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We will be visiting the Myrtle Beach area again in April and would like some advice and recommendations on different communities. We are retired and our children are grown, so we don't have to worry about jobs or schools. (That's a first!) We did visit Emmens Preserve last fall and liked the community and the beautiful pool, but feel that the homes were a bit too close for us. We are also a little concerned about all the traffic during peak times of the year. Safety is a factor too. Our focus may be shifted a bit north to Little River, or south to Murrells Inlet and Pawleys Island. I have done so much research and talked to people from CT who have moved to the Carolina's...my head is spinning. Perhaps someone can guide us a bit so we can make the most out of our next trip. We are looking to spend around $250,000 (although that is negotiable), for a 3 BR, 2B single family home. We don't want a 55+ community, and at this point would take one with an HOA if the cost was reasonable. We want to be in a community where we can meet people and do things, not be isolated. We don't think we need a gated community, but do want a safe, friendly neighborhood. Would like to be able to get to shopping area, a library, a grocery store and a beach (or state park) within 15 minutes. Pawleys Island may be out of our range, I don't know. And lastly, would be interested in a new home or one that is just a few years old. Have seen houses by Lennar, Beazer, Bill Clark and Hanco. Have not seen any made by Ryland or Pulte. What would be your top three choices of builder? Sorry this is so long. Hopefully after April, we will be able to narrow down our choice. Also need recommendation for a realtor in Murrells Inlet. Thanks in advance for your help.
You might want to consider and check out Arrowhead and/or Arrowhead Grande which are just west of the ICW near the airport. Arrowhead has mostly 10-15 year old homes which are, generally, a little further apart than newer homes. There are several in your price range currently available: Myrtle Beach Real Estate, Myrtle Beach SC Real Estate
Arrowhead Grande is a gated community within Arrowhead and currently building new homes. RS Parker is one of the builders (they build a good house) and I think Bill Clark also has some lots available as well. Friends of our just built there and seem to be pleased with their house.
The benefits of these communities is that their HOAs are reasonable (I believe Arrowhead is $400/year while Grande is $80/month), they have private security patrolling and everything is convenient without having to be in tourist traffic. The mall is just across the bridge as is the airport. You can be at the beach in 10-15 minutes. Food Lion is 10 minutes away in one direction while Bi-Lo is about the same the opposite direction. The library is about 10 minutes away as well. A variety of restaurants are also close by. You can easily jump on 17 bypass or Rt 31 to get to just about anywhere you want to go.
When we moved here, after checking out housing from Little River all the way to Murrells Inlet we rented a house in Arrowhead and just loved it there. We tried to buy the rental but the owner didn't want to sell and we couldn't find a house that met our needs in our price range at that time so we ended up building in a neighborhood close by. We did point our friends toward Arrowhead and, as I indicated, they built there. You might want to add it to your list of places to check out while you're here. I'm sure others with more knowledge of the specific areas will chime in re Murrells Inlet, Pawley's and Little River.
DR Horton is building new homes in "The Lakes" in Murrells Inlet where a friend of ours is in the process of building. While the actual construction has not begun, it is very close and has been delayed a bit by weather. You could probably get a very nice, newly constructed house in your range.
We built in The Meadows of Saint Patrick but there is no new construction there as it is fully complete. Having said that there are times when houses which are typically less than five years old go on the market in our development. (We are not there year round as yet but will be as of July 1) The prices I have seen are considerably below your maximum and the houses, many of them are 3 BR, 2Bath. The HOA is $25 a month and covers the common areas (ponds), streets & street lights...no pool, trash pickup, etc. We take our trash to the recycle center which is no big deal. Food Lion is about 1 mile, Walmart about 1.8, Krogers about 2 or so.
Our builder was Flagship who has built a number of our friends homes and they have started a new development called Forestbrook Preserve with prices starting in the $160,000s according to their website. http://www.flagshipconstruction.com/...erve.html#tabs
Take a look at Tradition in Pawleys Island. Surprisingly, it fits many of your needs. I think Pawleys, where I live and from Ct., has quite a bit in the 2fitty range. Buyers market. If you think Little River is your ticket I used to use Matt Becker at Elliot Realty in Cherry Grove. Good Guy. And knowledgable.
Edit timed out. Both areas have their appeal, I also owned in Little River, but I think PI has more Pros and less Cons than Little River. Narrowing your search to these areas is wise. I would be less enthusiastic about Murrells Inlet vis a vis PI in terms of price/value.
I retired from Mass, and moved here to Little River two years ago. We love it here. Its a safe neighborhood, close to the highway, shops,library, the registry, police station, and 15 minutes from the beach. Myrtle Beach is close by, but we don't have all the traffic. No HOA's in my neighborhood (Stone's Edge). Houses range from moderate prices to expensive. We have 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, and a fenced in yard. My realtor, Deb Bengston, was really good about listening to what we wanted, and needed, and finding us the right place.
Good Luck in your search!
Could you elaborate on the pro's and cons between the two ?
You want more?? Well, they both have more sun than New York. Just remember, e66330, don't take my comments as absolutes and the pro/con was meant for the OP's checklist. These are the only areas I would consider on the Grand Strand. You could not pay me to live in NMB,MB, or Surfside/Garden City.
This list is not prioritized in terms of importance. PI is, on average, prettier, more bucolic. It's Highway 17 median is the best looking in both counties. Let's face it, Highway 17 in lower LR is pretty coarse. Nice beaches in PI and ponds with waterfowl. Lots of mature, attractive developments at different price points. PI is exploding with dining selections and Murrells Inlet is 10 minutes up the road. If you step out of LR you probably head to NMB /MB. Safety? If you are a prudent human being crime shouldn't be an issue on the Grand Strand but if there was an edge I would, arbitrarily, give it to PI. Medical services? Charleston is over an hour closer for the elitists from PI. Charleston is also an hour closer for the day traveler. PI probably has more golf courses and a brand new public tennis facility. Brookgreen garden and other tourist attractions minutes from PI. I would also give the shopping edge to PI, both locally and nearby. Pawleys is probably an older demographic but less transient than the rest of the Strand. I suspect LR is impacted a little more by the biker weeks. Little River probably has quicker access to more highways in and out. And traffic in general, hhhhmmmmmm. That being said, the Little Riverian , due to shopping and dining, probably deals with the legendary MB traffic much more than Pawleys people.
My guess is that after our visit to coastal SC in April, we will be able to narrow down our choices about where we want to live. This is not a vacation home for us. We will be selling our CT home and moving for good. I appreciate all the input because now I can do more research and be more prepared for our visit. I know there are a lot of retirees from our state, CT (have lived here for over 65 years) and from NY and NJ too, that have retired in Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet, Pawleys Island and the area. I expect that we'll be welcomed and won't be considered "outsiders". At least I hope that's the case. We are nice hard working people who get along with everyone, so I don't really anticipate feeling uncomfortable. Want to be as sure as we can be, given that this is our last move. Thank you to those who have replied to my inquiry. I appreciate the "senior" members who are generous with their knowledge and time to make this forum worthwhile and available to newcomers like me.
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PI vs LR
