Waterside is a highly desirable coastal community located in Surf City, North Carolina, just minutes from Topsail Island beaches, the Surf City Bridge, local restaurants, shopping, breweries, parks, and everyday conveniences. Known for its resort-style amenities, newer homes, walkable layout, and relaxed coastal lifestyle, Waterside is a popular choice for buyers seeking a primary residence, second home, or long-term investment near the beach.
The neighborhood features a wide variety of modern single-family homes and townhomes with open floor plans, smart-home features, coastal finishes, fenced backyards, screened porches, pond views, and low-maintenance living. Many homes are within walking, biking, or golf-cart distance to Surf City attractions, making Waterside one of the most convenient mainland communities near Topsail Island.
Homes in Waterside
Primarily newer homes built from approximately 2020 to 2025
Single-family homes and townhomes available
Common floor plans include Cali, Aria, Kerry, Eaton, Forrester, Harbor Oak, Litchfield, and Norman designs
Homes typically range from approximately 830 to over 3,600 heated square feet
2- to 5-bedroom layouts available
One-level and two-story floor plans
Attached garages and private driveways
Many homes include screened porches, covered patios, fenced yards, pond views, and outdoor living spaces
Popular Features Found in Waterside Homes
Open-concept living areas
Luxury vinyl plank flooring
Granite, quartz, and quartzite countertops
Stainless steel appliances
Large kitchen islands and walk-in pantries
White cabinetry, tile backsplashes, and upgraded fixtures
Main-level primary suites in many homes
Walk-in closets and dual vanities
Smart-home technology packages
Screened porches and covered patios
Fenced backyards and extended patios
Outdoor showers, storage sheds, water filtration systems, and upgraded landscaping in select homes
Pond-front, wooded, and cul-de-sac lots available
Waterside Community Amenities
Waterside offers an impressive amenity package designed for active coastal living. Residents enjoy neighborhood gathering spaces, recreation areas, walking trails, and resort-style features just minutes from the beach.
Resort-style swimming pool
Clubhouse
Fitness center / workout room
Fire pit
Playground
Pickleball courts
Tennis courts
Basketball / multi-sport court
Sand volleyball court
Walking trails
Sidewalk-lined streets
Golf cart-friendly neighborhood atmosphere
Community ponds and scenic green spaces
Prime Surf City Location
Waterside is located in Surf City, NC 28445, on the mainland side near the Surf City Bridge and Topsail Island. The community offers convenient access to beaches, shopping, restaurants, coffee shops, breweries, gyms, grocery stores, Soundside Park, the Surf City Community Center, and local attractions.
Minutes from Topsail Island beaches
Close to the Surf City Bridge
Near local restaurants, coffee shops, breweries, boutiques, and grocery stores
Convenient to Soundside Park and Surf City attractions
Easy access to Wilmington and Jacksonville
Convenient commute to Camp Lejeune
Located near the Surf City / Topsail school district
Surf City residents may qualify for beach parking passes
Waterside Real Estate Market
Recent sales and active listings in Waterside show strong demand for newer coastal homes near Topsail Island. Prices vary depending on size, age, upgrades, lot location, floor plan, garage size, pond views, outdoor living features, and proximity to amenities.
Recent closed sales have ranged from the low $300,000s to over $700,000
Many single-family homes sell in the $400,000 to $600,000 range
Larger homes with 3,000+ square feet, pond views, or premium upgrades can command higher prices
Homes commonly range from approximately 1,200 to 3,200+ square feet
Newer construction and move-in ready homes are especially popular
Strong demand comes from primary buyers, second-home buyers, and long-term investors
Why Buyers Love Waterside
Close proximity to Surf City beaches and Topsail Island
Newer homes with modern layouts and finishes
Resort-style amenities
Walkable and bike-friendly location
Golf cart-friendly coastal lifestyle
Community pool, clubhouse, fitness center, courts, trails, and playground
Options for one-level living, larger family homes, and townhomes
Convenient access to shopping, dining, parks, and entertainment
Strong appeal for full-time living, vacation use, and long-term investment
Frequently Asked Questions About Waterside
Where is Waterside located?
Waterside is located in Surf City, North Carolina, near the Surf City Bridge, Topsail Island beaches, restaurants, shopping, parks, and local conveniences.
What types of homes are available in Waterside?
Waterside offers newer single-family homes and townhomes with a variety of floor plans, including one-level and two-story layouts ranging from smaller coastal cottages to larger family homes.
What amenities does Waterside offer?
Waterside amenities include a resort-style swimming pool, clubhouse, fitness center, fire pit, playground, pickleball courts, tennis courts, basketball or multi-sport court, sand volleyball, sidewalks, and walking trails.
How close is Waterside to the beach?
Waterside is just minutes from Surf City beaches and Topsail Island, with many homes located within a short drive, bike ride, or golf cart ride of the Surf City Bridge.
What is the typical price range for homes in Waterside?
Recent Waterside home sales have generally ranged from the low $300,000s to over $700,000, depending on home size, upgrades, lot features, floor plan, and location within the community.
Are there newer homes in Waterside?
Yes. Waterside is known for newer construction homes, with many properties built between approximately 2020 and 2025.
Are short-term rentals allowed in Waterside?
Some listing data references a minimum 6-month lease requirement, which may limit short-term rental use. Buyers should confirm current HOA rental rules before purchasing.
Is Waterside a good community for full-time living?
Yes. Waterside is popular with full-time residents because of its newer homes, neighborhood amenities, walkable location, proximity to schools, and easy access to shopping, dining, beaches, Wilmington, Jacksonville, and Camp Lejeune.
Why do buyers choose Waterside?
Buyers choose Waterside for its Surf City location, coastal lifestyle, newer homes, resort-style amenities, walkability, golf-cart-friendly feel, and proximity to Topsail Island beaches.
See what the Waterside community is about!
“Video recorded by Brian Schrader, Coastline NC Real Estate.
Full video transcript on the Waterside Community Overview video
hey everybody welcome back for another Community update today's Community Spotlight is Waterside it's a new homes Community by DR Horton up in Surf City just uh sits behind Topsail Beach again hey this is Brian Schrader I'm with the coastline NC real estate team at Lucas Realty Corporation so getting right down to it uh Surf City it's uh it's got up some areas on Topsail Island and also it really is known for its Mainland right across the bridge so as you can see here on the map it's north of Wilmington it's about I would say about 40 minutes from the heart of Wilmington North Carolina and as you can see here on the clips here where it sits it sits by Surf City as you can see it's close to the beach um literally three minutes from the beach you got beautiful intric Crystal waterways around you and here is uh some of the community that you can see here it offers a community pool Clubhouse fire pit and playground for the kids also pickleball courts um basketball courts and it does have sidewalks throughout its community the HOA in this area covers um it's around 960 dollars per year but covers those amenities like the pool the sidewalks and common area uh maintenance and whatnot the taxes are based on assessed value if you have a home that is assessed at let's say 317 taxes in the Waterside Community are going to be around 3 637 dollars per year one good thing about this community it is close to the ocean close to the Intracoastal Waterway but as you can see here on the blue dots most the homes in this community are not going to be required to carry flood insurance because it's not in a dedicated flood zone as you can see in the brown is the AE Zone and as you can see here in blue is the ve Zone I do have another video on the definitions of flood zones you might want to check that out if you're interested in this topic the moving on to the community itself as you can see there's the bridge going over to Topsail Beach a couple other shots of the uh the community and they do have an area that is pretty much built I would say half built but they are building some new construction in the community so if you have any questions about um you know how to build or the building process definitely give us a shout as you can see here in this next clip we're going to see some of the building pads that they have uh that they're constructing new homes on as we speak I would say what are saying that you are starting to see a couple retails pop up on the market so there are some opportunities there but here are some building pads as you can see in the background close to the Waterway and they are definitely um building a lot in this new community so if you have any questions about this community or any other community or if you'd like us to do a video on a community of your choice feel free to give us a shout give us a call at the number here on the screen once again this is Brian Schrader at the coastline NC real estate team at Blue coast and we'll see you down here in your next visit.
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