Isle of Palms and Wild Dunes
Oceanfront, the Intracoastal and a gated resort at the north end, where a $15,000,000 sale reset the island in 2026.
The island that doubled its ceiling in a year.
Isle of Palms is Sullivan's Island's larger, livelier neighbor across Breach Inlet: seven miles of beach, a marina on the Intracoastal, licensed short-term rentals, and Wild Dunes, the 1,600-acre gated resort at the north end with two Tom Fazio courses and a clay-court tennis complex. It has always had more inventory than Sullivan's and, until recently, a lower ceiling.
That changed quickly. In 2017 the island's high sale was $6,400,000. On April 4, 2025, 8 54th Avenue closed at $14,200,000. On May 5, 2026, 1 44th Avenue closed at $15,000,000 including furnishings, listed in January at $18,000,000, a 2017 Beau Clowney design built by Sheppard Construction. The 2025 median rose 32.5 percent to $2,660,000 across 132 sales, and by June 2026 the monthly median stood at $3,230,000.
For a buyer, the island offers what Sullivan's cannot: the option to rent, a resort with a gate, and a wider range of oceanfront. For a seller, it offers a deeper buyer pool that still has to be reached in New York, Charlotte and Ohio, where the money for a $10,000,000 beach house tends to live.
What the address actually buys.
- 01
Oceanfront with a rental option
Isle of Palms permits licensed short-term rentals, which keeps a second-home buyer's options open and supports a broader price spectrum than Sullivan's.
- 02
Wild Dunes
Developed from 1972 on the island's north end: controlled-access gates, the Links and Harbor courses by Tom Fazio, 17 clay tennis courts and the resort's hotels and restaurants.
- 03
The Intracoastal and the marina
The waterway side of the island carries deep-water docks, the Isle of Palms Marina and sunset views across the marsh to Mount Pleasant.
- 04
A short run to the peninsula
The Connector and the Ravenel put the island about 25 minutes from Broad Street in ordinary traffic.
Front beach, the avenues and the gate.
The numbered avenues and the front beach
Ocean Boulevard and the oceanfront lots along the island's middle, where the two record sales sit: 8 54th Avenue at $14,200,000 (April 2025) and 1 44th Avenue at $15,000,000 (May 2026).
Wild Dunes
The gated north end: oceanfront estates, golf-course lots and the resort core. Buyers here weigh the gate and the amenities against resort traffic in season.
The Intracoastal side
Waterway Boulevard and the creek-front streets with docks, larger lots and the marina a short ride away.
Front Beach and the village
The island's commercial strip at the base of the Connector, with the restaurants, the county park and the public beach access that keep the south end busy in summer.
Isle of Palms and Wild Dunes in facts.
Only what we could verify. Where a number is missing, we would rather leave it out than guess.
| Type | Incorporated barrier-island city with licensed short-term rentals; Wild Dunes is a gated resort community at the north end |
|---|---|
| 2025 market | Median $2,660,000 (+32.5%), 132 closed sales, 58 days on market (CTAR) |
| Q1 2026 single-family | 29 sales (from 24), median $2,200,000, 93.2% of list price |
| Year to date through May 2026 | 54 closed sales (from 38), average $3,005,531, 67 days on market |
| June 2026 (monthly) | Median $3,230,000 (+38.5%), 74 days on market |
| Record sale | 1 44th Avenue, $15,000,000 including $500,000 of furnishings, May 5, 2026 |
| Prior record | 8 54th Avenue, $14,200,000, April 4, 2025; the island's high before 2025 was $6,400,000 (2017) |
| Wild Dunes | About 1,600 acres, developed from 1972, two Tom Fazio courses, controlled-access gates |
Sources
| 2025 median, sales and days on market | The Post and Courier, Jan 16, 2026, 2025 CTAR year-end by submarket www.postandcourier.com/business/real_estate/charleston-sc-homes-price-sale-2026/ |
| 1 44th Avenue record, Q1 2026 figures and prior records | The Post and Courier, May 8, 2026 www.postandcourier.com/business/real_estate/isle-of-palms-record-home-sale-15-mi |
| 8 54th Avenue sale | The Post and Courier, Jul 14, 2025, 10 most expensive homes sold in Charleston County in 2025 www.postandcourier.com/business/real_estate/charleston-county-luxury-home-sale-k |
| Year to date through May 2026 | The Cassina Group, Market Report, May 2026 www.thecassinagroup.com/blog/market-report-may-2026/ |
| June 2026 monthly figures | The Cassina Group, Market Report, June 2026 www.thecassinagroup.com/blog/market-report-june-2026/ |
| Wild Dunes facts | Wikipedia, Wild Dunes (retrieved Oct 21, 2026) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Dunes |
| Short-term rental contrast with Sullivan's Island | Handsome Properties, Aug 20, 2026 handsomeproperties.com/blog/the-rule-that-built-sullivans-islands-price-premium- |
Isle of Palms and Wild Dunes, answered.
What is the most expensive home sold on Isle of Palms?
1 44th Avenue, which closed on May 5, 2026 at $15,000,000 including $500,000 of furnishings. It was listed in January 2026 at $18,000,000. The prior record was 8 54th Avenue at $14,200,000 in April 2025; before that the island's high was $6,400,000 in 2017.
Isle of Palms or Sullivan's Island?
Sullivan's offers scarcity, a residential-only ordinance and the higher median. Isle of Palms offers licensed short-term rentals, the gated Wild Dunes resort, more oceanfront inventory and, as of 2026, a higher record sale. Buyers who want to rent or want a gate choose Isle of Palms; buyers who want a town that cannot change choose Sullivan's.
Can I rent a house on Isle of Palms short term?
Yes, with a city license. The rules and any caps change by ordinance, so DHG confirms the current requirements with the city for any property a client intends to rent.
How is Damian Hall Group different from other Isle of Palms agents?
DHG points a national relocation audience and an in-house film studio at a beach house, then places the listing by phone with the Christie's advisors who represent the buyer in New York, Charlotte or Chicago. The practice works from $2,000,000 so every listing gets the full program.
Other submarkets we work.
South of Broad
The oldest addresses in the city, from Broad Street to the Battery, where the regional record was set.
The Historic Peninsula
Everything north of Broad that still has a cobblestone, a courtyard or a harbor view.
Sullivan's Island
The highest median in the region, by design: a town that capped house size, banned short-term rentals and kept the island small.
Find your home in Isle of Palms and Wild Dunes.
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