What's Selling Fast in Pawleys Island, South Carolina – and What's Sitting Past 100 Days

Written by:

Alejandra Rodriguez

Date:

01 Jul 2026

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Pawleys Island and Murrells Inlet sit just a few miles apart on the South Carolina coast, but buyers and sellers treating them as interchangeable in mid-2026 are working from the wrong map. The inventory picture, the pace of sales, and the type of buyer each community attracts have diverged sharply enough that strategy in one town does not transfer cleanly to the other.

Karen Lappas, a real estate broker and co-lead of The Lappas DeVoe Team at The Litchfield Company, affiliated with Christie’s, splits her time between both markets and has watched the gap between them widen over the past several months.

Two Markets, Two Speeds

The inventory numbers tell the clearest part of the story. In Pawleys Island, inventory rose roughly 14 percent from April to May 2026, according to Lappas, but it remains about 30 percent lower than it was at the same point last year. Buyers have more to choose from than they did a month ago, but the overall supply is still tight relative to recent history. In Murrells Inlet, the picture is different; inventory jumped about 35 percent in the same one-month window. Even with that surge, it is still running about three percent below last year’s level, but the direction of movement is notably sharper.

The reason for the difference comes down to the character of each market. Murrells Inlet has added newer construction at a faster rate, and newer homes give sellers more competition. When a buyer can choose between a five-year-old home and a ten-year-old home at similar price points, the older inventory tends to sit longer. Lappas notes that homes in Murrells Inlet are staying on the market past 100 days in some cases, while well-priced properties in Pawleys Island are moving in 60 to 80 days on average.

Amenities Drive the Pace

Within Pawleys Island itself, not all properties are moving at the same pace. Communities with access to Litchfield by the Sea, a resort community offering private beach access along with tennis and pickleball facilities, are drawing stronger demand than the broader market. Lappas describes a recent listing in the $550,000 range that sold within 24 hours. The property was larger than others in the community and carried full resort access. “Location and amenities drove that outcome more than price,” she says.

At the other end of the spectrum, older condominiums in higher flood zones are sitting. The purchase price on these units can look attractive, but the combination of HOA fees and flood insurance pushes the monthly cost above what buyers at that budget level expect. The result is extended days on market that can mislead a buyer into thinking they have found an undervalued property.

Cash Buyers Move Faster

The higher end of the Pawleys Island market is also behaving differently from the middle. Lappas says million-dollar properties have been selling faster than homes in the $500,000 range. Her explanation is practical: buyers at the top of the market are more likely to be paying cash, which removes the friction of financing and rate sensitivity from the transaction. They are also less likely to need to sell an existing home first. Fewer contingencies means faster closings.

For sellers, the divergence between the two markets has direct implications for pricing strategy. In Murrells Inlet, where inventory has climbed faster and newer homes set the competitive baseline, a seller with an older property needs to price with that competition in mind. Homes are selling at roughly 97 to 98 percent of asking price on average, according to Lappas, which means overpricing at the start of a listing is likely to produce a price reduction rather than a negotiated middle ground.

In Pawleys Island, the tighter overall inventory gives sellers a somewhat stronger position, but that advantage is not uniform across property types. A well-maintained home in a desirable community with resort access is in a different market than an older condo with deferred maintenance and flood exposure, even if both are technically in the same zip code.

For buyers, rising inventory in Murrells Inlet means more choices and, in some cases, more negotiating room. But more choices also means more time spent sorting through properties that are sitting for a reason. Understanding why a specific home has been on the market for 110 days matters more than knowing that the broader inventory number has increased.

The Outlook

Looking ahead, Lappas expects inventory to continue rising through the end of 2026, which should create more movement among local residents who have been waiting for the right property to appear before listing their own. If that plays out, both markets could see a modest increase in turnover, with sellers and buyers trading positions in a way that has been relatively frozen for the past couple of years. The key question is whether rising supply in Murrells Inlet will begin pulling prices lower, or whether demand from cash buyers and resort-access seekers in Pawleys Island will keep the two markets on separate tracks well into 2027.

About the Expert: Karen Lappas is a real estate broker and co-lead of The Lappas DeVoe Team at The Litchfield Company, affiliated with Christie’s, serving the Pawleys Island and Murrells Inlet markets on the South Carolina coast.

This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or investment advice. The views and opinions expressed herein reflect those of the individuals quoted and do not represent an endorsement of any company, product, or service mentioned. Readers should conduct their own due diligence and consult qualified professionals before making any investment decisions.