21 Wins,
These are strictly seat-of the-pants observations from a Murrells Inlet citizen of 4 years. (Previously Maryland) There are plenty of all kinds of properties available in the Murrells Inlet, Garden City area. The real estate market is strongly in favor of buyers currently (for sale signs everywhere).
If you are dealing with "for sale by owner" properties, you are usually dealing with people who have an inflated view of what their ocean-area property is worth. Or, they are in economic distress and have remorse for the "poor investment" they have made, and they want to recoup it at your expense.
I'd go with an established realtor who can help you (as an out-of-towner) quickly identify what's available to meet your needs and price range, and who will have the negotiation skills to help you make the deal you want. (No I'm not in nor do I have anything to do with real estate sales.)
Finally, I wouldn't worry about recovery (unless you entertain the idea that the US economy will never recover) because the real estate market is cyclical and will rebound. Timing is everything. Remember, as the northeastern baby boomers (30-40 million of them) retire and want to get away from high taxes and snowy winters they'll head down I-95 to find that Florida is full, Georgia is swamp, and Virginia still has snow. So the Carolinas are where they're going to end up. Nothin could be finer!
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