South Carolina mortgage market — late April 2026 read-out

With the spring market more than half over, here's the data — not the marketing — on where the SC mortgage and housing markets sit at the end of April 2026.

National rate picture

30-year conforming fixed rates have spent the last three weeks pinned in a tight 6.25–6.50% band, with daily moves driven mostly by 10-year Treasury yields and Fed rhetoric. The Fed's late-March policy statement reduced the bank's expected number of 2026 cuts from three to two, which lifted the long end of the curve and stalled the slow rate decline most lenders had been forecasting.

For borrowers, the practical takeaway is that "waiting for a meaningfully better rate" is not a strategy supported by current data. We're more likely to oscillate between 6.0 and 6.75% through the summer than to break decisively below 6.0%.

Charleston tri-county (Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester)

• Months of supply: 2.9 (vs. 1.6 a year ago) — still a seller's market, but barely.
• Median list price: $499,000
• Average days on market: 36 (vs. 19 a year ago)
• Seller concession frequency: ~52% of accepted contracts include a seller concession averaging $7,400.
• Where the deals are: Pre-1990 housing in the Park Circle, North Charleston, and West Ashley submarkets. New construction in the Cane Bay and Carnes Crossroads master-planned communities is still moving at full asking with builder rate buy-downs to ~5.75%.

Greenville/Spartanburg/Anderson Upstate

• Months of supply: 1.7 — still very tight
• Median list price: $379,000
• Average days on market: 22
• Seller concession frequency: ~28% of contracts — lowest in the state
• What's selling fastest: Homes priced $300–$425k with finished basements or walk-in pantries (the Upstate's two most-searched MLS keywords).

The Upstate is the only major SC market that still feels like 2021. If you're a buyer here, your offer needs to land within 24–48 hours of the listing going active, with a strong escalation clause and a fast pre-approval. A pre-approval letter dated within the last 14 days is now table stakes.

Columbia / Midlands

• Months of supply: 3.4 (vs. 2.0 a year ago)
• Median list price: $279,000
• Average days on market: 41
• Seller concession frequency: ~47%
• Affordability standout: Lexington and Cayce have the highest share of homes under $300k of any SC metro. With USDA eligibility extending into much of western Lexington County, 0%-down purchases are still very achievable here.

Coastal vacation/second-home submarkets (Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach)

Second-home demand has cooled significantly. Hilton Head condo months-of-supply has roughly doubled YoY (from 3.1 to 6.4), and Myrtle Beach is at 5.7. Sellers are negotiating: average sale-to-list price ratio in Hilton Head condos is 94.2%, vs. 98.6% in 2024. If you've been considering a second-home purchase or 1031-exchange placement, this is the most buyer-friendly window since 2019.

What this means by buyer profile

• First-time buyer: Your dollar goes furthest in the Midlands and the Pee Dee. Stack SC Housing assistance + USDA where eligible.
• Move-up buyer: Charleston tri-county finally has options. Use seller concessions to buy down your rate (a 1% rate buydown is roughly 4% of loan size in points, well within typical concession amounts).
• Refinance candidate: If your current rate is 7.25%+, the math works at today's rates with closing costs rolled in. We'll run the break-even calculation in 10 minutes.
• Investor: DSCR loan pricing in SC is tight (0.75–1.0% over owner-occupied). The Hilton Head/Myrtle short-term rental market needs hard underwriting on actual booking data, not vibes.

The summer ahead is set up to be the most negotiable market most SC buyers have ever seen. Don't let "rates feel high" cost you the seller concession that absorbs them.

Published by Ken, Founder & Senior Mortgage Advisor. NMLS #2476547.