Published October 25, 2026 in Market Update

Homes moved faster in parts of this market even with rates above 7%

By Beth DeAngelis

Real estate, Primary market

Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.32% as of October 22, 2026 - and buyers here kept moving anyway. 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 of 2025. That is the headline fact: more homes changed hands, even with rates where they are.

How fast homes went under contract, by area

Speed is not the same everywhere, and that gap is the most useful thing to know before you start scheduling showings. The Real Estate Data Aggregator measured the share of homes that went under contract within two weeks of listing, and every area in this market saw that share rise.

In ZIP 29926, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 34.1% of homes going under contract within two weeks, up 8.1 points from a year before - so more than 1 in 3 homes there did not sit long. In ZIP 29928, that share reached 25.9%, up 6.9 points. In Bluffton's 29910, it was 25%, up 9.1 points. Okatie's 29909 came in at 18%, up 7.5 points. Every area moved quicker, but 29926 moved the quickest.

What the supply picture looks like right now

Fewer homes for sale helps explain why speed picked up. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,417 homes for sale across the primary market in the three months ending August 31, 2026, down 9.3% from a year before. Less to choose from means the homes that are priced well tend to move before a buyer who is "just browsing" even schedules a visit.

Bluffton's 29910 and 29926 on Hilton Head Island both sit under four months of supply, which means buyers there have less room to wait. ZIP 29928 is a little looser at 5.2 months, and that is the one area where supply ticked up slightly from a year before, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator.

Where prices and days on market landed

The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the median sale price in 29926 at $770,000, up 0.5% from a year before, with a median of 43 days on market. In 29928, the median was $725,000, up 2.8%, and homes sat a median of 56 days, which was 13 days shorter than the same period in 2025 - so even the slower ZIP moved faster than it did last year. In Bluffton's 29910, the median was $570,000, up 1.3%, and days on market also came in at 56, down 7 days. Okatie's 29909 had the longest median at 79 days, though prices there rose the most, up 8.9% to $520,000.

Sellers got close to their asking price across the board. The Real Estate Data Aggregator measured sale-to-list ratios between 96.1% and 97.2%, with very small dips from a year before in most areas. Not many homes sold above list: the highest share was 6.4% in Bluffton's 29910, and the lowest was 3.5% in Okatie's 29909.

The national picture, for context

Rates above 7% are not just a local story. Realtor.com reported an average mortgage rate of 7.40% as of October 22, 2026, and noted that September pending home sales fell 11.3% year over year nationally. The National Association of Realtors reported that existing-home sales reached 3.99 million units in September 2026, with national inventory at 1.60 million homes and existing-home prices up 1.3% from a year before. This market's 6.8% sales gain stands out against that backdrop.

One more thing worth knowing: the numbers above cover whole ZIP codes, and one street can read very differently from the ZIP around it. A neighborhood with a different mix of price points or home types may move faster or slower than the average suggests.