SC realtors closed 6,901 transactions in September 2024. From the moment a contract was signed to the day agents got paid, they waited an average of 68 days (DTC — Days to Close). That is +5.4% versus September 2023. Every transaction represents commission earned but sitting unpaid — and the longer that wait, the bigger the cash flow gap for SC realtors.
September marks SC's fall transition — volume eases from summer highs and DTC begins to lengthen. September 2024 DTC rose to 68 days — 5.4% longer than September 2023. The fall lengthening was beginning earlier than typical, signaling a structural shift in SC's closing timeline cycle.
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 — September 2024 | vs Statewide avg | YoY change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piedmont Regional | 39 days | 29 days faster | +18.2% |
| Spartanburg | 40 days | 28 days faster | +42.9% |
| Charleston Trident | 43 days | 25 days faster | +53.6% |
| Greater Columbia | 45 days | 23 days faster | +15.4% |
| Greater Greenville | 49 days | 19 days faster | +25.6% |
| Sumter/Clarendon County | 58 days | 10 days faster | -14.7% |
| Pee Dee | 58 days | 10 days faster | -42.6% |
| Hilton Head Area | 58 days | 10 days faster | -63.8% |
| Western Upstate | 65 days | near avg | +8.3% |
| Central Carolina | 78 days | 10 days slower | -36.6% |
| Cherokee County | 98 days | 30 days slower | +22.5% |
| Greater Augusta | 104 days | 36 days slower | +10.6% |
| Greenwood | 107 days | 39 days slower | +23.0% |
| Aiken | 108 days | 40 days slower | +58.8% |
| Beaufort | 118 days | 50 days slower | +13.5% |
| Coastal Carolinas | 131 days | 63 days slower | +17.0% |
Multiply the number of September 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 September 2024 that number reached 469,268 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 September 2024 was $331,000 (+3.4% from last year). At a 3% commission rate that is approximately $9,930 per transaction. That check is sitting unpaid for an average of 68 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.