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If you’re considering buying land to build your dream home, where do you begin? That’s a question a lot of buyers have. You can just (or maybe you can) go out and say I want that piece of dirt right there and think it’s going to be easy to build your new house every time. If you are looking at Charleston SC, here is where you’d start. There are many very important factors that one needs to consider before pulling the trigger on a home site or some land in SC. Here this page will break down all the nuances, risks, and factors real estate buyers looking to purchase land lots, agricultural hunting land, and developed homesites in Charleston SC & South Carolina (or anywhere) should know going into it.

MLS Listings Data

Total Listings:1126
Average Price:$680,423
Highest Listing Price:$19,875,000
Average Days On Market:276
Average Price/SqFt:-
Charleston SC Land Lots Home Site Information, Stats, Details currently has one thousand, one hundred and twenty-six (1126) for sale on MLS. Charleston SC Land Lots Home Site Information, Stats, Details listings have an average sales price of $680,423 ranging in price from $51,500 to $19,875,000. The average sq ft home size of Charleston SC Land Lots Home Site Information, Stats, Details Adams Run SC is 0 square feet. The largest property for sale is 0 sqft and smallest 0 sqft. View property listings for sale by price, street, subdivision, age, property type, location, features, size, and listing date, and time on MLS with an of 276 days on the market.

What's YOUR Home Worth?

Number of MLS Listings 1 - 3 of 1126

Large tract of wooded land just 10 minutes from Summerville - 20 minutes to Charleston.Perfect for a get-a-way out of town or to build that home you have always wanted and could not find enough land around you for privacy. Deer and Turkey roam this secluded wildlife haven - There is a 20 ft easement leading from Geddisville Rd. across another large tract of land to get to the 54 acres - Park at yellow gate and follow the walking trail signs to the land for sale. Realestate sign will be at the beginning of the 54 acres. walk in woods straight ahead at this point and you are on the land for sale. Wildlife pictures are only to show wildlife species in the area.
View details Lot/Home Site Size - 54.00 Acres
Don't miss this last opportunity for a Heron Cove waterfront lot with close proximity to Edisto Marina, Edisto Beach, Village pool, and Bell Buoy Park. Fish right in your back yard for Spottail and Flounder while overlooking the No. 6 Island Green of the Plantation Course. Close to 150ft of frontage with sea wall. Wyndham amenities available with recreation pass: Pools, Tennis, Beach Cabana, etc. Incredible sunset views toward the South Edisto River and Pine Island. Less than 500ft from Edisto Marina, Pressley's, and Bell Buoy Park.
View details Lot/Home Site Size - 0.40 Acres
Don't miss this chance to own over nine and a half acres close to town, lakes and rivers! This property has an easement in place and is ready to be timbered and cleared to your exact wants and needs. With trees and privacy all around you can take the opportunity to design your property layout and make this land the estate you've always dreamed about.
View details Lot/Home Site Size - 9.64 Acres

 

WATERFRONT LOTSVIEW LIST LAKE MURRAYVIEW LIST GATED COMMUNITIESVIEW LIST HUNTING / AGRICULTURALVIEW LIST BEACHFRONTVIEW LIST

 

 

TYPES OF LOTS

The most popular kind of home site these days. If you’re wanting to build in a PUD (planned unit development) or in layman’s terms a traditional lot & block neighborhood with rules and regs usually you’re going to be ok with most of the lots for sale, as it is customary for the developer to have organized and planned out every detail for you. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some other factors you should look into (or your agent). HOAs can be a nightmare too

  1. Wooded Lot
  2. Corner Lot
  3. Cul-de-sac 

 

One of the biggest factors to consider when buying a lot here in the Charleston SC area (and all of the coastal regions of SC) is the grade or the land’s “levelness” if you will, with the surrounding land so that it is flat and not below the rest. As you’ll see in the graphic to the right, there are many ponds shown. That’s because when the surrounding land around you is at or just above sea level as is the case with coastal areas, developers have to account for all the rain runoff, and they do this by making retention ponds. Some listing agents will say a lot is “waterfront” or “pond front”, and it maybe be. However, it is actually just a required retention pond dug for fill dirt and rainwater. If you buy a lot that is near wetlands or is below grade it might cost you $15,000 in dirt just to bring the lot to grade, and level with the surrounding land. So you don’t want to buy it seeing trees, and brush only to find out after the lot has been cleared you can’t start building until you’ve spent thousands of $$ dumping truckloads of fill dirt. It might be better just to buy a lot that is already high enough or been brought up to grade. 

The three types of lots above are just common examples of what you’ll find regularly in SC. Obviously, you could have a corner wooded lot. Wooded just means it’s not on waterfront or lakefront, and the seller’s agent is conveying to the buyer that you’re in a more “foresty” type community. You’ll have to have the lot cleared of trees as well. In terms of desirability, that’s really up to the people buying it and what’s important to them. If you have small children or plan to, then those people usually want something in the back of the neighborhood on a dead-end road, or cul-de-sac. Corner lots are desirable to some because some people don’t want neighbors near, or want two ways to drive onto their property. Corner lots tend to be the more expensive when buying in development because most people like the idea of having the ability for ingress & egress from two sides of the property and not having neighbors on the sides. Then again, there are also people who don’t like the idea of having cars coming and going on both sides of them. 

MLS Listings Data

Total Listings:70
Average Price:$1,123,375
Highest Listing Price:$5,495,000
Average Days On Market:249
Average Price/SqFt:-
Charleston SC Land Lots Home Site Information, Stats, Details currently has seventy (70) for sale on MLS. Charleston SC Land Lots Home Site Information, Stats, Details listings have an average sales price of $1,123,375 ranging in price from $140,000 to $5,495,000. The average sq ft home size of Charleston SC Land Lots Home Site Information, Stats, Details Mount Pleasant SC is 0 square feet. The largest property for sale is 0 sqft and smallest 0 sqft. View property listings for sale by price, street, subdivision, age, property type, location, features, size, and listing date, and time on MLS with an of 249 days on the market.

What's YOUR Home Worth?

Number of MLS Listings 1 - 6 of 70

ATTENTION BUILDERS, DEVELOPERS, AND INVESTORS: Welcome to Willow Pond Subdivision! Imagine an Old Village-style neighborhood just north of the Isle of Palms Connector in Mt. Pleasant. Flood Zone X does not require flood insurance on homes that will be built here.This 11.546 acres (currently 5 TMS parcels) has been annexed into Mount Pleasant. Approval has been given to proceed with the subdivision that will include 13 lots that will be more than 0.29 acres each, when completed. Earth Source Engineering has done the civil engineering for this subdivision. Gas, Electric, Water, and Sewer will be available for homes in this subdivision. Dozens of Huge Live Oaks and other grand hardwood trees have been preserved here. Allison Ramsey house plans are being drawn.
View details Lot/Home Site Size - 11.55 Acres
HELLO builders, investors, and those looking to build your dream home! This Mount Pleasant property is not only in the perfect location but is a blank slate of 2.13 acres, so the sky is your limit! A survey with sub-dividing plans has been submitted to Charleston County for approval. Come see what opportunities await you!
View details Lot/Home Site Size - 2.13 Acres
Great opportunity to live on Hamlin Sound and enjoy the views of the Lowcountry wetlands and waterways. This lot is ready to built on.
View details Lot/Home Site Size - 0.77 Acres
Vacant Deep Water Lot available on the Wando River! Cleared and filled, this .64 acre, deep-water property is the perfect, no-hassle, site to build your dream home. When approaching the site from the street, enter the flag-shaped lot along the drive-isle to the left of the water feature. After entering, the lot widens to provide an incredible deep-water home site with amazing views of the Wando River. The property also boasts a current deep-water dock permit, allowing future owners the opportunity to build and enjoy private access to the river and all the Lowcountry waterways and beaches. Looking for an opportunity to build the deep water home of your dreams? Don't miss out on the opportunity to call Paradise Island home. Schedule a time to tour this amazing property today!
View details Lot/Home Site Size - 0.66 Acres
BUILDERS! Come see these (4) single family lots side by side in the popular Copahee View neighborhood in Mt. Pleasant. Lots have been subdivided, cleared, graded, padded, tree protection put in, and water and sewer tap fees have been paid. Lots do need water and sewer run, and closed out with MPW, then building permits can be issued, but the LDP was issued. Many higher end new construction homes are being built nearby and selling for over $900,000. Lot 1 - 7,612 sq ft, pad size is 50'x41' = 2,050 sq ft pad, 1340 Lucinda StreetLot 2 - 6,393 sq ft, pad size is 35'x54' = 1,890 sq ft pad, 1350 Lucinda StreetLot 3 - 6, 510 sq ft, pad size is 35'x55' = 1,925 sq ft pad, 1360 Lucinda StreetLot 4 - 8,966 sq ft, pad size is 40'x67' = 2,840 sq ft pad, 1370 Lucinda Street
View details Lot/Home Site Size - 0.68 Acres
Beautiful fully wooded lot in Mount Pleasant close to Wando HS, Public Library, Costco, Lowes, Walmart, Roper Hospital, restaurants, schools and parks. About 20 minutes to the beaches and 30 minutes to downtown. Want to keep toys, no worries...park in your own yard! Buyer to verify all things deemed important to them and should do proper due diligence.
View details Lot/Home Site Size - 0.44 Acres

 

LOT SHAPES

The shape and size of a lot can also be a considerable factor when you’re looking to purchase “dirt” for building a home. In the case above where you’re looking to buy in a PUD, the builder/developers have already subdivided tracts of land such that it maximizes their profitability. They don’t usually take the shape of the lot into much consideration, and they design out the neighborhood to make sure they: One – get county and city building and zoning approval, and Two so they can sell as many homes as possible. 

 

Obviously the shape of the lot will vary based on the shape and size of the land that has been developed, how the roads have been cut, sidewalks, the requirements of the city, easements, and appurtenances, etc., but above are the most generic common shapes you’ll find. Obviously, when building a home on a pie-shaped lot they will be on a cul-de-sac, AND it can be tricky for an architect to design (depending on size) is something to consider.

 

COMMON GLOSSARY OF TERMS TO KNOW WHEN CONSIDERING BUYING DIRT/LAND/LOT 

 

  1. Setbacks – The amount of required space your property must be away from another home, the road etc. is the minimum distance which a building or other structure must be set back from a street or road, a river or other stream, a shore or flood plain, or any other place which is deemed to need protection. 
  2. Easement – is a legal right to use another’s land for a specific limited purpose. In other words, when someone is granted an easement, he is granted the legal right to use the property, but the legal title to the land itself remains with the owner of the land. This usually mostly applies to things like city / neighborhood drainage easements, and utilities. 
  3. HOA – As mentioned above if you buy a lot to build a home in a PUD you’re going to have a Home Owners Assoc. which is going to have rules and regulations you HAVE to adhere to as part of the neighborhood. If you don’t can result in fines and hassle. For this reason, many people do not like PUDs. 
  4. Regime Fees – Very similar to HOA fees (mainly just a legal name difference) in many instances, if your neighborhood has amenities, common areas etc.. there will be fees due often times at closing, monthly or quarterly to maintain and pay for those items. 
  5. Building Restrictions – if you purchase a lot in a PUD where the developer is just selling lots and not also building homes – PUDs, city or county will have rules and restrictions that your home design must adhere to or not do. So ask for a copy of the building codes BEFORE buying the lot. Especially, if you already have architectural drawings completed or a home plan you want to use. 

 

LAND LOT SALES TRENDS FOR CHARLESTON SC

Above is a three-year graph of the number of land lot listings sold in the Charleston SC region year over year since 2016. 

 

FLOOD RISK

Here is Charleston SC, which is much different from some of our state’s other major markets of Columbia (Midlands), and Greenville/Spartanburg (Upstate) flooding is a regular way of life that one must consider when owning or buying real estate in the low-country. Coastal areas such as: Sullivan’s IslandHilton Head, Pawley’s Island, Edisto, Georgetown, Myrtle Beach, Isle of Palms, and all of Charleston SC people have to always consider the floor risk. Especially if you’re looking to buy a waterfront property then building your house off the ground is a must. Virtually all the land near the coast of South Carolina will be close to or at sea level, and although direct hits from hurricanes, believe it or not, are rare, the tidal surge is not as rare. With high tides and deluges of rain from tropical storms, you have to have flood insurance in most instances even if you’re in an X zone which technically doesn’t require it. It is still smart. 

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