This report is provided to you by Rick Kinne (REALTOR) with Keller Williams Outer Banks in Southern Shores, North Carolina. It is a monthly feature for my soundfronts OBX Facebook page and soundfrontsobx.com website, intended to keep you informed of the local real estate market.
I preface this report with the following: The Outer Banks Association of Realtor's disclosure is printed on all of OBAR's statistical reports and reads as follows:
"This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate activity in the market."
"Active and Under Contract" data pulled 5/1/26. Sold data pulled 5/5/26.
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
Soundfrontsobx.com OBX Market Report – May 2026
Sales also take place through For Sale By Owner (FSBO's) and Real Estate Agents who are not Realtors and therefore don't have MLS access, etc. However, I don't believe that amount is significant.
The Outer Banks market covered by OBAR is a bit unique. It's a mixed market but it's primarily a vacation/rental home market. Coverage stretches from lower Currituck County and the Dare County mainland, all along the beaches from Carova through Ocracoke. However, increasingly, we are seeing more properties within our MLS from outside of the core Outer Banks as local agents expand the markets they work in, and agents from outside of the local area also work here.
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
Executive Summary
2026 Summary YTD as Compared to 2025 (same period)
Residential unit sales are up by 3%
Residential sales volume is also up by 3%
The overall median price is down 6% for Residential and up 5.6% for Land
Under Contract listings are down 8.9% for Residential
Average Days on Market (DOM) is down 7 days and is at 64 days
Inventory is down 5.1 % for Residential and down 8.8% for Land
The overall absorption rate is down 8% for Residential and up .2% for Land
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
Overall Market Summary YTD
Overall market holding steady, but with clear winners and losers. The OBX market YTD is essentially flat — residential unit sales ticked up 3% and volume matched that at 3.3%, which on the surface looks healthy. But the 6.4% drop in median price (from $609K to $570K) tells a more nuanced story: buyers are transacting, but at lower price points.
Corolla is the standout performer. With 98 units sold (+22.5%) and volume up 34.4% to $112.6M, Corolla is driving a substantial portion of the overall market's positive numbers. It's benefiting from strong vacation rental demand and its position as a premium market that's still finding buyers.
Currituck Mainland is the sleeper story. Up 47.5% in units and 52.8% in volume, this market is booming — likely driven by buyers priced out of the beach corridor who are finding value on the mainland. The median price of $422,750 with a tight 3.5-month absorption rate signals high demand and limited inventory. This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
Overall Market Summary YTD (Cont’d)
Southern Shores and Roanoke Island are under pressure. Southern Shores saw a dramatic -45% drop in units sold with volume down nearly 50%. With only 22 units sold and a 74-day average DOM (up from 43 days last year), this market has stalled significantly. Roanoke Island is down 28% in units and 46% in volume — with median price falling 11.8% to $430K, sellers are having to adjust expectations.
Hatteras remains the most challenged market. With 11 months of absorption and a median price decline of 11.4%, the Hatteras corridor is carrying the heaviest inventory burden on the beach. The 87 units sold YTD represents a meaningful slowdown, and DOM has dropped (75 vs. 98) suggesting more realistic pricing is helping move product — but at a cost.
The overall market is healthier than the median price suggests. Inventory is down 5.1%, absorption is tightening (5.5 months vs. 6), and DOM has improved by 7 days. These are sellerfriendly signals. The median price dip likely reflects a shift in the mix of what's selling — more mid-market/mainland activity vs. high-end beach sales.
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
Residential Market Snapshot for May 2026
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
Land Market Snapshot for May 2026
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
March 2026 Statistics By Town…
It's
always a good time to strategize and plan! Please feel free to call me to begin that process or to just talk about a specific market.
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
Corolla - May 2026
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
Duck - May 2026
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
Southern Shores - May 2026
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
Kitty Hawk - May 2026
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
Kill Devil Hills - May 2026
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
Colington - May 2026
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
Nags Head - May 2026
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
Roanoke Island - May 2026
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
All Hatteras - May 2026
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
Currituck Mainland - May 2026
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
Ocracoke - May 2026
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by, and to the Subscribers of the Outer Banks Association o f R EALTORS® Multiple Listing Service. Information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Data maintained by the OBAR MLS is for its own use and may not reflect all real estate ac tiv ity in the market. Based on information from the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® for the period (1/1/2025) through (5/31/2026)
