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The Johns Islander

Curated by Mike Olson · eXp Realty

Online · Johns Island, SC · Seabrook · Kiawah

Weathered wooden walkover crossing the dunes to the beach on Kiawah Island

Kiawah Island — West Beach to Ocean Park

Kiawah Island, neighborhood by neighborhood

Every neighborhood and regime, who manages it and what the record says — and the market: 772 home sales since January 1, 2021, each month checked against the MLS’s own numbers, and the county’s deeds on a map.

Last verified

Photo by lorimcm on Unsplash

The price map

What homes last sold for

Swipe the map to pan it.

Kiawah Island: what homes last sold for — hexagons by range
RangeHexagonsHomes in them
$517K to $1.52M171575
$1.52M to $2.08M16417
$2.08M to $2.50M17460
$2.50M to $3.40M17439
$3.40M to $11M15351
fewer than 5 deeds — count only108881

Tap a hexagon to read it.

Charleston County SC public property records (assessor-maintained parcel layer), pulled October 14, 2026. Each hexagon is about 400 meters corner to corner. Prices are each home’s last recorded deed of a thousand dollars or more since January 1, 2021 — builder, private and MLS sales alike — with a median shown only where five or more deeds fall in the hexagon. Chart: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
4,123homes on the county’s roll
433empty residential lots left
$1.75Mmedian home deed since January 1, 2021 (1,269 deeds)
6.1years since a typical home last sold

Deeds are what today’s owners paid — every sale, MLS or not. They run ahead of the MLS here, because many Kiawah sales — builder and private sales among them — never touch the MLS.

Want the deeds behind one hexagon — one street, one regime?

Ask Mike

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Your lot, from above

See any address the way the islands see it

FEMA’s flood zone, the ground’s height from USGS lidar against today’s tide, and what homes around it last sold for — then Mike’s one-page report on it.

Every neighborhood

The developer's areas, from the main gate to the eastern tip, then the two Kiawah Island Club communities on Johns Island. Each regime's manager comes from KICA's and the ARB's lists; each fact carries who said it.

Beach TownhomesNot placed — A regime (type not published)
CassiqueCassique — Kiawah Island Club community — homes, cottages and homesites$1,501/sfmedian, last 24 monthsCypress PointEast Beach — Cottages (a regime)Duneside VillasWest Beach — Townhouse-style villas (a villa regime)Fairway Oaks VillasWest Beach — Villas (a villa regime)4 salessince 2021Indigo ParkVanderhorst — Single-family cottages (a regime)Inlet CoveWest Beach — Single-family cottages (a regime; each lot owned outright)Mariner's WatchEast Beach — Villas (a villa regime)4 salessince 2021Maritime VillasEast Beach — Villas (a villa regime)
Marsh CottagesNot placed — Cottages (a regime)
Middlewoods EastWest Beach — Single-family homes (no regime on KICA's or the ARB's manager list)$795/sfmedian, last 24 monthsMiddlewoods WestWest Beach — Single-family homes (no regime on KICA's or the ARB's manager list)10 salessince 2021Night Heron CottagesEast Beach — Single-family cottages (a regime; each lot owned outright)Ocean GreenVanderhorst — Single-family homes (a regime)Ocean OaksVanderhorst — Single-family homes (a regime)Ocean PalmsVanderhorst — Single-family homes (a regime)Ocean ParkOcean Park — Single-family homes (a regime)Ocean PinesWest Beach — Residences (the developer's word)Oceanwood HomesEast Beach — Single-family homes (a regime; each lot owned outright)5 salessince 2021Orange HillOrange Hill — Kiawah Island Club community, in developmentParkside VillasEast Beach — Villas (a villa regime)7 salessince 2021RiverviewWest Beach — Single-family homes and townhomes8 salessince 2021Seascape VillasWest Beach — Villas (a villa regime)$842/sfmedian, last 24 monthsShipwatch VillasWest Beach — Villas (a villa regime)4 salessince 2021Sparrow Pond and Greenslake CottagesWest Beach — Single-family cottages (a regime)Summer IslandsVanderhorst — Single-family homes (a regime)Tennis Club VillasEast Beach — Villas (a villa regime)$777/sfmedian, last 24 monthsTerrapin IslandVanderhorst — Single-family homes (a regime)The CapeWest Beach — Residences (the developer's word)The Enclave at Turtle BeachEast Beach — A regime (type not published)The PointeWest Beach — Residences (the developer's word)The PreserveVanderhorst — Single-family homes4 salessince 2021The SettlementVanderhorst — Single-family homes (a regime)Turtle Cove VillasEast Beach — Villas (a villa regime)Turtle Point VillasEast Beach — Villas (a villa regime)5 salessince 2021West Beach VillasWest Beach — Villas (a villa regime)6 salessince 2021Windswept VillasEast Beach — Villas (a villa regime)$1,006/sfmedian, last 24 months

Vanderhorst’s named neighborhoods, by the developer: Egret Pintail, Falcon Point, Indigo Park, Marsh Island Woods, Nicklaus Lane, Ocean Green, Ocean Oaks, Ocean Palms, Osprey Beach, Osprey Fingers, Otter Island, Plantation Woods North and South, Rhett's Bluff, Royal Beach, Summer Islands, Terrapin Island, The Preserve, The Settlement, Vanderhorst Beach. The ones with a regime of their own have a record above; the rest share the Vanderhorst gate.

Price per square foot, complex by year

The median sold price per heated square foot for every complex with eight or more MLS sales since 2021. A dashed cell is under five sales — the count, never a median.

Kiawah Island: median dollars per square foot by complex and year
Complex202120222023202420252026
Egret/Pintail$655$590$780$59031
Windswept Villas$808$894144$915
Cassique323433
Tennis Club Villas213$759·$766
Seascape Villas123$87112
Vanderhorst313221
Middlewoods East·23·33
Middlewoods West122221
Riverview·31112
Marsh Island Woods 42722·211

Want your complex's numbers — what sold, what's listed, where the price per foot is heading? Ask Mike.

Ask for my complex's numbers

What yours might sell for

From 116 closed sales of a villa or townhome elsewhere on Kiawah Island in the last 24 months: the middle half sold between $767 and $1,034 a square foot. MLS data through October 9, 2026.

Where homes like yours have been selling

Enter square feet

The range comes from closed MLS sales only — no listings and no automated valuation model. Want the real number? Mike builds a CMA from the comps.

Get Mike’s full CMA

Based on information from CHS Regional MLS for the period 01/01/2021 through 10/14/2026. MLS figures are aggregates of listings as entered by agents, deemed reliable but not guaranteed. No listing, address or agent is shown.

When it sells, and how fast

26% of Kiawah Island's home sales in the last 12 months never spent a day as an active MLS listing. At $2M and up, it's 42%.

Home sales closed, month by month

Home sales closed each month
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
202115722211516151515121220
20221181316101861079126
2023768814971291666
20248214161419148915158
20255771115812915499
202654231413781196

The last month is partial — sales through October 9, 2026. MLS closings are often entered days after they close.

Price per square foot, year by year

2021$580/sf185 sales, median $945,000; 10% cut the price first
2022$729/sf126 sales, median $1.47M; 10% cut the price first
2023$786/sf108 sales, median $1.47M; 13% cut the price first
2024$869/sf142 sales, median $1.67M; 20% cut the price first
2025$859/sf111 sales, median $1.7M; 23% cut the price first
2026$858/sf100 sales, median $1.75M; 23% cut the price first

Each price band, the last 12 months

Bar: median days on the market among sales that were listed at all. Months of supply: homes for sale today against the band’s pace of sales.

Under $500K138 days7 sold, none for sale now
$500K–$750K38 days20 sold, 4 for sale now, 2.4 months of supply; 15% never spent a day listed
$750K–$1M17 days14 sold, 4 for sale now, 3.4 months of supply; 14% never spent a day listed
$1M–$1.5M45 days12 sold, none for sale now; 17% never spent a day listed
$1.5M–$2M72 days15 sold, none for sale now; 13% never spent a day listed
$2M–$3M25 days26 sold, 2 for sale now, 0.9 months of supply; 39% never spent a day listed
$3M–$5M109 days16 sold, 6 for sale now, 4.5 months of supply; 44% never spent a day listed
$5M+26 days11 sold, 3 for sale now, 3.3 months of supply; 46% never spent a day listed

Thinking of selling? Ask how long a home like yours takes in its band. What the first price does to a sale here: the listing truths.

Ask Mike

Based on information from CHS Regional MLS for the period 01/01/2021 through 10/14/2026. Homes only (fractional shares left out). MLS figures are aggregates of listings as entered by agents, deemed reliable but not guaranteed. No listing, address or agent is shown.

What a view is worth

Median price per square foot over the last three years by what the listing says the lot is, against every home of the same kind (the dark tick). Lots can be more than one thing; five sales or no bar.

Villas and townhomes

Ocean view$1,500/sf31 sales, +76% against all attached homes ($853/sf)
On the beach$1,322/sf37 sales, +55% against all attached homes ($853/sf)
On a lagoon$868/sf51 sales, +2% against all attached homes ($853/sf)
Wooded lot$798/sf20 sales, −6% against all attached homes ($853/sf)
On a golf course$686/sf16 sales, −20% against all attached homes ($853/sf)

Detached homes

Marsh view$897/sf38 sales, +4% against all detached homes ($862/sf)
On a lagoon$888/sf47 sales, +3% against all detached homes ($862/sf)
On the marsh$883/sf29 sales, +2% against all detached homes ($862/sf)
On a golf course$805/sf48 sales, −7% against all detached homes ($862/sf)
Wooded lot$792/sf52 sales, −8% against all detached homes ($862/sf)

Looking for one of these — ocean, marsh or deep water? Tell Mike what you're after.

Ask Mike to watch for one

Based on information from CHS Regional MLS for the period 01/01/2021 through 10/14/2026.

Who owns what

Four owners run Kiawah's amenities — the owners' association, a private club, the resort and the county. Which one you belong to decides what you can use.

Association (KICA — owners)

  • The Sandcastle, 1 Shipwatch Rd (pools, fitness)
  • 19 miles of leisure trails
  • 26 beach boardwalks
  • Rhett's Bluff Boat Landing
  • Eagle Point Boat Landing
  • Cinder Creek Pavilion and Paddlesports Launch

Club (Kiawah Island Club — private, members)

  • River Course
  • Cassique (course and clubhouse)
  • Beach Club
  • Cape Club
  • Marsh House
  • Sports Pavilion

Resort (Kiawah Island Golf Resort)

  • Ocean Course
  • Osprey Point
  • Turtle Point
  • Cougar Point
  • Oak Point
  • Roy Barth Tennis Center
  • resort dining
  • The Sanctuary
  • Heron Park Nature Center (Resort nature program)
  • Governor's Club (Resort membership for island residents)

County (CCPRC)

  • Beachwalker Park — KICA: the only public access to Kiawah's beach

What it costs to own on Kiawah

  • Annual assessment — home or villa

    $2,562 general + $357 reserve + $239 amenity (Sandcastle)

    Confirmed

  • Contribution to Reserves (the "transfer fee")

    The rate is confirmed. The minimum is "the current Annual Assessment" — $3,158 if all three 2026 charges count, $2,562 if only the general one does. Being confirmed with KICA.

    0.5% of the price, never less than the current annual assessment — so the floor applies below about $631,600

    Conflicting

  • Property Sale Administration Fee

    $100 one time

    Confirmed

  • Regime (villa association) fees

    Your contract's regime disclosures and the regime manager have the real number.

    Vary by regime; not published by KICA

    Not published

  • Kiawah Island Club membership

    Available only with select properties. Agent pages report initiation at $185,000 golf, $160,000 sports and $120,000 social, and say it is mandatory in Cassique and The Settlement — none of that is from the Club.

    Secondary

  • Short-term rental license

    Licenses in capped areas are first come, first served. The Town issues them — not KICA.

    Application $500 (R-1 and capped R-2 streets) or $200 (other zones), plus a rental license tax: $75 on the first $2,000 of rent, then $3.05 per $1,000

    Confirmed

  • Property tax levy — St. John's Fire District

    216.1 countywide mills + 30.0 St. John's Fire District. Covers Seabrook (TD 53), Kiawah (TD 54), and Johns Island and Wadmalaw outside any town (TD 51 — "T.D. 5-1" on the county map).

    Confirmed

Every line, its source and the date it was checked: Kiawah’s fee ledger. Your own closing and first year, line by line: the true-cost calculator.

Ready to look?Book an Island Buyer CallAsk ValGet the island report

Quick answers

What are the neighborhoods on Kiawah Island?

Kiawah Island Real Estate groups the island into West Beach (nearest the main gate), East Beach, Vanderhorst (behind a second gate) and Ocean Park (the eastern tip), and calls Cassique and Orange Hill — both on Johns Island — neighboring communities. This page lists 37 neighborhoods and regimes, each with its manager and sources.

Do you have to join the Kiawah Island Club to own on Kiawah?

Not required island-wide; the Club doesn't publish its fees. Ownership in Cassique and Orange Hill comes with membership, by the developer's account.

What does KICA cost a year?

$3,158 a year for a home or villa (2026 (it was $3,057 in 2025)), and a buyer pays KICA's Contribution to Reserves at closing: 0.5% of the price. Villa regimes charge their own fees on top; KICA doesn't publish them.

How many homes sold on Kiawah Island in the last 12 months?

121 closed in the CHS Regional MLS in the 12 months through October 9, 2026, at a median of $1.71M. Those are MLS-listed sales only; county deeds count more, because many Kiawah sales never touch the MLS.

Is Cassique part of Kiawah Island?

Not the Town. Cassique is on Johns Island, in unincorporated Charleston County (tax district 5-1); it's a Kiawah Island Club community.

How these numbers are made

  • MLS: 772 home sales closed January 12, 2021 to October 9, 2026 in the CHS Regional MLS (area 25 - Kiawah), pulled October 14, 2026. Every one of 70 months matched the MLS’s own sold count, median and averages before this page was built, and 25 sales picked at random were read a second time and agreed field by field. Fractional shares are left out.
  • County: Charleston County SC public property records (assessor-maintained parcel layer), tax district 5-4, pulled October 14, 2026 — aggregates only, never an owner or an address.
  • kica.us — KICA-owned amenities; which amenities are Club vs Resort vs County; checked October 13, 2026.
  • kica.us — '31+ regimes' with additional fees (search excerpt of the KICA finance page); checked October 13, 2026.
  • kica.us — each regime has its own HOA board and management, separate from KICA (search excerpt); checked October 13, 2026.
  • kica.us — regime management companies (revised 03.22.2022); checked October 13, 2026.
  • arb.kiawahisland.com — regime management companies (© 2018); checked October 13, 2026.
  • kiawahisland.com — area groupings; 'neighboring' Cassique and Orange Hill; checked October 13, 2026.
  • kiawahresort.com — The Sanctuary listed under the Resort's 'Stay'; checked October 13, 2026.
  • kiawahresort.com — Heron Park Nature Center is the Resort's nature program (event pages); checked October 13, 2026.

Neighborhood facts checked October 13, 2026. Spot something out of date? Tell us.

Keep going

Rainbow after a storm over the Kiawah River and Haulover Creek

The Kiawah River after a storm

Photo: DThomson7 (Debra Thomson), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized)

Two ways in

Talk it through with Mike, or ask Val — the guide’s AI assistant, answering from this site’s sourced facts.

Book an Island Buyer CallAsk Val