Hello REALTORS®, In the last Watchdog Report, I reported on the position statement your Board of Directors approved.  Moratorium: The position paper on moratoriums was timely because Pickens County Council enacted its second moratorium in two years on February 6.  The moratorium prohibits applications for subdivisions of 50 lots or more and will last six months. You can read our position statement on moratoriums by clicking here. Short-Term Rentals: Your Board of Directors also adopted another timely position statement on short-term rentals.  Last week, the SC REALTORS® released an economic impact study it commissioned on short-term rentals and announced legislation...

Housing Supply Overview For the first time in a year, homebuilder confidence has increased, rising 4 points to 35 in January, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) / Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Elevated sales prices, coupled with a surge in mortgage rates, caused demand for new homes to plummet in 2022, with builder sentiment declining throughout the year. The recent rise in builder optimism may be due in part to new home sales, which increased 2.3% month-to-month as of last measure, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. For the 12-month period spanning February 2022 through...

Hello REALTORS®, Your Board of Directors approved position statements on four issues that relate to several public policy issues in the Western Upstate: Three of them will help your Grassroots Government Affairs Team advocate for REALTOR® interests right away. Short-Term Rentals: Anderson County Council and Walhalla City Council both have discussed short-term rental legislation recently.  Seneca City Council adopted a short-term rental ordinance that prohibited short-term rentals in certain residential areas of the city.  The ordinance was successfully challenged by a REALTOR® with the support of the South Carolina Association of REALTORS®.  SCR included statewide short-term rental legislation on their...