This South Carolina Zip Code Has the Most Affordable Homes

If your dream is to buy a home, one South Carolina zip code has the most affordable homes in the state. There's no question that the cost of housing has gone up over the past decade. The housing market just keeps going up, and even with some adjustments for mortgage rates rising, the average cost of a house in America is still much more than it was a decade ago. With that in mind, if you're looking to buy a home in South Carolina, here's where to look for the most affordable homes.

American Home Shield has put together a study with experts to determine the cheapest zip codes in America to buy a home. In it, they talk about the steep cost of housing. "The average cost of a house in the U.S. today is over half a million dollars," they explain. They add that the "figure could either be astronomically out of a person's budget or just a drop in the bucket." For methodology, the experts used U.S. Census databank to get the population of each ZIP code in the U.S. with more than 10,000 residents. They also used information on the median home price from Zillow and median household income from the U.S. Census. Then, they "divided each ZIP code’s median home value by the median household income, giving us a home price-to-household income ratio." Finally, they ranked the most affordable and least affordable ZIP codes.

They found that the least affordable zip code in the U.S. for people to purchase a home is 90210 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. There, the median cost of a home costs "34.82 times what a typical local worker earns in a year," according to the study. That's wild. On the other side of things, the most affordable ZIP code in the U.S. for residents to purchase a house is 48505 in Flint, Michigan. In Flint, the median price of a home is $27,703. They say that the typical worker in Flint makes $29,061 per year, so the median cost of a home is actually less than that salary.

Now, onto which South Carolina zip code has the most affordable homes. It's in Dillion, South Carolina, with the zip code 29536. If you're wondering, in North Carolina, the zip code with the most affordable homes is in Mount Olive with 28365. The least affordable zip code in South Carolina for people to purchase a home is the 29403 zip code in Charleston, and in North Carolina it's the 28801 zip code in Asheville.

The traditional bachelor's degree just isn't for everyone. In fact, there are a big group of people who opt to skip the traditional college route and still make very good money. There are plenty of jobs out there that don't requite a four-year bachelor's degree but still make $100K or more per year. No, it's not too good to be true. Let's get into some of these high-paying jobs that pay over $100K without a degree.

Before we get into those high-paying jobs, let's talk about how to land your dream job. Indeed.com has a great checklist of things to do when you're on the job hunt. One major thing is to create a good resume. They suggest to tailor that resume to every job to which you're applying, so that it fits the job perfectly. Make one "master" copy of your resume, and then use that as a template to create special resumes for each of the jobs for which you're applying. So, how do you tailer for resume? "When deciding what to include in your resume, choose actionable items that would capture an employer's interest," they suggest. "Along with including qualitative results in your work experience section, you can also add in some quantifiable data." They also say that numbers and statistics and numbers look good on a resume, so include those.

FlexJobs.com suggests to "research companies, rather than jobs." They say to "pursue companies that mirror your values to narrow your search, and to, "seek out organizations with a strong culture fit and a mission that aligns with yours." That's a great tip so that you're finding a company with the same values and ethics that you possess. Of course, it doesn't hurt to look for actual jobs on search sites such as FlexJobs.com and Indeed.com, too. Keep an eye out for opening at your desired company that pop up.

Now, let's get into some high-paying jobs that pay over $100K without a degree.

Careerkarma.com has Technology Sales Manager listed as the job without a college degree that makes the most money. Average salary is $161,920. Sound good, right? Minimum job requirements are, "Experience as a sales representative and a high-school diploma."

Another high-paying job without a degree, according to Careerkarma.com, is a Computer and Information Systems Manager. They make an average of $159,010 a year. You need computer science knowledge and 5 to 10 years of management experience, they state.

Here's an interesting one. A fire chief is on Indeed's list of high-paying jobs without a degree. They state, "Fire chiefs are responsible for overseeing and managing fire departments, which involves supervising personnel, developing budgets and planning emergency responses." National average salary is $105,287 per year.

Another job on Indeed list of high-paying jobs without a degree is Product Manager. So, what is that? "They may develop and implement the large and small business strategies that fuel the product development process and manage the launch of the product's features," they explain.

This is a really interesting one: Professional Sports Referee. The top salary per year is $210,000. But, they can make as little as $21,000 per year, too, as that's the average salary. So, you have to get a bigger gig to make more than 100K for this job. This is according to Resumeviking.com. They state, "No academic background is necessary, apart from obtaining a referee certification in the sport you want to referee. The stakes are high, but so is the return if you have the nerves for putting it all out there with no guarantees of ever gaining enough recognition to join in on this multi-billion-dollar industry!"

The national salary for a Senior Real Estate Manager is $133,076 per year," according to Indeed. They state, "Senior real estate managers oversee the daily operations of a property like an apartment complex or commercial building. They typically manage maintenance teams, ensure tenants pay rent on time and fill vacancies." They suggest to "gain experience in entry-level positions and work your way up to this job."

A Court Reporter makes an average salary of $103,270, according to Careerkarma.com. The job is to take notes on legal proceedings in court. "To land a court reporter job with no degree, you’ll need to take the exam for Registered Professional Reporter certification," they note. "This requires good listening skills, the ability to type quickly, and some knowledge of common legal terms."

Executive Assistant is No. 1 on US News and World Report's list of the highest-paying jobs without a degree. "Executive assistants support high-level executives in public offices and private companies," they state. "They may manage the executive’s schedule, make travel arrangements, prioritize the executive’s emails, and sometimes act as a receptionist or gatekeeper, serving as the liaison between the executive and anyone who wishes to meet with them."