Charleston's Most Expensive Home Sold

A European-inspired oceanfront house on Kiawah Island has recently been sold to a Texas financial executive for $8.4 million, the highest home price ever recorded for the high-end sea island resort town.

What makes this two-bedroom home at 99 Surfsong Road so special?

In the course of designing and building it, the previous owners Sewell and Bettie Dixon shipped about 14 tons of antique building materials to Charleston from Europe.

The white pillars on the patio, for example, come from a small town in the French region of Provence.  The kitchen floor tiles are from coastal Italy.

The couple even estimates that one of the property's four fireplaces is nearly 1,000 years old!

Even though it was their dream home, the Dixons were looking to simplify their life and travel more.  They put the property on the market in early 2006 for $9.8 million.

Meanwhile, Dallas residents Thomas and Sandra Rouse were seeking a second home.  When the couple saw the Dixon residence in a brochure, they set up a tour that included an antique expert and their real estate agent.

The home, which has been featured in national magazines, was under contract in short order.

The sale closed June 29, 2007.  Previously, a home on Ocean Course Drive held the record after it fetched $7.775 million in November.  At least three other Kiawah residences have sold for more than $7 million.

The Surfsong Road home was built on what many say is one of the island's most scenic lots.  The head of the Kuwaiti company that once owned Kiawah was planning to build a palace on the spot.

The guest house has three bedrooms, while the main residence only has two, and the two buildings are separated by a garden and an imported fountain.

The Kiawah deal came on the heels of another record-breaking local real estate sale.  In June, in downtown Charleston, 21 King St. sold for $7.2 million, shattering the peninsula's previous record of $6.1 million.

I can't wait to see what the home sells for that breaks this new record.  I have a feeling that I won't have too long too wait.