The Brunswick County Association of Realtors just logged one of Brunswick County's best sales months in years, according to statistics released this week by BCAR.

“We saw more homes sold in March than in any month from 2011 through 2016, and total sales volume for the first quarter outpaced last year by 26 percent,” BCAR CEO Cynthia Walsh said in a news release Tuesday. 

Growth occurred in all aspects of residential sales.

BCAR President Clifton Cheek pointed to several statistics: “March was absolutely fantastic,” he said Wednesday. “We had 450 units sold. And sales of our luxury homes – homes $500,000 and more – are outpacing the numbers we saw last year by almost 40 percent.”

Comparing March 2018 numbers with those from March 2017, BCAR officials reported a 3.1 percent increase in listings, from 683 to 704. The total units sold, 450, represented a more than 13 percent year-over-year jump. The average sale price was also up nearly 13 percent, climbing from $251,543 in March 2017 to $283,911 last month.

Increased volume and higher home prices combined to raise Brunswick County’s total sale volume nearly 28 percent, from $99,860,000 to $127,760,000, according to the release.

“Our market continues to be highly competitive, and all signs point to a strong summer selling season in Brunswick County,” Walsh said. She noted that the absorption rate, which measures how long it would take to sell the current inventory of homes, is 110 days.

Cheek cited several factors he believes are driving home sales. One is rising mortgage rates that push potential homebuyers into action. But there are other, less tangible factors.

“One thing I’ve noticed: During the recession years, people put off retirement. Now, because the economy is strong, people are spending on wants, not just needs,” he said. “They are more comfortable now with retirement and they want to take advantage of an improving market, either to buy a retirement home or a second home.

“We are on an incredible growth trend.”