2 weeks Ago
The home looks like it's stood on the downtown Charleston peninsula for decades, with its timeless stucco exterior and classic design. There are copper gutters and gas lanterns, a cast iron bathtub, and one door that even opens onto a brick-paved alleyway. So it's a bit of a shock when you discover that this residence on Bogard Street was constructed only two years ago.
Indeed, the three-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot home at 92 Bogard Street was completed in 2023 as part of the Catfiddle Street development in the Canonborough-Elliotborough neighborhood. Listed for $1.225 million, the home, with its combination of downtown Charleston charm and modern amenities, went under contract after just 14 days on the market.
"The home looks like a Charleston single from the exterior, and the stucco facade, gas lanterns and color scheme are old-world European-looking," said Scotty Brisson of The Cassina Group, who is listing the home. "The Catfiddle neighborhood is a little tucked-away gem. Many people have stopped me when I've shown the house and commented that it reminds them of houses in Como, Italy, and other places in Europe.
" The Bogard Street home going under contract so quickly is a testament to the power of the Charleston real estate market in springtime, when the city is at its best—the azaleas are out and warm weather has returned, but the heat and humidity are still weeks away. Add in the throngs of tourists who descend on Charleston in the springtime, and it's a formula made for piquing interest and driving demand. "People are here, which encourages them to buy," said Pam Harrington, owner and broker-in-charge at Pam Harrington Exclusives.
"Otherwise, they have to make an extra effort to get in the car or get on a plane or whatever to come down." Ruthie Ravenel of Daniel Ravenel Sotheby's International Realty calls it "the spring market tizzy." For agents, "it's just a chaotic time," she added.
A hint of that was evident even in March, the most recent month for which figures are available from the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors. March saw the region's highest number of new listings in a whopping 35 consecutive months and its highest number of closings in seven. It certainly helps that available inventory has gradually increased since bottoming out in the wake of the pandemic-driven buying frenzy; the region had over 4,500 homes on the market in March and even peeked above 4,600 in late 2024.
And while interest rates remain elevated compared to the bargain-basement levels of 2020 and 2021, clearly, more prospective buyers and sellers are adjusting to the new normal and dipping their toes back into the market. "Available inventory is slowly increasing, offering buyers more choices," said Mary Lou Wertz, broker and founder at Maison Real Estate. "While demand still outweighs supply in some sought-after areas and price ranges, the gap is narrowing.
This means buyers need to be prepared to act quickly when they find the right property, but they also have a bit more leverage than they did a year or two ago." And what types of homes can those buyers potentially find on the market in the spring of 2025? Let's take a tour of four properties in the region, beginning with a return to the home at 92 Bogard Steet that was snapped up after only two weeks on the market. Downtown: 92 Bogard Street The $1.
225 million listing at 92 Bogard St. is packed with the kind of features that buyers expect in a newer home, from a standing seam metal roof to painted mahogany shutters to high ceilings in the kitchen and living areas that allow for an abundance of natural light. The primary bedroom has an outdoor balcony and a bathroom with dual marble vanities, and the fixtures and finishes blend old world and new.
"I love the exterior color scheme—it's eye-catching and so aesthetically pleasing," Brisson said of the limewashed stucco finish. "Once inside the home, I appreciate the freshness of the interior as well as the generous amount of natural light." Every inch of the home's 1,200 square feet is put to good use, with the design incorporating several sleek storage spaces and the three bedrooms able to be utilized in a number of different ways.
"The home is the most efficient use of 1,200 square feet I've ever seen," Brisson said. "The central portion of the home is a kitchen and family room area. Storage is carefully woven in throughout the home.
There are three bedrooms, but the owners have wisely utilized space so that most rooms are dual-purpose. For example, a pullout couch is in the first-floor bedroom so that when guests aren't there, it can be used daily as office space. It all just makes so much sense.
" Add in the downtown location, and it's easy to see why the home went under contract so quickly. "Turnkey properties are trading at a real premium," Brisson said, "and I think the tremendous interest in 92 Bogart reinforces that observation." Johns Island: 1456 McPherson Landing It's a quintessential Lowcountry setting, with moss-draped grand oaks framing a panorama of the Stono River and its surrounding marshes.
Complementing the scene is the five-bedroom, 6,024-square-foot home at 1456 McPherson Landing on Johns Island, which was designed by Beau Clowney and is currently listed for $6.195 million. "What makes McPherson so special is the perfect blend of incredibly luxurious design and finishes and the picturesque setting of the Lowcountry overlooking the marshes of the Stono River," said Wertz, who is listing the home for Maison.
"I am not sure there is another home on Johns Island with this level of finishes while being wholly oriented to the river to take in the 180-degree views. " Completed in 2008, the waterfront retreat 10 miles from downtown Charleston is awash in high-end details—like a screened porch and summer kitchen ideal for entertaining, a primary suite with heated bathroom floors and a private balcony, and a garage equipped with an electric vehicle charger. And then, of course, there's the expansive back deck complete with a pool and the 150-foot tidal dock with dual watersport platforms.
"My favorite thing about this home are the outdoor entertaining spaces," Wertz said. "The summer kitchen is an amazing spot to entertain guests, soak in the views, enjoy the pool and spa, and sip on a cocktail on the screened-in porch." The McPherson Landing home is located in Rushland Landing, an island accessed by a private causeway.
The home's lower level is an entertainment space with a theatre room, full wet bar, billiards and game table area, all with panoramic river views. The main house offers four bedrooms, while a guest wing features a private suite with its own balcony. "The four bedrooms in the main house, combined with the separate guest house, offer incredible versatility," Wertz said.
"This property can comfortably accommodate large families, multi-generational living, or those who frequently entertain guests. A separate guest house has become a hot commodity in the Charleston market due to many people relocating here from different markets. Ensuring the homeowner can maintain their privacy while providing a fully equipped guest house for a mother-in-law or out of town family has been highly desired.
" Downtown: 71 Moultrie Street It's hard to believe now, but the residence at 71 Moultrie St. was once a rental property that had fallen into disrepair. That was, until a multiyear renovation project that saw the home essentially rebuilt while still protecting the historic integrity of the exterior.
The result is a spectacular four-bedroom, 3,250-square-foot edifice overlooking Hampton Park, and is currently listed for $3.795 million. "They basically structurally rebuilt the whole house—moved walls, moved staircases.
Really, it's all new," said Ravenel, who is listing the home for Daniel Ravenel Sotheby's. "With the Board of Architectural Review protecting the exterior, they had to keep all of the historic fabric intact. A lot of the windows were actually rebuilt of new materials in the historic fashion.
So it looks old, but it's got everything brand new inside. It was redone really, really well." The home was built in 1920, and the renovation completed in 2023 refashioned many of the original exterior elements, like the wood siding and the transom window over the front door.
That historic shell encases a modern residence, one loaded with features like illuminated mirrors, a whole-home generator, an electric entry gate, automatic drapery and lighting controlled at the touch of a button. "It has an amazing level of charm, but it has all the modern amenities," Ravenel said. "It's a total smart home.
You can control the lights, the temperature, the security camera system all from your phone from anywhere in the world. It's really amazing." The home's primary suite features wood accents and a private balcony.
The modern kitchen with its waterfall countertop island gives way to a bright living area, with accordion doors that open to the outside. The home's rear deck features a grilling area that steps down to a lush private pool area surrounded by low-maintenance premium turf. "It's a perfect house for somebody who wants to experience that Lowcountry lifestyle without all the pain and suffering of yard maintenance," Ravenel said.
"You have a lot of space around the home, and the pool gets excellent light. In the evening you see a lot of beautiful sunset views. It's really an amazing experience.
" Kiawah Island: 83 Blue Heron Pond Road Step through the arched entryway, and you're surrounded by timeless elegance and craftsmanship—rich paneling, custom built-ins, expansive windows, warm walnut kitchen flooring and a private elevator. But step outside, and you're in another world of rivers, hardwood trees and marsh views extending out from a 3.46-acre lot.
This is 83 Blue Heron Pond Road on Kiawah Island, where luxury and solitude meet. Built in 2014, the four-bedroom home currently listed for $5.995 million features cedar siding, a new copper roof installed in 2023, a living area with a beamed white wood ceiling, and an expansive deck with a pool.
Tucked away on a cul-de-sac, the property borders Kiawah Island Conservancy land and offers views of the Stono and Kiawah rivers, with the towers of the Ravenel Bridge peeking up on the horizon. "It has all the things that everybody wants, from elevators to swimming pools to a magnificent porch to enjoy the outdoors," said Harrington, who is listing the home for Pam Harrington Exclusives. "If you want a place to be private and out in God's country and just loving every bit of it, it's this house.
" The covered deck of the 3,751-square-foot home is accessed from a screened porch, and the pool is heated and covered so it can be enjoyed for most of the year. The primary suite features a private balcony, while the property also includes a two-car garage with a workshop, an outdoor shower and a mosquito mist system. And then there are those views, which are particularly breathtaking from the bedrooms on the upper level.
"The location is just to die for," Harrington said. "You literally have 180 degrees of fabulous marsh and river views. I mean, they just emanate.
And when you drive in, you drive through conservancy land. So if you want a private world on Kiawah, this is it." The homes on Blue Heron Pond Road, Moultrie Street, McPherson Landing and Bogard Street offer just a taste of what's available on the greater Charleston market this spring.
While inventory continues to inch upward, updated turkey homes remain at a premium. And as the region fills with tourists and beach-goers, the area's real estate market prepares for its busiest time of the year. "Right now, I can feel the momentum picking up," Harrington said.
"We're heading toward all these spring breaks, and people are here now. And we were selling before without people here, but now they're coming to visit, and to fall in love, and to make that purchase.".
