The SC Unemployment Rate Drops Again

South Carolina’s unemployment rate dropped again last month, and is now at its lowest rate since October of 2008.

Friday, the Department of Employment and Workforce released their numbers for the month of April, Read more

Home Sales Boost Employment Opportunities

Despite an economic picture that looks considerably rosier than it has in the past few years, one nagging problem continues to hinder economic growth: Unemployment. Read more

7 Reasons to Start an Emergency Fund

Saving up your hard-earned cash to stash away an emergency fund?

Well, it can be a hard sell. Spare cash can be hard to come by, and, after all, taking a vacation is a heck of a lot more fun. Read more

Home sales on the rise in Columbia, SC

Columbia had lowest supply of homes for sale in September in two years

By RODDIE BURRIS – rburris@thestate.com

A more balanced real estate market emerged in September in the Midlands and around the state as more homes sold faster. Read more

3 Common Home Purchase Roadblocks

Buyers who find a home they’d like to buy soon after they start their home search often pass on it because they feel they haven’t seen enough listings. Months later, when they haven’t found anything to compare to the first home they really liked, they can regret that they didn’t seize a great opportunity when they had a chance.

It takes a leap of faith and complete trust in your real estate agent to make a quick move in a market that’s new to you. You’ll feel more confident when you’ve done your homework and know the reasons why some listings sell for more than others. This is a process that takes time and is time well spent. Read more

Buying a Home Won’t Get Much Cheaper

Buying a home may never get any cheaper than this. Several housing experts are predicting that this year will be the last chance for bargain hunters to cash in on the best deals of the weak housing market.

With home prices down 34% nationally since 2006 and mortgage rates at historic lows, homes have never been more affordable — but it won’t stay this way for much longer.

Stuart Hoffman, chief economist for PNC Financial Services, said he expects home prices to flatten out by the third quarter and start climbing by next year. Read more

Columbia home sales up 16% in January

Home sales in the metro Columbia market jumped nearly 16% in January as the residential real estate market appears to be on the rebound, S.C. Realtors reported Wednesday. Read more

Survey Reveals Why Buyers Are Waiting on Sidelines

Twenty-seven percent of Americans say they plan to buy a home in the future (with most saying in two or more years), and only two percent say they plan to purchase a home in the next 12 months, according to a new Move Inc. survey of 1,000 American adults. So why are so many buyers continuing to wait on the sidelines when home affordability is high and interest rates are at or hovering near record lows?

About 23 percent of those surveyed say they are delaying buying a home because they are concerned about the real estate market in their local area, particularly with concerns over the future of home values, the economy and jobs, as well as difficulty in saving for a down payment. Read more

Home builders dogged by tougher lenders, foreclosures

Midlands builder says regulators must ease up on banks to free money to stimulate the economy:

Wade McGuinn says a Camden bank recently turned him down for a loan to build up to 30 homes in Kershaw County.

That is 90 jobs people don’t have, he said.

Those jobs are the reason homebuilding needs to grab more attention in the national debate on how to revive the battered economy, said Barry Rutenberg, chairman-elect of the National Association of Home Builders, who was in town this week to speak to Midlands-area builders.

Foreclosures rose sharply in South Carolina in October, another hurdle for builders struggling to stay afloat in a stagnant housing market. The state ranked 13th nationally in the number of foreclosures. Meanwhile, foreclosure rates in the U.S. improved over last year. Read more

Americans Less on the Move, Census Says

High unemployment and housing woes are forcing more Americans to stay put, new Census Bureau data shows. In fact, Americans are moving less than they ever have on record, since the Census Bureau started tracking such data in 1948.

In the last year, about 35.1 million of Americans — or 11.6 percent — moved to a new home, which is down from 12.5 percent in the previous year. The record for American mobility was 21.2 percent, reached in 1951. Read more

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