"They estimated $30,000 to $40,000 in additional value per home by having an OIB zip code." Commissioner Mike Wade said that at an Ocean Isle Beach Board of Commissioners meeting. He was recounting what a Stanley Martin Homes representative told him when he asked the builder to consider taking The Tides out of town limits. The builder said no. Wade said the representative gave a second reason too: the town's planning department was easier to work with than the county's.
That estimate is the most useful number for anyone comparing new homes along Ocean Isle Beach Road, and also the hardest to check. The builder put a price on the town's name. What the name gets an owner on the mainland can be added up line by line. Most of the value turns out to be in one place, and it isn't the beach.
A Neighborhood the Town Sold, Then Tried to Give Back
The Tides sits on roughly 241 acres at the northwest corner of Old Georgetown Road and Ocean Isle Beach Road, west of the roundabout. The Town of Ocean Isle Beach owned that land. It sold all 240.9 acres to Stanley Martin Homes for $11,000,000 in March 2022. The property had already been annexed into town limits before the sale, so it stayed inside them.
Later the board voted unanimously to ask the developer to consider de-annexation, and Wade and Commissioner Mark Holland went to make the request. Town Attorney Brian Edes explained that only the North Carolina General Assembly can de-annex property, usually through a local act. The Brunswick Beacon reported that the effort stalled after state legislators declined to support a referendum. On Feb. 10, 2026, commissioners voted 4-1 to approve the final plat for Phase 1A. The master plan now calls for 649 total units. An earlier version of the plan listed 651.
Holland summed up where the board landed: "They will be citizens, and they will pay town taxes and we will welcome them to the best of our ability."
So Tides owners will be full Ocean Isle Beach taxpayers. Next comes the cost of that status.
The Bill Comes to About $600 a Year
For FY2026–27, the town kept its property tax rate at $0.13 per $100 of assessed value, unchanged from the year before. Brunswick County's rate for the same year is about 34 cents per $100, and every county property pays it whether it is inside town limits or not.
The town levy is the only added cost, and it comes to $130 for every $100,000 of assessed value. Take a move-in-ready Tides home Stanley Martin lists at 1058 Rock Skipper Road: 2,395 square feet at $469,990. If that home were assessed near its asking price, the town portion of the bill would be about $611 a year.
Set that next to the builder's estimate. A $30,000 to $40,000 premium covers roughly 49 to 65 years of town taxes at today's rate. Either buyers pay that premium for something worth far more than the tax, or the premium describes how the name markets rather than what it delivers. To tell which, look at what the $611 pays for.
The Beach Costs the Same $175 From Either Side of the Bridge
Most buyers assume a town address comes with a beach parking break. On Ocean Isle Beach it doesn't.
Paid parking runs April 1 through October 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The rates are $5 an hour for up to three hours, $20 a day, $80 a week, and a $175 maximum per vehicle for the season. The town's paid parking page states it plainly: "Parking rates are the same for EVERYONE...and this also includes golfcarts/LSVs." The town's September 2026 fee schedule carries the same $175 seasonal cap.
That wasn't the first plan. Under Otto Connect's original proposal, every property owner who pays town property taxes would have gotten one free seasonal permit per property. The beach nourishment contract eliminated it. Then–Town Administrator Justin Whiteside explained that the town's federal project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers runs for 50 years and covers 65% of the cost of each nourishment, with the town and the State of North Carolina splitting the other 35%. Under the Corps' rules, any parking fees "must be applied uniformly to all concerned." Whiteside's reading: "if you're going to charge one you have to charge everyone."
As a result, a Tides owner and a visitor from Shallotte pay the same amount to park at the beach. The sand that keeps the beach in place is partly paid for by the same federal agreement that keeps the parking price equal for everyone.
Line by Line at The Tides
Some of the services a buyer might credit to the town address come from elsewhere, or would arrive either way.
| Service | Who provides it at The Tides | Tied to town limits? |
|---|---|---|
| Water and sewer | Brunswick County | No |
| Internal streets | Private, maintained by the HOA | No |
| Fire protection | Ocean Isle Beach Fire District | No, the parcel is in the district either way |
| Beach parking | Otto Connect, same rates for all | No |
| Development approvals | Town planning department | Yes |
| Town police, sanitation, streets | Town general fund | Yes |
| Vote for mayor and commissioners | Town elections | Yes |
Mayor Debbie Smith has said the property needs Ocean Isle Beach Fire Department service no matter which side of the town line it sits on. She also noted that town police already patrol the neighboring Ocean Isle Beach Park. The town budget funds public safety, fire, streets, sanitation, mosquito control, and planning and zoning. Its newly posted off-season schedule moves trash pickup to Tuesdays only, with recycling every other Tuesday. None of the town documents we reviewed say whether Tides streets are on that curbside route yet, so buyers should ask.
Take away the items that arrive regardless, and what's left is mostly civic: town services, a town planning office, and a ballot.
The Ballot Is the Biggest Line Item
The ballot is what island residents argued about. At the time of the de-annexation debate, Smith said the town had about 886 registered voters and about 4,000 homes. Planning Board member Kris Crane warned that the subdivision's size and "number of voting members" would affect the town "tremendously." Measured against 886 voters, 649 units is a very large addition.
The Town of Ocean Isle Beach meeting record says the town elects its mayor and commissioners at large, with three commissioner seats up in each odd-numbered year, so the next regular election falls in 2027. Smith said the board could create voting districts, but only after residents are living in the development. Wade pointed out, and Edes confirmed, that districts must be drawn by population and cannot favor a less populated area. We found no 2026 reporting that Tides residents have registered yet or that districts have been adopted.
Smith has described the arrival in positive terms. "It brings great people," she said, noting that some longtime island residents already chose to move to the town's small mainland community. She added that more taxpayers could help keep the rate low. For a Tides buyer, that is the real argument for the $611. It buys a voice in setting the rate, the parking program, and the planning decisions that shape Ocean Isle Beach Road, in a town where that voice may soon carry real weight.
The Price Tags Along Ocean Isle Beach Road
In August 2026, the Brunswick County Association of REALTORS reported a countywide median sale price of $392,000, essentially flat from August 2025. The average fell 4.0% to $500,936, sales dropped 8.9% to 573, and average time on market rose to 95 days. From January through August, the median was up 4.2% to $387,334. BCAR does not publish a figure for Ocean Isle Beach alone.
The Tides' listed homes run $469,990, $479,990 and $499,990, all above that county median. Outside town limits, Dream Finders lists a 2,252-square-foot home at Creekview Landing in Shallotte at $289,990. Its Evershore community in Sunset Beach, near Highways 17 and 904, is advertised as coming soon "From the Low $300's." These communities differ in builder, finishes, and amenities. The Tides lists a pool, clubhouse and fitness center, pickleball and bocce courts, and a fire-pit area. The roughly $180,000 gap between those two specific listings can't be pulled apart into a town-limits premium. A buyer who wants that number has to price everything else first.
More supply is coming. Stanley Martin says a new single-family section and separate villas open in October. Just before the bridge, Hawthorne Ocean Isle at 5855 Sparkling Water Way holds its grand opening on October 1, with base rents advertised from $1,385 to $2,115 before fees.
What to Confirm Before You Sign
- Ask for the parcel's current assessed value, then multiply by $0.13 per $100 to estimate the town portion of the tax bill.
- Confirm in writing whether the street is on the town's curbside sanitation route and which pickup days apply.
- Get the HOA budget. Private roads mean road maintenance shows up in dues, not in town services.
- Plan on $175 per vehicle each season if beach parking matters to your household. No owner discount exists.
- Check which phase the lot is in. Phase 1A has 46 lots and the master plan has five phases, so construction traffic could continue for years.
If you already own on Ocean Isle Beach Road or nearby and want to know what your home is worth with all this new inventory coming in, Steve Adams & Associates can price it against the actual competition, including the parts the town name does and doesn't cover. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
