SC realtors closed 6,148 transactions in February 2024. From the moment a contract was signed to the day agents got paid, they waited an average of 73 days (DTC — Days to Close). That is -3.9% versus February 2023. Every transaction represents commission earned but sitting unpaid — and the longer that wait, the bigger the cash flow gap for SC realtors.
February marks the early spring ramp-up in South Carolina. Buyer activity starts picking up after the winter lull. February 2024 DTC came in at 73 days — 3.9% better than February 2023. A modest improvement heading into peak season, though still nearly 2.5 months of unpaid commission per transaction.
Contract-to-close times vary dramatically across South Carolina. The same state, the same month — but agents in different regions wait vastly different amounts of time for the same commission check.
| Region | DTC — February 2024 | vs Statewide avg | YoY change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston Trident | 43 days | 30 days faster | -6.5% |
| Piedmont Regional | 44 days | 29 days faster | -2.2% |
| Spartanburg | 45 days | 28 days faster | +9.8% |
| Greater Columbia | 49 days | 24 days faster | +4.3% |
| Greater Greenville | 57 days | 16 days faster | 0.0% |
| Sumter/Clarendon County | 60 days | 13 days faster | -9.1% |
| Western Upstate | 72 days | near avg | -1.4% |
| Cherokee County | 77 days | near avg | -8.3% |
| Aiken | 78 days | 5 days slower | +9.9% |
| Pee Dee | 92 days | 19 days slower | -22.0% |
| Greenwood | 97 days | 24 days slower | -29.2% |
| Beaufort | 99 days | 26 days slower | +10.0% |
| Greater Augusta | 111 days | 38 days slower | +12.1% |
| Coastal Carolinas | 114 days | 41 days slower | -8.8% |
| Central Carolina | 125 days | 52 days slower | -1.6% |
| Hilton Head Area | 163 days | 90 days slower | +1.9% |
Multiply the number of February 2024 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 February 2024 that number reached 448,804 agent-days of unpaid commission statewide. Every SC realtor with an open contract is carrying their share of this backlog — and the only way to close the gap before closing day is a commission advance.
The SC median home price in February 2024 was $328,000 (+7.5% from last year). At a 3% commission rate that is approximately $9,840 per transaction. That check is sitting unpaid for an average of 73 days (DTC) from contract signing. As both prices and DTC continue to move, the dollar amount of commission sitting unpaid per agent changes every month.