Hello REALTORS®, Like all the local governments in the Upstate, Oconee County’s local governments have been wrestling with balancing their budgets. That has kept elected officials busy and created some political drama (as if there isn’t enough of that already). This week, I am providing a review of what has been happening in Oconee County… Read more »
Read MoreHello REALTORS®, Most cities in South Carolina require a business license to conduct business in their city. Nearly all of them impose a business license tax as well. The tax is not insignificant. In fact, most cities receive a substantial portion of their revenue, sometimes as high as 30%, from business license taxes. Some counties… Read more »
Read MoreThe core principles we use for evaluating public policy are: During the last three years, Pickens County Council has adopted several ordinances of interest to Realtors. In 2022, they started with a new development code for Highway 11 that restricts land uses to primarily residential and sets a very low-density standard. Their objective was to… Read more »
Read MoreIs South Carolina the most affordable state in the US? I’ll call this Watchdog Report the “News Brief” version. There are several topics to cover, but they are all brief. Walhalla Special Election Results The turnout was about average for most elections, but better than average for a special election—14% of registered voters turned out,… Read more »
Read MoreBuilding Permits by Area (2018-2023) Note: The graph highlights how all areas except Ft. Mill saw significant increases in 2021, while Ft. Mill remained relatively flat. Building Permits by Area – Percent Change (2018-2023) Note: The graph shows percent change year-over-year, highlighting how all areas except Ft. Mill saw large percentage increases in 2021.
Read MoreHello REALTORS®, Last week, I reported on the various real estate-related ordinances being considered by cities in the Western Upstate. This week, I am reporting on what is happening at the South Carolina State House. But first, a little about your REALTORS® Association and it’s advocacy program. I often talk about our advocacy program as… Read more »
Read MoreHello REALTORS®, March brings with it a lot more than the first day of Spring. It also almost always brings with it a lot of government activity, especially regulation of real estate development. In the last year, we have observed an interesting trend related to annexation, which I’ll highlight at the end of this report. … Read more »
Read MoreMonthly Housing Indicators U.S. existing-home sales advanced for the third straight month, climbing 2.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.24 million units, a 10-month high, according to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). Sales were up 9.3% year-over-year, driven largely by purchases of homes priced $500,000 and above. Month-over-month, sales rose in the… Read more »
Read MoreHello REALTORS®, ‘Tis the Season…for business licenses at least. Most cities in South Carolina require a business license to conduct business in their city. Nearly all of them impose a business license tax as well, and the tax is not insignificant. In fact, most cities receive a substantial portion of their revenue, sometimes as high… Read more »
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