If we want to understand what buyers are looking for right now, one useful place to start is with the homes they actually chose. From Friday, August 14 through Sunday, August 16, 2026, 151 homes went under contract in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester Counties. Charleston County accounted for 66 of those contracts, Berkeley County had 55, and Dorchester County had 30. One weekend does not establish a long-term market trend, but it does give sellers a useful snapshot of the homes buyers were willing to act on.

Detached homes clearly led the market. Across the three counties, 125 of the 151 contracts, or about 83%, were detached homes. Charleston County had 56 detached and 10 attached contracts. Berkeley County had 42 detached and 13 attached, while Dorchester County had 27 detached and only three attached. This does not mean attached homes are not selling, but it does show that detached homes represented most of the buyer activity during this particular weekend.

What interested me even more was the size of the detached homes. Despite the very different price points of the three counties, the typical detached home going under contract was remarkably similar in size. The median detached home was 2,087 square feet in Charleston County, 2,037 square feet in Berkeley County and 2,007 square feet in Dorchester County. In other words, roughly 2,000 square feet appears to be a very practical size in the current contract activity. Buyers certainly purchased homes both larger and smaller, but sellers should not assume that bigger automatically means more desirable.

The bedroom and bathroom numbers tell a similar story. About 74% of all the contracts had either three or four bedrooms, and approximately 74% had between two and three bathrooms. Charleston County's median home had three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. Berkeley County was also three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. Dorchester County had a median of four bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms, although three bedrooms was still the single most common bedroom count there. The larger message is fairly simple: buyers were overwhelmingly choosing practical floor plans rather than unusually large bedroom or bathroom counts.

Lot size was also more ordinary than some sellers may expect. Looking specifically at detached homes with land, the median lot was approximately 0.25 acre in Charleston County, 0.20 acre in Berkeley County and 0.25 acre in Dorchester County. There were certainly larger properties in the data, including several multi-acre homes, but they were not typical. A seller does not necessarily need an enormous yard to compete. A usable lot, good placement of the home, privacy, drainage, fencing and how the outdoor space functions may matter more than simply having the largest acreage number.

Days on market showed one of the biggest differences among the counties. Dorchester County homes that went under contract had a median of only 14.5 days on market. Charleston County was approximately 31 days, while Berkeley County was 47 days. Berkeley was particularly interesting because almost one-third of its weekend contracts had already been on the market for more than 90 days. That is important for sellers who assume a home becomes unsellable once it has accumulated market time. Older listings were still finding buyers. The better question may be whether something changed in the price, presentation, competition or perceived value.

Price appears to be part of that story. The median list price of the homes going under contract was $664,500 in Charleston County, approximately $385,904 in Berkeley County and $382,525 in Dorchester County. More importantly for sellers, almost half of the contracts were no longer at their original asking price. The current list price was lower than the original list price on approximately 49% of Charleston County contracts, 47% of Berkeley County contracts and 43% of Dorchester County contracts. We cannot say that the price reduction caused the buyer to act, but we can say that many homes did not have to sell at their original asking position in order to ultimately attract a contract.

Berkeley and Dorchester Counties also continue to show the influence of newer construction. Approximately 29% of Berkeley County contracts and 27% of Dorchester County contracts were homes built in 2025 or 2026, compared with only about 8% in Charleston County. That matters for resale sellers. A homeowner in Summerville, Goose Creek, Moncks Corner or another area with active building is not competing only with the resale house down the street. Buyers may also be comparing that home with a builder offering a new roof, new HVAC, warranties, closing-cost incentives or a lower interest rate. A resale home needs to make a clear case for its value through price, lot, upgrades, location or overall condition.

Attached homes deserve a little more context because the numbers varied considerably. Charleston County's ten attached contracts had a median size of about 1,146 square feet and a median market time of 20 days. Berkeley County's 13 attached contracts were larger, with a median of 1,530 square feet, but they had been on the market a median of 72 days. Dorchester County had only three attached contracts, which is too small a sample to draw a strong conclusion from, although their median size was about 1,500 square feet. Sellers of condos and townhomes should therefore be especially careful about comparing their property with the detached market. HOA costs, insurance, regime fees, amenities and financing can change the buyer's decision considerably.

So what should a homeowner take from this weekend? Buyers did not appear to be chasing one perfect type of house. They purchased expensive Charleston properties, more moderately priced Berkeley and Dorchester homes, older homes, new construction, small attached properties and larger detached houses. But a few patterns were consistent. Most contracts involved detached homes. Three- and four-bedroom layouts dominated. A detached home around 2,000 square feet was very common. Typical lot sizes were closer to one-fifth or one-quarter acre than to large acreage. And nearly half of the homes had already experienced a price adjustment.

For a seller, that means preparation should begin with the market that exists today rather than the market we remember. Look at the homes buyers have recently chosen. Compare the size, bedroom count, bathrooms, lot, age, condition, monthly costs and competition honestly. If buyers can purchase new construction nearby, understand the incentives being offered. If a home has been sitting, do not assume time alone is the problem. Ask whether the total value proposition still makes sense.

The strongest conclusion from this weekend is not that buyers demand perfection. The data does not support that. What it does suggest is that buyers are willing to make decisions when a home offers a combination of usable space, a practical floor plan, reasonable outdoor space and a price that makes sense beside the alternatives. For sellers, understanding that combination may be far more useful than simply asking what the highest-priced house in the neighborhood is listed for.

Data is based on the uploaded MLS export for homes ratified August 14–16, 2026. Statistics reflect list-price and listing information at the time of contract, not final closed-sale prices. A single weekend is a market snapshot and should not be interpreted as a long-term trend.

Bonnie Wicks, licensed as Bonnie Jean Wicks Bertalot, is an Associate Broker with Carolina One Real Estate and team lead of Shoreline Key Team, serving Mount Pleasant, Charleston, Summerville, Hanahan, Goose Creek, Ladson, and surrounding Lowcountry communities. Contact Bonnie at 843-754-0754 or visit bonniewicks.com.