Charleston Real Estate Market Pulse: Weekly Contingent Analysis (May 8 – May 14, 2026)

Welcome to the definitive weekly market breakdown for Charleston real estate. Whether you are buying, selling, or simply keeping a pulse on the local market, understanding where properties are going under contract (becoming "contingent") is the best real-time indicator of buyer demand.

For the week of May 8 to May 14, 2026, 306 residential properties went under contract across the Charleston area. Here is the expert, data-driven breakdown of what buyers are prioritizing right now.

The Big Picture: Single-Family Homes

Out of the 306 total properties, 240 were single-family homes. The broad market metrics show a healthy, fast-moving environment:

• Median List Price: $583,000 (or $272 per square foot).
• Days on Market: The median time to contract was just 21 days.
• The Luxury Tier: High-end sales are thriving. 57 of the homes that went under contract were listed for over $1 million, with 14 exceeding $2 million and 9 topping $3 million.
• Distressed & New Build: Foreclosures are virtually non-existent, with only 1 bank-owned or short-sale property going under contract. Meanwhile, new construction accounted for 6% of single-family contracts.

Market Breakdown by Neighborhood

Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant remains the epicenter of luxury and volume, seeing 40 single-family homes go under contract.

• Price Range: $600k to $4.4 million
• Luxury Concentration: A remarkable 26 of these properties were listed over $1 million.
• Market Metrics: The median list price here is $1.25 million ($442/sq ft).
• Hot Spots: Popular neighborhoods like Dunes West and Snee Farm each saw 4 homes go under contract.

The Peninsula

Downtown Charleston recorded 9 single-family homes under contract, ranging from $715k up to $6.65 million. Demonstrating the premium of historic downtown living, the Peninsula commands the highest price per square foot at a median of $632. Five of these newly contingent homes are located in the highly coveted South of the Crosstown neighborhood.

The Islands

Island living accounted for 41 single-family home contracts this past week:

• James Island: Led the islands with 17 contracts ranging from $499k to $1.65 million (median $895k).
• John's Island: Saw 14 contracts (median $789k), including 3 in Sea Island Preserve.
• Luxury Beaches & Enclaves: High-end island contracts included 3 on Folly Beach (up to $2.2M), 2 on Daniel Island (around $2M), and single contracts on Sullivan's Island ($3.15M), Isle of Palms ($4M), Kiawah ($1.8M), Edisto ($1M), and Seabrook ($879k).

West Ashley & North Charleston

For those seeking closer-in affordability, West Ashley recorded 22 contracts with a median list price of $597k ($253/sqft), including 2 homes over $1 million. North Charleston remains highly accessible, with 18 contracts and a median list price of $352k, including 2 properties under $250k.

Summerville, Goose Creek & Surrounding

The suburban markets are moving substantial volume:

• Hanahan / Goose Creek / Moncks Corner: Saw a massive 61 homes go under contract, heavily driven by 10 homes in the master-planned Cane Bay community. The median list price here was $400k.
• Summerville / Ladson: Added another 44 contracts, also maintaining a median of $400k.

Condos and Townhomes

The attached-home market matched the busiest suburban sectors with 61 condos and townhomes going under contract. This property type offers a wide spectrum of entry points:

Historical Context & Trusting the Trends

To put this in perspective, the Charleston market has seen 5,982 residential properties go contingent year-to-date in 2026. Monitoring these weekly numbers—rather than just waiting for final closing data—gives buyers and sellers the most transparent, expert view of where values and demand are heading next.

Expert Take: The market's velocity (21 median days on market), combined with a robust luxury sector, indicates that Charleston remains a highly competitive environment as we head deeper into the spring selling season.

Check back next week at www.charlestonhome.com for our continuing analysis of Lowcountry real estate trends.

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