Where Should You Rent Your Long-Term Luxury Home?
Handsome Properties July 8, 2022
Handsome Properties July 8, 2022
Should you rent a long-term luxury home in downtown Charleston or outside the peninsula? Both locations hold great appeal for Charleston’s luxury home rental market. In this post, we’re reviewing some key factors to consider when deciding where in the Charleston area to rent a long-term luxury property.
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For long-term luxury renters, we put together a guide to help you learn more about the Charleston area. For property owners, Handsome Homes provides a versatile portfolio that includes leasing, property management, and absentee homeowner services.
Downtown Charleston covers a range of neighborhoods that sit on the Charleston peninsula. Charleston is one of the oldest cities in the United States, so living here means you’re surrounded by history that goes all the way back to pre-Colonial times.
Charleston’s founding dates to 1670, but there’s never been a period here when time has stood still. Charleston has constantly evolved and developed, overcoming Civil War devastation, an 1886 earthquake, and the 1989 Hurricane Hugo landfall.
Revitalization efforts in the 1990s attracted more residents and fueled the tourism industry. Charleston today prides itself as a major tourist destination with a cuisine scene rooted in tradition and open to new ideas and influences.
In 2021, Travel + Leisure readers ranked Charleston among the 25 best cities in the world. But here’s the thing. While there are endless reasons for visitors to love Charleston, residents love their city for the same reasons—and for seven days a week, year in and year out.
Advantages of renting a luxury home in downtown Charleston include:
Downtown Charleston is like one magnificent restaurant and shopping district. Wherever your luxury rental home is located, chances are that it’s a short walk or drive to some of the best restaurants in the South.
Some of our favorite new places include Chez Nous, Wild Common, and Baker and Brewer. Charleston has shopping for all tastes, ranging from national brands to one-of-a-kind evening wear. Our Handsome Properties blog post reveals some of the best places to shop like a local.
Charleston teems with historic homes, churches, and museums–not to mention Fort Sumter, site of the first battle of the Civil War. Aside from history heavyweights, downtown Charleston is also home to a vibrant aquarium, a bustling art gallery scene, and a year-round calendar of festivals (Spoleto is just one of many).
Charleston neighborhoods are walkable and bikeable. If you envision walking or biking to cafes, restaurants, and boutiques, choose a downtown Charleston neighborhood to make that dream come true. P.S. Charleston streets are easy for drivers to navigate, too, but you’ll need to watch out for pedestrian traffic.
Charleston has a unique personality and signature charm that sets it apart from many other cities in the United States. You can see it in the architecture (think Rainbow Row) and the courtyard gardens throughout the downtown area.
You can also see and feel it through its people. Living downtown in a luxury rental home puts you in the city readers of Condé Nast Traveler voted Charleston the second friendliest city in the United States in 2020.
Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms, and Sullivan’s Island are among the communities located outside of downtown Charleston. One of the primary advantages of these areas is, you guessed it, being close to all the advantages of downtown Charleston!
A stunning natural setting is one of Charleston’s enduring charms, and it’s one that you’ll enjoy daily if you rent a luxury home in the areas surrounding downtown. Other advantages include:
Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island offer beaches that soothe the soul and invigorate the spirit. The surf is ideal for swimming and wading. IOP has a 6.5 coastline made up of one continuous beach that’s mostly wide, level, and fringed by dunes. Sullivan’s Island beach is about 3 miles long. Public access in both communities is provided by beach access paths you traverse by foot. Many beachfront homes come with private pathways to the beach.
Several award-winning golf courses are located outside downtown Charleston, including Wild Dune Resort Golf and Patriot Points Links. Tom Fazio designed the two 18-hole courses at Wild Dunes near long-term rental homes on Isle of Palms. Willard Byrd designed Patriots Point Links located near long-term rental homes in Mount Pleasant.
Taken together, Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms, and Sullivan’s Island boast a thriving restaurant scene anchored by long-time favorites like Page’s Okra Grill in Mount Pleasant and Poe’s Tavern in Sullivan’s Island. New restaurants, cafes, and breweries sprout regularly in Mount Pleasant, including Graze and Crave Kitchen and Cocktails.
Locals will agree that both downtown Charleston and its surrounding areas offer many advantages for long-term luxury renting. Whether you live downtown or on Isle of Palms, for example, getting to the airport is easy. Highway access is readily available as well from both downtown and in surrounding areas. Health care is always an important consideration when choosing a place to live.
Downtown Charleston has MUSC Health-University Medical Center, ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the number one hospital in South Carolina. Outside of downtown, Mount Pleasant is home to Roper St. Francis Hospital and East Cooper Hospital.
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