780 Charleston County Homes Sit in Foreclosure Right Now

What This Means for South Carolina Home Sellers

ATTOM Data Solutions' 2026 mid-year foreclosure report found South Carolina tied for the second-highest state foreclosure rate in the country through the first six months of 2026, at 0.26% of housing units, one filing for every 381 homes. The state logged 6,419 foreclosure filings in that stretch. Nationally, foreclosure filings hit 227,548 properties in the same period, up 21% from a year earlier (ATTOM, published July 16, 2026).

The Mortgage Bankers Association's National Delinquency Survey put the Q2 2026 delinquency rate for all 1-4 unit residential loans at 4.37%, seasonally adjusted. That's down slightly from Q1, but still up 44 basis points from a year ago. The share of loans already in foreclosure climbed to 0.67%.

Rates aren't giving anyone room to refinance out of trouble. The 30-year fixed averaged 6.66% for the week of August 27, 2026, per Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey. Homes are also sitting longer nationally: 57 days median in July 2026, per Realtor.com, four days longer than June.

For a South Carolina homeowner already behind, that mix matters more than it would in a state with a faster foreclosure process. South Carolina runs foreclosures through the courts, not a lender's paperwork. Once a lender files suit, a judge sets the clock, not the homeowner.

Charleston County's Foreclosure Snapshot and the Court That Decides It

Foreclosure.com lists 780 total foreclosure-related properties in Charleston County right now: 76 active foreclosures, 507 preforeclosures, and 21 scheduled sheriff sales, with the balance split across bankruptcy, short-sale, and shadow-inventory filings.

Preforeclosure is the stage that matters most. It's the window before a sale date exists, while the homeowner still controls the timing.

South Carolina is a judicial foreclosure state. A lender has to sue in court, not just file paperwork. In Charleston County, that suit goes to the Master-in-Equity, a judge who hears most foreclosure cases and a substantial number of civil, non-jury matters in the county, seated at the Charleston County Judicial Center, 100 Broad Street (Charleston County Government). State law requires three weeks' notice before a sale, and the winning bid stays open to a higher bid for a full thirty days afterward, a process called upset bidding (AllLaw). Regular Master-in-Equity foreclosure sales are held at the County Council Chambers in the Public Services Building, 4045 Bridge View Drive in North Charleston, and a winning bidder has to put down 5% in cash or certified funds by 3:30 p.m. the day of the sale, with the balance due within 30 days (Charleston County Government).

Add it up and South Carolina's foreclosure timeline runs about 150 days from first missed payment to sale, longer than the roughly 90-120 days a lender needs in some non-judicial states nearby. That extra runway helps. It also means a traditional listing, 57 days on market nationally plus 30-45 days to close, can still land before a sale date in a county of about 439,000 residents, the third-largest by population in South Carolina (World Population Review, 2026). But that math only works if the listing starts early. Every week that passes without a plan shrinks the gap.

What South Carolina Sellers Should Do Now

If you're behind on a mortgage payment in Charleston County, the first move is finding out exactly where the loan stands: current, one payment behind, or already facing a filed lawsuit.

Second, get a real number for what the house is worth today, not a guess.

Third, decide whether South Carolina's roughly 150-day judicial timeline still gives you enough room for a traditional listing, or whether you need a faster path.

Cash Flow Deals is a real estate investor, not a brokerage, and works with sellers nationwide through a flat-fee, novation-based model.

The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed - foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure - we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens.

Cash Flow Deals's process for a Charleston County seller:

1. Request an offer with the property address and current mortgage payoff amount, no cost, no obligation.

2. Get a net price back, locked before repairs get scoped or negotiated.

3. Pick a closing date that fits your timeline, including one fast enough to beat a scheduled Master-in-Equity sale.

4. Close with the mortgage payoff handled directly out of proceeds.

For a homeowner anywhere in Charleston County watching a judicial foreclosure clock, a locked number gives back the one thing a court-set sale date won't: control over when you sell.