Just Got Back From MB (Includes Useful Information) (Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet: wood floors, appointed)

[CarolinaDreams]

My husband and I just got back from MB. We decided to go down and look at housing, in particular rentals. I've actually never been during the Winter before and was very surprised at several things. I also thought I'd share some of the information that I did find out. I know this is going to be a long post and i'm sorry about that, but maybe this information will help someone in some way.

First of all I was shocked to see how busy it actually was in Feb. There was some tourism, and it was much busier then I ever thought it would be. There was more traffic and people then I expected. I was also lead to believe that a lot of things shut down in the winter. Yeah some things do, but apparently not all tourist things shut down. There was several of the oceanfront beach shops open as well as several restaurants and other places downtown. Everything pretty well was open as far as business on Kings HWY, and on 17 as well as other places. Basically every thing off OB was open and half of everything on OB was open. All hotels appeared to be open for business as usual. Traffic was heavy but nothing unbearable, it wasn't a nightmare at all but it was heavy.

I was so shocked that I couldn't smell salt air. I sniffed and sniffed and sniffed and no pleasant ocean air smell. Again never been in winter and it was a shock to me that the ocean can't be smelled during the winter. At least my husband and I couldn't smell it and usually I can smell ocean air a good distance away from the beach.

I was also surprised at the amount of homelessness esp around Ocean Blvd. There was a lot of it, and it was very public. They didn't try to hide or be away from view. They pretty much just sat on the street and slept, laid down in front of the hotels on the beach and slept and was basically all over O.B. One guy was sleeping right in front of Peaches on Ocean Blvd in the middle of the sidewalk.

Don't let anyone tell you they don't hire for what you are looking for. A more recent thread someone was looking for jobs as a policeman. Everyone seemed to talk badly about finding a job as a cop for the most part. Low and behold I go down there turn on the community channel and what do you think they are hiring for? They are looking for policemen. It did not say how much it paid but it's posted right on the city news. As for jobs I was told by one of the women who worked at the apartment complex I looked at that given my college major I should have no trouble finding a job. So maybe the job situation isn't as bad as everyone makes it seem to be. I'm sure a lot of it depends on the job you want to do, plus the economy is bad everywhere not just in MB. I think everyone stands as good a chance as anyone else. Sure you run the risk of not getting a call from turning in a app, but you have that anywhere. Shoot I put in 20 apps where I live and not one single person ever called me, so can't be any worse then where I live. Yeah some things do shut down but looking at all the open businesses everywhere, including hotels, I'm not too sure I believe all of this stuff about no jobs.

I'm learning a lot about information about the locals....apparently the locals give out bad information a lot. I've had more than 1 person lie to me on this trip to MB. All of them local people (workers in fact). My advice to you if you are looking to move...don’t believe a thing anyone tells you! If you have a question don’t depend on anyone's information but yours. If you want to know if they are hiring for something find out on your own from the source directly. Don’t believe a random local person you ask for information. When I asked several different locals about rental places, every single one of them gave me false information. One girl working around the skywheel even sent me on a wild goose chase for a place that never even existed. Also a lot of people played dumb when I asked questions. Most pretended like they had no clue where anything was or no clue of how to get there. I asked local workers; even people working at gas stations who get asked questions like that a lot. Apparently no one there seems to know anything about the area....or so they say. Maybe I just choose the wrong people to talk to, but since I talked to about 10 people and the majority gave me false or no info at all...I doubt it's just my luck. Only 1 person of all the people I asked even slightly helped me and he gave me information on how to get to the rental agent, but was no help with anything else but that. I thought maybe the locals would be helpful, if your lost, need directions, need information or are looking for something in particular, but they were not. The rental agency was actually the most helpful people I talked to my whole time there, they actually gave me good information and everyone there was friendly. I even ran into someone from around the area in which I live, who was super nice to me. I'm accustomed to being able to ask a stranger about anything and they really try to help you and give you good information you can trust, but in SC you can not do that.

I decided to go to a Rental Agent off 36th Ave N. I found out what the deal is with the 3xs monthly rent. EVERYONE does the 3Xs monthly rent from apartment complexes to rental homes and so on. I asked why and I was told that since it is a tourist area and that most jobs are seasonal or depend on tourism they have to know you can make the rent before you move in. Say you take a job at a restaurant and make $3,000 in tips a week or month during the summer. When winter comes and the crowds drop off or the restaurant shuts down...how are you going to make rent? It's basically just a insurance policy that they will get their money one way or another. I always asked people this question and no one would give me a straight answer on exactly WHY they do that. One women when I asked awhile back told me when they turn in taxes they get in trouble if they don't tun in a certain amount that people make, which apparently was a lie and she was the apartment complex rental person who handles office things. So if you want to rent and work min wage you are pretty much screwed, unless you have a roommate. I have no clue how people meet this three times monthly rent rule they have going on down there, especially if pay and jobs are just so bad in the area. For the pay and jobs to be so bad, all of the apartments seem to be taken, most have long wait lists. Also very confused about how married couples or a single people without a roommate does it.

The ocean is cold, but apparently not cold enough that people can't walk in it or on the beach barefoot. I saw more than one person barefoot, and in the water. Also saw a lot of short sleeves and shorts. I was very surprised to see people with bare feet in the ocean, I didn't expect that. I figured it would be much too cold to do that. I also have found that on any given day MB is a good 20 degrees warmer than where I currently live (WV). I went from freezing cold, to very pleasant weather. In the mornings I only needed a light jacket, if that. The morning for the most part started off around 50 and went up from there. At night it does get chilly just not uncomfortable chilly, not freeze you to the bone chilly.

It was my first time seeing the sky wheel. The last time I went to MB was for my wedding and honeymoon in 2010. Let me tell you, photos don't do it justice; it truly is a beautiful sight seeing it for the first time. If you have never seen it, on your next trip you really should go look at it. I didn't have a chance to ride it because I was more focused on business then having fun. However I will say it goes around all day long for the most part. I'm not sure if it's open but the wheel turns constantly and it is lit at night but they do stop it at night.

I was all over the place on my trip to MB. I've been to Forestbrook, North Myrtle, The southern part of MB, I've been back in housing developments that I had no clue even existed or was even around. I went back and looked at Tuscany town homes, also looked at all sorts of apartments and rental homes. I even looked at the Cottages on Farrow Parkway (So freaking beautiful inside). A heads up there are several apartment complexes that exist that are not listed online. I pretty well saw the really good areas of town and the really bad. Lets just put it this way some of the complexes downtown are not very safe, and you couldn't pay me to live in anything that is downtown anywhere in the area of OB. Shoot some guy was dealing in the alley next to one of them, needless to say we got the heck outta there! When we saw that we didn't even get out of the car. I also saw an apartment complex that looks like someone started to build it then just gave up and stopped in the middle of the process. It was on 501, looked like it would have been nice if they would have kept on building. I wonder why they quit working on them? For anyone looking for Newly constructed apartments...it aint gonna happen people. Unless it's a closely guarded secret where new apartments are don't even waste your time looking for brand new ones. I searched high and low, drove all over looking for some and came out with nothing. All apartments are old but there are a few that are a few years old, but not brand new. So unless someone gets smart down there and starts building some new ones (hint hint if you want a money maker build new apartments and don't do 3xs monthly rent, you'll be ran over with renters!) you will have to take older construction.

If anyone has any questions for me about my recent trip feel free to ask me. I'll try to help the best I can. I know what it's like to need information and have no one help you, or have people over dramatize things like job situations on so on. Which brings me to this question, is there anyone reading this who is having a super hard time being able to move? Feeling down about it? Who thinks we should start a moving support thread? I think it would be a great idea who those of us who are actively trying to move but are having so much trouble. Surely I am not the only person here who has actively tried and tried but just can't seem to get things to go right with moving. Maybe it would be a good idea for those of us to come together and support one another, give out helpful information and advice and maybe make a new friend or two out of it. Anyone interested in a moving support thread?

Here are some photos I took on my trip, enjoy!
Sunrise at Pier 14 on Feb 7, 2013


Pier 14 and the boardwalk in the morning on Feb 7, 2013


The skywheel in the morning on Feb 7, 2013

[Summering]

The pictures are beautiful. Myrtle Beach is such an interesting area.

Yes, if you want to catch homeless it would be in the "downtown" area. Although I think most cities this size have homeless. I saw it in the larger towns of PA, NY and NJ.

When you live here you don't really hang out downtown, so the feel there is not the feel I get where I live.

Yes, winters back ten years ago were quite deserted. When I had my mother down here back then we had all we could do to find a store or restaurant that was open. Not the case now. Many northerners moved this way and we have quite a large winter population now.

Many of the real estate companies deal in vacation rentals more then year round rentals. I do know quite a few that are wonderful selling and listing agents. Just a joy to deal with.

Jobs are hard to find here as they are in most places. Its just a bad economy out there. However, I just heard also that there is a store opening with 150 new jobs soon. We do have new stores arriving all the time if people can manage on that salary. I think the field of nursing and along that line are more open.

There are some wonderful developments if someone would not require "new." Homes are reasonable and beautiful.
Best of all they are near stores and shopping. They are also near doctors, dentists, chiropractors, and hospitals.
Not to mention the best of all...the beaches.

For a small fee you can join the State Parks of SC for a year. Then enjoy those beaches too for swimming, horseback riding and picnicking.

You can join Brookgreen Gardens for a yearly fee. Gorgeous there.

We are not just downtown Myrtle Beach. We are the Market Common, the Murrells Inlet, the Coastal Grand Mall...amongst other fun things.

As far as kindness I have yet to find anywhere I have traveled more friendly people then those native to South Carolina.
It seems my extended family feels that way too. But, I too have asked the wrong people for the situation and been disappointed also. I was aware that it was my mistake and found someone who overdid their kindness.

We are a beautiful place and a real treasure to enjoy.

Anyone needing information please DM me.

[Marzie]

CarolinaDreams that was a very helpful post that u wrote. And how much are the rentals down there?

[CarolinaDreams]

They range depending on what you want. The worst ones of course are always the cheapest(granted I even saw bad ones with a hefty price tag), the nicer ones start out between $800-900 (for a studio or cheapest 1 bedroom floor plan) and go way up from there (granted there are a few rare exceptions to this rule). In my opinion some of them are way overpriced and not worth the amount of money they ask for them. Also from what I see most complexes down there require you to have renters insurance. The amounts for the insurance vary some wanted 50,000 some wanted 100,000 worth. I was told not to panic about the amount because they work out to be reasonable prices on the month(I’m not sure how true that is, have no checked into that part yet). However it's still more money added on every month that you have to pay and have no choice but to pay.

I found a really adorable 5 year old home to rent for $900 and it was 3 beds and 2 baths. I would have loved to have had it but it was way out of our budget range. It has wood floors everywhere in it except the bedrooms and baths, and had a large fenced in back yard. Most homes start at $900 at go up from there. I will say $900 on the month is rare (the rental agency told me that). The cottages I looked at on Farrow Parkway were for people to own. I thought when I first looked at them due to the way they were built that they might be rentals, but they were not. They were beautiful though and the one I looked at I believe it was around $230,000 if I remember right. Yeah I'll never own one but they are very nice. They are huge, they don’t have one bedroom floor plans and I don’t believe I saw two beds either. I know for sure they have 3 and 4 bedrooms and if memory serves me they had five bedroom floor plans. They were the reversed floor plans, kitchen on top and some beds on the bottom. They do have a ton of natural light esp upstairs. The model I looked at the whole living room was basically windows. I loved that part because I’m a fresh air junkie.

I notice some places have the words From such and such price. Which means you will never get the smallest price and they throw out whatever price they feel like throwing out on those apartments. For example a 1 bedroom from $705 and the 2 bedroom start out over 1,000 and goes up. Okay that means they can throw out any price between $705-$1000 that they want to for that one bedroom. You see what I'm saying? I'm accustomed to dealing with one fixed amount on the month not a range. Also rental prices do change nothing ever stays the same. An apartment could be $795 one month than the same apartment could be $850 two months later. When you sign a lease you are locked into whatever price the apartment is for however long you sign the lease for. When your lease comes back up again to renew I was told that price could change, it could go up it could go down. (again with so many people lying to me that may or may not be true) I do believe it is true because I have looked at several of the same apartments for awhile now and have seen them flux in price for the same apartment, so the rest of that may be true as well about the lease.

I compare what I live in now to the apartments that are down there and even the nicest one don't measure up. I'm paying $750 on the month here (with an additional 45 tacked on for cable) and I get cherry wood, granite, a fireplace, a large walk in closet, a large deck, a hot tub outside and more. Down there even the nicest thing I looked at wasn't as nice as this apartment and you pay more for it. Plus mine when I moved in it was brand new, and those down there are not.

I know from experience you really have to watch the people who deal with the apartments, not everyone is honest and they like to play games. I was told several things on the phone before I went down to look at this one apartment. When I got there and asked the same questions to be sure of the answer, the answers changed to something completely different. I won’t give out any names or the apartment complex name, but just be careful.

Any other questions feel free to ask. I've been at this moving thing for two years; I've picked up a lot of information in that time. Also if there are any typos please ignore, I don’t have time to go back and proofread.

[Summering]

I do agree that the apartment issue is quite annoying. I've seen it happen within our own extended family. I can remember hearing that sweet phone person becoming a demanding rental agent. That abrupt change really shocked me.
But, then again it is a business for them. This agents father owned two apartment places in North and South Myrtle Beach.
Sure you can bring your three cats but it will cost you a hundred dollars" each"
security. Not one hundred total, as stated previously.
Yes, the rent price went up quickly. After two months it was at least $150 more per month.
There are a few places that do take pets. One out on 17 Bypass. They all take a deposit on the pet.
I'm sure some rental apartments are run better then others. Its all who is managing it and what rules they have and stick to.
I would never advise anyone to rent or buy in the "downtown" area. Think about the downtowns you know of...well it is the same here.
However, at vacation time the motels on the strip are full of lots of people enjoying themselves. They have all kinds of pools and waterslides.
You'd surely have a great time at the Family Adventure Park, and Broadway at the Beach besides romping in the Atlantic.
The cost of renting here can be more then places back home. We are a vacation destination for many. Some of the homes and condos can be rented weekly for the amount mentioned per month.
Sometimes the beauty of parts of this area will take your breath away.

[loveagrey1]

I really do not think anyone said that it would be hard to find police officer positions....just know that they show on the local stations they are "always" hiring....go ahead and put in your application and then go ahead and see how long it takes for them to call you.......everyone sees different things here in Myrtle Beach.....I never tell anyone not the truth....I do not sugar coat anything.....I only want folks to know the things I have seen and I have been thru and hopefully they will not make the same mistakes....police officers start at very low wages I think.....that is why they are "always" hiring...............very high turnover.......I think I went over this before...

[Summering]

I think we all try our best to tell it like it is. Some may be more positive in their opinions then others.
I don't think anyone spends time on CD to lie or mislead.
I really don't think someone can make quality opinions after visiting a few times.
I'm still learning new places and information after 12 years of being here. ( part time and full time)

[CarolinaDreams]

Well you all can say what you say and do what you do, but I think some times it can be a bit "misleading" esp for those of us seeking information for moving. A lot of people on here seem to be overly dramatic about the job situation. I think it's one of those things people should go see for themselves and form their own opinions on it. If I was to believe all of you i'd think it was a absolutely horrible place to find a job. All i hear oh jobs suck here then I go down there it's all lively and I see where all these new businesses are coming to the area, shoot i'm not even seeing where the winter shut downs are all they were made out to be. Yeah a couple of places was shut down, but nothing like I imagined it would be from all these posts. Hey i'm coming from a town where we have little business and little growth, every thing here is dead...there is no hope of anything in this place and those who can get out of here do. No jobs come here, that is no joke that is a fact. Everyone in the town I grew up in is super excited, they just got a grocery store after 15 years without one, they all had to drive a good distance to even get to one for 15 years. To me that is just pathetic, you all must have what 15 grocery stores or more? While we have 1 CVS here you all have what 5-10? I have one mall around me, you all have what at least 3 if not more. You know how long I drive to get to a outlet mall 6 hours, that's round trip. Gee you all have two within what 20 minutes of each other? After seeing some things with my own eyes, esp in various publications it may not be so bad after all down there. For me it can't be any worse then where I am now, in fact it seems full of promise and hope. That area is growing by leaps and bounds, I read about it all the time and see it with my own eyes. The jobs that are coming in may not be high paying but hey they are jobs none the less. I'm pretty sure people on this board are not dumb, they know how the job market is they don't need it in their face every five minutes. I say don't don't bother with a local on a random board. If you want to know if they are hiring for the area call and ask. I'm also sure that new business comes in all the time down there, so ya know I'm just not seeing how it is as bad as everyone says. For things to be SO bad all the rental property was being snatched up like crazy. The woman at the rental agency said they have very little rentals now that it has been a busy few weeks. Apparently a lot of people are making that 3xs monthly rent and have a job there. There is at least 4 people ahead of me for this one type of apartment, god only knows how many else is on the waiting list for the other types. Everywhere I went there was a wait list. I can only imagine what 3xs monthly rent is for 2 and 3 bedrooms, but someone somewhere is making some serious cash. Shoot to even rent a 1 bed or have a studio you gotta make serious cash. If it's bad i'm not seeing all the bad, i'm seeing the good. I just gave everyone a heads up and tried to do a good thing for others. I don't want people believing information that MAY NOT BE TRUE. I'm not saying the job situation is perfect there, but it sure has to be better then what I have where I live. I imagine for a lot of people coming in it may be a better situation then what they currently have. I also want people to know what they are dealing with, and other information I wish someone would have told me a long time ago. I wish someone would have been as nice on this board and posted information like I just did, might have saved me a lot of trouble over the years. I hope to help others, no one has to agree with me. I just tell it like I see it, and I tell what I've been told. If you are going to be dramatic you can kindly get off my thread because I wont be replying to dramatic posts, I didn't come here for that. I'm trying to help people here so only serious questions will be answered, random drama will be ignored. Now for anyone needing help, feel free to ask. I'll be going back down in the coming months so keep an eye out for new information!

Oh and FYI I've been going there every summer since I was a 5 i'm now 30, I'm not a newbie I pretty well know my way around unless I get off on back roads in some random housing development.

[loveagrey1]

Yes, the area is growing..not at any earth shattering....speed of light type growth....in more of a "I suppose we have to build more stores, gas stations, etc. since the retirees are coming" growth......and the local builders and construction companies are more like....I am going to get my piece of that Yankee pie....I work with these guys...I know what they are thinking and saying....of us....um folks from the north.....after many years working where I do, I take it with a grain of salt but it was hard to take at first and sometimes they would forget I was in the room...

Jobs are here.....but from where I came from to here it is was a jolt to say the least....jobs are seasonal mostly, jobs are usually starting at the bottom part-time positions with no benefits, good jobs making a good salary with benefits and a position you can feel comfortable that it will last until you would like to retire...those are the jobs that are hard to come by....if you are luck enough to get one of "those" type of jobs.....then wow...you are one of the lucky ones.....I suppose I think when people ask about jobs, they are referring to ones with decent pay, full time and benefits.....but if you are not, then "yes" come down...plenty of jobs.........not to raise a family on...or even rent a decent townhouse or apartment.....most of them...you have to make a certain salary to even get in.....anyway, I wish everyone who wants to try and reach the beach the best..................

And as a side note, my hubby and I are planning to put our townhouse up for sale and were looking into apartment living temporarily while selling.....and the really nice ones do have a salary cap and it is high? both of us make good money for here and just made it for a two bedroom..no problem for a one bedroom....but from talking with some folks living there...most of them...have roommates and that is how they are affording them....my hubby knows an officer who lives in one nice complex in Myrtle Beach and that is what he has told me or some people are living there temporarily also while they are building....retired folks with a good stable monthly income.....

[PawleysDude]

Originally Posted by loveagrey1

....I am going to get my piece of that Yankee pie....

IMO, the yankee thing is overplayed too much on here by those who have moved down and are not happy. Keep in mind that all of us non-locals, from the north or the south, moved in on the natives and turned what was once a neat little vacation town into an overcrowded, overpaved retirement/relocation haven for all of us who Googled "paradise" and thought MB was the result. I agree the yankee word is tossed around, but a lot of locals think of anybody not born here as a yankee, reflecting the statistical fact that the vast majority of the migration has come from NE states. If the large influx had been from Mars, the term "martian" would have become the dirty word. Yeah, the influx brought jobs, but as everyone has pointed out, in most cases, those jobs don't pay well. Bottom line, the locals gave us what we wanted, and as a group, we were too stupid to know the difference between what we wanted and what we needed. The biggest sin was insisting on having the same stuff as that place we were so anxious to get away from. God bless the locals. If there are any sane ones left, I feel bad for 'em.

The developers are another story, and a lot of that money is not local money. If they thought they could get away with it, they would use their own mothers to fill in a wetland, and then plant a remediation tree somewhere up around Latta.