Del Webb at Cane Bay: 7 Things Nobody Tells You

Del Webb Cane Bay stopped selling new homes around 2015. There is no builder sales center, no model home, no option to customize finishes or choose a lot. Every home in the community is owned by a private seller. That means no builder warranty, no build timeline, and no option to negotiate upgrades. What it does mean: you can see exactly what you are buying before you buy it. Mature landscaping, actual neighbors, a real sense of the community — not a rendering.

Marketing for the Charleston area frequently uses phrases like "coastal South Carolina" and "minutes from Charleston." Del Webb Cane Bay is 25–30 miles from downtown Charleston and approximately 35–40 miles from Isle of Palms or Sullivan's Island. A round trip to the beach and back is 70–80 miles and 70–90 minutes of driving. Residents who want spontaneous beach days will find the distance non-trivial. Residents who want suburban Summerville living with occasional beach excursions find it completely workable.

Most people researching "55+ communities in Summerville SC" assume they are all in the same county. They are not. Cane Bay is in Berkeley County (effective rate ~0.51%). Most Summerville communities — Horizons, Cresswind, Carillon, Pines at Gahagan — are in Dorchester County (~0.67%). On a $480K home, Berkeley County costs approximately $768/year less in property taxes. Over 10 years: $7,680 before the senior homestead exemption. For the same home price, Cane Bay buyers pay less in property tax than Nexton buyers every single year.

Cane Bay's 360-acre site was designed around its natural lagoon and wetland system. Approximately 40–50% of the 1,000 homes have a lagoon or water view. This is not a single pond around which a few premium lots sit — the water is woven throughout the community. Water-view lots command some premium, but many buyers who expected to pay extra for a view find that a lagoon-adjacent home is standard pricing, not special pricing.

Del Webb Cane Bay's clubhouse, The Heritage House at Cane Bay, is a 20,000 sq ft facility. This is fully built, finished, and actively used by a resident population that has been living here since 2007. The Heritage House includes indoor and outdoor heated pools, a fitness center, aerobics studio, multipurpose rooms, craft spaces, a catering kitchen, and extensive outdoor amenities. By the time most buyers tour it, it feels genuinely lived-in — because it is. The clubs and activity calendar have depth that a newer community cannot match.

Del Webb Cane Bay CC&Rs prohibit short-term rentals. You cannot Airbnb or VRBO your home, and neither can your neighbors. In a market where 55+ communities sometimes allow vacation rentals that disrupt community character, Cane Bay's prohibition is a genuine quality-of-life protection. The restriction also prevents investment buyers from purchasing for rental income, which keeps the community's ownership composition stable and neighborly.

The HOA at $313/month is notably higher than Del Webb Nexton's ~$250/mo. But neither HOA covers individual lot lawn care — that is an owner responsibility at both communities. Budget approximately $100/month for lawn service on top of the HOA at Cane Bay. Total carrying cost comparison: Cane Bay at ~$413/mo (HOA + lawn) vs. Nexton at ~$350/mo (HOA + lawn). Partially offset by Cane Bay's Berkeley County tax savings of ~$64/month.