planning to relocate to SC

[CTyankee54]

We liked Conway but found it too far from the beach especially with the summer tourist season traffic. We ended up building a home in a small development in Forestbrook near Rt 544. You might like the area in that it is about 5 minutes from a boat launch in the Intercoastal Waterway. Our specific community does not allow boat storage in the driveway (would have to be in the garage) and is gated (which you said you do not want) but the HOA is relatively benign and housing is under $250K. I know that you don't like the idea of an HOA but in SC, the HOA is your friend in protecting property values if you find one that is not too expensive and not too restrictive. If you are coming down and want to check our community out, it's The Park at Forestbrook. There are only about 10 lots left (total of 49 houses in the development).

[PawleysDude]

Originally Posted by neecewh

Have you looked at the Murrells Inlet / Pawleys Island area? I am not a boater, but I would think there would be plenty of options down that way (Coastal, the waterway and further south towards Georgetown). Hopefully PD (Pawleysdude) will be around soon. I am sure he could answer that question for you...

In the MI/PI area, you've got a couple boating options. On the saltwater side, Murrells Inlet is a large protected natural harbor with ocean access, and boating is popular. There's one public landing in MI. It's very busy during warm months, and it's a pretty good hike to the parking area. There's a significant tidal factor at the landing, and one of the best shows in town is watching folks trying to load boats when the tide is running heavy. I've never owned a pontoon boat, but you'd need to be good to get it on a trailer when the tide is heavy. Mooring is popular but expensive.

The Waccamaw River is on the west side of the area. During this stretch, it also serves as the Intracoastal Waterway, so you can launch and cruise northward to Canada or Southward to FL. There are a few public landings in the area, but parking availability is an issue at some of them. The river is also very popular for cruising, less crowded, more peaceful, and IMO more scenic than the Inlet. There's a very large, very nice new boat landing in Georgetown on the Sampit River, feeding directly to Winyah Bay.

In any of these areas, you'll want a galvanized or aluminum trailer. Salinity in the river varies with rainfall, but during drought, saltwater moves quickly up the river. I brought along a boat with a conventional trailer when we moved to PI. The trailer lasted about 4 years.

Non-HOA areas are limited around here, but I'm sure Neecie can find you something nice. I've lived in HOA's and I've lived beside trailers. Give me trailers any day.

[Dreammaker]

I live in Little River just three miles from the beach. North Myrtle Beach has a wonderful boat ramp with tons of parking that allows you to fish in the Cherry Grove Inlet. There is also a boat landing under the big bridge in North Myrtle Beach that is on the Intracoastal Waterway. We used to have a pontoon and would launch there and go to Barefoot Landing and tie up there and go shopping. Like Pawley's Dude says, the Waccamaw is great for pontoons and there are landings on the north end as well and not far at all. You can access one on HWY 9 and also from hwy 90. Personally, I'm partial to the north end and have lived in the Myrtle Beach area since 1985. My husband works for the city of Myrtle Beach and I worked for the city of North Myrtle Beach for 12 years, so I am very familiar with this area, but different people have different likes about the Grand Strand. I like the quieter area of Little River with its great seafood restaurants on the waterfront and less traffic congestion, but I'm still only 3 miles from Cherry Grove beach.

[karenowl]

Hi all, I am relocating to the MB area in July. I would like to rent a place in Murrells Inlet or Pawleys Island. (I like the advice given above about renting before buying. I'd like to get a better feel for the area before deciding where to buy.) Does anyone have recommendations for realtors dealing with rental property in the area? I've been mostly looking on Craigslist but haven't found much. Thanks!