What Buyers Need to Know Right Now

There is always an enormous amount of noise in the marketplace. When it comes to real estate, this can be especially detrimental, as many people base decisions that affect both their lives and their net worth on incomplete — or worse, inaccurate — information.

So what does a savvy buyer in the Lowcountry real estate market need to know today if they are considering a purchase?

First and foremost: We are currently in what is essentially an asymmetric opportunity window in a generally balanced (but still slightly skewed) market. This is a sweet spot that never lasts, by its very definition – and buyers who are paying attention and came prepared to act are doing so as I write these words. 

So: Do buyers have leverage in this market? Yes.

Is it a buyer’s market? Not quite. Let me explain.

Yes, buyers have more control than they did from 2021 to 2023 (i.e., essentially none), but the reason that control exists right now matters. A meaningful portion of demand has not simply disappeared. Instead, it has temporarily sidelined itself due to rate sensitivity and overall market uncertainty, but that tide is already turning. And make no mistake: Those buyers are waiting, not gone.

That creates a very specific advantage, right now, for:

• cash buyers,

• buyers with low leverage needs,

• buyers whose purchase is driven by lifestyle, portfolio allocation, or long-term positioning rather than monthly payment sensitivity.

These buyers are operating in a market where:

• inventory has expanded,

• days on market have normalized,

• but a chunk of competing demand is paused.

That is a very different advantage than today’s common (but locally inaccurate) “buyers’ market” rhetoric suggests.

One of the easiest ways to tell? Competition still exists for the most compelling properties. The data supports that: absorption has been uneven, not weak. High-quality, correctly priced homes — especially those with scarcity attributes, that are especially move-in ready, or otherwise highly desirable — continue to transact quickly and efficiently. 

So the opportunity for buyers right now is actually twofold:

• discernment, and

• relative (but temporary) quiet from interest-rate-sensitive competitors.

That quiet will not persist indefinitely. If and when rates move meaningfully lower, even modestly, sidelined demand re-enters, and when it does, it historically does so rapidly. And when this occurs, it will compress timelines, increase competition, and, with enough force, will cause pricing to move upward again quickly (as opposed to slowly, which it continues to do). 

If you’re a buyer in today’s market, your strategy is less about leverage and more about operating ahead of a demand reactivation cycle. When it comes to timing the market, this is about the closest you’re getting to a crystal ball. We would encourage you not to waste it.