SC realtors closed 5,600 transactions in December 2024. From the moment a contract was signed to the day agents got paid, they waited an average of 74 days (DTC — Days to Close). That is +10.4% versus December 2023. Every transaction represents commission earned but sitting unpaid — and the longer that wait, the bigger the cash flow gap for SC realtors.
December is SC's slowest closing month — the winter lull brings fewer buyers and longer timelines. December 2024 DTC came in at 74 days — 10.4% longer than December 2023. Heading into 2025, SC realtors were waiting longer than any prior December in this data series.
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 — December 2024 | vs Statewide avg | YoY change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Columbia | 48 days | 26 days faster | +11.6% |
| Piedmont Regional | 49 days | 25 days faster | +32.4% |
| Spartanburg | 49 days | 25 days faster | +36.1% |
| Charleston Trident | 50 days | 24 days faster | +25.0% |
| Greater Greenville | 54 days | 20 days faster | +5.9% |
| Sumter/Clarendon County | 64 days | 10 days faster | +12.3% |
| Pee Dee | 69 days | 5 days faster | -27.4% |
| Western Upstate | 69 days | 5 days faster | +15.0% |
| Cherokee County | 72 days | near avg | -20.9% |
| Central Carolina | 85 days | 11 days slower | +4.9% |
| Greenwood | 112 days | 38 days slower | +43.6% |
| Aiken | 113 days | 39 days slower | +3.7% |
| Greater Augusta | 121 days | 47 days slower | +17.5% |
| Beaufort | 122 days | 48 days slower | +17.3% |
| Coastal Carolinas | 128 days | 54 days slower | +13.3% |
| Hilton Head Area | 138 days | 64 days slower | -7.4% |
Multiply the number of December 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 December 2024 that number reached 414,400 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 December 2024 was $330,000 (+1.8% from last year). At a 3% commission rate that is approximately $9,900 per transaction. That check is sitting unpaid for an average of 74 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.