Columbia SC Real Estate & Homes For Sale | MINICO

Everything keeps going up. Rent included. Here's why, and the one payment that doesn't... Why rent keeps rising: 1. Owners' costs go up. Taxes, insurance and repairs rise every year, and landlords pass them on. In SC, rental homes are taxed at a higher rate than primary homes. 2. More people are moving to the Midlands. More renters, same number of homes. 3. Not enough rentals. New homes take time to build. 4. High rates keep people renting longer. More competition for every rental. 5. Inflation. When everything costs more, rent follows. What doesn't go up? The principal and interest on a fixed-rate mortgage. Buy today, and that part of your payment stays the same for the life of the loan. And over time, homes have grown in value faster than inflation. Since 1984, U.S. home prices are up 441%. Inflation is up 210%. That's why owning a home has long been one of the ways regular people protect themselves from inflation. The key? Don't chase the Joneses. Buy the home that fits your budget at today's rate, not the rate you hope for later. Want to see how renting compares to owning for you? DM me "RENT" and I'll run your numbers. Source: Clever Real Estate, 2026 #columbiasc #midlandssc #rentvsbuy #firsttimehomebuyer #screalestate

🎉 SOLD — 125 Chapin Creek Court, Chapin SC Fourth time's the charm! Congrats to my sellers! Three buyers out of state buyers came and fell through in just two months time: two on home-sale contingencies and one during due diligence. None of it was their fault or the house's. So we pulled it, let it rest, made a few repairs, and relaunched July 30th. Two weeks later, the right buyers showed up with the right terms. One wanted a pool, and one didn't. The swim spa was the perfect compromise! Closed September 18th and netted even more for my client's than the previous 3 offers did. Welcome to Chapin, new owners! And to my sellers, enjoy building that forever home on 5 acres, I can't wait to see it all finished! Thanks to @Brenda Williams, The Downing Team at Keller Williams, and @andrewaun at Aun Law, P.A. Thinking about selling in Chapin? Let's talk. Joshua Minico | MINICO at LPT Realty | 803.569.0633 #ownitcolumbia #chapinsc #justsold #sold #chapinrealestate

Everything keeps going up. Rent included. Why? Because rental rates are constantly affected by the market around it. ▶ Owners' costs go up. Property taxes, insurance and repairs rise every year, and landlords pass those costs on. In South Carolina, rental homes are also taxed at a higher rate than homes people live in (primary residence). ▶ More people are moving here. The Midlands keeps growing. More renters chasing the same homes pushes rents up. ▶ Not enough rentals. In high demand areas, new homes take time to build and supply can't keep up. ▶ High rates keep people renting. When buying feels out of reach, people rent longer. More renters means more competition for every rental. ▶ Inflation. When everything costs more, rent follows. One thing that doesn't: Principal and interest on a fixed-rate mortgage. Buy today, and that part of your payment is the same ten years from now. Sure, taxes and insurance can still change, but not the loan payment itself. And guess what? Historically, that home 10 years later is worth more than when you bought it! ❔ Did you know ❔ While many markets do see short-term reversals at times, since 1984, residential property values have appreciated by 441%, substantially exceeding the 210% increase attributable to inflation. What does this look like? In 1990, the median home value was $123,900. Since then, home prices have appreciated by 241.5%, whereas inflation has risen by 146.3%. Had home prices paced with inflation, the median home would currently be priced at $305,193, representing a discrepancy of $117,907 from the present actual median price. During 2000, the median home price stood at $165,300 and has subsequently increased by 156%, compared to an inflation rate of 87%. Should the median home have maintained alignment with inflation, it would presently cost $309,043, creating a variance of $114,057 from today’s actual median. (credit: themortgagepoint 2026) That's why investing in homeownership has long been one of the ways regular people like you and me protect, or "hedge", themselves from inflation. 🔑 The key? Don't chase the Joneses. Buy the home that fits your budget at today's rate. Not the rate you hope for later. #ColumbiaSC #RentVsBuy #FirstTimeHomeBuyer #SCRealEstate #Homeownership

The house my buyers ended up in was never on a website. I drove out to Pine Oak Estates in Gilbert to see a different home. While I was there I found out this one was available — better lot, more privacy, and it hadn't shown up anywhere yet. New construction inventory moves faster than the sites that list it. What you can search is never the whole picture. One thing every new construction buyer should know: bring your agent the first time you walk into a model home. Most builders won't let one onto the deal after you've registered on your own. Costs you nothing to have someone in your corner. Joshua Minico | MINICO at LPT Realty | 803.569.0633

Quick question for buyers: would you rather have $10,000 off the list price, or $10,000 to put toward lowering your rate? For a lot of people, the second one lowers the monthly payment more. A price cut may make you feel like your getting the best deal but, if you're financing, that discount gets spread over the full term of your loan. Which often times is 30 years. This does lower your monthly paymets, however... If you put that same amount towards buying down the rate, that goes straight at your monthly cost, and often times makes a MUCH larger impact on monthly affordability. Admittedly, this doesn't fit everyone. Which route is better depends on how long you plan to keep the loan among several other factors. But it's worth running numbers with BOTH scenarios BEFORE you write an offer. Want to know which strategy is right for you? While there are lots of free mortgage calculators to run the numbers yourself, I always recommend talking with your licensed mortgage professional for the most up to date and realistic numbers to ensure your projected costs are as accurate as possible. Don't know who to ask? I've got a team on-call that will have your back, ready when you are. #ColumbiaSC #HomeBuyingTips #MortgageTips #MidlandsSC #BuyerTips

CLOSED — 235 Foxglade Drive, Gilbert SC Big congrats to my buyers! 5 bedrooms, 4 full baths, 2,667 sq ft with a bedroom and full bath on the main level. Brand new in Pine Oak Estates. Here's the thing about this one. We didn't find it online. I drove out to Pine Oak Estates to see a completely different house, and while I was there I found out this one was available too — better lot, more privacy, and it wasn't showing up anywhere yet. That happens more than people realize with new construction. What's on the websites is a snapshot, and it's usually behind. The inventory a builder can actually sell you today is a conversation, not a search filter. Huge thanks to @realdavidparler Parler at First Reliance Bank for taking the mound at the bottom of the 9th to bring this one home. Big shout out to Camden Carter at @lennarcolumbia for a smooth transaction from day one, and to Avery and Liyah at Harvey & Vallini for taking us from contract to close. Top notch communication all around. Thinking about new construction in Lexington County? Loop me in BEFORE you tour a model home — most builders won't let an agent onto the deal once you've registered on your own. Costs you nothing to have someone in your corner. Joshua Minico | MINICO at LPT Realty | 803.569.0633 #ownitcolumbia #minicoatlpt #gilbertsc #lexingtonsc #newconstruction #justclosed #closed #lexingtoncountysc #midlandssc #screalestate #columbiascrealestate #newconstructionhomes

📈 Rates are high. ⛽ Gas is high. 🛒 Groceries are high. I'm not going to pretend otherwise. But "expensive" and "a bad time to make a smart move" are not the same thing. Over the next two weeks, I'm sharing what I'm actually seeing in our Midlands Market. Where the real openings are for buyers, sellers and investors. No hype or rah rah. Just the numbers and what they mean for you. Got a question you want answered? Drop it below and I'll work it into the series. Stay Tuned. #ColumbiaSC #MidlandsSC #ColumbiaRealEstate #SCRealEstate #HousingMarket

CLOSED! 235 Foxglade Drive in Gilbert. Big congrats to my buyers. 5 bedrooms, 4 full baths, 2,667 sq ft with a bedroom and full bath on the main level, brand new in Pine Oak Estates. Here's the thing about this one. We didn't find it online. I drove out to Pine Oak Estates to look at a completely different house, and while I was there I found out this one was available too — better lot, more privacy, and it wasn't showing up anywhere yet. That happens more than people realize with new construction. What's on the websites is a snapshot, and it's usually behind. The inventory a builder can actually sell you today is a conversation, not a search filter. Huge thanks to David Parler at First Reliance Bank for taking the mound at the bottom of the 9th to bring this one home. Big shout out to Camden Carter at Lennar Carolinas for making this a smooth transaction from day one, as well as Avery and Liyah from Harvey & Vallini for taking us from contract to close. None of this could've gotten done without all of your hard work and TOP notch communication. Thinking about new construction anywhere in Lexington County? Loop me in BEFORE you go tour a model home — most builders won't let an agent onto the deal once you've registered on your own. Costs you nothing to have someone in your corner. Joshua Minico | MINICO at LPT Realty | 803.569.0633 — call or text and yours can be next! #ownitcolumbia #minicoatlpt #gilbertsc #lexingtonsc #newconstruction #closed #justsoldcolumbia