By Aidan Sowa · October 2026 · St Simons Island, GeorgiaComparable homes on St Simons Island are selling in two distinct bands, and a comparison is only honest when it stays inside one band at a time. New construction on standard lots has sold from 1,100,000 dollars to 1,900,000 dollars depending on beach or marsh proximity and lot size (Redfin, 2026). Older homes, in the sample of 17 properties built in 1980 or earlier in ZIP code 31522, sold at an average of 23.1 percent of the new build price on a comparable lot, with builders acquiring 9 of the 17 (Frontier Capitals, 2026). A finished home and an older cottage on the same street are therefore not comparables for each other, however close their addresses are. True comparables share a build era, a buyer pool and a segment of the island.
That discipline sounds strict, but it protects sellers in both directions. An owner who compares a cottage with finished homes will overprice, spend 60 to 120-plus days on market, and meet the real buyer after public price reductions have weakened the negotiation. An owner who compares a strong, elevated lot with weak interior sales will underprice the one asset the island cannot replace. This report sets out how comparable sets should be built on St Simons Island, what each band is actually selling for, and how the comparison changes when the likely buyer is a builder rather than a household.
The island segments frame every comparison. The Village at the south end, the Beachfront Blocks, the Marsh-View Corridors and mid-island each carry their own premium structure, because finished prices differ by position and the older home band is derived from those finished prices. A comparable drawn from the wrong segment is wrong before its condition is even considered.
Key Findings
- New construction comparables on standard lots have sold between 1,100,000 dollars and 1,900,000 dollars (Redfin, 2026).
- Older home comparables averaged 23.1 percent of the comparable new build price in the 17 home sample (Frontier Capitals, 2026).
- Builders acquired 9 of 17 sampled older homes, so most older home comparables are land transactions (Frontier Capitals, 2026).
- At the sample ratio, the older comparable to a 1,400,000 dollar new build sold near 325,000 dollars (Frontier Capitals, 2026).
- Recorded deeds, not asking prices or modelled values, are the source for comparable selling prices (Glynn County Clerk of Superior Court, 2026).
How should a comparable set be built on the island?
A comparable set should be built by era first, segment second and condition third, in that order. Era comes first because the two price bands differ by a factor of more than four: an average of 23.1 percent means the finished comparable is worth roughly four times its older counterpart before any other adjustment (Frontier Capitals, 2026). No adjustment for kitchens, bathrooms or paint bridges a gap of that size, and any set that mixes eras will produce an average that describes no real transaction on the island.
Segment comes second because finished prices, and therefore land values, are set by position. A beachfront or marsh-view comparable supports a different finished price than a mid-island interior comparable of the same size, and the research is explicit that those premiums appear in new build comps while rarely appearing in older home listings (Redfin, 2026). Condition comes third, and only inside the older band, where it separates the genuinely livable home that can earn a household premium from the cottage whose buyer will price the lot alone. Lot facts anchor all three steps: the sample minimum lot was 6,098 square feet, and parcel records state the dimensions and history that decide whether two lots are truly alike (Glynn County Tax Assessor, 2026).
Modelled values can suggest where to look for comparables but cannot select them. Published home value data blends the very eras a good set must separate (Zillow, 2026), and a model has no knowledge of which recorded sales were builder purchases. The deed record does. Recorded deeds and plat records identify the buyer, the price and the parcel in one document (Glynn County Clerk of Superior Court, 2026). An owner who builds a set of six to ten deeds, all in one era and one segment, holds better pricing evidence than an owner with fifty portal listings. The broader valuation framework for a house on the island in 2026 places that deed set inside the full method.
What are finished and new construction comparables selling for?
Finished comparables are selling between 1,100,000 dollars and 1,900,000 dollars on standard lots, and that corridor is the reference ceiling for the whole island comparison structure (Redfin, 2026). The upper end belongs to lots where beach or marsh position can be marketed with the house. The lower end belongs to sound interior lots where the finished home sells on size, finish and island address without a frontage premium. New residential construction and building permit statistics provide the national and regional supply context behind that corridor, confirming that the island corridor reflects local land scarcity rather than a general building pattern (U.S. Census Bureau, 2026).
A finished comparable should never be used raw against an older home. It must first pass through the residual calculation, because most of its price is not land. On the research illustration, a 1,500,000 dollar finished sale carries roughly 620,000 dollars of hard and soft construction costs and a builder margin near 20 percent, leaving a residual land value near 550,000 dollars to 650,000 dollars before 20,000 dollars to 35,000 dollars of site preparation (Frontier Capitals, 2026). The land residual, not the finished headline, is the figure that competes with older home prices. The analysis of how new construction sale prices affect older home values follows that pass through step by step for owners who want the full derivation.
Sellers should also note what finished comparables say about their own segment over time. House price index data for coastal Georgia tracks the direction of the wider market (Federal Housing Finance Agency, 2026), and metropolitan housing characteristics from the American Community Survey describe the stock those finished homes are joining (U.S. Census Bureau, 2025). A rising finished corridor lifts land residuals and, with them, the older band. A flat finished corridor leaves older sellers dependent on lot quality alone. Comparables are therefore a moving reference, and a set built a year ago should be rebuilt before it is used to price today.
What are older home comparables selling for?
Older home comparables are selling at land value for most of the stock, with a household premium available to a minority of genuinely ready homes. The sample average of 23.1 percent of the comparable new build price is the centre of the band (Frontier Capitals, 2026). Worked through the documented corridor, that average places the older comparable to a 1,100,000 dollar finished home near 254,000 dollars, the comparable to a 1,400,000 dollar finished home near 325,000 dollars, and the comparable to a 1,900,000 dollar finished home near 439,000 dollars. Those are averages across comparable lots, not quotes for specific addresses, and frontage, elevation and lot size move individual results around them.
The buyer identity behind each comparable explains its position in the band. Builder purchases, 9 of the 17 in the sample, cluster at the residual land value, because the buyer gains nothing from the structure (Frontier Capitals, 2026). Household purchases of homes with updated systems and no functional obsolescence can sit above the cluster, because the buyer gains a home to occupy. An owner reading older comparables should therefore record the buyer type beside every price. A set of five builder deeds prices a lot. A set of five household deeds for livable homes prices a house. Confusing the two sets is the island version of confusing the eras.
ZIP level framing helps owners locate their set, since this market sits inside the single 31522 code and comparisons must be built at segment level within it. The breakdown of what older homes are worth inside the 31522 ZIP code gathers the older band evidence for the code as a whole. Within that frame, the Village, the Beachfront Blocks, the Marsh-View Corridors and mid-island each produce their own comparable sets, and a marsh-view cottage should never be priced from interior deeds simply because the interior set is larger or easier to find.
How do renovated comparables change the comparison?
Renovated comparables change the comparison only inside the household slice of the older band, and by less than their sellers usually hope. The research illustration is the control figure: a 75,000 dollar update on a 1968 cottage might lift the sale price by 50,000 dollars to 65,000 dollars for a live-in buyer, while returning nothing where the buyer acquires the lot (Frontier Capitals, 2026). A renovated comparable therefore supports a premium over an unrenovated comparable only when both are read as household sales. Against a builder comparable, the renovated home and the tired home can record the same price, because both prices are the same lot price wearing different kitchens.
This is why the measurement of how much more a renovated island home can sell for insists on splitting renovated sales by buyer before averaging them. Owners considering renovation before sale should run the same split prospectively: if the likely buyer is a builder, the renovation comparable set says the spend returns nothing; if the likely buyer is a household, it returns less than its cost in the documented illustration. Either way, the comparable record argues for pricing the house as it stands and letting the buyer pool, not the renovation budget, decide the premium.
Agent practice forms the backdrop to how these comparables reach sellers. Nationally, 91 percent of sellers used an agent and for sale by owner sales fell to 5 percent, an all time low (National Association of Realtors, 2025). Agent prepared comparisons dominate the market, which makes the era and buyer split in this report more important, not less: an owner who knows the split can test any prepared comparison in minutes by asking which recorded sales were builder purchases and which segments they came from. A comparison that cannot answer those two questions should not set a price on this island.
What do comparable prices mean after selling costs?
Comparable prices are gross figures, and the seller decision runs on net figures, so the comparison must be completed with the cost ledger. On a 550,000 dollar sale, commission at the typical 5 to 6 percent takes 27,500 dollars to 33,000 dollars and seller closing costs add 1 to 2 percent, together 33,000 dollars to 44,000 dollars. Georgia transfer tax is part of that closing ledger at 1 dollar per 1,000 dollars of consideration (Georgia Department of Revenue, 2026). Repair credits on older inventory routinely add 10,000 dollars to 25,000 dollars, and carrying costs over three to six months add 15,000 dollars to 35,000 dollars, leaving a typical listed net in the mid 400,000 dollar range on that gross figure.
A direct sale reprices the same comparable without those deductions, through the five documented benefits. The sale stays private throughout, with no showings held, no open house events, no period of public marketing, and nothing entering the public record before the deed itself is transferred. Flexible closing: 7 to 21 days, or months out with a leaseback, against 60 to 120-plus days listed. No commissions: the 5 to 6 percent line is removed entirely. No seller closing costs: the further 1 to 2 percent is removed with it. No inspections or repairs: the as-is sale carries no repair credit negotiation, because a land buyer performs no structural inspection. Frontier Capitals buys directly as a wholesaler and sources off-market deals to builders, and an owner can verify any direct buyer through proof of funds dated within the last 30 days and recorded deeds in the buying entity name (Glynn County Clerk of Superior Court, 2026).
Two closing situations deserve a comparable note of their own. Estate sellers often meet comparables for the first time while dividing an inheritance, and the answer on whether an inherited house can be sold immediately explains why authority to sell must exist before any comparable can be acted on. And owners whose strongest asset is clearly the lot should read the standalone valuation of a residential lot on the island, where the land band is priced without reference to any structure at all. In both cases the comparable method stays the same: right era, right segment, right buyer, then net.
Methodology and limitations
This report rests on the sample of 17 older homes in 31522, 9 acquired by builders, compiled for this research (Frontier Capitals, 2026). Comparable corridors for new construction come from recent sold and new construction records for the ZIP code (Redfin, 2026), and modelled value behaviour from published home value data (Zillow, 2026). Deed and parcel evidence rests on county records (Glynn County Clerk of Superior Court, 2026; Glynn County Tax Assessor, 2026). Construction context comes from national building statistics (U.S. Census Bureau, 2026), housing stock context from survey data (U.S. Census Bureau, 2025), price trend context from the federal index (Federal Housing Finance Agency, 2026), and closing tax detail from the state revenue source (Georgia Department of Revenue, 2026). Seller practice figures come from the national profile in the source pool (National Association of Realtors, 2025).
The sample is a sample, not a census of the ZIP code, and the 23.1 percent average conceals real variation by segment, elevation, lot size and condition. The residual illustration is simplified and labelled as such in the research. No individual property was inspected, appraised or priced in this report. Owners who need a formal opinion of value for lending, legal or tax purposes should engage an appraiser, using the comparable discipline here to test the result.
Conclusion
Comparable homes on St Simons Island are selling for 1,100,000 dollars to 1,900,000 dollars when they are new, and at an average of 23.1 percent of the comparable new price when they are older homes on similar lots, with builders behind the majority of older purchases (Frontier Capitals, 2026; Redfin, 2026). A comparable set built by era, segment and buyer type turns those two bands into a defensible range for any specific house. A set built any other way produces a confident number that the first serious buyer will dismantle. Sellers who complete the comparison with the cost ledger, and judge routes on net proceeds, hold the full picture the deeds support.
Owners who want a comparable set built for a specific island property can telephone Frontier Capitals at 401-219-4207 or email [email protected].
When you line up the last five sales nearest your home, how many of them were truly houses like yours, sold to buyers like yours?
Frequently Asked Questions
How many comparables does a seller need?
Six to ten recorded sales inside one era and one segment are more useful than a long mixed list. Deeds identify price, buyer and parcel together (Glynn County Clerk of Superior Court, 2026). Fewer than four leaves the range hostage to one unusual transaction, which matters in a sample driven market.
Can a new construction sale ever be a comparable for an older home?
Only after the residual pass through, never at face value. A 1,500,000 dollar finished sale implies land value near 550,000 dollars to 650,000 dollars in the research illustration, after construction costs and margin (Frontier Capitals, 2026). The land residual is the comparable figure; the finished price is not.
Why do two older homes on one street sell so differently?
Because their lots and buyers differ. Frontage and marsh or beach position move the finished price the lot can support (Redfin, 2026), elevation and dimensions move the buildable envelope (Glynn County Tax Assessor, 2026), and a household buyer for a livable home pays for structure a builder ignores. Street alone has never been the unit of comparison on this island.
Do renovated homes make good comparables for unrenovated ones?
Only within household sales, and with the documented discount applied. A 75,000 dollar update added 50,000 dollars to 65,000 dollars for a live-in buyer and nothing for a lot buyer in the research illustration (Frontier Capitals, 2026). Using a renovated household sale to price an unrenovated home for a builder audience overstates the price twice.
Where should an owner find comparable prices?
In recorded deeds, split by era, segment and buyer type (Glynn County Clerk of Superior Court, 2026). Portal asking prices show intention, and modelled values blend eras (Zillow, 2026). The deed record is the only source that shows what comparable homes actually sold for.
Sellers in St Simons Island also ask Is St Simons Island Currently a Buyer’s Market or a Seller’s Market?
Sources
- Frontier Capitals, 2026. 189 neighborhood builder acquisition sample: 17 homes sampled in 31522, 9 acquired by builders, average older home price 23.1 percent of new build. Market data.
- Redfin, 2026. Recently sold homes and new construction, ZIP code 31522, St. Simons Island GA. Market data.
- Zillow, 2026. Home values and recently sold, 31522. Market data.
- Glynn County Clerk of Superior Court, 2026. Recorded deeds and plat records for 31522. Official record.
- Glynn County Tax Assessor, 2026. Parcel and permit records, St. Simons Island GA. Official record.
- National Association of Realtors, 2025. 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers: 91% of sellers used an agent; 5% FSBO, an all-time low. Industry report.
- Federal Housing Finance Agency, 2026. House Price Index data for coastal Georgia markets. Government data.
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2025. American Community Survey, housing characteristics for the Brunswick metropolitan area. Government data.
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2026. New residential construction and building permit statistics. Government data.
- Georgia Department of Revenue, 2026. Real estate transfer tax: $1 per $1,000 of consideration. Official record.