🏡 Charleston Market Tightens: Inventory Hits Near Historic Lows in 2025

Understanding the Lowcountry Market Strength (Jan-Sep 2025)

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The Charleston tri-county housing market continues to favor sellers, with overall inventory remaining tight across many key MLS areas. Months of Inventory is the primary metric used to gauge market strength, representing the time it would take to sell all currently active listings based on the current sales pace. A 6-month inventory level traditionally defines a healthy, balanced market.

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As of October 9, 2025, the total residential market (including single-family detached (SFD), single-family attached (SFA), and mobile homes) sits at just 3.2 months of inventory. This figure confirms that the Charleston area remains firmly in a seller's market.

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Top 5 Strongest MLS Areas (Lowest Inventory)

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The areas with the lowest months of inventory are considered the strongest seller's markets, meaning homes sell the fastest and buyers face the most competition.

The Hanahan Area (71) stands out as the most competitive market, with only 2.1 months of inventory. This intense demand suggests low supply relative to sales, indicating that homes in this area are selling very quickly.

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The Luxury Market: Highly Competitive and High-Priced

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The luxury and resort areas continue to exhibit strong market characteristics despite their high price tags.

• Daniel Island (77) has an incredibly low inventory of 2.9 months. With a median sales price of $1,525,000, the market remains highly exclusive and competitive.
  
  
• Mount Pleasant South of the IOP Connector (42), with a median price of $986,000, is only slightly less competitive at 3.0 months.
  
  
• Kiawah Island (25) reports 3.2 months of inventory and the second-highest median price on the list at $1,700,000.
  
  

Areas Approaching a Balanced Market (6+ Months Inventory)

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While the overall market is tight, a few areas show higher inventory levels, offering a slight reprieve for buyers.

• Sullivan's Island (43): With a median price of $3,950,000 (the highest on the chart), this highly desirable area has 6.2 months of inventory, just over the 6-month threshold considered balanced.
  
  
• Folly Beach Area (22): This coastal market has the highest inventory at 9.9 months, suggesting a significantly slower pace of sales relative to the current active listings, despite a median price of $930,000.
  
  
• Awendaw/McClellanville (47): This rural area also shows a higher inventory level at 7.8 months¹⁵.
  
  

Key Takeaway: For sellers, the current environment offers a strong opportunity, particularly in areas such as Hanahan and Mount Pleasant. For buyers, understanding hyper-local inventory levels is crucial—markets with higher inventory, like Folly Beach and Sullivan's Island, may offer more negotiation leverage and fewer bidding wars.

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