2024 Elections Are Already Impacting Local Real Estate

Election season has officially moved into Greenville, and you can see it everywhere—yard signs sprouting faster than spring weeds, campaign ads filling every pause on the radio, and conversations that start with “Did you see that debate? ” and end with a sigh. Beneath the noise, though, real estate is already feeling the tremors.

It isn’t just the presidential race grabbing attention. Local and state elections are quietly rewriting the rules for how the Upstate grows, builds, and buys. From county council shake-ups to questions about taxes and development, 2024’s political climate is setting the tone for Greenville’s next chapter—and the housing market is taking notes.

Impacts of 2024 Elections

Politics might not be everyone’s favorite dinner topic (especially after that one Thanksgiving nobody wants to talk about again), but the housing market doesn’t get to pick the menu. Whatever Washington and Columbia serve, Greenville has to swallow—and lately, the flavor’s been complicated.

Election-year uncertainty is already showing up in mortgage rates, building permits, and buyer behavior.

Whether it’s the Federal Reserve delaying cuts, Greenville voters flipping incumbents, or local leaders wrestling with growth fatigue, the impacts of the 2024 elections are touching nearly every corner of the market.

Presidential Chaos and Mortgage Consequences

National politics are doing what they do best—keeping everyone guessing. The Biden-Trump rematch that once felt inevitable now looks like a plot twist waiting to happen. After a debate that left even die-hard supporters blinking at their TVs, whispers of substitutions and reshuffling swirl through the air. Names like Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, and Gretchen Whitmer hover like campaign confetti that refuses to fall.

For Greenville, it matters more than you might think. Whoever ends up behind the Oval Office desk helps steer the Fed, the Treasury, and the housing regulators. And when the future looks fuzzy, markets freeze. The Federal Reserve, led by Jerome Powell, has spent months balancing between politics and policy—cut rates too soon, and it looks partisan; wait too long, and growth slows.

The result? Mortgage rates that refuse to budge. They’re likely to hover near the 7 percent mark until the votes are counted. Translation: buyers need patience, sellers need strategy, and everyone needs extra coffee.

The Fed’s Tightrope

Officially, the Federal Reserve is nonpartisan. Unofficially, every move in an election year is political dynamite. Lower rates before November? One party calls it favoritism. Hold steady? The other cries neglect.

For Greenville’s buyers and sellers, all that noise translates into hesitation. Fewer pre-approvals, more second thoughts, and a general sense of “let’s wait and see.”

Most analysts expect the Fed to make its first real move right after the election—possibly within days—but that timing’s risky. Cut too late, and the slowdown could slip into something worse. Cut too early, and it looks like political theater. Either way, housing sits center stage, waiting for someone to call “action.”

Local Shake-Ups That Hit Home

If national politics are the fireworks, Greenville’s local elections are the slow burn beneath them. The June primaries and runoffs proved something loud and clear: incumbents no longer have an automatic seat at the table.

Across the county, long-serving officials were replaced by candidates promising to “take the county back.” The meaning varies depending on who’s talking—but the energy is unmistakable.

Anti-tax and anti-development sentiment has surged. Voters are tired of rising property taxes, traffic that moves more slowly than a Monday morning, and new subdivisions appearing faster than the roads to support them.

Yet Greenville still faces billions in infrastructure needs. Cut taxes too deeply, and those potholes won’t fix themselves (unless someone invents self-healing asphalt).

The Penny-Tax Dilemma

One proposal on everyone’s radar is the penny-sales-tax plan—an unglamorous but necessary attempt to tackle Greenville County’s massive road repair backlog. The math makes sense; the politics don’t.

The measure could fund nearly half of the county’s $2 billion infrastructure bill, but it faces resistance from voters weary of anything labeled “tax.” If turnout dips—especially among groups more likely to support infrastructure investment—the measure could fail, leaving Greenville stuck in neutral with tires spinning on worn pavement.

Everyone wants smoother commutes, but no one wants the receipt. It’s Greenville’s version of wanting dessert without the calories.

Social Flashpoints and Distractions

This election cycle has turned even small local races into miniature versions of the national stage. Instead of debating zoning maps or road widening, candidates are arguing about gun rights, school curriculum, and “freedom.”

Several have even floated symbolic “Second Amendment Sanctuary” resolutions—gestures that change little in practice but play well on campaign mailers. (Think of it as leaving your Christmas decorations up all year because the lights make you look good.)

Meanwhile, the real issues shaping home values—infrastructure, taxes, and development—struggle to compete for attention.

Growth, Development, and the NIMBY Effect

Greenville’s growth has never been subtle. What was once a small Southern city has become a booming metro, and not everyone’s thrilled about it.

Community meetings now fill with residents holding “Stop Overdevelopment” signs, even as new arrivals search desperately for housing they can afford. The irony is hard to miss: restricting growth only drives prices higher.

Everyone agrees on “smart growth,” but defining it is another story. More homes mean more traffic; fewer homes mean higher costs. It’s a tug-of-war that’s been playing out for years—and the 2024 elections are only tightening the rope.

The Market in Waiting

Politics don’t just shape policy; they shape psychology. When the headlines get loud, buyers pause, builders hold, and sellers rethink their timing.

In Greenville, that means a market that’s steady but subdued. Homes are still selling, but with longer days on the market and a bit more negotiation at the table. Builders are cautious, watching material prices and mortgage applications in equal measure.

It’s not panic—it’s patience. The impacts of the 2024 elections are less about fear and more about fatigue. Everyone’s waiting for clarity, hoping the next few months bring fewer surprises and more certainty about rates, roads, and regulations.

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Bottom Line

Politics may not build houses, but it absolutely changes how they’re bought and sold.

As 2024 continues, Greenville’s housing market is being redrawn not just by numbers, but by people—voters, councils, and policymakers—deciding what kind of community the Upstate will become. Taxes, infrastructure, and growth are all on the ballot, wrapped in layers of national noise and local conviction.

Greenville’s resilience remains its secret weapon, but the coming months will test it (picture a tightrope walk in hurricane-season wind). Whether it’s a penny tax, a zoning shift, or a presidential plot twist, every decision will trickle down to the streets, neighborhoods, and homes that define daily life here.

And as the political season unfolds, one truth endures: Greenville’s story isn’t closing—it’s just turning the page. (Popcorn optional, patience required.)

Ien Araneta

Journal & Podcast Editor | Selling Greenville