Sunset Reach Homes & Townhomes for Sale | Castle Hayne NC

At the end of Rockhill Road in Castle Hayne, the pavement stops at a gate and the land drops away to the Northeast Cape Fear River. That is Sunset Reach — an intimate, gated riverfront community built along a high bluff on the east bank, roughly five miles upriver from downtown Wilmington. The views face west across open water and marshland, which is exactly how the community earned its name.

About Sunset Reach

The plan here is deliberately small: seventy-some single-family homesites and a separate enclave of townhomes, wrapped in mature trees, native grasses and preserved green space. Waterfront and lakeside lots sit alongside interior sites, and the whole neighborhood is oriented toward the river rather than toward a main road. Residents pass through a gated entrance, and private golf carts are permitted inside the community — a small detail that says a good deal about the pace of the place.

Water access is the anchor amenity. Sunset Reach includes a permitted marina with boat slips available for purchase, giving owners deepwater access to the Northeast Cape Fear River and a straight shot downriver to Wilmington's waterfront. Beyond the marina there is a riverfront boardwalk and gazebo, a twelve-acre interior lake with kayak and paddleboard launches, a pickleball court, walking and jogging trails, and a lakeside pool and clubhouse in the community's amenity plan. Sidewalks and street lights run through the neighborhood, and utilities are placed underground.

Homes and Builders at Sunset Reach

This is a custom and semi-custom community rather than a production one. A short roster of regional builders works here — Hagood Homes, Herrington Homes, Kent Homes, Kirk Pigford Homes and Bridgewater Homes among those building single-family residences, with Copper Builders responsible for the townhomes. Buyers can start from a homesite and build to order, or move into a completed home when one is available.

The single-family homes lean coastal and traditional: deep front porches, raised or slab foundations, open main-floor living, first-floor primary suites in many plans, screened porches and generous outdoor space. Several are built with third-party energy ratings and independent inspections. The townhomes take a different approach — multi-level plans with tandem garages, optional elevators, luxury finishes and, on some floor plans, rooftop terraces positioned for the sunset over the river. Both product types offer low-maintenance living compared with an older neighborhood of the same caliber.

Practical details matter in a waterfront community, and Sunset Reach is well served: public water and sewer, natural gas available, cable, and high-speed internet. Homes here sit within New Hanover County, so buyers get city-adjacent infrastructure without a city address.

Living in Sunset Reach

Downtown Wilmington is about ten minutes away, whether you drive it or run it by boat — an unusual option for a residential neighborhood in this part of the coast. Wrightsville Beach is roughly twenty minutes east, championship golf is about fifteen, and I-40 puts the rest of the state within reach. Castle Hayne itself keeps a rural, blueberry-farm character that has held on even as Wilmington has grown north toward it.

Students in Sunset Reach are assigned to Castle Hayne Elementary, Holly Shelter Middle, and Emsley A. Laney High, all within New Hanover County Schools.

CENTURY 21 Vanguard works with buyers throughout the Cape Fear region and can walk you through what is currently available at Sunset Reach — a riverfront homesite, a finished home, or a townhome with the rooftop view. Time your first visit for late afternoon, when the light turns across the water; the community tends to make its own case from there.

Sunset Reach Listings