Secretly tucked away mid-island behind Hilton Head Diner on Highway 278 is a quaint little neighborhood called Yacht Cove. Its location, affordability and family-friendly atmosphere are just a few reasons so many Hilton Head Islanders are choosing to call the community their home.
Yacht Cove is made up of 125 homes and 50 villas with an additional 45 villas that are located in the neighborhood but are not part of the property owners association. The neighborhood features a clubhouse, pool and tennis court. The POA plans to build a park in Yacht Cove that will be open to the public. The land set aside for the park was purchased by the Town of Hilton Head Island for preservation so it would not be developed.
Yacht Cove’s POA president, Bruce Pitkin, who has lived on Hilton Head Island for the past 27 years, pictures the park with picnic tables, grills, a pavilion for parties and maybe even a dock for canoes and kayaks. He said the park will probably be built in the next year or two.
Yacht Cove has become so popular that there are currently no homes for sale, Pitkin said. “We are almost at build-out,” he said. “We have three lots.” Pitkin said that when property is on the market in Yacht Cove, it sells very quickly. He added that the community has “some of best priced houses on Hilton Head.”
According to a local Realtor, homes that were sold in Yacht Cove over the past year were only on the market for an average of 62 days before being sold. Over that period of time, 23 homes and 15 villas were sold in the neighborhood. The homes were sold for between $185,000 and $250,000. The villas were sold for between $107,500 and $234,350. Two homesites were also sold in the past year in Yacht Cove for $40,000 and $35,000.
MCI Heritage Marketing Director Angela McSwain likes living in Yacht Cove because of its central location on the island and the moderate pricing of homes in comparison to other properties in the area. McSwain has lived in the community for almost four years, and this is her third year serving on the neighborhood’s POA.
“I like that it’s in the middle of the island,” McSwain said. “It’s convenient to get everywhere. It’s a house we could afford to own on Hilton Head... It’s a great little neighborhood. I really like it there. It’s a nice neighborhood in a great location.”
McSwain said there are a lot of children and a lot of dogs in the neighborhood. She said there is always someone outside either walking a dog or playing with children, and that the community is very family-oriented.
The majority of Yacht Cove residents are owners, but there are some renters in the neighborhood. Most of the residents of the community are young families with children.
Yacht Cove is conveniently located near some of the island’s most popular restaurants and shopping spots. Residents can walk to breakfast at Hilton Head Diner or go to a Sunday service right across the street at Christ Lutheran Church.
Rob Kaufman, owner of Kaufman Photog-raphy, has lived in the neighborhood for almost seven years. Kaufman and his family enjoy riding their bikes or walking to Captain’s Seafood or Tony Roma’s for lunch. They often ride their bikes to The Mall at Shelter Cove without even getting on the highway.
Local draftsman Mike Zibert decided to buy a villa at Wyndemere inside Yacht Cove not only for its affordability but because he liked the idea of living in a quiet family neighborhood. He has lived there almost a year and said he looks forward to having the new park so close to home.
Pitkin said that Yacht Cove was developed in the 1980s by John Carney and Cal Thomas, The original plan was for the neighborhood to be made up of all villas, but now the community consists mostly of houses.
