — I go deeper on this month's episode of my YouTube channel, The Logic Behind the Lifestyle.

Thinking about buying or selling along the Grand Strand this fall? Let's look at what the data says about your specific situation — reach out and I'll walk you through it.

Lori Lee