125 homes for sale in Wildwood Crest right now: every active listing from both shore MLSes (Cape May County MLS + South Jersey Shore Regional MLS), updated every 15 minutes. Median list price: $775,000, as of November 12, 2026.
Wildwood Crest is the southern third of Five Mile Island, and its defining feature is what it doesn’t have: no boardwalk, no amusement piers, no bar scene. The borough was laid out in the early 1900s by developer Philip Baker as a residential resort, and it has held that identity for over a century: quiet street grids of single-family homes, duplexes, and condos running between two waterfronts, with the commercial energy of Wildwood’s boards a bike ride away rather than outside your window. For buyers who want the Wildwoods’ beach without the Wildwoods’ volume, the Crest is the answer, and the market prices that calm accordingly.
Start with the beach, because the Crest’s is remarkable even by island standards: extraordinarily wide, backed by a low dune line and a paved oceanfront bike path instead of boards, and, like every beach in the Wildwoods, completely free. No beach tags, ever. On a coast where nearly every town charges for access, the Wildwoods’ free beaches are a genuine, quantifiable differentiator, and the Crest pairs them with the least commercialized beachfront on the island. Along Ocean and Atlantic Avenues runs the Crest’s famous motel row: the largest surviving concentration of mid-century Doo Wop resort architecture anywhere, including landmarks like the Caribbean Motel, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Some of these motels still operate; others have given way to condos and new construction, a block-by-block transition that has defined the Crest’s market for two decades.
The borough’s other waterfront is Sunset Lake, the sheltered bayside cove whose name is literal: the Crest faces west across the water toward the marshes, and the borough’s Centennial Park and lakeside gazebo exist for exactly that hour of the day. Sailing, kayaking, and watersports rentals cluster on the lake; bayside homes here trade sunset views and calm water for beach proximity. One more piece of history worth knowing: the Crest sits on the site of Turtle Gut Inlet, where the only Revolutionary War engagement in Cape May County was fought in 1776. A monument across from Sunset Lake, at Miami and New Jersey Avenues, marks it. The inlet itself was later filled, which is part of why Five Mile Island is one continuous beach today. Note also that Wildwood Crest is a dry town (there are no liquor stores or bars in the borough), which shapes its commercial strip and its evenings alike.
Wildwood Crest market snapshot
| Metric | Value | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Active listings | 125 | November 12, 2026 |
| Median list price | $775,000 | November 12, 2026 |
| Condo share of active inventory | 64% | November 12, 2026 |
Data drawn directly from both shore MLSes and refreshed daily. Full history at /market-data/wildwood-crest/.
Featured Wildwood Crest listings
Active
Active
- 4 bd
- 3.5 ba
- 2,300 sqft
Active
- 5 bd
- 3.5 ba
Active
- 1 bd
- 1 ba
- 448 sqft
Newest active listings across both MLSes. Browse all 125 Wildwood Crest listings →
Wildwood Crest price trends
The Crest typically trades at a premium to Wildwood and in a similar band to North Wildwood, with oceanfront condos, motel-conversion units, and interior single-families forming distinct price series.
Recently sold in Wildwood Crest
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- 5 bd
- 4.5 ba
- 2,613 sqft
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- 3 bd
- 1 ba
- 1,150 sqft
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- 2 bd
- 1.5 ba
- 864 sqft
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- 4 bd
- 3 ba
- 2,306 sqft
Wildwood Crest neighborhoods & micro-markets
Oceanfront and motel row (Ocean/Atlantic Avenues). The Doo Wop corridor: operating mid-century motels, converted condo buildings, and newer condo construction facing the widest beach on the island. Converted-motel units here carry the same financing questions as Wildwood’s condotel stock: warrantability varies building by building, so get the association questionnaire early.
Interior residential grid. Between Atlantic Avenue and Park Boulevard, block after block of single-family homes and side-by-side duplexes: ranches and capes from the borough’s midcentury buildout alongside elevated new construction replacing them one lot at a time. This is the Crest’s core product and where year-round owners concentrate.
Sunset Lake and the bayside. West of Park Boulevard to the lake and bay: sunset-facing homes, watersports liveries, Centennial Park, and the Turtle Gut monument. Bayside properties trade view and calm water against beach distance, and dock/water access adds a dimension the ocean side can’t offer.
The Diamond Beach line. South of the Crest, the island continues into Diamond Beach (a section of Lower Township, a different municipality with different taxes and rules) before ending at the Two Mile Beach Unit of the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge, a stretch of permanently undeveloped coast. Confirm which municipality a south-end listing is in; the line matters.
Local knowledge: living and buying in Wildwood Crest
Beaches and the bike path. Free beaches, no tags, exceptional width. And instead of a boardwalk, a paved dune-line path used for morning bikes and runs, connecting north to the Wildwood boards. Crest Pier on the oceanfront hosts the borough’s recreation programming. The beach is the Crest’s front yard, without a single arcade on it.
Sunset Lake. The bayside cove is the Crest’s second amenity system: sailing and jet-ski liveries, kayaking, crabbing, and the nightly sunset over the back-bay marshes. Homes with lake frontage or a block’s walk to Centennial Park price that in.
A dry town, practically. Wildwood Crest prohibits alcohol sales within the borough: no bars, no liquor stores. Restaurants operate BYOB, and Wildwood’s licensed establishments are minutes away. The practical effects: a quieter commercial strip, and a dining scene built around BYOB kitchens.
Getting around. The flat grid makes bikes the default; Park Boulevard and Pacific/Atlantic Avenues carry the in-town traffic, and Rambler Road area connects toward the bridge routes off-island. Off-street parking (standard on most Crest lots) is one of the borough’s quiet advantages over denser island blocks.
Flood and insurance notes. The Crest shares the barrier island’s FEMA flood-zone reality: most of the borough sits in special flood hazard areas, with elevation and construction era driving premiums. The ongoing teardown-to-elevated-new-construction cycle means adjacent homes can carry very different insurance costs. Elevation certificate and bindable flood quote during attorney review, always. Primer: flood insurance at the shore.
FAQ
What is the median home price in Wildwood Crest?
Live data at /market-data/wildwood-crest/.
How many homes are for sale in Wildwood Crest right now?
125 active listings as of November 12, 2026: every listing from both shore MLSes, updated every 15 minutes. Spring typically brings the year’s deepest inventory.
Does Wildwood Crest have a boardwalk?
No, and that’s the point of the Crest. The borough has a paved oceanfront bike path along the dune line instead, with the Wildwood boardwalk beginning just north of the borough line. The result is the quietest beachfront on Five Mile Island.
Are Wildwood Crest beaches free?
Yes: no beach tags anywhere in the Wildwoods, including the Crest, and the beach here is among the widest on the entire New Jersey coast. Almost every other shore town charges seasonal tag fees, so this is a real recurring saving, and a permanent marketing point for rental owners.
Is Wildwood Crest a dry town?
Yes. The borough prohibits alcohol sales, so there are no bars or liquor stores in Wildwood Crest, and restaurants are BYOB. Licensed bars and package stores operate minutes away in Wildwood. The practical effect on the housing market is a quieter commercial strip and calmer evenings than the towns to the north.
What is Sunset Lake?
Sunset Lake is the sheltered bayside cove on the Crest’s west side, ringed by Centennial Park, a public gazebo, and watersports liveries offering sailing, kayaking, and jet-ski rentals. The borough faces west over the water, making the nightly sunset a legitimate amenity that bayside pricing reflects. The Turtle Gut Inlet Revolutionary War monument sits nearby.
Can I rent out a home I buy in Wildwood Crest?
Yes. The Crest has a mature seasonal rental market, and the borough requires rental licensing and inspections. Converted-motel condo buildings may add association-level rental rules, so review both the borough ordinance and condo documents for the specific property. Weekly summer rentals are the dominant format.
Is Wildwood Crest in a flood zone?
Most of the borough lies within FEMA special flood hazard areas, as with the whole barrier island. Premiums swing widely between elevated newer construction and older at-grade ranches, sometimes on the same block. Order an elevation certificate and a bindable flood quote during attorney review.
Related
- Adjacent markets: Wildwood · North Wildwood · Diamond Beach · Cape May
- Wildwood Crest market data & trends →
- Sell your Wildwood Crest home →
Buying? Search all 125 Wildwood Crest listings → Selling? See what you’d save →
Listing data from Cape May County MLS and South Jersey Shore Regional MLS, updated every 15 minutes; market statistics as of November 12, 2026. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Equal Housing Opportunity.
