Properties For Sale In Oak Bluffs

Oak Bluffs

Oak Bluffs is the place to play. It features one of the longest public beaches on the island, the renowned Inkwell Beach and has long been known for its nightlife as for years other island towns did not allow alcohol to be served in public places.

The town is the host for Illumination Night in August and is the site for the African American Film Festival. Restaurants have upped their game, the main drag, Circuit Ave., has undergone a facelift and activities such as bowling, new public tennis, basketball and pickleball courts make it a family favorite and a magnet for summer rentals.

Buying Property in Oak Bluffs

There are six general areas of Oak Bluffs in which prices can range from the mid-$400s for the Campground to more than $15M in the Farm Neck Golf Club area.

Downtown Oak Bluffs – centered around Circuit Ave and the businesses that make the town hum. Part of the downtown is the Camp Meeting Association, also known as the Campground. This area is governed by its own covenants, chief of which is that renting your home is limited to six weeks. A key fact if you plan to rent out your home.

This section can be considered to extend to Ocean Ave and the area around Ocean Park near Inkwell Beach, an area enjoyed by generations of African-American visitors. Prices range from the mid-S400s, mostly Campground properties to $3.5M+.

State Beach – This area is just prior to the long strip of beach that runs along Ocean Avenue to Edgartown. A key section is the Hart Haven Homeowners Association which has its own beach and harbor. The area also includes the condos at the Island Inn. Prices begin for the condos at $250,000 while homes range up to $3.5+M.

Central Oak Bluffs – generally considered the area between Barnes Road and County Road. Prices range from the $700s to $7 million.

East Chop – is a delightful area that extends from the bluffs overlooking Vineyard Haven harbor and Vineyard Sound through the area around the East Chop Tennis Club and through the historic African American section known as the Highlands. Prices range from $1.1M to $3M+.

Lagoon/Harbor – Homes set on either side of Barnes Road that overlook the Lagoon and Vineyard Haven Harbor. Prices range from $600,000 to $2.5M+.

Sengy – The area surrounding Lake Sengekontacket, spreading out from Farm Neck Golf Club toward the town border between Edgartown and Oak Bluffs. Prices range from the $800s for a condo at Quail Run to $15.5M around Farm Neck GC.

Real Estate Taxes

The tax rate for Oak Bluffs for fiscal 2023 will be $5.21 per every $1,000 of assessed property value, continuing a years-long trend of cutting property tax rates in town.

In addition, the board has adopted an eight per cent residential tax exemption for properties that are a homeowner's principal residence. The exemption is expected to apply to about 800 properties, saving up to $90,000 for Oak Bluffs' year-round residents.

The cost of the exemption will be paid for by taxes on just under 3,000 remaining properties in town, whose owners are expected to pay an effective tax rate of $5.28 for every $1,000 of assessed value. The eight percent exemption is up from four percent in 2021, the first year the town has ever had a residential exemption. Tisbury is the only other island town to offer such an exemption.

Guest House

A guest house or an accessory apartment may be allowed on a property in Oak Bluffs whn certain conditions are met.

According to town zoning laws, the main house must have been owner occupied by the applicant for the five previous years and must continue to be owner occupied after the conversion is allowed.

Furthermore, the accessory apartment shall not exceed 750 sq. ft. in floor space and shall be located in the principal residential structure on the premises or in an accessory structure. Check with the current town zoning laws for further requirements.

Oak Bluffs Schools

Oak Bluffs is home to the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School and Oak Bluffs Elementary School. The Elementary School is located at 50 Tradewinds Rd, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557. Phone: (508) 693-0951

Learn more about the Elementary School here where you'll access: