You love the Lowcountry. You love the food. You love the weather. But you are tired of the Charleston traffic. You are tired of the prices. You want space to breathe. You want a yard where you can't high-five your neighbor from your window. Let me tell you about Colleton County.
I have sold homes in Charleston for years. I watch people get pushed further out by rising costs. Many of them find their happy place in Colleton. It is not just about saving money. It is about a better quality of life.
Let's talk numbers. You can buy a beautiful home in Walterboro for a fraction of the cost in Mount Pleasant. We are talking about homes with land. We are talking about historic cottages with real character. The median home price here sits around $250,000. That is almost unheard of in today's market.
Your property taxes can be low too. But you have to know the rules. South Carolina has a 4% tax rate for your primary home. You must file an application with the county assessor to get this rate. If you forget, you get hit with the 6% rate. That is a rookie mistake. File that paper the moment you close. It saves you thousands.
Colleton County is an outdoor paradise. This is not marketing fluff. We have the ACE Basin. It stands for the Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto rivers. This is one of the largest undeveloped estuaries on the East Coast.
You don't need a country club membership here. You need a boat or a pair of boots. The fishing is world-class. People pull massive redfish and trout out of these waters all year.
Hunters love this area too. You have access to thousands of acres for deer and turkey hunting. The Bear Island Wildlife Management Area is a local favorite. It feels wild and untouched. It is the South Carolina that existed fifty years ago.
Walterboro is the county seat. We call it the "Front Porch of the Lowcountry." It lives up to the name. The downtown area is adorable. You have antique shops like the ones on Washington Street. You have great local food.
The pace is different here. People wave when you drive by. No one is honking at you to turn right on red. It is quiet.
Make sure you visit the Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary. It is right in town. You can walk on boardwalks through a hardwood swamp. It is free. It is beautiful. It is the perfect place to clear your head after work.
Some people worry that Colleton is too far out. It really isn't. You are right on I-95. You can be in Summerville in 35 minutes. You can be in downtown Charleston in under an hour. Savannah is an easy drive south.
You also have Edisto Beach nearby. It is one of the few family beaches left that hasn't been ruined by high-rises. You can drive there for the day and be back home for dinner. You get the best of both worlds. You get the rural peace without losing access to the city.
Investors are starting to notice Colleton County. Prices are creeping up. But it is still a buyer's market compared to the rest of the coast. You can still find a fixer-upper with good bones. You can still find five acres of land for a reasonable price.
This is the time to look. Don't wait until it becomes the next Summerville. Come sit on the porch with us. You might just decide to stay.