The number of homes sold in Brunswick County in 2015 rose more than 23 percent compared to the previous year, according to statistics released this week by the Brunswick County Association of Realtors.  

The figures represent a seven-year high for the BCAR'S MLS. In addition to 517 more units sold in 2015, total dollars from sales jumped 31 percent, and the average sales price increased more than 7 percent over 2014.

“The numbers are impressive and moving in a very positive direction,” said Cynthia Cumbie, CEO of BCAR, in an email Monday evening.

She said total sales dollars were the highest in 2015 than they were in more than 7 years, and “the average sales price hasn’t been this high in 5 years.”

To explain why, Realtors quickly point to what's expected to be a continuing trend as thousands of baby boomers reach retirement age every day.

"The taxes are low here, the traffic is not bad at all, and the style of life and the temperature are amazing," said Allyn Heck, owner of Southport-based Three Rivers Realty.

In times of heavy snow in the Northeast U.S., like that of last weekend's snowstorm, Heck sees a noticeable uptick in hits on the company's website. 

"When the weather gets bad, at some point they're sitting at the kitchen table and a couple’s saying, 'What are we doing here? We can live better for less in North Carolina.' And then because we're positioned by the water, it’s a win-win," Heck said. 

Realtors expect last year's steady growth to continue this year.

Cumbie said, “2015 showed the steady natural increases to the Brunswick County market that are the hallmark for healthy growth – spikes in price and volume that occur too quickly can lead to fast dips.”

The following are the most recent home sales statistics available from BCAR:
 

Brunswick County homes sales - year-over-year comparison

Units sold	Avg. sales price	Total sales	Listings
2014: 2,228	$235,115	$528,784,962	4,199
2015: 2,745	$252,705	$693,953,731	4,562
23.2%	7.5%	31.2%	8.6%

 

Brunswick County December home sales

Units sold	Avg. sales price	Total sales	Listings
2014: 177	$263,613	$56,149,492	213
2015: 265	$272,873	$72,038,519	264
49.7%	3.5%	28.3%	23.9%