Hello REALTORS®, Your Western Upstate Association of REALTORS® is actively involved in local government.  From counties, to cities, to school boards, to the local utility district, we monitor and advocate for Realtor interests.  Our goals: To facilitate this effort, your association has asked a small team of members to guide our advocacy.  The Grassroots Government Affairs Team includes a few Realtors who are actively engaged in the association’s advocacy efforts, including supporting RPAC. Where we stand To facilitate our advocacy efforts and to make sure everyone is communicating the same message, your Board of Directors has approved several position papers...

Hello REALTORS®, During the last year, we have been fortunate to have some great speakers on the economic conditions and forecasts about the future.  The hot question recently is when will interest rates go down?  We had the perfect speaker for that topic: Dr. Laura Ullrich, Senior Regional Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.  She talked about economic conditions in the Fed’s fifth district (DC, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina).  In this week’s Watchdog Report, I am sharing a summary of Dr. Ullrich’s comments along with her slide presentation, which you can download here....

Hello REALTORS®, Sometimes, when attending local government meetings, I hear information that our members need to know.  That was the case this week in Anderson.     During the work session before the regular city council meeting, Anderson City Manager David McCuen briefed city council on the city’s recent efforts to step up enforcement of their business license ordinance.  Notable was that the city is focusing enforcement on landlords. Of course, real estate brokers must have a business license wherever they do business, including listing properties for sale or rent.  I wrote about that last month.  But owning property for rent...

Monthly Indicators U.S. existing-home sales slipped 1.0% month-over-month and were down 6.2% year-over-year as of last measure, while pending sales jumped 8.3% from the previous month, marking the largest gain since June 2020, according to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). Mortgage rates have dropped significantly from their peak last fall, and homebuyers are beginning to come out of the woodwork, with NAR forecasting a 13% increase in existing-home sales this year compared to 2023. New Listings were up 33.2 percent to 734. Pending Sales decreased 2.4 percent to 402. Inventory grew 27.0 percent to 1,745 units. Prices moved higher...

Hello REALTORS®, Your SC REALTORS® Association is unparalleled in their advocacy of Realtor issues at the SC State House and in state government.  The SC Advocacy Team is chaired by Hilton Head Island Realtor Brian Kinard and led by Chief Advocacy Officer Lindsay Hutto.  The SCR Legislative Committee has 17 members from around the state, including three from the Western Upstate: What’s on the SC Realtors Advocacy Agenda? In 2024, your SC REALTORS® Association is focusing on four key issues: Of course, there are often dozens of other bills and regulations that your association government affairs team monitors, sometimes supports,...