South Carolina foreclosures and housing market
How foreclosure works in South Carolina, which counties lean to buyers or sellers, and how many homes are for sale right now.
How's the market in South Carolina?
A seller's market.
Listings spent about 71 days on the market, and 22% had a price cut in October 2026.
Market figures: Realtor.com® Economic Research, October 2026. Free weekly email. Unsubscribe anytime.
Distressed properties in South Carolina
Pre-foreclosures, auctions, bank-owned and HUD homes from county notices, with the street area instead of the house number.
Representative photoWe are not tracking properties in South Carolina yet
Our property list covers a handful of counties so far. Leave your email for the free weekly brief, and we will note that you want property alerts for South Carolina.
The closest place we track is Florida, with 1 property.
The South Carolina market in October 2026
Our score compares how many listings went under contract with how many were for sale, ranked against every US county. Low scores lean to buyers, high scores to sellers.
South Carolina market score
- Homes for sale
- 29,494
- US: 1,179,101
- Typical days on market
- 71
- US: 66
- Listings with a price cut
- 22%
- US: 21%
- Homes for sale vs pre-pandemic
- +5%
- US: −7%
- October 2026 vs the October average for 2017 to 2019.
Market score by county
Check any countyGray counties had too few listings to score. Tap a county for its full answer.
Most buyer-friendly counties
Lowest scores among counties with 50+ homes for sale.
- 18McCormick County85 days on market · 16% with a price cut · 124 for sale
- 26Colleton County73 days on market · 18% with a price cut · 218 for sale
- 32Williamsburg County106 days on market · 6% with a price cut · 51 for sale
- 34Dorchester County66 days on market · 27% with a price cut · 883 for sale
- 35Clarendon County89 days on market · 21% with a price cut · 141 for sale
Most seller-friendly counties
Highest scores among counties with 50+ homes for sale.
- 83Edgefield County85 days on market · 15% with a price cut · 139 for sale
- 81Lexington County57 days on market · 25% with a price cut · 1,159 for sale
- 80Florence County68 days on market · 23% with a price cut · 446 for sale
- 79Richland County56 days on market · 24% with a price cut · 1,766 for sale
- 79Chester County85 days on market · 26% with a price cut · 143 for sale
Source: Realtor.com® Economic Research, October 2026 county data. County days on market are medians. State and US figures weight each county by its homes for sale. Price-cut share is the share of listings with a price reduction.
How foreclosure works in South Carolina
South Carolina foreclosures go through court.
- Main steps and notices
- Borrowers living in the home get notice of foreclosure intervention and have 30 days to ask for it. The case pauses while it runs.
- The sale is posted at the courthouse and two other public places and published once a week for three weeks.
- If the lender seeks a deficiency, bidding stays open for 30 days after the sale.
- Catching up before the sale
- State law does not require a right to reinstate.
- After the sale
- There is no right to redeem after the sale.
- Before any of this starts
- Under federal rules, a mortgage servicer generally can't make the first notice or filing for foreclosure until the borrower is more than 120 days behind.
- Governing law
- South Carolina Code § 15-29-10 et seq.; § 15-39-610 et seq.; § 29-3-610 et seq.
Sources
- Justia, Foreclosure laws and procedures: 50-state survey (last reviewed November 2022)
- Nolo, Foreclosure redemption period rights (state chart)
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, How to avoid foreclosure
General information, not legal advice.
Laws change and each case differs. Anyone facing foreclosure should talk with a local attorney or a HUD-approved housing counselor.
Go deeper
- Check any county's marketPick a county in South Carolina and see whether it leans to buyers or sellers.
- Read the buying guidesHow to buy pre-foreclosures, auction homes, bank-owned homes, HUD homes and short sales.
- Help if you're behind on your mortgageWhere you are in the process, your options, free counselors and scam warnings.
South Carolina questions
Is foreclosure in South Carolina judicial or non-judicial?
South Carolina foreclosures go through court.
Can a homeowner get the home back after a foreclosure sale in South Carolina?
There is no right to redeem after the sale.
Can a borrower in South Carolina catch up on the loan before the sale?
State law does not require a right to reinstate.
Is South Carolina a buyer's or seller's market right now?
A seller's market. South Carolina scores 65 out of 100 on our market scale, where low scores lean to buyers. Listings spent about 71 days on the market, and 22% had a price cut in October 2026. Source: Realtor.com® Economic Research.
How far behind does a borrower have to be before foreclosure starts?
Under federal rules, a mortgage servicer generally can't make the first notice or filing for foreclosure until the borrower is more than 120 days behind. Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.