SCBIZ Daily Staff

COLUMBIA – Nearly 2,500 residential properties were sold in South Carolina in February, up 14.3% from January. In spite of this increase, total residential sales were down 35% compared to February 2008 sales, and down 34.2% year-to-date, according to the S.C. Association of Realtors.

This mirrors the nationwide trend where residential sales rose 5.1% in February, but remain 4.6% below sales in February 2008, according to figures released Monday by the National Association of Realtors.

In the South, existing home sales rose 6.1% in February but were 11.2% below February 2008, NAR reported.

The median home price in South Carolina in February was $135,000, compared to $146,700 in the South and $165,000 nationwide.

Charleston region home sales suffered the worst of the three largest metropolitan areas of South Carolina in February, as the number of homes sold declined 42.9%, according to the S.C. Association of Realtors. The Greater Greenville region came in second and the Greater Columbia region followed with a decrease of 33.2% and 26.3% respectively.

Across the state, some areas in the state posted a year-over-year decline of more than 50%, including Cherokee and Greenwood counties, which reported declines of 62.5% and 51.5% respectively.

The lone region to report a year-over-year increase in sales was the Southern Midlands Assoc., which represents Orangeburg and reported an increase of 4.2% in February 2009. Its increase represented an increase of one sale over last year.


MLS stats - February 2009

Published March 24, 2009