How much are the real estate taxes?

Short answer:

Because of homesteading type laws, you can roughly estimate your property taxes.

In Beaufort County¹:

• Primary residences are taxed around ½% to ¾% (0.5% to 0.75%) of purchase price.²
• Non-primary residences are taxed around 1¼% to 1½% (1.25% to 1.5%) of purchase price.²

In Jasper County, the rough estimate numbers are closer to 1% of purchase price for primary and 2-3% of purchase price for non-primary.⁴

Long answer:

While you'll pay real estate taxes for the remainder of the calendar year based upon the amount the seller was taxed, all real estate tax rates reset upon sale. and the previous assessment becomes virtually irrelevant the following year.

Currently, when you purchase your home, the county assessor can raise the assessed value of your home to the current sales price (point of sale assessment).

For primary residences in Beaufort County who apply for and are granted the reduced primary home rate, 0.5% to 0.75% of the home sales value is a very rough estimate of your real property taxes in the year following purchase, depending upon the millage rate in your specific locality.

For most other real estate in Beaufort County, 1.25% to 1.5% of the home sales value is a very rough estimate of your real property taxes in the year following purchase, again depending upon the millage rate in your specific locality. Additionally, if you rent out the property, you will pay personal property tax based on the value of the contents & furnishings, and depreciation is allowed.

In Jasper County, the rough estimate numbers are closer to 1% of purchase price for primary and 2-3% of purchase price for non-primary.³

If you have been a legal resident of South Carolina for at least one year and are over 65 years of age, or have been certified totally and permanently disabled by a State or Federal Agency, or legally blind, or hold fee simple title or partial title to your property, you may be eligible for the Homestead Exemption. To apply you may contact the county auditor’s office, not the assessor's office.

Find additional information, the following links open in new tabs:

• ¹Beaufort County Assessor and/or Beaufort County Auditor
• Beaufort County Millage Rates & Information
• Estimate Beaufort County Real Estate Taxes
• Beaufort County Treasurer's Frequently Asked Questions
• ²How to apply for the Beaufort County Legal Residence Exemption
• ³Explanation of the point of sale reassessment
• ⁴Jasper County Assessor
• Jasper County Auditor Property Tax Estimator

(Please let us know if any of these links go bad so we can update them for you. Beaufort & Jasper Counties randomly change their website links and these are often made invalid. Thanks!)