Went house hunting in Myrtle Beach (Socastee, Surfside Beach: real estate, HOA fees, houses)

[StrugglinLI]

Hi Guys,

Been a while since I last checked in, but I did get an opportunity to visit Myrtle beach last month to get a feel for the area.

I liked the amenities in the area, everything was practically an arm's length away.

That being said, i could definitely see that the place will be a mad house during the summer season. When all was said and done, we felt like we'd like to explore some other areas.

We looked at a lot of housing. With few exceptions the lot sizes were a little bit too small for us.

I am curious as to whether the lot sizes are demand/profit driven, or if there is some sort of county/local planning that is driving the size of the lots?

I don't need huge acreage, but .5 acre would be my minimum. The overwhelming majority of homes were single-story 3 bed, which will not fit my family. Looking in the 200k range (preferably not to exceed)

The development we liked the most was an older subdivision (guessing maybe 50's or 60's). I think it was called 'Seafield', it was on 17 across the street from the state park. Still not big enough for us, but it really had a charm to it.

I have children that will be going to the elementary school. We looked at the schools in the area, Lakewood Elementary was real nice.

We were going to look at Carolina Forest, but after the stabbing in the school that happened the day we were going to go look, decided not to.

Are there any coastal areas south of Myrtle Beach where larger lot sizes are prevalent in conjunction with a good school system?

I really loathe HOA's, and I'm not a 'gated community' type of person. Not that I would rule out living in the presence of either, but it's not something I am looking for.

Thanks,
Tim

[regirlmb]

Dear Tim,
I am a realtor for a builder here in Myrtle Beach. I have personally lived in the area for 16 years and would be happy to help answer any questions you may have. I promise I am not trying just to get your business, but after reading your post...I thought you may possibly be interested in one of the communities I work at.
But, first to answer your question regarding the size of homesites...it really does have more to do with demand/profit than anything else. There is not any county or city planning that is pushing this that I know of. Land is just worth a lot in this area, being so close to the beach and all. Plus, most builders have found that the majority of the buyers moving to this area actually do not want a large piece of land...they prefer small with less maintanance.
The community I work at is called Pheasant Run...it is in the Murrell's Inlet area of SC. I will be honest and let you know that we do not have any homesites that are quite .5 acre, but we do have several that go up to a little over .3 acre.
Our homes start at only $169,500 and can go all the way up to $266k base price. Like most of the builders you saw...most of our homes are single level, however we do build 1 two-story plan and can add a bonus room with closet to any of our others.
The school district for our area would be St. James..which is an excellent school. I agree with you about the Carolina Forest area...as a resident of Myrtle Beach...I would never want to live there. Right now it is a very depressed area and that is not the first time a student has been killed at that school, unfortunately.
We are not a gated community and our hoa fees are only $40 a month which includes trash removal, upkeep of the sidewalks, fountains, and common areas. We are a little less restrictive than most communities...for example, you are allowed to keep a boat or rv by your home if you need.
We are a small community of only 79 homesites and we will pretty much "customize" your home any way you like it.
I know we don't quite meet your lot size requirement, but I really feel we may be worth looking at.
Let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks, Leah

[Dawne]

There are some wonderful communities that are not devepments and do not have HOA fees. Right across the street from Socastee High School (Route 707) there is a wonderful older community with large treed lots, beautiful streets and houses.

There's a nice community off of Bypass 17 just north of Socastee. You turn where the Hummer limos and hot tubs sit along the western side of the road and go back there. Some houses are along the waterway and I understand some areas flood back there, so you'd have to be careful.

On Business 17 in Surfside Beach, just behind the Chicora Real Estate office (a large white building with pillars) on the west side of the highway there's another area that's very nice.

And across the Intracoastal between Routes 544 and 501 is the Forestbrook area - also very nice.

We concentated on these areas a few years ago when we were looking. We also wanted a larger yard, no HOAs, the ability to put out little bass boat alongside the house or in the back yard, etc. These communities are all nice, not trashy, no livestock in people's yards (LOL) and all in good school districts (Socastee/Lakewood/Forestbrook area).

We worked with a local realtor from the Surfside/Socastee area and he took the time to show us around, took us in some houses in some of the communities, showed us the schools, and basically made an afternoon of it with us. Unfortunately our plans fell through and were unable to make the move at the time, but there's always hope for the future!

Good luck to you.

[StrugglinLI]

Thanks for the replies!

We didn't get to far into Surfside Beach, just a little south of 544.

Saw a few interesting prospects between 17 and the waterway.

While we want to live in an area/house we love, with the kids growing up schools are the primary concern now. We have an acre right now, and it's an indifferent lot size. Although I love taking care of the lawn, it's really just a lot of grass that never gets used. Really I think you have to go .5 or 2+ to have any real benefit.

The subdivisions where home are 10' apart didn't appeal to us. Well, the thought of having a lot of neighbors with kids playing on the sidewalk was appealing, but we're accustomed to a certain amount of personal space.

Basically, I overlaid the elementary, middle and high school districts to narrow down areas. Since the districts don't line up from k to 12, it makes it a little more difficult to figure things out as we're driving.

I think we're resigned to traveling a little further South in SC and see what we come up with, which is basically what regirlmb is suggesting. Of course I have a lot of researching to do on the schools first!

Thanks,
Tim

[Monkeycorner]

Hey Tim,
You might enjoy what Mt. Pleasant SC area has to offer. If you want more info let me know at scottfergusonrealtor@gmail.com

[lumbollo]

My advice is that you stay on the Myrtle Beach side of the Intracoastal Waterway. If you go to the other side, you will experience a quantum leap in traffic congestion as there are only a few bridges that cross it.

Given your description, I would take a drive up Oak Street North of 21st Ave and start looking at the homes on either side of it.