Challis Farm
A Gated Lakefront Enclave in South Charlotte
Challis Farm is a gated enclave of custom estate homes in South Charlotte, built around an 18-acre private lake just off Elm Lane near Piper Glen and Carmel Country Club. Simonini Homes and other custom builders raised most of the neighborhood's homes between the late 1980s and the mid-2000s, and the result is a community of large, individually designed houses on generous wooded lots rather than a production-builder subdivision.
Life here centers on the lake and the neighborhood's quiet, guard-gated privacy, with a private golf-cart path connecting residents into Carmel Country Club next door. It's a short drive to the Arboretum, Ballantyne, and Blakeney's shopping and restaurants, and close enough to Uptown and the airport to work well for commuters who still want a private, wooded retreat at the end of the day.
Details on the Area
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Challis Farm is built around its own private lake, giving many of its custom homes lake views or lake access that's rare this close to Uptown Charlotte.
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A staffed, gated entrance keeps the community private, a defining feature since the neighborhood was established in the early 1990s.
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Residents can golf-cart directly from the neighborhood into neighboring Carmel Country Club, a private club with its own separate membership.
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Simonini Homes and other custom builders raised most of Challis Farm's homes between the late 1980s and mid-2000s, so houses vary widely in architecture and size rather than repeating a handful of floor plans.
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With roughly 13 sales since January 2024 and often just a couple of active listings at a time, Challis Farm homes rarely sit on the market long once they're listed.
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Close to the Arboretum Shopping Center, Piper Glen, and the restaurants and retail of Ballantyne and Blakeney Town Center, all within about a 5 to 10 minute drive.
HOMES FOR SALE IN CHALLIS FARM
Custom estate homes on a private lake don't turn over often or cheaply. Here's what's actually been happening with prices in Challis Farm.
The Housing Market
Median sale price
$1,250,000
Past 12 months, single-family
Homes sold
13
Since Jan. 2024 (avg. price $1,070,628)
Median days on market
38
Past 12 months
Median price per sq ft
$363
Past 12 months, average
Active listings
2
As of July 2026
Price range
$1.25M–$3.25M
Past 12 months, closed sales
Challis Farm (28226 zip code) single-family homes, Canopy MLS via Terra Vista Realty, viewcarolinahomes.com, and neighborhoods.com. Figures move with the market and this is a small, low-volume subdivision, so a single closing can swing the numbers; verify current values.
Schools In Challis Farm
Challis Farm is zoned into Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), not Union County Public Schools. Here are the schools most commonly zoned for the neighborhood, factual and sourced, plus what to check before you buy.
McAlpine Elementary
South Charlotte Middle
Ballantyne Ridge High
Ballantyne Ridge opened in 2024 to relieve overcrowding at South Mecklenburg and Ardrey Kell High, and graduated its first senior class in 2026, so grad-rate and multi-year test-score trends are still thin. McAlpine Elementary and CMS attendance lines shift with rezoning, so confirm zoned schools for your exact address through the CMS assignment lookup (assignment.cms.k12.nc.us) before you buy.
HOA & Community Amenities
Challis Farm is run by the Challis Farm Homeowners Association, Inc., a North Carolina nonprofit registered since 1992. Recent listings show single-family dues of around $550 per quarter, while townhome-style properties on the Challis Hill side of the community have carried separate dues of roughly $435 per month, so the fee structure varies by section.
The HOA maintains the neighborhood's private, guard-gated entrance and common areas around the community's 18-acre private lake, and residents have private golf-cart access into neighboring Carmel Country Club (a separate club membership). Confirm current dues, what they cover, and which sub-section an address sits in before making decisions.
Location & Lifestyle
Challis Farm sits in the 28226 zip code of South Charlotte, tucked off Elm Lane near Piper Glen and wrapping around part of Carmel Country Club. It's roughly a mile to the Publix at Quail Commons and the Fresh Market, about two miles to the Arboretum Shopping Center, Harris Teeter, and Target, and three to four miles to Ballantyne, Blakeney Town Center, Waverly, and SouthPark Mall, giving residents an unusually deep bench of shopping and dining minutes from the gate.
Uptown Charlotte is roughly 10 to 12 minutes away depending on traffic, and Charlotte Douglas International Airport is about 20 to 25 minutes northwest. The McMullen Creek Greenway and Freedom Park both sit within a short drive for walking and biking, and Carowinds is about 15 minutes south for weekend trips.
Places to explore in Challis Farm
Frequently Asked Questions
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In South Charlotte, NC, in the 28226 zip code, off Elm Lane near Piper Glen and wrapping around part of Carmel Country Club, about 10 to 12 minutes from Uptown Charlotte.
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A small, guard-gated community of custom estate homes built by Simonini Homes and other builders around an 18-acre private lake, with private golf-cart access into neighboring Carmel Country Club. It's a low-turnover pocket of South Charlotte rather than a typical production-builder subdivision.
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Challis Farm is zoned into Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), commonly McAlpine Elementary, South Charlotte Middle, and Ballantyne Ridge High. Since Ballantyne Ridge only opened in 2024 and CMS attendance lines can shift, verify assignments for your exact address through the CMS assignment lookup before you buy.
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Over the past 12 months, single-family homes in Challis Farm sold at a median price of about $1.25 million, with a median of 38 days on market. Since January 2024, 13 homes have sold at an average price of roughly $1.07 million, and prices have ranged from about $1.25 million to $3.25 million. It's a small, low-volume subdivision, so verify current values before making decisions.
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Yes. The Challis Farm Homeowners Association, Inc. has run the community since 1992, with single-family dues recently around $550 per quarter (townhome-style sections have carried separate monthly dues). It maintains the gated entrance and common areas around the community's private lake; confirm current dues and coverage for a specific address.
