A William Means listing, 2 Water Street, was featured in an article in the Post & Courier about the rise of luxury home sales.

CHARLESTON – It’s the creamy gray mansion along the historic stretch of Battery houses that are the stuff of postcards. The one with the bold navy shutters.

The Nathaniel Ingraham House went on the market this spring for $9.95 million, put up for sale by contemporary artist John Dunnan and wife Meredith.

While that sounds pricey, the Dunnans’ sense of timing might be right, as buyers appear to be returning to the high end of the market in the Charleston area.

Whether bordered by historic bluestone sidewalks or situated within range of a salty breeze, the region’s top-dollar homes are finding buyers at a faster pace so far this year.

Sales numbers have tripled in some regions during the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year, outpacing the overall residential market’s growth.

Local real estate experts say luxury-level buyers can’t resist the deals on reduced-price property, while others are returning to the market as their personal finances stabilize.

Second-home buyers

Downtown Charleston saw a striking uptick in sales during the first six months for homes listed between $800,000 and $2 million.

A total of 42 single-family residences below the Crosstown Expressway sold within that range from Jan. 1 to June 30, according to figures from the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors. During the first six months of last year, only 13 homes changed hands.

The reasons they buy

Back at the Nathaniel Ingraham House on the Battery, Helen Lyles Geer of William Means Real Estate is seeking a buyer who’s not only confident in the market but also willing to take ownership of a unique historic property.

She noted that the Dunnans’ home is among the dwindling number of true single-family residences on the High Battery, where some neighboring properties have been chopped up into condominiums or used as event venues.

The Nathaniel Ingraham House itself was sectioned off at one time so that interior designers could showcase their talents there. That left it without any natural flow.

But the Dunnans undertook a meticulous multimillion-dollar renovation during their decade of ownership, one that had a contractor on his back for five weeks picking away at ceiling paint in the formal dining room.

Cypress wood paneling now encircles the ground-level billiards room.

The Dunnans plan to move to Yeamans Hall in Hanahan while they look for another Charleston property to restore. Meredith Dunnan, an interior designer, keeps scrapbooks of past renovations, from design sketches on paper napkins to notes about the type of materials were used.

“We don’t do it to make a living,” she said. “We do it out of desire.”

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