South Carolina, we see, is leading the nation in an interesting statistic: Extra bedrooms standing empty. Why is that interesting? Because this may well present an opportunity for 1) homeowners to make a little extra cash, and 2) to provide some affordable, if somewhat minimal, housing.
How? Renting out those empty rooms.
A National Association of Realtors study found that nationwide, there are nearly 32 million excess bedrooms in people’s homes. Areas with the highest percentages of them include the largest South Carolina cities: Charleston, Columbia, North Charleston and Mount Pleasant.
Christopher Bowen is among the South Carolina homeowners who have more bedrooms than they currently use. He’s been on Facebook looking for a tenant — someone to rent a bedroom, but also to share common areas in his Moncks Corner house.
“It’s been a challenge,” he said….
