Myrtle Beach Real Estate

Shagging on the Strand

The end of summer is just around the corner! So before you grab your winter coat, Come out and join us for a last blast of the season at The SOS Fall Migration. This annual migration attracts shaggers from all over the U.S. to Myrtle Beach, where the crazy was originally created more than 5 decades ago, a unique twist to East Coast swing dancing. There is a rearrangement of footwork, giving the shag a unique look and feel, with majority of the movement being below the waist. The dance uses the balls of the foot, creating a very smooth style of dance; started in North Myrtle Beach by the Society of Stranders (SOS). Starting September 17th and ending on September 26th, a 10 day adult party will begin on the East Coast, with nightlife parties at the SOS lounges including Fat Harold’s, Ducks, Duck’s II, the OD Arcade, & the clubs at the OD Beach & Golf Resort; each lounge offering its own unique quality. So if your ready for a little adventure, maybe its time for you to schedule a trip to North Myrtle Beach to join in the festivities of Fall Migration!

Along the celebrated Grand Strand in Myrtle Beach, Grande Dunes stands out as the most dynamic planned residential resort in the Myrtle Beach area. Stretching a mere 2,200 acres across the north end of Myrtle Beach; reaching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway. Offering a vast array of recreational and social amenities, something the whole family can enjoy. With expanding in the works, Grande Dunes developers Leonard, Grigg and Associates and Traditional Homebuilders announced a new development is going up in the Grande Dunes called Cipriana Park. The new development will include 182 homes that will be built in four phases located on the east side of Highway 17 Business. Burroughs and Chapin CEO Jim Apple stated he understands the housing market has not been good. But he said there homes are in the right price range to sell. Homes are geared toward families with a price range from the upper $200,000’s to the upper $300,000’s, while still allowing the residents in the development access to all Grande Dunes Amenities.

Whether you’re a native of the USA or visiting from over seas, Myrtle Beach is one of the most preferred tourist destinations. This is the reason that Condos are nearly always booked full. Whether you’ve experienced the stress-free vacation packages, where arrangements are made for you or you rather plan your itinerary yourself we have provided some tips and considerations which will get you the best Condo at an affordable price.

First of all, make sure you book ahead! Not only is it nearly impossible to find an vacant condo during Myrtle Beach’s tourist season, but the walk in charges are a bit higher. So, find a vacation package just right for your family, and book it NOW! With bookings in advance, you’re guaranteed to stay at the condo of your choice with amenities that suit your family!

Secondly, location plays a key factor in choosing your resort destination. Choosing a condo in an area where everything is easily accessible; restaurants, shopping, beach, nightlife, airport and entertainment. There are many condos located in Myrtle Beach within walking distance of everything, allowing you to experience all that Myrtle Beach has to offer. If it’s an oceanfront view from a high rise on the beach you’re looking for, we have it! Call and reserve you Myrtle Beach Vacation package today!

This year many vacationers made Myrtle Beach their new vacation destination as well as our loyal yearly visitors; the Myrtle Beach International Airport reported that more people flew in and out during July than ever before, breaking the 100,000 passenger mark. According to numbers recorded by airport officials, more than 111,000 passengers boarded outbound planes and more than 117,000 passengers arrived into Myrtle Beach. With these numbers, we were able to beat the records set in July 2005 and peak months in 2007. Although summer is not the peak season for golf outings, Golf Holiday representatives said they’ve also seen an increase in packages and bookings compared to this time last year. The organization anticipated the growth in passengers and is looking forward to a hopeful increase for prime golf season in September and October. With a major expansion project in the works, positive news comes as the airport prepares to increase the number of gates available to passengers and airlines from seven to twelve. The 219,000 square foot expansion is expected to pump nearly $300 million in to the Grand Strand economy. So start planning your Myrtle Beach vacation or golf outing today!

It’s never too late to enjoy the summertime events that Myrtle Beach’s nightlife has to offer. The new oceanfront Myrtle Beach Boardwalk stretches from the 14th Avenue Pier to the 2nd Avenue Pier in downtown Myrtle Beach. Offering a variety of entertainment nightly, so grab the family and join us in celebrating good music, fireworks, food and fun! Going on now through September 4th, the new Myrtle Beach boardwalk is catching everyone’s attention! Local entertainment includes: Live concerts on Tuesdays and Saturdays, Monday night Kid’s Carnival with Inflatables, face painting and much more, Sunday nights features juggling and acrobats, and of course don’t miss the best fireworks show on the beach every Wednesday night in Plyler Park! So whether you’re looking to relax, or shag to the beach rhythm, come out and experience the Boardwalk of Myrtle Beach!

Make sure and mark your calendars for a fantastic upcoming arts and crafts show in Myrtle Beach. The 28th Annual Craftsmen’s Classic Arts and Crafts Festival will be coming to Myrtle Beach Friday August 6, 2010- Sunday August 8, 2010, featuring creative and original works from over 250 talented artist and crafts people from across the nation. Being held at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, $7 per Adult and Children under six get in for free, admission is good for all 3 days with your free return pass! Many of the talented artists will be performing from their booths how they create their designs and pieces of art. This assortment of original artwork has been handmade by the exhibitors and must be their personal original design and creation. With a range of art pieces, theirs something for every style, taste and budget, from the most contemporary pieces to very traditional. So take a day off and come explore your artistic side!

Every year millions of people visit the sixty miles of white sandy beaches known as “The Grand Strand”. You may be asking yourself, why? What’s so special about Myrtle Beach? All we can say is plenty! From its unique dining experiences to its specializing in shopping, Myrtle Beach has tons to offer!

#1- The top reason tourists are so attracted to the Myrtle Beach is the Golf!!! Myrtle Beach is actually known as “The Golf Capital of America”! With over 100 courses, there is something for everyone’s needs. Plus, the area offers some of the nationally and internationally top ranking courses out there. These courses are no joke! They are planned and constructed by some of the top golf course developers in the world!

#2- The Myrtle Beach area is widely known for its world class entertainment. The city offers a wide array of shows from Las Vegas type acts to live country music concerts. Visitors can be entertained at Le Grande Cirque, watching champion acrobats sail through the air and contort their body’s right before your eyes. Visitors also greatly enjoy watching dinner shows such as Dixie Stampede and Medieval Times.

#3- The third top reason for visiting Myrtle Beach is to enjoy the spectacular shopping opportunities. Visitors can enjoy racking up huge discounts at the cities two locations of Tanger Outlets. Also, there is plenty of shopping to be done at in the areas huge shopping complexes such as Broadway at the Beach and The Market Common. And of course, the city offers two wonderful malls, with plenty of air condition!

#4- You cannot beat the types of dining at the Grand Strand has to offer its guests. Visitors will find a wide array of scrumptious foods from seafood to Brazilian. Myrtle Beach also offers its own special type of seafood known as calabash. What makes calabash seafood so special are the delicious combination of seasonings in the breading. There are plenty of calabash restaurants up and down the Grand Strand to keep your taste buds entertained.

Last Thursday, the Horry County Planning Commission approved the plans for a new Carolina Forest Elementary school in Berkshire Village. The school is anticipated to open in August of 2012.

The 40 acre school will displace 70 planned residential homes in the community. The PDD is requiring $1000 per home displaces, which will equal $70,000 to be paid in improvement fees. These fees will be paid either by the school or the developer. The district is anticipating paying about $200,000 towards the project including signalization at the intersection of Augusta Plantation Drive and River Oaks Drive.

We’re sure you have been hearing mixed arguments of how exactly the real estate market is doing. Well, even though sales seem to be on the decline elsewhere, The Sun News has reported that is not the case here in Myrtle Beach. Single family homes sold 32% more in the first half of this year while condo sales grew by 38% than last year. Prices seem to have fallen around 5% for both homes and condos since this time last year.

The majority of local real estate agents and brokers interviewed all seem to have the same opinion. Real Estate sales are up, prices are down, and they only expect the market to stabilize. Right now the high amount of cash payers and distressed properties are making prices really low, which is causing the market to be unstable. Agents are hoping that once these properties begin to be sold off, prices will increase when competition increases. This will help in the process of stabilizing. It’s going to be slow and in baby steps, but from here on out we expect the market to stabilize and become popular once again!

As we have recently been telling you, right now, the real estate market is a buyers market!! A recent article on scnow.com speaks of how much lower interest rates in the Myrtle Beach are since five years ago. Also, it seems that the past six months, in the Myrtle Beach area, home sales are up by 30% since this time last year.

Right now interest on mortgage loans are so low it is incredible. Interest rate averages have dropped from 6.3% five years ago to 4.5% today. If you bought a $150,000 home five years ago your loan payment would have been $934 a month, compared to $767 today. If you are planning on buying or refinancing your home, now is definitely the time to go through with it!!!

The biggest problem with homes selling now is people are not getting what they expected. The floor plans are not exactly matching up to the blueprints they were shown, so they are paying for a loan that is actually worth more than the house itself. A local appraiser, Ki Thompson of Thompson Appraisal Services, says that it is highly recommended you get a home/blueprints appraised before purchasing. He has actually appraised homes up to $100,000 less than there original value. Home appraisals only cost around $200-$600, which could wind up saving you thousands in the long run. We believe it is definitely worth the investment!