A little more than a year after Hurricane Helene swept through the Upstate, Joan Herlong of Herlong Sotheby’s International Realty says the storm’s damage has had a ripple effect.

“Helene had a lasting impact on several aspects of real estate in the Upstate,” says Herlong. “Before, no one inquired about hurricane damage. Now, it’s almost routine to ask whether a seller made insurance claims that were paid or denied.”

The other lingering consequence of Helene involves insurance.

“Obtaining home insurance was a no-brainer,” says Herlong. “Often all it took was a phone call. Now, if a roof has some age on it, we can’t assume anything. If the cost to insure a property is too high, the buyer’s financing is declined and the deal is off.”

At Herlong’s downtown Greenville office, Helene knocke

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