BEAUFORT, S.C. () — According to a local realtor, Beaufort County may be an exception to a national trend seeing a freeze in the housing market.

The National Association of Realtors says that sales of existing homes fell nearly 5% from December to January. New builds experienced nearly a 2% drop, leaving the housing market flat across much of the country. 

However, Amy Friedman, a realtor with HomesFinder Realty, shares a different story for Beaufort County. While building prices are on the rise, people are still flocking to the Lowcountry. 

“Nationally speaking, we are ranked one of the highest in terms of people still coming to the area,” said Friedman, in reference to the state of South Carolina. “We’re a destination point. A lot of people are retiring here. A lot of people are just coming down here because they love the beaches. They can now work remote. So, we’ve seen a continuous influx of buyers into our market.”

Friedman explained that that influx of homebuyers are primarily targeting new developments, driven by attractive incentives such as below-market interest rates. These incentives make new homes more affordable, even in cases where the house is more expensive than a resale home.

“What it would cost somebody to buy a resale versus a new house, sometimes, with all of the bonuses and incentives, are getting a better monthly cost to buy a more expensive house through a new build,” Friedman said. “If it was the same type of house, same neighborhood, it’s hard to compete with those incentives.”

Bluffton has particularly seen a boom, with a 7% increase in home closings from 2023 to 2024, according to the Hilton Head Realtors Association. Even Hilton Head Island has experienced a rise, with home closings increasing by 14%, despite the 6% sales taxes and high insurance rates.

Friedman explained that the resale market has come back down to reality after skyrocketing home listings during and post-COVID. And while new builds are on the rise, resale homes in the Lowcountry are still seeing buyers.

 “It’s pretty stable in terms of if you put a house on the market at the right price, it’s moving,” said Friedman.

Hilton Head Realtors Association said as of now they’re seeing a mostly flat market. However, with the boom in new developments, there’s a possibility that the market numbers could change by the end of the year.