Neighborhood
Forest Hills
North Charleston, South Carolina US
Forest Hills in North Charleston, South Carolina offers a yield-focused profile with gross yield of 6.9 and prices about 5% below North Charleston but 18% above South Carolina. Prices are down 2.5% over the past year, while the Red Flag score of 89 points to elevated overall risk. Walkability is 29 and education is in the 65th percentile, giving it a mixed access-and-school-score profile.
AI Summary•Updated May 2026
Area
2.54 mi²
ZIP Code
29418
County
Charleston County
State
South Carolina
Redfin — median sale & volumeZillow ZORI — asking rentFEMA National Risk Index v1.20OpenStreetMap — POIFBI UCR — state crimeEPA — radon zonesWashU ACAG — satellite PM2.5EPA FRS / BTS — hazard screeningUS Census ACS / TIGER 2024
Verified Price · Median Sale
$319,905
YoY-2.5%
Gross Rental Yield
6.9%
Listed rent · ZORI annualized
Red Flag Index
Very High
89 / 100
Walkability Score
29
OpenStreetMap POI density · national percentile
Education Score
65 / 100
Pre-pandemic SEDA (2018/19) · district proxy
AI Score
46
DistrictScore attractiveness · national model
Forest Hills Property Prices & Rental Yield
Verified Redfin sale data and Zillow ZORI asking rent for Forest Hills, North Charleston.
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Sign in to view — freeMarket Economics Snapshot
May 2026| Metric | Value | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Median Sale Price | $319,905 | -2.5% |
| Price / Sq Ft (Verified) | $198/sqft | +0.4% |
| Asking Rent (Median) | $1,849/mo | -0.2% |
| Gross Rental Yield | 6.9% | — |
| Liquidity Score | 31 / 100 | Low |
| Homes Sold (Period) | 90 | +11.1% |
Is Forest Hills Safe? Natural-Hazard Risk
FEMA National Risk Index composite across eight hazards, plus inherited South Carolina crime context.
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Sign in to view — free What Stands Out AI Insight
Above-average gross rental yield at 6.9%
Active transaction volume — 90 homes sold last period
Flood risk is Very High (100/100)
Wildfire risk is Very High (100/100)
Insights are generated from Forest Hills's live DistrictScore metrics.
Forest Hills Environment & Safety
Satellite PM2.5 air-quality history, FBI UCR crime trend (South Carolina-level, the finest official aggregation), EPA radon potential and point-source hazard screening.
Air Quality — PM2.5
2015–20245.0 µg/m³ Meets WHO guideline-18.8% since 2015
EPA 9WHO 5
20152024
Annual mean fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration at the Forest Hills centroid, satellite-derived (ACAG). References: WHO guideline 5 µg/m³ · EPA annual standard 9 µg/m³. Latest year ranks worse than 17% of U.S. neighborhoods.
South Carolina Crime Trend
FBI UCR20132024
All crimes / 1k
Violent / 1k
| Year | Crimes / 1k | Violent / 1k | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 24.0 | 4.4 | -9.6% |
| 2023 | 27.0 | 4.8 | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 28.3 | 5.0 | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 30.1 | 5.1 | -8.0% |
| 2020 | 32.5 | 5.3 | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 34.6 | 5.1 | — |
Reported at the state level — the finest official US crime aggregation; Forest Hills inherits the South Carolina figures.
Radon Potential
EPAZone 3
Zone 3 — Lowest potential · Forest Hills
EPA radon zones estimate indoor radon potential county-wide (Zone 1 highest, Zone 3 lowest). Testing is recommended in all zones.
Environmental Hazards
EPA / BTSIndustrial odor5 nearbyVery High
Point-source screening near Forest Hills: EPA Superfund National Priorities List & Facility Registry (2026), BTS aviation noise (2020, 24-hour average level). Superfund shows distance to the nearest listed site; odor shows detected sources within the screening radius. Only detected sources are listed; the bar shows severity vs. all U.S. neighborhoods.
Walkability & Amenities in Forest Hills
Amenity density and pedestrian access from OpenStreetMap points of interest.
Walkability & Amenities
OpenStreetMap POI29
Car-Dependent
Walkability Score
3
Grocery
12
Dining
5
Schools
0
Universities
2
Hospitals
0
Pharmacies
3
Parks
0
Rail Transit
0
Coworking
POI counts are amenities within Forest Hills's boundary plus a 400 m walk buffer. Rail transit excludes bus stops.
Forest Hills vs North Charleston vs South Carolina
How Forest Hills benchmarks against its city and state medians.
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Compare Forest Hills against North Charleston and South Carolina medians — free with a DistrictScore account.
Sign in to view — freeBuying Property in the US as a Foreigner
Federal & South Carolina tax facts for non-resident buyers, plus the latest local market news.
Buying as a Foreigner
US Tax & OwnershipApplies to everyone7
Capital Gains (Federal)
Long-term capital gains taxed federally at 0/15/20%, plus a 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax on higher incomes (2026).
Property Tax
Property tax: ~0.44% average effective rate (statewide average; set and collected locally).
State Income Tax
State income tax up to 6.2%; rental income is taxed at these rates.
State Capital Gains
Capital gains taxed as income, with a 44% deduction for long-term gains.
Transfer Tax
Real estate transfer tax: $1.85 per $500.
Assessment Cap
No Proposition 13-style assessment cap; property is reassessed at market value.
Mansion Tax / Rent Control
No statewide mansion tax or statewide rent control.
US citizens & tax residents7
Primary-Home Exclusion
Selling your main home: exclude up to $250k of gain (single) / $500k (married) if you owned and lived there 2 of the last 5 years.
1031 Like-Kind Exchange
A 1031 like-kind exchange defers capital gains tax on investment property; 45 days to identify, 180 to close. Real estate only.
Depreciation Recapture
Residential rentals depreciate over 27.5 years; on sale, recaptured depreciation is taxed up to 25% (Section 1250).
Mortgage Interest Deduction
Mortgage interest is deductible on up to $750k of home debt. The SALT cap rose to $40,000 for 2025-2029 (reverts to $10k in 2030).
Opportunity Zones
Opportunity Zones are now permanent (2025): reinvested capital gains get deferral plus a basis step-up, and are tax-free after 10 years.
Rental Income (Resident)
Rental income is reported on Schedule E; passive-loss rules (Section 469) limit deducting rental losses against other income.
1031 State Conformity
The state conforms to the federal 1031 like-kind exchange rules.
Foreign buyers (non-residents)5
FIRPTA (Foreign Sellers)
FIRPTA: the buyer withholds 15% of the gross sale price when a nonresident sells US property. It is an advance deposit, not the final tax.
Non-Resident Capital Gains
Nonresident sellers pay US capital gains tax (generally 15-20%) on the net gain via Form 1040-NR; FIRPTA withholding is credited.
Non-Resident Rental Tax
Nonresident rental income is taxed at 30% of gross by default, or on net income at graduated rates via a Section 871(d) election (W-8ECI).
Estate Tax (Non-Resident)
Nonresidents get only a $60,000 US estate-tax exemption (vs $13.99M for residents); US property above it is taxed up to 40%. Treaties may help.
ITIN Requirement
Nonresidents without an SSN need an ITIN (Form W-7) to file US tax returns, claim FIRPTA refunds, and report rental income.
Talk to a US real-estate tax advisor
FIRPTA, ITIN & South Carolina property-tax guidance for foreign buyers
Forest Hills Real Estate FAQ
Forest Hills in North Charleston, South Carolina has a gross yield of 6.9 and prices about 5% below North Charleston, which supports a yield-oriented profile. The Red Flag score is 89, and prices are down 2.5% over the past year, so the data point to higher risk and softer recent pricing.
Neighborhoods near Forest Hills
Compare Forest Hills with nearby neighborhoods in North Charleston.
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