We Like Conway........I think. (living in, restaurants, moving)

[huntinwabbits]

djlen - Garden City has always been my favorite. I started vacationing there in the mid 1990's and that's what sold me on moving to Myrtle 4/5 years ago. Just make sure you buy your flood insurance. It takes 30 days to go into effect and Garden City has some naturally low areas. Also, get a golf cart. Best place to have one is in Garden City. And then join the golf cart parade on the 4th of July! You will get soaked but it is a great time. I would love to live there but I have many years before retirement and a young family so I can't afford what I would need there. Who knows, maybe you'll find me in a condo once I am an empty-nester!

ziva - HOA's are everywhere. It is rare to find a subdivision without them and if you do, the houses fly off the market as fast as they are put up. They also vary widely and are difficult to generalize. Just FYI, I moved to SC from a non-HOA place and didn't know anything about HOA's surrounding my city before moving so I have nothing to compare to.
There will be lots of places, especially in Garden City who don't technically have an HOA and will market that way, but do have fees. Almost all the manufactured home areas have a lot fee. You don't own the land per se, and you pay rent on the lot. Similar to the campground areas. The ones I have seen range anywhere from 400-700/month. Often, those 'lot fees' do come with some amenities.
Elsewhere - I cannot think of a new subdivision along the entire strand that does not have an HOA. I think there is one road in Deerfield in Surfside that was original to the neighborhood that doesn't have and HOA. Also Caropines next door I think is "voluntary". Caropines houses are sold faster than you can click on the listing because of that. I lived in a Surfside neighborhood that had a 45-65/month fee depending on where you were exactly and it paid for roads, street lights and trash pickup. If they have pools I think your fees usually end up 80+ per month. (Again, these are my attempts to generalize, you will find fees all over the place if you look).
Restrictions are also varied. My current neighborhood in Little River is 15/month and we pay for a couple street lights. Don't get much from it (trash is on your own) and they restrict fences to be white. That's about it. Restrictions I most often see are permitting to remove trees, types of fencing, number of pets, types of pets and powerwashing a house to keep mold away. Some neighborhoods don't like parking on the street. Carolina Forest area in Myrtle is very particular about everything. I have heard enough horror stories to keep me away, besides the traffic there. Some people prefer the more restrictive. So far in the 3.5 combined years I have had an HOA, the only thing I was not permitted to do was install a wood stove. HOA's typically don't like permanent changes/additions. Just say nothing is permanent and you can rip anything out and smile.

Some important things to note about HOA's because chances are high you will have one: The county does an exceptional job at avoiding your roads. If your road is private, it contains the plague and will not be touched. As laws and policies currently stand, this also includes public transportation like school buses. It is an ongoing thing right now that some kids are having to walk out of their neighborhoods to catch the bus. It also comes to play after a storm. The county is not coming by to clean up your trees and debris from a tropical system. You are taking that to the local recycling center yourself. Do your research, You may find an area that doesn't apply to fully. My old neighborhood did have buses but the rest rang true. My current neighborhood all it holds true.

Unrelated and last thing for now: You may have an address that says a city on it, but not be in that city. My former address was Surfside Beach but I did not live in Surfside proper. Good and bad with that. Surfside allows you (or at least used to) to purchase a parking pass. But because I did not live in the proper limits, I was not afforded that. Kids will also have to pay 'non-resident' prices for sports and things alike too. There are just little things that you will find out as you move. None of it will probably be deal breakers. Just things to be aware of. I find myself doing and going so many places along the strand that it didn't particularly matter where exactly I lived or if I was in city limits proper or not. May be cheaper to do one thing in this area but more in another area and vise versa. The one thing that does matter is where you shop. Unless things have changed and I am not aware of it, not every area along the grand strand has the same sales tax rate so be careful which store you buy from and have delivered to/from.

[370z]

Originally Posted by huntinwabbits

djlen - Garden City has always been my favorite. I started vacationing there in the mid 1990's and that's what sold me on moving to Myrtle 4/5 years ago. Just make sure you buy your flood insurance. It takes 30 days to go into effect and Garden City has some naturally low areas. Also, get a golf cart. Best place to have one is in Garden City. And then join the golf cart parade on the 4th of July! You will get soaked but it is a great time. I would love to live there but I have many years before retirement and a young family so I can't afford what I would need there. Who knows, maybe you'll find me in a condo once I am an empty-nester!

ziva - HOA's are everywhere. It is rare to find a subdivision without them and if you do, the houses fly off the market as fast as they are put up. They also vary widely and are difficult to generalize. Just FYI, I moved to SC from a non-HOA place and didn't know anything about HOA's surrounding my city before moving so I have nothing to compare to.
There will be lots of places, especially in Garden City who don't technically have an HOA and will market that way, but do have fees. Almost all the manufactured home areas have a lot fee. You don't own the land per se, and you pay rent on the lot. Similar to the campground areas. The ones I have seen range anywhere from 400-700/month. Often, those 'lot fees' do come with some amenities.
Elsewhere - I cannot think of a new subdivision along the entire strand that does not have an HOA. I think there is one road in Deerfield in Surfside that was original to the neighborhood that doesn't have and HOA. Also Caropines next door I think is "voluntary". Caropines houses are sold faster than you can click on the listing because of that. I lived in a Surfside neighborhood that had a 45-65/month fee depending on where you were exactly and it paid for roads, street lights and trash pickup. If they have pools I think your fees usually end up 80+ per month. (Again, these are my attempts to generalize, you will find fees all over the place if you look).
Restrictions are also varied. My current neighborhood in Little River is 15/month and we pay for a couple street lights. Don't get much from it (trash is on your own) and they restrict fences to be white. That's about it. Restrictions I most often see are permitting to remove trees, types of fencing, number of pets, types of pets and powerwashing a house to keep mold away. Some neighborhoods don't like parking on the street. Carolina Forest area in Myrtle is very particular about everything. I have heard enough horror stories to keep me away, besides the traffic there. Some people prefer the more restrictive. So far in the 3.5 combined years I have had an HOA, the only thing I was not permitted to do was install a wood stove. HOA's typically don't like permanent changes/additions. Just say nothing is permanent and you can rip anything out and smile.

Some important things to note about HOA's because chances are high you will have one: The county does an exceptional job at avoiding your roads. If your road is private, it contains the plague and will not be touched. As laws and policies currently stand, this also includes public transportation like school buses. It is an ongoing thing right now that some kids are having to walk out of their neighborhoods to catch the bus. It also comes to play after a storm. The county is not coming by to clean up your trees and debris from a tropical system. You are taking that to the local recycling center yourself. Do your research, You may find an area that doesn't apply to fully. My old neighborhood did have buses but the rest rang true. My current neighborhood all it holds true.

Unrelated and last thing for now: You may have an address that says a city on it, but not be in that city. My former address was Surfside Beach but I did not live in Surfside proper. Good and bad with that. Surfside allows you (or at least used to) to purchase a parking pass. But because I did not live in the proper limits, I was not afforded that. Kids will also have to pay 'non-resident' prices for sports and things alike too. There are just little things that you will find out as you move. None of it will probably be deal breakers. Just things to be aware of. I find myself doing and going so many places along the strand that it didn't particularly matter where exactly I lived or if I was in city limits proper or not. May be cheaper to do one thing in this area but more in another area and vise versa. The one thing that does matter is where you shop. Unless things have changed and I am not aware of it, not every area along the grand strand has the same sales tax rate so be careful which store you buy from and have delivered to/from.

Wow...good to know about the HOA'S. Thanks! The dog restrictions scare me. I have 3 dogs. A realtor led me to believe there would be NO problems! I'll need to read CCRS before purchasing! I noticed some of the HOA fees are really high mostly in the condos..$309/400 a month!!
What is a parking pass for?
Thanks for the great info!

[huntinwabbits]

Some HOA's might restrict breed type (like pitbulls) and I have seen some restrict number of pets. My community says only 3 pets total. You most likely will not have a problem unless you have 27 cats and are trying to breed horses, chickens, and goats in your back yard. HOA's are not created equal either. Some communities you can get away with things. Other's will literally have the company managing driving down your road to make sure homes are in compliance. Your condos will always be high. More amenities. Higher insurances. Some may pay for some utilities too. Kind of like the lot rent idea. You don't have land to own. They own the land and you are leasing the space for your condo.

The parking pass was because Myrtle Beach and Surfside charge you to park at the beach. The parking pass was an annual thing so you park without paying the fee every time. But if you live in Surfside proper where you can actually get the pass, you're better off getting a golf cart. Surfside proper is small enough you could probably just walk it too. For me, I just never went to the beach at Surfside. Garden City is right down the street and free to park. Also note, Garden City pier is the only pier I am aware of that is still free to walk on. It is also the best pier with lots to do and maintained.

[ZivaDog]

Thanks again, huntinwabbits! Enjoy your "full nest" days while you have them. They'll be gone before you know it!

[djlen]

Originally Posted by huntinwabbits

Some HOA's might restrict breed type (like pitbulls) and I have seen some restrict number of pets. My community says only 3 pets total.
The parking pass was because Myrtle Beach and Surfside charge you to park at the beach. The parking pass was an annual thing so you park without paying the fee every time. But if you live in Surfside proper where you can actually get the pass, you're better off getting a golf cart. Surfside proper is small enough you could probably just walk it too. For me, I just never went to the beach at Surfside. Garden City is right down the street and free to park. Also note, Garden City pier is the only pier I am aware of that is still free to walk on. It is also the best pier with lots to do and maintained.

The community we like has a weight limit for dogs and a number. She kind of winked when discussing the weight part, like that's kind of liberal to a point.
We liked the beach at Garden City and plan on doing a bunch of commuting in the golf cart I definitely intend to get.
We also liked Garden City Pier. Lots to do including fishing if that's your thing. All this talk is getting me excited to get back down there.

Regards,
Len

[370z]

Originally Posted by djlen

The community we like has a weight limit for dogs and a number. She kind of winked when discussing the weight part, like that's kind of liberal to a point.
We liked the beach at Garden City and plan on doing a bunch of commuting in the golf cart I definitely intend to get.
We also liked Garden City Pier. Lots to do including fishing if that's your thing. All this talk is getting me excited to get back down there.

Regards,
Len

Did they say what the number of dogs would be, Len?

[djlen]

The two communities we got interested enough to ask limited to one dog.....3 "pets" total. Don't know how that plays out but that's what we were told. We also have a cockatiel so we're assuming that or a cat would be OK.

Regards,
Len

[patt]

Where can I find out which roads are covered by the county in case of a storm? From the HOA or Horry County?

[djlen]

I would have to think you could get that information from Horry county.

Regards,
Len

[e66330]

We drove thru Conway while going on a river tour , Gator-Bait Kayak Tours . The tour and the river were great , what we saw of Conway - not good . JMO .