Moving from Florida to MB ... Local advice please ... (Columbia, Myrtle Beach: rental, condos) - Horry County - City-Data Forum

movingupnorth2 · 08-03-2012, 08:41 PM

We are a young family of four looking to relocate from central Florida to Myrtle Beach. We have family who live in the area and have offered up living quarters for us while we get situated in the area. I have been self employed for many years and plan to do so in MB. I am a jack of all trades. But I do have my Associates Degree in Criminal Justice. So, A law enforcement job could be in my future. One of my questions is how is the market for services in MB? Here in Florida things have gotten very slow and people just are not paying for services anymore and just seem to let there houses go. We also here so many mixed reviews on the area for raising a family so some outlook on that would be great as well! I do look forward to your responses. Thanks in advance!

Summering · 08-04-2012, 06:00 PM

You will probably like the Southern end of Myrtle Beach or Carolina Forest.
There are many families that move to Carolina Forest so that would be good for your children.

Other then that a place like "The Gates" is a fantastic development for a family with kids. Well taken care of and the people there have great pride in their properties.

There are also nice developments in the south end of 707 heading towards Murrells Inlet.

It will matter how much you have to spend to which community you can look forward to.

I send you a note on a realtor I believe in wholeheartedly. She can find you the home you want at the price you want.

I feel it is great here in Myrtle beach. The problem comes with "downtown" and it is easy to avoid the touristy and busy
area.

Best of luck to you. To help with more information we'd need to know a little more of your wishes.

movingupnorth2 · 08-05-2012, 07:14 PM

I wasnt to concerned with housing right now. As I said in my OP we will be staying with family for awhile till things work themself out. I was wondering how the household service area was. Do people take care of there homes? (ie: hire contractors to upkeep them). I wanted to start a jack of all trades business in the area.

gary2beach · 08-06-2012, 08:46 AM

There are an awful lot of folks who hire as jack of all trades or specialize in just a few things, the competition is tough, people will work here for cheap and the Mexican/Guatamalan/Columbian/etc workforce is strong. Law enforcement does not pay well either, many get a start here and then move on to where they make almost double.

Gary

crestliner · 08-06-2012, 10:34 AM

My advice is to not drive in MB like most people drive in florida unless you got PLENTY OF MONEY TO PAY TRAFFIC TICKETS

vrexy · 08-06-2012, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gary2beach

There are an awful lot of folks who hire as jack of all trades or specialize in just a few things, the competition is tough, people will work here for cheap and the Mexican/Guatamalan/Columbian/etc workforce is strong. Law enforcement does not pay well either, many get a start here and then move on to where they make almost double.

Gary

I totally agree with Gary. Do not expect to make much money doing handy man work of any kind. So very many people are doing this and speaking as someone who does keep up with my house, I have no trouble finding inexpensive, licensed, insured and reliable help. Probably not what you want to hear, but it is the truth.

If you have free housing and no time frame for moving out from living with your family, then possibly things could work out for you. At any rate, you need to have a back-up plan just in case, because the odds are against you ever being able to make a decent amount of money living in MB and working as a handy man. (Your idea of a decent income may be quite different from mine, though!)

I have no knowledge of the law enforcement job availability or pay rates, so can't comment on that. There is a member on this forum whose husband works in law enforcement, but I have not seen her post anything here in quite a while. Perhaps if you scroll back through the threads on the MB forum, you will see her name and by her posts know who I am talking about. If so, possibly you could DM her and ask her opinion about law enforcement jobs. I can't vouch for her because I do not know her, but at least it's something you could try. The only thing I can remember about her is that her screen name has something to do with loving greyhounds. (The dogs, not the bus! Haha!)

Best of luck to you.

NeverBeingBoring · 08-06-2012, 05:45 PM

Having recently moved from the MB metro area to FL, I can assure you that the job market is very tight and low paying. Going with a lot of cash might be a smart idea. There are few openings and there are many going for them. Do your research and have a job before you move.

One thing to take into account is that SC has a state tax that can be high depending on your income, FL has no state tax.

movingupnorth2 · 08-07-2012, 11:09 AM

Hmm, maybe we should consider another area in SC. I figured there wouldnt be too much career wise being a beach town. But, figured people would pay to keep up with there homes, etc. Alot to think about ... Thanks for the advice

Dregg · 08-07-2012, 12:35 PM

If I had to go down to Myrtle and find work, I would list an ad on Craigslist to be a condo caretaker. A lot of people from out of state own condos that they rent out but are not there to do the exit cleaning/linen exchange. Right now, the rental season is going to come to an end. A lot of repairs to these condos take place during the off season. There's a lot of money to be made doing that.