Vote Karen Hollings for Register of Deeds

Karen L. Hollings is a solution-oriented leader who has transformed the Charleston County Register of Deeds Office into a modern, accessible, and highly efficient public resource. With decades of experience in real estate, law, and public service, she brings a rare combination of business acumen, technical expertise, and hands-on leadership to government.

Transforming the Register of Deeds Office

Since taking office, Hollings has led a remarkable turnaround of an office that had faced years of operational challenges:

• Eliminated a 3½-year backlog of recording, indexing, and imaging documents—completed within her first three months.
• Reorganized the office for efficiency, updating workflows and the organizational structure to better serve the public.
• Implemented an electronic filing system (live in 2025), making it faster and easier for residents, attorneys, and title professionals to access records.
• Launched the Property Recording Alert System, a free tool for residents to receive notifications about property recordings in their name.
• In the process of digitizing over 3 million pages of documents as part of a 40-year records project, allowing full digital access for title searches and real estate closings.
• Preserved historic records, collaborating with the South Carolina Department of Archives and History to make Colonial-era documents, including the McCrady plats, accessible online.
• Planning full historic document restoration, working with national vendors to safeguard all documents dating back to Charleston’s founding.

Through these initiatives, Hollings has brought efficiency, transparency, and public confidence to an office that had long been in need of reform.

Experience & Expertise

Before her election, Hollings served Charleston County for more than 20 years, including in the Register of Deeds Office and the Office of Judge Louis Condon, Master in Equity. She has also held positions across the private and public sectors in mortgage banking, property management, real estate title abstracting, and legal support.

Her career combines deep institutional knowledge with a practical understanding of how to make government work better for residents.

A 50+ year Charleston County resident, Karen now lives in Mount Pleasant. She was raised on the Isle of Palms by her father, Richard, a member of the Armed Forces, and her mother, Ann, who worked at Belk’s Department Store for more than 30 years.

Karen is a self-professed foodie who loves cooking, entertaining, and spending time with family and friends. She brings the same care, attention to detail, and dedication to her community that she brings to public service.