🏠 Buying a house in South Carolina | 🏘️ Selling a house in South Carolina | 🚚 Moving to South Carolina
🏡 Home values in South Carolina have risen 7.40% over the past year, indicating a seller's market.
📈 Housing inventory (the total number of homes for sale) stands at 29,641. That's about 5.68 months of inventory, indicating a seller's market.
📊 The sale-to-list price ratio (the percentage of listing price sellers are actually getting) is 97.90%, indicating a buyer's market.
How does South Carolina compare to the national average?
Data point | Value | Rank | Compared to national avg |
Typical home value | $300,463[1] | #32 of 50 states | 20% lower |
Median listing price | $368,500[2] | #32 of 50 states | 16.9% lower |
Median sale price | $418,400[3] | #23 of 50 states | 4.4% lower |
30-year mortgage rate | 7.08%[4] | #50 of 50 states | 1.5% higher |
Median days on market | 65[5] | #32 of 50 states | 10.5% longer |
Looking to buy or sell in South Carolina?
Enter your zip code to match with top agents in your area!
Buying a house in the South Carolina real estate market
South Carolina has an affordability score of 6.2, meaning it takes 6.2 years of the median household income ($67,804) to afford South Carolina's median home sale price ($418,400). Because of this, we rank South Carolina as the 13th least affordable state for buyers based strictly on prices compared to income.
Data Point | Value | Rank | Compared to national avg |
Median sale price | $418,400[6] | #23 of 50 states | 4.4% lower |
30-year mortgage rate | 7.08%[7] | #50 of 50 states | 1.5% higher |
Median household income | $67,804[8] | #40 of 50 states | 11.9% lower |
Affordability ratio | 6.2 | #38 of 50 states | 10.7% higher |
Buyers agent commission | 2.82%[9] | #27 of 50 states | 2.7% higher |
Who pays for realtor commission in South Carolina?
Real estate agents' commissions are technically the responsibility of their respective clients - buyers pay their agents, and sellers pay theirs. Each party signs a contract with their agent promising to pay. However, sellers usually offer to pay for the buyer's agent so they can more easily afford the home.
Who pays closing costs in South Carolina?
Sellers are usually responsible for most closing costs, but some closing expenses fall to the buyer. As a buyer, you'll be expected to pay for the mortgage loan origination fee and other lender-related fees, private mortgage insurance, the down payment, an appraisal fee, and a home inspection fee.
Learn more about who pays closing costs in South Carolina.
Resources for South Carolina home buyers
Preparing to buy in South Carolina
South Carolina home buying costs
Selling a house in the South Carolina real estate market
According to our detailed survey of South Carolina real estate agents, listing agents (those representing the seller) charge an average commission in South Carolina of 2.83%, which is the 18th lowest in the United States. Buyers' agents charge an average commission of 2.82%, which is the 24th highest in the United States.
Data point | Value | Rank | Compared to national avg |
Median listing price | $368,500[10] | #32 of 50 states | 16.9% lower |
Median sale price | $418,400[11] | #23 of 50 states | 4.4% lower |
Median days on market | 65[12] | #32 of 50 states | 10.5% longer |
Buyer's agent commission | 2.82%[13] | #27 of 50 states | 2.7% higher |
Listing agent commission | 2.83%[14] | #18 of 50 states | 0.4% lower |
Resources for South Carolina home sellers
Preparing to sell in South Carolina
- Selling a House in South Carolina: 8 Simple Steps
- How Long Does It Take to Sell a House in South Carolina?
- When Is the Best Time to Sell a House in South Carolina?
- Top Real Estate Agents in South Carolina
South Carolina home selling costs and requirements
Moving to South Carolina
According to our recent moving trends survey[15], South Carolina is the 14th most desirable state to move to, with 12% of Americans indicating that they would choose to move there if money were no object. Likewise, 11% of survey respondents indicated that they would move to Charleston among a choice of America's medium-sized cities, and 10% indicated that they would move to Columbia.
Here's how South Carolina cities rank in a number of our research studies.
Study | Best South Carolina city | Rank |
Best Pizza Cities[16] | No ranking South Carolina cities | No ranking South Carolina cities |
Best Coffee Cities[17] | No ranking South Carolina cities | No ranking South Carolina cities |
Best LGBTQ Cities[18] | No ranking South Carolina cities | No ranking South Carolina cities |
Best Bike Cities[19] | No ranking South Carolina cities | No ranking South Carolina cities |
Best Commuter Cities[20] | No ranking South Carolina cities | No ranking South Carolina cities |
Where to shop for homes in South Carolina
- The 10 Most Affordable Places to Live in South Carolina
- Best Real Estate Investments in South Carolina
Frequently asked questions
As of October 17, 2025, the median days on market (DOM) in South Carolina is 68. On average, it takes about 67 days to sell in South Carolina.
Home values have risen in South Carolina over the past year. The current median home value is $303,644 and it's projected to decrease by 0.89% in the next year.
As of October 17, 2025, sellers in South Carolina are typically getting 98.74% of the list price for their homes.
Methodology
Information on market conditions is based on Zillow data as of September 2025, Realtor.com data as of September 2025, and HouseCanary data as of October 17, 2025, unless specified otherwise.
We gathered our commission rate data from a September 2025 survey of 828 of agents nationwide. The survey asked about standard local rates for both listing and buying agents. To ensure an adequate amount of agent data, these data points are averages based on responses we've received from 250 agents in the Southeast region.