South Carolina’s Pre-Foreclosure Filings Plummet in May 2025, but Homeowner Anxiety Persists

A Deep Dive Into the Decline and the Hidden Struggles Beneath the Surface

In May 2025, South Carolina reported just 398 pre-foreclosure filings—marking a dramatic 51.22% drop from April’s total of 816, and a 38.29% decline from the same time last year. At a glance, these improvements suggest stabilization across South Carolina’s housing market after years of post-pandemic uncertainty and economic strain. But behind the statistics lies a very different story—one not of victory, but vulnerability, particularly among the state’s working-class and low-income homeowners.

A Decade Defined by Volatility

To understand what’s happening now, it’s important to revisit where South Carolina has been. The state’s pre-foreclosure activity tells a story written over decades—of boom, bust, rescue, and relapse.

In 2013, at the height of the foreclosure crisis, over 42,000 South Carolina homeowners found themselves in pre-foreclosure. An onslaught of job losses and underwater mortgages dragged families into financial exile. But that chaos gave way to a slow, hard-fought recovery. By 2019, filings had come down to just over 12,000. The pandemic briefly brought further relief—ironically—through moratoriums and emergency aid. In 2021, the number of filings hit a historic low of 2,971.

But those moratoriums were a time delay, not a cure. When pandemic protections expired, a modest spike returned in 2022 and 2023. Nearly 13,000 pre-foreclosures were logged in South Carolina in 2023, reminding many that the housing crisis, like the virus itself, wasn’t fully gone—just muted.

Fast-forward to 2025, and things seem to be improving again—at least on paper. The first five months saw just 3,847 filings, putting the state on track for fewer than 10,000 by year’s end. And yet, that could be a dangerous kind of optimism.

Downward Trend or Disappearing Warning Sign?

The drastic one-month drop from April to May—more than 50%—might reflect bureaucratic delays or temporary factors rather than genuine homeowner recovery. Pre-foreclosure filings are an early warning: a red flag signaling someone has fallen behind on their mortgage payments. And in a state where more than one in five households earns under $30,000 per year, an economic jolt can still ripple dangerously close to the foundation.

“Our clients aren’t out of the woods,” said Jasmine Holt, a housing counselor in Columbia who helps low-income families navigate default notices and loan modifications. “What we’re seeing isn’t fewer people at risk—it’s more people afraid to come forward, more people trying to juggle late notices on credit cards, utilities, and car payments before they even face the mortgage lender.”

Jasmine tells the story of Dee Andrews, a 63-year-old South Charleston resident who hasn’t made a full mortgage payment since February but hasn’t officially entered pre-foreclosure. The drop in her hours at a local grocery chain, combined with rising dental bills and inflation’s creep into everyday expenses, meant tough choices.

“I paid just enough to keep the lights on,” Andrews said. “I’m not in the system yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”

Stories like hers suggest that the decline in numbers might be as much an artifact of procedural delays or stretched-out foreclosure timelines as they are indicators of a truly recovering homeowner base.

Unemployment, Inflation, and the Cost of Stability

Behind every pre-foreclosure is typically a slow fall—months of missed payments, rising credit card debt, and borrowing from family members. Income inequality and the rising cost of basic needs—especially housing itself—have compounded South Carolina’s affordability squeeze. While inflation has cooled modestly on the whole, costs for essentials such as groceries, insurance, and healthcare remain high. These costs hit fixed-income seniors, single parents, and hourly wage earners the hardest.

Though the state’s unemployment rate remained stable at around 4.3% in the spring of 2025, job growth has been uneven, favoring metropolitan regions like Greenville or Charleston while rural counties continue to struggle. The lack of affordable housing inventory, especially in the under-$200,000 range, has made the dream of owning—and keeping—a home feel more precarious.

“People think we’re lazy or irresponsible,” said Marcus Reed, a recently laid-off warehouse supervisor from Columbia. “No one talks about the $800 rent increase that ate up our savings. Or paying $1,200 a month in childcare just to keep working.”

Marcus’s story echoes that of many who are one emergency away from default.