Published October 25, 2026 in Market Update

Bluffton and Okatie are carrying more of the market's sales pace

By Beth DeAngelis

Real estate, Primary market

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,163 homes sold across the primary market in the three months ending August 31, 2026 - up 6.8% from the same months a year before. That is the headline number, and it sounds even. It is not.

Bluffton was up 19% in sales and Okatie was up 14.5%, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Hilton Head Island's two ZIP codes each slipped. So the market-wide gain is real, but it is being carried by the mainland side of the Lowcountry right now.

How each area read in the three months ending August 31, 2026

Bluffton: the most sales and the tightest supply

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 389 homes sold in Bluffton's 29910 ZIP code, up 19% from a year before. Supply tightened too: homes for sale fell 17.7% to 372, and months of supply dropped to 2.9 months, down 1.3 months from last year. Sellers were getting 97.1% of list price on average, and 1 in 4 homes went under contract within two weeks of listing.

Okatie: sales up, but homes are taking longer to sell

Okatie's 29909 ZIP code saw 285 sales, up 14.5% from a year before, and the median sale price rose 8.9% to $520,000, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That price gain is the strongest of any ZIP code here. But the median home sat on the market for 79 days - the longest of any area in this market. Buyers are active, and they are also patient.

Hilton Head Island: prices held, but sales slipped

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 197 sales in 29926 and 292 in 29928, down 1.5% and 6.7% respectively from a year before. Prices held: the median was $770,000 in 29926 and $725,000 in 29928, each up slightly. The 29926 ZIP had the fastest pace of any area here, at 43 days on market, and months of supply fell to 3.0 months. The 29928 ZIP carried 5.2 months of supply, the most of any ZIP code in this market - a small but honest admission that not every home there is moving quickly.

What the national picture adds

The National Association of Realtors reported that existing-home sales across the country reached 3.99 million in September 2026, with national inventory at 1.60 million homes and prices up 1.3% from a year before. Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.32% as of October 22, 2026. Rates at that level shape what buyers can qualify for, and that shapes what sellers can realistically price to.

Speed: where homes went fast and where they did not

The Real Estate Data Aggregator tracked how many homes went under contract within two weeks of listing. That share rose in every ZIP code compared with a year before - which tells you demand is real. But the levels are very different depending on where you are.

In 29926 on Hilton Head Island, 34.1% of homes went under contract within two weeks - up 8.1 points from a year before, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. In Okatie's 29909, that share was 18%, up 7.5 points. The direction is the same everywhere. The pace is not.

What this means for your plan

If your home is in Bluffton or Okatie, the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows supply is tighter and sales are climbing - and your price still needs to fit what buyers at a 7.32% mortgage rate, as reported by Freddie Mac, can carry. If your home is on Hilton Head Island, prices are higher and holding, but 5.2 months of supply in 29928 means you will want your price to be precise, not optimistic.

The market-wide number of 1,163 sales and a 6.8% gain, as counted by the Real Estate Data Aggregator, is real. I will make sure that you understand what it means for your specific ZIP code, because the story in 29910 and the story in 29928 are not the same story - and your plan should be built on the one that is actually yours.