Is 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 »
Read MoreMonthly Housing Indicators U.S. existing-home sales improved for the second consecutive month, rising 4.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.15 million units, an eight-month high, according to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). Sales were up 6.1% compared to the same time last year, marking the largest year-over-year increase since June 2021. Economists… Read more »
Read MoreHello REALTORS®, The elections are over, but there are still key dates coming up to finalize the results of elections to federal offices, including one this week. You might want to mark your calendar. Federal Government Funding Deadline? This seems to be the routine: just before Christmas, we have the threat of a federal government… Read more »
Read MoreHello REALTORS®, Now that we are finally past the elections, I can catch up on what has been happening in local government. Most election years, governmental bodies do a little less legislating and a little more politicking. But in the Western Upstate, most elections are decided in the Primaries in June. That was true in… Read more »
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