SC realtors closed 7,617 transactions in September 2025. More deals closed. More commissions earned. But from the moment a contract was signed to the day agents got paid, they waited an average of 75 days (DTC — Days to Close). That is 10.3% longer than September 2024. The market remains active and the wait is getting longer. More money earned means more money sitting unpaid for longer.
September 2023 statewide DTC was 67 days. September 2024 came in at 68 days. September 2025 landed at 75 days. Three consecutive years, three consecutive increases. The trend is structural, not seasonal.
September marks SC's transition into fall — volume typically eases but closings can still be strong. September 2025 closings jumped 10.4% year-over-year. Despite the volume surge, DTC came in at 75 days — 10.3% longer than September 2024. More deals, longer waits.
Contract-to-close times vary dramatically across South Carolina. The same state, the same month — but a Hilton Head agent waits more than 2.5 times longer than a Charleston agent to receive the same commission check.
| Region | DTC — September 2025 | vs Statewide avg | YoY change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Columbia | 48 days | 27 days faster | +6.7% |
| Spartanburg | 48 days | 27 days faster | +20.0% |
| Charleston Trident | 52 days | 23 days faster | +20.9% |
| Greater Greenville | 54 days | 21 days faster | +10.2% |
| Piedmont Regional | 54 days | 21 days faster | +38.5% |
| Pee Dee | 54 days | 21 days faster | -6.9% |
| Sumter/Clarendon County | 62 days | 13 days faster | +6.9% |
| Western Upstate | 71 days | near avg | +9.2% |
| Central Carolina | 81 days | 6 days slower | +3.8% |
| Cherokee County | 84 days | 9 days slower | -14.3% |
| Greenwood | 99 days | 24 days slower | -7.5% |
| Aiken | 104 days | 29 days slower | -3.7% |
| Greater Augusta | 107 days | 32 days slower | +2.9% |
| Beaufort | 121 days | 46 days slower | +2.5% |
| Coastal Carolinas | 131 days | 56 days slower | 0.0% |
| Hilton Head Area | 131 days | 56 days slower | +125.9% |
The September 2025 Days to Close figure is part of a multi-year pattern across South Carolina. September 2023 the statewide average was 67 days. By September 2024 it had risen to 68 days. September 2025 came in at 75 days. That is 8 more days of unpaid commission per transaction than two years ago — with no sign of reversal.
Multiply the number of September 2025 closings by the average DTC and you get a picture of how much earned but unpaid commission is sitting in the SC pipeline at any given moment. In September 2025 that number reached 571,275 agent-days of unpaid commission statewide. The busier the market and the longer contracts take to close, the bigger that number grows.
The SC median home price in September 2025 was $339,000 (+2.4% from last year). At a 3% commission rate that is approximately $10,170 per transaction. That check is sitting unpaid for an average of 75 days (DTC) from contract signing. As both prices and DTC continue to move, the dollar amount sitting unpaid per agent changes every month.