4 South Carolina cities ranked · data for October 2026
Source: REI Cash Index, October 2026 (Zillow listing data and county cash-sale records).
REI Cash Index ranks 4 South Carolina cities among the largest in the U.S., led by Charleston, Columbia, North Charleston and Mount Pleasant. Together they are home to about 499,023 people. The typical city here sells homes for about $448k on average, and listings spend around 40 days on the market.
On the REI Cash Index tiers (S is best for wholesalers, F the hardest), South Carolina cities score 2 B · 2 C. Prices range from about $230k in Columbia to $872k in Mount Pleasant, so spreads, buyer pools and exit strategies differ a lot from one market to the next. Statewide cash-sale and inventory figures are coming soon; until then, open a city page for its members-only cash sales and months of inventory.
| # | City | Tier | Population | Avg price | Days on market | Cash sales | MOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 175 | Charleston, SC | B | 151,612 | $588k | 50 | 7,923 | 4.1 |
| 202 | Columbia, SC | B | 137,541 | $230k | 30 | 4,643 | 5.3 |
| 242 | North Charleston, SC | C | 117,472 | $309k | — | 5,391 | 4.3 |
| 369 | Mount Pleasant, SC | C | 92,398 | $872k | — | 7,474 | 2.2 |
🔒 Cash sales and months of inventory are for members. Get Access Now
Wholesaling in South Carolina works like anywhere else: lock up motivated sellers below market and assign or double close to a cash buyer. What changes by state is the paperwork. South Carolina has wholesaling-specific rules: A license is required to market the property; assigning the contract itself stays allowed. (S.C. Code §§ 40-57-30, -135, -350). Build that into your contracts before you market a deal.
South Carolina is an attorney state: a real estate attorney usually handles the closing, so confirm early that yours will close an assignment and show your fee on the settlement statement. The investor-friendly closers and novation agents below are the ones we have checked against investor forums, reviews and phone calls.
Columbia moves fastest of the ranked South Carolina cities, at about 30 days on market. Columbia is the most affordable at about $230k, where cash buyers and landlords tend to be most active. Mount Pleasant is the priciest at about $872k, where novations and creative finance often fit better than a straight assignment. Compare the tiers and numbers in the table, then open a city for its exit strategies, closers and agents.
You're paying for mail, PPC and skip tracing, or burning afternoons on cold calls, to lock up deals that won't move. When a market slows down, it doesn't matter how good your contract is. Cash buyers stop answering.
The fix isn't more marketing. It's a market where buyers are hungry, and five numbers tell you which one that is.
Each faint dot is one of the 4 South Carolina cities we rank. The pin is the state's median. Locked pins are what members see.
Every cash sale is an investor who closed in the last 12 months. A deep pool means you can build buyer relationships fast, assign in days, and pivot into a new market with confidence instead of hope. A thin pool means you can lock up a great contract and have no one to sell it to.
The most important number after cash sales: how long a listing sits before it goes pending. Under 15 days, the market is thriving and retail and cash buyers are fighting over homes. Over 45 days, there's too much supply, prices are probably too high, and buyers are walking away or demanding discounts.
A novation is an active MLS listing, so every other listing is a competitor. Supply asks one question: at the pace homes sold over the last 90 days, how many months until today's listings run out? 1 to 3 months means few competitors and a fast sale. 5+ months means your listing waits in line.
1,200 ÷ (900 ÷ 3) = 4.0 months Balanced
You want a reasonable range, something like $200k to $400k. Not so pricey that cash buyers thin out, and not so cheap it's all beat-up rentals nobody can finance. The numbers refresh every month, so you see it when values start to slide.
More people means more sellers to novate and more buyers for your flips. Under about 50,000 people, with no 100,000+ city within an hour, wholesaling gets close to hopeless. Lenders avoid small remote towns, so hard money, private money and even 30-year mortgages get harder to find. Novations can still work there, but slowly.
Big isn't always better. A big city with 45+ days on market and 5+ months of supply still leaves your flip sitting.
REI Cash Index puts every number above in front of you for every city we track, so you can decide where to pivot with real data. You save on marketing, spend less time talking to sellers you can't help, and sell your deals faster.
Your first month
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Start for $29Less than one motivated-seller lead costs in most markets.
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Every closer listed on our South Carolina city pages, ranked by investor points. 1 closer · 0 confirmed for assignments · 0 for novations · 0 for double closes in 2 cities.
✓Confirmed ~Only the business says so ✕No ?Not confirmed · Verified by: phone call RCI member company reviews forums · Tap a row for the sources.
Your business, or you closed with them?
None confirmed for that yet.
Know a title company or attorney in South Carolina that works with investors? Listed here and something's wrong? Tell us. Businesses do not pay to be listed.
Every agent listed on our South Carolina city pages, ranked by investor points. 11 agents · 0 confirmed for novation listings in 3 cities.
✓Confirmed ~Only the business says so ✕No ?Not confirmed · Verified by: phone call RCI member company reviews forums · Tap a row for the sources.
Your business, or you closed with them?
Your business, or you closed with them?
Your business, or you closed with them?
Your business, or you closed with them?
Your business, or you closed with them?
Your business, or you closed with them?
Your business, or you closed with them?
Your business, or you closed with them?
Your business, or you closed with them?
Your business, or you closed with them?
Your business, or you closed with them?
None confirmed for that yet.
Know a novation-friendly agent in South Carolina that works with investors? Listed here and something's wrong? Tell us. Businesses do not pay to be listed.
The top-scoring South Carolina markets in the REI Cash Index for October 2026 are Columbia (B-Tier, 30 days on market), Charleston (B-Tier, 50 days on market) and North Charleston (C-Tier). Scores combine population, cash sales, days on market, months of inventory and average sale price.
Yes, with conditions. South Carolina wholesaling law: A license is required to market the property; assigning the contract itself stays allowed (S.C. Code §§ 40-57-30, -135, -350). This is a summary, not legal advice; confirm with a local real estate attorney.
South Carolina is an attorney state: closings usually run through a real estate attorney. Attorneys are not always quick to work with on assignments, so a wholesaler-friendly firm, or a title company that works alongside one, keeps your deals moving.
Across the 4 ranked South Carolina cities, the median is 40 days on market before a listing goes pending; Columbia is the fastest at 30 days. Under 15 days signals hungry buyers; over 45 days signals too much supply.
The median average sale price across ranked South Carolina cities is $448k, from $230k in Columbia to $872k in Mount Pleasant.
Cash sales, days on market and months of inventory for 2,500+ U.S. cities, ranked for wholesalers and refreshed monthly.
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