As we look at the Greater Greenville Association of REALTORS market stats, a theme emerges: supply is increasing faster than demand, resulting in a softening market. Does that mean it's a buyers market? Not yet, but we may be closer than people realize to it *feeling* like a buyers market, even with prices as high as they remain. This episode is sp…

Solar panels are one of the most controversial topics in real estate in SC, with some believing homeowners have a moral responsibility to use solar to help with climate change, while others on the opposite side of the spectrum believe that solar panels are nothing more than an expensive scam. Well, I finally had a chance to purchase and sell a home…

Should I hold, or should I sell? That's a question investors ask themselves daily, but people who own real estate, even if they aren't "real estate investors," should also be thinking about this. There are a lot of changes coming - potential declining populations, rising insurance costs, decreasing supply for homes with acreage, etc. - that will al…

For the first time since Selling Greenville was inaugurated, Stan has solicited listener questions for a massive mailbag episode. Tune in to learn about what headwinds are in the Greenville market, when it makes sense to rent or buy, what differentiates Greenville from the rest of the US in terms of our real estate market, and even whether a hot do…

We finally have the April market stats for the Greater Greenville area, and several things stand out. Most significantly, even though we are finally seeing things like active inventory normalize to pre-pandemic levels, many numbers, such as days on market, median sales price, etc. still point to Greenville being a seller's market. So why does it fe…

For the first time in 5 years, we're seeing foreclosures, short sales, and cheap (potential) flips coming online in Greenville, SC. Oh and questionably low appraisals are back too! Are we in or entering a buyers' market? And how will rates coming down, realtor compensation changes, etc. impact the state of the market? Let's talk about where things …

It's election season, and real estate is top of mind for those running for office in Washington, DC, in SC, and in Greenville. I've spoken to legislators, politicians, and people running for office at all levels of government, and it's time to crack open the notebook and spill all my secrets on what is happening behind closed doors, and what it mea…

One of the things that scares people the most when buying a home is the possibility of it having structural issues. The reality is that most issues we deem "structural" are relatively easy and inexpensive to fix, but it's still helpful to be able to identify structural issues and diagnose their severity as much as possible prior to getting a home u…

Very seldom do we see a real estate market driven by retirees, but that's exactly what we see now with Boomers having a much larger portion of real estate market share than normal. Meanwhile Gen X has been almost left behind and Millennials are still trying to find their way in a historically unaffordable market. What is the cause of these seemingl…

Looking at the final data we have for Greenville in Q1 2023, the market is finally starting to see some stability. Some of the data shows potential market softening, but much of it is indicative of strong demand still pushing up prices, pendings, and closings while driving down days of market and affordability. The question now is will mortgage rat…

In this episode, we delve into the dynamic Greenville real estate market, now grappling with the impact of rising mortgage rates. We'll explore the significant price adjustments sellers are making—how often are prices being dropped, and by what average amount? What implications do these changes hold for both buyers and sellers? Join us as we unpack…

There are a lot of misconceptions about the Section 8 rental program in Greenville, but I heard one recently that I had never heard before, and that's that it was an "unpredictable" program. Not only is this not true, but the Section 8 program in Greenville is substantially *more* predictable than the private rental market as a whole. The end resul…

Doomers are constantly talking about "the real estate bubble bursting," but the reality is that the dynamic we saw in 2007-08 of the entire US housing market crashing at one time is unusual and not likely to repeat itself any time soon. What we do see, however (and particularly since COVID), is localized markets forming bubbles that inevitably burs…

As we look at the most recent market stats for the greater Greenville area, some weird data trends begin to appear. Listings are up but pendings are down. Pendings are down, but closings are up. Prices are still high and increasing but not everywhere. Closings in the sub $500,000 price point are decreasing whereas above that price point are increas…

On March 15 the National Association of REALTORS® announced a proposed realtor compensation settlement for the Sitzer/Burnett case, and the national media immediately put out a ton of clickbait headlines about the sudden "end of the 6% commission." As with most things, the media got this one wrong, but there is MUCH to talk about with regard to thi…

During his State of the Union address on March 7, 2024, President Biden outlined multiple proposals for how to make housing more affordable: -A $400/mo credit for first time homebuyers or people "trading up" -Title insurance reform to reduce fees -Measures to stop anti-trust violations and price-fixing among big landlords -Cutting red tape on feder…

"The Greenville real estate market is strong," is what we keep hearing, but making a statement like that is painting with broad strokes. Some parts of the Upstate of SC are getting stronger and some are softening, but which is which? Thankfully, there is a little known report called the Market Conditions Addendum Report that I can run that looks at…

There are rumblings in the Greenville investor community about how there are more rental portfolios being sold off than usual, and these rumblings usually come with an innuendo or suggestion that maybe being a landlord in Greenville isn't what it's cracked up to be. So what is actually happening here? Are the rumblings true? Is there a problem with…

As mortgage rates have crept up in recent weeks, buyer activity has slowed down. Seller activity, on the other hand, hasn't, with a record number of new listings in January. The result? Inventory is increasing, giving buyers more options and sellers more competition. But in spite of that, prices remain near all-time highs, with no relief to buyers.…

[Episode has been updated to correct initial audio issues.] One of the biggest headaches of being a homeowner is having to deal with pests. I (Stan) have personally dealt with mice, rats, bats, cockroaches, termites, ants, carpenter bees, and much more in my homes over the years. And every time I have, I've reached out to my longtime friend Andrew …

The last week was a wild one for treasuries and mortgage rates, with a lot of economic data released, a FOMC statement sent out, multiple statements from Federal Reserve members, and a 60 Minutes interview of Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The end result was that mortgage rates briefly went over 7%, and (as of this recording) are hovering at 6.99%, despi…

Hope Brooks is a local real estate investor who has worked behind the scenes with a lot of Greenville's major REI players. And it just so happens that she and I (Stan) were attacked on social media recently by someone who apparently believes all landlords are inherently greedy and immoral. It may surprise some that this sentiment about landlords is…

As we take one last look at 2023 by means of the most recently released Greater Greenville Association of Realtors Market Stats, a few things jump off the page. Most significantly, we can now say definitively that Greenville saw strong price growth for the year, particularly in contrast to some other parts of the country that are getting headlines …

A debate rages on social media these days about whether it's better to rent where you live or buy and be a homeowner. The reality is that in most places (including Greenville, at least for now) the monthly costs are cheaper if you're renting, but this doesn't take into account other important parts of the discussion, most significantly, real estate…

We have a winner! In this episode we announce the winner of the $200 Amazon gift card from the giveaway that was announced in episode 200! But we also need to talk about the CRAZY start to 2024 that we're experiencing. Is it possible that people have woken up from their 2023 slumber and are ready to buy real estate again? The early returns would in…

Happy New Year! It's that time again - we need to come up with ten bold predictions for what will happen in Greenville real estate in 2024. Will rates go up or down? What about prices? Will listings linger longer than in 2023? And what's the Fed doing these days? Lots to discuss with lots of predictions to be made! Have your own predictions? Let me…

Who doesn't love an end of year giveaway? Well, to celebrate 2023 and the 200th episode of this show, we're randomly giving away a $200 gift card to one lucky listener. Listen to this episode for more details. Oh, and we also have to recap 2023! So let's talk about the wild ride that was this past year in the real estate market and where things are…

At the end of 2022, Stan came up with 10 bold predictions for the year 2023, and as we come to the end of 2023, it's time to see how he did! So let's go over each prediction and analyze what happened that caused the predictions to be right... or wrong. As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to re…

Most people from outside of SC who discover Greenville do so while researching other major cities in the Southeast, such as Atlanta and Charlotte. After all, Greenville is literally wedged right in between those two cities, while also finding itself relatively close to many other major SE cities that have been getting a lot of buzz lately. So how d…

Real estate is under the legal microscope as the National Association of Realtors along with several major real estate brokerages recently lost the Sitzer/Burnett case that alleged realtor commissions have been anti-competitively fixed by the NAR and major brokerages. More lawsuits are coming, and the question is: what exactly does it all mean for …

As we take a delayed look at the Greater Greenville Association of Realtors market stats that came out in November, we see a Greenville market slowing due to the holidays, and yet home prices are staying high. Why is this, and what would happen if we saw inventory pick up from around 3 months of inventory to around 4 months? Using the data, we can …

Every year around Thanksgiving, Stan discusses what he's thankful for. This year, the thankfulness topic is the City of Greenville and five things in particular that Stan is thankful for in the city. As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864…

At the behest of environmental activists, Greenville County Council is on the doorstep of functionally zoning unzoned parts of Greenville County by making draconian lot size requirements for new developments. If this passes third reading in December (which it will unless people express their concern for the ordinance), landowners in unzoned areas w…

For a long time in Greenville, it was cheaper to buy a house than it was to rent. That has changed due to high mortgage rates, but for many people, the argument to be a homeowner vs. renting a home isn't a financial argument so much as it is an argument about control - the ability to control how your home is maintained, what pets you can have, what…

Most 15 year olds are thinking about video games, not real estate investing. But for Willie Coleman, the age of 15 turned out to be the perfect age to get into real estate investing, and now, seven years later, Willie is firmly established in the Greenville real estate investing scene at the ripe age of 22 years old. What was it like investing from…

The dreaded fourth quarter of the year with its traditional seasonal real estate slowdown is upon us, and this year Q4 is setting up to be a doozy, with mortgage rates hovering around 8% and likely to remain there for the entirety of the slow season. There's a lot to discuss: what do the high rates during a slow season mean? How can sellers get cre…

Normally, as we enter the fall and winter months, seasonality grips the real estate market, and prices come down a bit. It looked in August like that might be happening again this year, like it normally does, but now that we have September's market stats, courtesy of the Greater Greenville Association of Realtors, median prices are still near their…

Like any growing city, Greenville has a segment of the population in dire need of affordable housing, people who are overpaying to stay in motels, sleeping in shelters, or simply living on the streets. But the problems of homelessness are solvable, and so in this episode we talk with Susan McLarty of Greenville Homeless Alliance about what her orga…

It's time to talk politics and real estate, and 2023 is a more important year to have this discussion than most. We have several competitive mayor and city council races happening in Greenville, Travelers Rest, Simpsonville, Easley, Pickens, Mauldin, Fountain Inn, etc., and many of these elections will have low turnout and ultimately will be decide…

August market stats for the Greater Greenville area are in, and what we see is a stable but slowing market. Prices are staying in range with 2022 levels and the percentage of list price received is still elevated over "normal" levels, but inventory is climbing, days on market are back into the 40s, and there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that the…

We hear all the time about how mortgage rates going up or down has a major impact on the real estate market, but what does that actually mean? The conventional wisdom is that when rates go up, demand goes down, and when rates go down, demand goes up. But it's not always that simple, and for the Upstate, SC market specifically (Greenville, Spartanbu…

Conventional wisdom says that homes built around the same time in the same neighborhood should sell for a similar price per square foot. But we see variances when it comes to a) larger homes vs. smaller homes, b) 2-story vs. single-story homes, and c) homes with the master bedroom on main vs. those with the master on the 2nd level. In some neighbor…

Everyone knows home inspections are important, but many don't know why or what parts of the home inspection are most important. What does high radon mean and what can be done to lower radon levels? At what point does settling indicate a structural issue? Are there certain "deal breaker" issues that an inspector will find? All these are good questio…

"Real estate is seasonal" they said, and they were right until COVID happened. And then mortgage rates went way down and demand went crazy. And then last year mortgage rates went way up, and demand went way down, and everything went into turmoil all over again. Long story short, the seasonality of real estate hasn't exactly been a thing for several…

We have the numbers for what happened in the month of July for real estate in the Upstate of SC, and the market is still showing resilience and the stabilization we've seen all year. BUT mortgage rates are at their highest levels in 20 years, and there is no doubt that will have an impact on the market going forward. What does it mean, and what sho…

"Doomers" - what I call those who have believed every year for the past 10+ years that real estate prices are going to crash - have been almost 100% wrong in their recent (and non-recent) real estate predictions. But they do have one thing right: at some point in the future it's highly likely that real estate prices will crash again. The problem is…

I frequently get the question: what does it cost to build a custom home in the Greenville area? And while I have an idea in my mind of what that would generally cost, it occurred to me that I've never really looked at what the data says. So today we dive into the Greenville Multiple Listing Service data to see exactly what the costs are to build a …

I've heard some people say that real estate seems like a boring career, but that's not been my experience! Between battling dogs, buzzards, roaches, termites, etc. there's always something new and exciting around the corner - sometimes literally around the corner! So let's have some fun and talk about five of my craziest real estate encounters from…

As a tribute to my dad who passed away on July 3, 2023, I'd like to share ten lessons I learned from him that directly impact me as a real estate professional: 1. Work as hard as you can as long as you can. 2. Talk to people. 3. Treat your network like they are your net worth. 4. Run, don’t walk! 5. Contentment isn’t always easy, but it is always a…

In May we saw Greenville SC's median home sale price have it's first year-on-year decline in a long time, but that reversed in June when prices hit an all-time high. Long story short, that data as well as all the other data provided by the Greater Greenville Association of Realtors paints the picture of a resilient seller's market that, despite not…