York County home sales show one spot growing most. It isn’t one of the usual suspects
Fort Mill, Indian Land, Lake Wylie and Tega Cay are the known hot spots for new homes in the Rock Hill region.
But to find the latest spot, buyers have to go west to York.
York outpaces its neighbors in York and Lancaster counties too, in recent home sale growth. York also bests Charlotte metro communities in North Carolina. Activity in York is part of a trend across the Charlotte region.
“We can really see the power that mortgage rates have, as the increase in demand is truly a result of rates inching down,” said Canopy Realtor Association president Tiffany Johannes. “Sales activity in the outlying and rural counties demonstrate buyers’ willingness to move greater distances for more supply and greater affordability.”
Canopy released new data Tuesday for October home sales in the Charlotte region across 16 counties and 30 communities. It covers home, townhome and condo sales.
The 52 York sales in October were up 18.2% from same time last year. Only Shelby, North Carolina ranked higher (92.3%) and had two fewer sales than York. Only 12 of 30 communities saw a sales increase. The only other Rock Hill region community on the positive side was Lancaster at No. 12, which was up 1.5%.
Fort Mill (-10.1%), Rock Hill (-10.9%), Clover (-24.4%), Tega Cay (-31.8%) and the combined North and South Carolina portions of Lake Wylie (-37.8%) all saw double digit decreases. The Charlotte region as a whole was down 13.5%. Only three of 16 counties saw an increase, and none were in South Carolina. York County was down 10.5% with Lancaster County down 20.4% and Chester County down 27.6%.
Year-to-date figures also show York toward the top. Only Chester County at 26.2% and Mint Hill, North Carolina at 15.9% have higher sales increases through three quarters this year than last. York sales are up 4.1%. Only five of 46 listed communities and counties have positive growth. There were 23 areas with declines of 20% or more.
Across the Charlotte metro, the 13.5% year-to-year drop in sales for October was the smallest in any month so far this year. That number represents fewer than 500 properties.
Here are a few more findings on area real estate:
▪ The average sale price of $448,435 in York County was fifth highest in the metro. Mecklenburg County, home to Charlotte, was highest at $569,084. Lancaster County at $416,564 was right behind York County. Chester County at $282,350 ranked No. 12.
The most expensive average sales prices in the Rock Hill region were in Lake Wylie ($607,938), Fort Mill ($555,778) and Tega Cay ($511,456). The least expensive were in Lancaster ($357,757), Rock Hill ($358,064) and York ($391,915). The average sales price across the metro was $467,869.
▪ Chester County had the second-highest increase among all counties in year-to-year average sales price. Chester County was up 18.9%, behind only Montgomery County, North Carolina at 44.7%. York County prices increased 5.3% while Lancaster County dropped 11.8%, the second worst in the region behind Alexander County, North Carolina, which was down 21.5%.
Year-to-year prices were up the most in Rock Hill (9.5%), Clover (3.8%) and York (3.2%). On the opposite end were Lancaster (-9%), Fort Mill (-2.4%) and Tega Cay (.4%).
▪ York County had the second most closed sales in October with 331, behind only Mecklenburg County at 1,103 sales. Lancaster County had 125 sales and Chester County 21 sales. With 122, Only Charlotte and Lake Norman-area homes in North Carolina had more closed sales than Rock Hill. Fort Mill had 89 sales and Lake Wylie had 69. Tega Cay had the fewest sales of any listed community, at 15.
▪ Chester County saw an 83.3% increase in new listings year-to-year. It’s well above the next highest, Chesterfield County, at 55.6%. York County was down 6.9% and Lancaster County down 12.5%. The Charlotte region was down 2.5%.
York County was second highest in new listings among counties with 389, behind Mecklenburg County at 1,471 listings. Lancaster County had 147 and Chester County 44 new listings.
▪ Clover saw a 28.2% year-to-year increase in new listings, the most in the Rock Hill region. No other community saw an increase. York was down 1.9%, Rock Hill was down 8.1% and Lancaster was down 9.3%. Lake Wylie (-20.2%), Fort Mill (-21%) and Tega Cay (-34.5%) all ranked in the bottom five among all communities in the Charlotte metro region.
Rock Hill (147), Fort Mill (98), Lake Wylie (87) and Lancaster (78) had the most new listings among area communities. With 19 new listings, Tega Cay had the fewest of all communities in the metro.
