Special to the Post and Courier
Management of vacation rental properties in coastal communities like Kiawah Island, where this home at 7 Rhetts Bluff Road is located, is big business in a Charleston area known for its hospitality. (Michael Cyra, Photographics/Akers Ellis/Provided).
Like other coastal communities, Kiawah Island implemented a ban on short-term rentals at the beginning of the pandemic. When that prohibition was lifted in mid-May, rental property managers at Akers Ellis Real Estate and Rentals were among those wondering how quickly the island’s vacation market would bounce back—if it did at all.
Hucks
Their fears turned out to be unfounded. “Kiawah went from zero to 100 miles per hour,” said Jerald Hucks, chief operating officer at Akers Ellis. “We were practically nonstop. We even saw our average length of stay increase.”
It was emblematic of a Charleston-area property management industry that’s remained robust despite the challenges presented in