USA Today online says that although sales in Charleston are down, they’ve declined much less severely.

Why?

  • The metro area hasn’t been hit especially hard by subprime loans and foreclosures, which typically drag down prices.
  • Charleston has a relatively robust economy. Google is building a data center in Berkeley County (part of the Charleston metro area). And North Charleston became home to Global Aeronautica, which assembles components for Boeing in 2005.
  • Charleston is an attractive retirement community.
  • The city no longer charges homeowners a school operating tax, so property taxes have gone down substantially,