A 2023 house on Portsmouth Way, on Bald Head Island in Southport, sold for $2,995,000 β the highest-priced home sale publicly reported in the Wilmington, North Carolina metro area for the week ending August 9, 2026. The five leading closings reported across the metro that week combined for $10.94 million in Wilmington-area real estate.
The transactions are recorded in Southport, Wilmington, Carolina Beach and on Bald Head Island, reaching the Bradley Creek, St James and Seagrove communities. Build years run from 1997 to 2026, and water runs through the group: a marshfront lot with a private dock, a homesite fronting the Intracoastal Waterway and two maritime-forest island sites.
No. 1 — $2,995,000 · 196 Portsmouth Way, Southport, North Carolina
Bald Head Island produced the week’s highest reported sale. The 2023 house at 196 Portsmouth Way in Southport traded for $2,995,000, closing on August 5, 2026. It offers four bedrooms, five bathrooms and a reported 2,836 square feet, within walking distance of the Shoals Club and East Beach.
Ipe decking runs across the driveway and porches, and a rear porch faces permanent forest views. A butterfly and hummingbird garden sits beside a gallery hallway lined with large windows. Inside, an open plan carries white oak box beams and a custom floating staircase, and custom concrete work forms the fireplace surround, a ramp sink and the powder room counter.
The kitchen is fitted with Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances, a walk-in pantry and reverse osmosis water filtration, and the primary suite has a zero-entry double shower. Automated hot water, a Sonos sound system and PowerView shades are among the house systems. The property previously changed hands for $330,000 in 2021, before the current residence was completed in 2023.
David Berne of Ivester Jackson Christie’s was the listing agent. Douglas Oakley of Intracoastal Realty Corporation represented the buyer. The $2,995,000 transaction put Berne at the listing side of RealtyWire’s highest-priced reported home sale in the Wilmington metro area for the week ending August 9, 2026, and the property closed at its full asking price.
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No. 2 — $2,300,000 · 1608 Softwind Way, Wilmington, North Carolina
A marshfront lot on Bradley Creek carried the metro’s No. 2 reported sale. The 1997 house at 1608 Softwind Way in Wilmington traded for $2,300,000 in a transaction that closed August 5, 2026. It has four bedrooms and four full and one half bathrooms across a reported 4,100 square feet, set on 0.85 landscaped acre with a private dock.
Three bedrooms sit on the main level, a fourth upstairs beside a bonus room, and every bedroom has a renovated en-suite bath. High and double-tray ceilings, two fireplaces and an office with French doors run through the interior. A 2025 kitchen renovation brought thick quartz countertops, induction cooking and island seating beside a sunlit dining area, and the primary suite gained a 2026 spa bath with marble flooring and a freestanding soaking tub.
Outside are a pool and hot tub, a firepit, fenced grounds and the dock, from which the Intracoastal Waterway and Wrightsville Beach are reachable by kayak. Infrastructure includes solar panels with three Tesla batteries and a whole-house generator. The property previously changed hands for $885,000 in 2009.
Kelly Garnett of Kelly Garnett Properties, LLC was the listing agent. McKenzie M Barker of Intracoastal Realty Corporation represented the buyer. The house went under contract one day after the current listing date, and the $2,300,000 sale ranked No. 2 in RealtyWire’s Wilmington Metro Area Top 5 home sales for the week.
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No. 3 — $2,100,000 · 2836 Harborside Way, Southport, North Carolina
A reported 3,291 square feet is arranged over a three-story reverse floor plan at 2836 Harborside Way in Southport, on a homesite fronting the Intracoastal Waterway in St James. The custom 2024 house, designed and built by Schiano Development, sold for $2,100,000 and closed on August 3, 2026, with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, an elevator and a plunge pool.
The ground floor holds a theater room and a guest bedroom with en-suite bath, opening onto a rear patio with the plunge pool and a screened porch. The second floor carries the primary bedroom under a beam ceiling, an office space, a built-in bunk area and a third bedroom. The top floor holds the great room beneath a diamond-shaped coffered ceiling and a kitchen with Wolf appliances and a waterfall quartz island.
The house was named a 2025 Diamond Award winner in the Brunswick County Parade of Homes. It sits between the St James marina and Waterway Park, which has exercise trails and a kayak launch. St James membership carries 81 holes of golf across four club settings, tennis and pickleball courts and five pools. The property previously changed hands for $230,000 in 2024.
Lisa M Nieves of St James Properties LLC, Marina Office was the listing agent. Karen Robey of St James Properties LLC represented the buyer. The $2,100,000 transaction ranked No. 3 in RealtyWire’s Wilmington Metro Area Top 5 for the week ending August 9, 2026.
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No. 4 — $1,840,000 · 1234 Croaker Lane, Carolina Beach, North Carolina
A fenced double lot in the Seagrove community of Carolina Beach carried the No. 4 transaction. The custom 2015 house at 1234 Croaker Lane sold for $1,840,000 and closed on August 5, 2026. It holds four bedrooms, six bathrooms and a reported 4,566 square feet, a short walk or bike ride from the ocean.
Custom woodwork runs through the interior, and each bedroom has a private en-suite bath. The kitchen carries a large center island and a wine refrigerator, and a second-floor entertaining area with a wet bar adjoins a bonus room. Upper and lower Southern-style porches, a screened porch and an outdoor shower face grounds that hold a regulation-size pickleball court and numerous palm trees. A three-car garage and a whole-house generator round out the property, which previously changed hands for $899,410 in 2015.
Stacy L Warren of RE/MAX Executive was the listing agent. The house went under contract 18 days after the current listing date, and the $1,840,000 closing ranked No. 4 in RealtyWire’s Wilmington Metro Area Top 5 for the week.
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No. 5 — $1,700,000 · 55 Dowitcher Trail, Head Island, North Carolina
New construction from The Craftsmen Group took the week’s No. 5 spot. The house at 55 Dowitcher Trail on Bald Head Island, completed in 2026 under the canopy of the maritime forest, traded at $1,700,000 in a transaction recorded August 3, 2026. It carries four bedrooms, four full and one half bathrooms, and a reported 2,452 square feet.
Three bedrooms sit in the main house, the primary among them on the ground floor, and a fourth occupies a separate crofter reached by a breezeway β a layout suited to guests, extended family or a home office. The kitchen includes a dedicated scullery, screened and open outdoor rooms are built into the plan, and a porte cochΓ¨re covers the entry. The home was offered fully furnished, and memberships to the Shoals Club and the Bald Head Island Club are available for purchase or transfer.
Suzanne O’Bryant of Landmark Sotheby’s International Realty was the listing agent. The $1,700,000 sale ranked No. 5 in RealtyWire’s Wilmington Metro Area Top 5 home sales for the week ending August 9, 2026.
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RealtyWire selected these transactions from publicly reported residential sales identified for the calendar week ending Sunday, August 9, 2026. The report may exclude private, off-market, delayed or nondisclosed transactions. Prices, property details and professional representation are reported as available at publication and may be updated following confirmation from transaction participants.
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