Relocating to Charleston, SC: A City with Good Economic Appeal

In the past few years, we’ve seen a wave of interest among home buyers regarding job opportunities and overall economic conditions in Charleston, SC.  Buyers often know that they want to relocate to Charleston, but they want to make sure that the city has good job opportunities and room for economic growth in the future – especially if they’re moving from one of the more economically depressed areas of the country.

Many buyers know that Charleston is ranked as a top place to retire and to visit.  It’s been named everything from the “Friendliest City” to the “Best Shopping District.”  Travel magazines like Conde Naste and home magazines like Southern Living consistently rank Charleston for its charm and beauty. 

But often the rankings that matter most to buyers relocating (many of whom are tourist-turned-residents) are the ones that deal with jobs and the economy.  After all, there’s no sense in moving to a beautiful city if you can’t afford to live there.  But know that Charleston also ranks well for the things that affect day to day living.  For example, Forbes has recently ranked Charleston as one of the Ten Smartest Cities in the world.  Using factors such as livability, infrastructure, and the economy, the magazine also named Seattle and Amsterdam among its results.  Charleston was recognized for preserving its history, while at the same time promoting economic expansion.  Boeing’s new assembly facility was among many indicators in determining Charleston’s economic potential in the coming years.

In the past two years, Charleston has also been ranked in categories such as Top Cities for Technology Jobs, Most Livable Cities, and Strongest Real Estate Markets.  This latter ranking also comes from Forbes magazine, which named Charleston number nine in the country.  Forbes looked at cities with more than 500,000 people and compared expected time to recovery as well as percentage lost in home prices.

With about eight years of experience in the real estate business, I’m seeing strong signs of the market here picking up.  My team is the busiest we’ve been – even busier than we were at the “height” of the real estate market in 2005 and 2006.  Last year was the most successful and most profitable that we’ve had to date.  Home prices are certainly down compared to five years ago, but the number of sales is up based on MLS statistics throughout the Charleston area.  The accumulating work load means…well, more work…but I’m glad to be living and working in Charleston, SC!