On the southern end of Lake Norman, one of the region's most elusive trophy properties just blinked. Merancas Island, a 14,317-square-foot mansion on a 4.5-acre private island in Huntersville, has quietly chopped roughly $8 million off its price. After debuting in 2023 at $22 million, the two-story estate is now listed at about $14 million, pairing resort-style amenities like an indoor pool, fenced tennis court, two boat docks and a private sandy beach with wide-open lake views. Owners Cornelis and Johanna Mermans finished the home in 1999.
The discount shows up in the current MLS entry at $13,999,999, a drop of about $8 million from the first 2023 asking price, according to The Charlotte Observer. Listing duties fall to agent Liza Caminiti of Ivester Jackson | Christie's International Real Estate, per MLS details. That initial $22 million splash did not go unnoticed; the price and property were widely covered when they hit the market, including by Realtor.com.
The main house clocks in at 14,317 square feet with five bedrooms, eight full bathrooms and one half-bath, plus a 25-foot great room and an indoor pool finished with Tennessee fieldstone, cedar and skylights, according to the MLS listing on Coldwell Banker. A separate guest house adds an open living and kitchen area, two bedrooms, a shared bath and its own garage. Inside, the amenity list runs to a theater room and a children's playroom. The MLS currently tags the status as "Coming Soon," with the refreshed listing posted in late April 2026.
What’s on the island
Spread across about 4.5 acres, the grounds layer on a fenced tennis court with lights for evening play, two docks with boat lifts, a covered gazebo, stone walkways and that private sandy beach. A gated entry and sculpture gardens guide visitors over a causeway from the mainland, so the estate is no longer fully ringed by water but still holds onto its private-island mystique. Marketing materials lean heavily on those outdoor entertaining spaces and waterfront perks, as highlighted in Allen Tate's listing.
History and the family behind it
Cornelis and Johanna Mermans bought the land in 1997 for about $1.5 million and finished construction in 1999, according to public records and previous reporting. The family built its fortune in photography studios and later launched The Merancas Foundation. Their son explained in 2023 that his parents are selling because upkeep has become too much at their age, as reported by The Charlotte Observer. The estate has remained in the family since it was developed and rarely appears on the open market.
The Merancas Foundation itself is no small operation. Filings summarized by ProPublica show the foundation reported roughly $154 million in total assets and about $19.8 million in revenue for 2024. Public filings have listed the Huntersville property address in connection with the foundation.
Mecklenburg County public records peg the 2024 assessed value of the property at about $6.78 million, well below the current price being sought in the luxury market. Public tax and parcel summaries compiled on sites such as BlockShopper align with the county figure and underscore the gap between government assessments and custom, one-off price tags.
Unique waterfront spreads like Merancas Island tend to trade in a small circle of specialist buyers, so large price adjustments are not unusual as sellers feel out the market. For now, the listing sits as a highly specific, top-tier play, with any potential buyer weighing both a custom-built house and a stretch of private Lake Norman shoreline in the same decision.
