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Today: The 30-year fixed hit a 2026 high of 6.69% with three Fed dissenters pushing for hikes, Colliers and NAI Columbia logged major industrial and office transactions across the Midlands, and national multifamily vacancy dropped to 8.2% as absorption outpaced new supply for the first time in the cycle.
Mortgage rates hit 2026 high at 6.69%, now above year-ago levels for first time in 44 weeks. The Freddie Mac 30-year fixed rose 3 basis points to 6.69%, and intraday lender reprices pushed effective rates toward 6.77%. Three regional Fed presidents dissented in favor of a hike at the July meeting, and Chair Warsh continues to withhold forward guidance. Bond markets are whipsawing on Strait of Hormuz headlines and a $25 billion Alphabet corporate bond offering that pulled demand away from mortgage-backed securities. For Richland County listings priced above $350K, this rate environment is adding roughly $150/month to buyer payments compared to January. Listing agents should be running payment comparisons at 6.5% and 7.0% for every buyer consultation this week. Friday's jobs report and next week's inflation data will determine near-term direction. RISMedia | Realtor.com | Mortgage News Daily
National median list prices down 2.4% YoY for ninth straight month. Sellers are pricing conservatively from the outset. Homeownership among those 35 and under fell to 35.2% in Q2, down from 36.4% a year earlier. In the Midlands, this trend favors investors and move-up buyers who can absorb higher rates; first-time buyer activity will stay suppressed until rates meaningfully break below 6.5%. Agents working with younger buyers should flag the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act incentives now moving through implementation. Realtor.com
Richland County released June building permits. Specific permit counts were not available in the feed summary, but the listing is now public. Pull the full data from Richland County's permit portal to benchmark new construction starts against the same period last year. Builders pricing new inventory should factor in the rate environment suppressing entry-level demand. Richland Source
BullStreet District adds Coastal Crust, MUSC expands ER downtown. Coastal Crust opened a wood-fired pizzeria at 2158 Pickens Street in BullStreet, and Hollywood Feed opened at 4345 Fort Jackson Boulevard. MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown celebrated its expanded Emergency Department. These amenity additions strengthen the case for student and young-professional rental demand in the BullStreet corridor. Property managers with units in the Vista and BullStreet areas should be updating amenity lists in marketing materials now, ahead of fall lease-up. Fort Jackson Boulevard commercial activity signals continued military housing demand on that corridor. Columbia Star
Colliers South Carolina closes major industrial transactions. Key deals: - 338,120 SF industrial building at 410 Foster Brothers Drive, West Columbia sold (RNDC SC Holdings to Reyes Beverage Group) - 109,618 SF industrial lease at 235 Standard Warehouse, Lugoff (Sterlite Technologies) - 98,536 SF industrial lease at 218 Evans Road, Lugoff (DSV Contract Logistics) - 11.58-acre industrial outdoor storage site on Marley Drive purchased for $750,000
NAI Columbia transactions (June 12 - July 30): - 2100 Commerce Drive, Cayce: 21,000 SF industrial property sold for $1.83 million ($87/SF)
Land sales: - 9.97 acres on Broad River Road, Irmo sold to Altec Industries - 3.54 acres on Edmund Highway, Lexington sold to Spinx Company - 0.99 acres at 1539 N. Lake Drive, Lexington sold to Mimosa Homes
The Lugoff corridor is absorbing large-format logistics tenants. Investors looking at industrial should watch the I-20/Lugoff submarket for additional warehouse opportunities. The Broad River Road land sale to Altec Industries and Spinx's Lexington acquisition signal continued commercial appetite in suburban corridors. Columbia Star
Office leasing remains active across downtown and suburbs. Notable Colliers transactions: - 9,960 SF at 1812 Lincoln Street (Moore Beauston and Woodham) - 7,524 SF at Synergy Business Park, 100 Executive Center Drive (Southeastern Esthetics Institute) - 7,500 SF at 200 Wise Ferry Road, Lexington (ValAsta LLC) - 5,193 SF and 2,812 SF at 1901 Main Street (Black & Veatch, RS&H) - 4,090 SF at The Tower at 1301 Gervais (Stephens Engineering)
Retail leasing: - 4,872 SF at 701 Lady Street (E Dumplings III) - 3,664 SF at 1216 Broad River Road (Healthy Fruit Delivery) - 1,300 SF at 6070 Garners Ferry Road (Upstream Growth Partners)
Main Street and Gervais Street continue to attract professional services tenants. The Lady Street retail lease signals continued dining demand in the Vista. Investors evaluating mixed-use should note that Synergy Business Park is placing education-sector tenants, a stable lease category. Columbia Star
Data centers emerging as land-price competitor nationally. A Northern Virginia homebuilder sold a 516-home entitled tract to Amazon for roughly $700 million (originally assembled for $51 million). Hyperscaler capex is projected to exceed $700 billion this year. Columbia is not yet a primary data center market, but SC's low energy costs and available land could attract interest. Watch for rezoning petitions on large industrial or agricultural parcels near substations in Richland and Lexington counties. If data center demand reaches the Midlands, it will compress residential land supply and push lot prices higher. HousingWire
National multifamily vacancy dropped to 8.2% in Q2, down 26 bps QoQ. Absorption hit 164,000 units (up 13% YoY) while deliveries fell to 118,000 units (down 22% YoY), creating a net positive absorption of 45,000 units. The South region still carries the highest vacancy at 10.8%, which includes the Columbia metro. The takeaway for Midlands landlords: vacancy is stabilizing as the construction pipeline shrinks. Owners who held rents flat to retain tenants through the supply glut may have room for modest increases in Q4 lease renewals. Austin dropped to 12.3% vacancy (down 300 bps YoY) as a leading indicator of what tightening looks like post-supply wave. Rental Housing Journal
Multifamily developer confidence weakened YoY. NAHB's Multifamily Production Index fell to 43 (below the 50 break-even), while the Occupancy Index dropped to 74. Garden/low-rise units (the dominant type in Columbia) scored 48 on production and 77 on occupancy. Developer sentiment is constrained by financing difficulty and regulatory barriers, but rental demand is supported by job growth. For Columbia investors: existing Class B/C multifamily is better positioned than new development right now. Acquisition pricing should improve as developers pull back from new starts. NAHB
Vacation rental markets showing motivated sellers. Short-term rental supply surged 20% during the pandemic and operators are now exiting. Lake Murray and other SC vacation markets may present acquisition opportunities for investors willing to run a hospitality operation. Make lowball offers on properties that have been listed 60+ days. Focus on amenity-driven properties (lake access, private docks) rather than generic homes that were poorly suited for STR from the start. BiggerPockets
EPA proposed new Construction General Permit (CGP) with builder-friendly changes. The proposed permit, following Trump's Executive Order on removing barriers to affordable construction, would simplify stabilization requirements in dry climates, add flexibility for unexpected winter conditions, and replace broad water-quality language with observable discharge conditions per the San Francisco v. EPA ruling. While South Carolina issues its own permits, the federal CGP serves as a model. Builders and developers should review the proposal and attend the August 18 EPA webinar (2-3:30 PM ET). Comment period is open. NAHB
Rocket Companies reports record marketshare in "toughest spring market in years." Purchase share hit 6.2%, refinance share 14.3%. Redfin mortgage attachment reached 47% of buy-side clients. The Rocket/Redfin ecosystem offering up to $20,000 in savings to clients who buy, sell, and finance within the platform is compressing independent broker margins. Local agents and lenders in the Midlands should be prepared to articulate their value proposition against this bundled model. Know your competitive differentiators: local market expertise, relationship-based service, and flexibility on non-conforming deals. RISMedia