Rodney The Realtor

Rodney The Realtor 🏡 Real Estate agent | keller williams preferred
Educating and Creating homeowners

You’re already making a house payment.It’s just building somebody else’s equity.Here’s where Columbia actually sits righ...
09/05/2026

You’re already making a house payment.

It’s just building somebody else’s equity.

Here’s where Columbia actually sits right now:

🏠 Average 3-bedroom rent in Columbia: $1,786/mo
🔑 Principal & interest on the median Columbia home ($279,848): $1,744/mo at today’s 6.71%
💵 SC Housing “Made It Home!” — up to $25,000 in down payment help, forgiven after 10 years
📅 4.4 months of supply, 71 days on market statewide — you’ve got room to look

Now let me be straight with you, because I’m not going to hide the part that matters.

That $1,744 is principal and interest ONLY. Property taxes, homeowners insurance and mortgage insurance stack on top of it. So no — I’m not telling you buying is automatically cheaper than renting this month. Anybody who tells you that is selling you something.

What I AM telling you is this: those two numbers are sitting in the same neighborhood. They weren’t a couple of years ago. And one of them ends. One of them doesn’t.

Thirty years from now the rent check is still due. The mortgage isn’t.

And that $25,000 from SC Housing is the piece most first-time buyers in this market have never heard of. It’s a zero-interest second that gets forgiven after ten years. That’s the number that moves people from “someday” to “let’s look” — I’ve watched it happen.

I’ve helped 16 families get into homes this year. Almost every one of them told me the same thing when we started: “I figured I was still a few years out.”

Some of them were. I told them so, and I told them exactly what to fix and when to come back. That’s the job.

So tell me what you’re paying in rent right now. I’ll run your real numbers — the whole payment, not the pretty half — and tell you straight whether the math works yet, or what it’d take to get there.

No pitch. Just the math.

📞 803.603.9588
📅 Book a call — link in bio

Almost every first-time buyer who calls me says the same thing: “Rodney, I think we’re priced out of Columbia.”Then I as...
09/04/2026

Almost every first-time buyer who calls me says the same thing: “Rodney, I think we’re priced out of Columbia.”

Then I ask where they’ve been looking. Northeast. Lexington. Blythewood. All great — I sell in all of them.

Nobody ever says West Columbia. And that’s the part that gets me, because it’s the closest affordable lane to downtown there is.

Here’s what the numbers actually say right now:

📍 Typical West Columbia home value: $231,283 — up just 1.6% over the past year (Zillow Home Value Index, July 31, 2026)

📍 Statewide median sale price: $349,900 — flat vs. last year (SC REALTORS®, July 2026)

📍 71 days on market statewide, 4.4 months of supply — both up from a year ago (SC REALTORS®, July 2026)

📍 30-year fixed averaging 6.71% — released yesterday, up from 6.66% the week before (Freddie Mac PMMS, Sept. 3, 2026)

Here’s what that means for you in plain English:

You are not priced out. You may just be shopping the wrong five miles.

And that third number is the one nobody talks about. Homes sitting 71 days with 4.4 months of supply on the shelf means sellers are answering the phone again. That’s room to ask for a repair. Room to ask for closing costs. Room to not get bulldozed in a bidding war like folks were two years ago.

Now — I’ll be straight with you, because I’m not going to pretend West Columbia is slow. Zillow has homes there going to pending in about 18 days. That’s a different measurement than the 71-day statewide number above, and it tells you something important: the good ones in this pocket still move. You need to be pre-approved and ready, not “just looking.”

Twelve years in this market and I’ve watched it do everything. The buyers who win aren’t the ones with the biggest budget. They’re the ones with the better map.

Tell me what you’re moving from — square footage, yard, the feel of it — and I’ll show you what that looks like across the river. Let’s find you something comparable.

Book a call, link in bio. 803.603.9588

Nobody tells first-time buyers the order. That’s the whole problem.They tell you “buy a house.” They don’t tell you what...
09/03/2026

Nobody tells first-time buyers the order. That’s the whole problem.

They tell you “buy a house.” They don’t tell you what comes first, what comes second, and what you can stop worrying about until later. So people start at step 3 — scrolling houses at midnight — and get discouraged before they ever talk to a lender.

Here’s the order. Four steps.

1️⃣ Get pre-approved. Before you look at a single house.
The 30-year fixed is averaging 6.66% right now (Freddie Mac, released Aug. 27). That’s the number your payment gets built on. You can’t shop until you know what you’re shopping with.

2️⃣ Ask about down payment help before you assume you can’t afford it.
SC Housing’s “Made It Home!” program is offering up to $25,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance — a zero-interest second mortgage that’s fully forgiven after 10 years if you stay in the home. Income cap is $135,000. That is real money sitting on the table.

3️⃣ Shop. And breathe.
Homes across South Carolina are averaging 71 days on market with 4.4 months of supply, and inventory is up 10.5% from a year ago. You are not in a bidding war against the clock. You have room to actually think about it.

4️⃣ Write the offer.
Statewide, sellers took 98.0% of list price in July. That tells you something useful: reasonable offers are getting done. This isn’t a market where you have to throw money over asking to be taken seriously.

Here’s what all of that actually means for you:

You don’t need 20% down. You don’t need to rush. You don’t need to have it all figured out before you make the first call. You need the steps in the right order — and somebody who’s walked 16 families through them this year and knows where people get stuck.

That’s the job. I go above and beyond — that’s not a line, it’s the job.

Moving here from somewhere else? Tell me what you’re moving from. Same yard, same square footage, same feel — let’s find you something comparable.

Book a call — link in bio. 803.603.9588

Somebody told you that you need 20% down. That’s the single most expensive piece of bad advice in real estate.Here’s wha...
09/02/2026

Somebody told you that you need 20% down. That’s the single most expensive piece of bad advice in real estate.

Here’s what’s actually true this week:

📊 The median first-time buyer put down 10% — not 20%. (NAR, 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers)

💰 SC Housing’s “Made It Home!” gives up to $25,000 in down payment and closing cost help. Zero interest, no monthly payment, and it’s fully forgiven after 10 years in the home. Income cap is $135,000. And 45 of those homes are being built right here in Columbia.

🏡 Palmetto Home Advantage gives 3% or 4% of your loan amount as forgivable down payment help. 640 credit score. Income limit $135,750. And here’s the part nobody tells you — you don’t even have to be a first-time buyer.

📈 30-year fixed averaged 6.66% last week. (Freddie Mac, released 8/27/26)

Here’s what that means for you in plain English: on a $250,000 house, 20% down is $50,000 you don’t have. But 3% is $7,500 — and Palmetto Home Advantage may cover that for you. That’s the difference between “someday” and this fall.

Nobody hands this money out. You have to ask for it, and you have to go through the right lender to get it. That’s my job.

I’ve been doing this 12 years and I’ve helped 16 families get into homes this year alone. I go above and beyond — that’s not a line, it’s the job.

Tell me what you’re moving from and I’ll show you what you can actually buy here. 👇

Book a call — link in bio.

The biggest mistake I’m watching first-time buyers make right now isn’t overpaying.It’s rushing.Somebody’s cousin told t...
08/30/2026

The biggest mistake I’m watching first-time buyers make right now isn’t overpaying.
It’s rushing.
Somebody’s cousin told them a story about 2021 — twelve offers, waive everything, write the love letter — and they walk into a 2026 Columbia market swinging at a pitch that isn’t there anymore.
Here’s what July actually looked like:
🏠 2,993 homes for sale across the Columbia metro — up 12% from last July
⏳ 71 days is how long a typical South Carolina home sits — up 6% year over year
📊 4.4 months of supply statewide, up 7.3% — that’s a balanced market, not a bidding war
✍️ Sellers took 98.0% of list price — meaning they’re negotiating
And rates? 6.66% on the 30-year fixed, barely moved this week. Nothing is forcing your hand.
Here’s what that means for you in plain English: you can ask for the inspection. You can ask for repairs. You can ask the seller to help with closing costs. You can sleep on it and see the next one. None of that makes you a difficult buyer — it makes you a buyer who didn’t leave money and peace of mind on the table.
I’ve been doing this 12 years, and I’ve seen this market do everything. The buyers who get hurt aren’t the ones who took their time. They’re the ones who got talked into moving faster than the numbers required.
Take a breath. Then let’s go get you the right one.
Tell me what you’re moving from — I’ll show you what it looks like here. 📲 803.603.9588 or book a call, link in bio.

I’ve had this same conversation more times than I can count in 12 years.Somebody sits down with me, we start talking, an...
08/25/2026

I’ve had this same conversation more times than I can count in 12 years.

Somebody sits down with me, we start talking, and about ten minutes in they say it: “We’re just saving up for our 20% down.”

And I have to tell them — you may already be there.

Here’s what’s actually true right now:

HOMES ARE MOVING FASTER THAN PEOPLE THINK
08/16/2026

HOMES ARE MOVING FASTER THAN PEOPLE THINK

08/09/2026

Everybody still thinks Columbia is a sellers market, it isn't. Inventory is up. Homes are sitting longer. Most of them are closing below asking. That's not bad news - that's room. Tell me what you’re moving from?

07/11/2026

Forgetting to update your driver’s license with your new address can unexpectedly increase your mortgage payments due to rising taxes. Learn how to avoid this costly mistake and ensure your payments are accurate. We cover the essential steps for homeowners.

07/04/2026

1. Need $10K toward closing?
2. Credit under 680?
3. Renting right now?
4. Paying high rent?
5. First-time homebuyer?
6. Want brand-new construction?
7. Need zero down?
8. Need low down payment?
9. Pre-approved in 24 hours?
10. Self-employed buyer?
11. VA loan eligible?
12. USDA area eligible?
13. FHA loan interested?
14. Credit score improving?
15. Tired of apartment living?
16. Need closing cost help?
17. Ready this summer?
18. Want builder incentives?
19. Monthly payment budget?
20. Dream home waiting?
21. Ready to own today?

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Chapin, SC
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