Myrtle Beach Homes | Carolina Forest Homes

Information on homes for sale in Myrtle Beach, Carolina Forest Properties, Myrtle Beach Condos and Golf Properties.

  • Home
  • Areas
    • Myrtle Beach
    • North Myrtle Beach
    • Carolina Forest
      • Avalon at Carolina Forest
      • Berkshire Forest
      • The Bluffs On The Waterway in Carolina Forest
      • The Farm At Carolina Forest
      • The Parks Of Carolina Forest
      • Plantation Lakes
      • Southgate
      • Walkers Woods
      • Waterbridge
      • Waterford Plantation
      • Waterway Palms Plantation
    • Conway
    • Socastee
    • Surfside Beach
    • Murrells Inlet
    • Garden City
    • Pawleys Island
  • Selling Your Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Text Me

Sep 25 2014

Importance of Being Pre-Approved To Buy A Myrtle Beach Home

MortgageCongratulations on deciding to buy a Myrtle Beach home!  What should you do next? This is a question I hear very often when working with new home buyers.  Or, the other common version is a phone call requesting to see a property I recently listed for sale and I ask if they have already been pre-approved with a bank already.  One of the first questions I ask to buyers that I meet on the phone or in person is if they have spoken to someone at a bank and if they have received some sort of pre-approval or pre-qualification letter.

“But I’ve got great credit, a mortgage won’t be an issue!” Boy, if I had a dollar for each time I’ve heard that line.  The other day while I was stuck at the infamous Backgate stoplight in Myrtle Beach, I started a video explaining a conversation I had just finished with a seller on the phone regarding why I don’t normally work with buyers who are not willing to call a bank and get pre-qualified. Watch the video below, and then I’ll share more reasons after the video:


Here are a few other reasons why getting pre-approved can be so helpful:  First, if you are selling your property and have it on the market, you want the agents bringing people through your home to be able to afford buying the home they are looking at.  I remember when we had a few oceanfront homes for sale in Myrtle Beach on the Golden Mile a few years back that we would receive a constant stream of calls wanting to view the property.  What we quickly found out was that many of the people calling to view the home could not afford to purchase, but were just nosey to see what an oceanfront home in Myrtle Beach might look like.   When showing homes to unqualified buyers, it also increases the level of liability to the agents and also the seller if someone or something were to get broken, lost, or injured.

Set the correct expectations.  I started to mention this briefly in the video, but it is very important to set the correct level of expectations for your buyer.  If you start showing them homes for sale over $300,000 and they can only get approved for $120,000, the buyers will be disappointed with everything they see after viewing the more expensive homes to start.   They have already seen the best out there and homes that are half the price will never be able to compare in features, size, age, amenities, and just about everything else.  If you set those expectations accurately in the beginning, and stick to only showing properties the buyer can afford, you never run into this issue.

BMWSave your time & stop judging the book by it’s cover.  I’ll never forget about 8 years ago when I was working with a couple that had walked into our office one rainy afternoon.   They drove up in a new BMW 7 Series dressed up all fancy with gold and bling everywhere.  The gentleman told me when he came in the door that they had come in town to invest a million dollars in properties in the Myrtle Beach area.  I immediately started pulling up dozens of properties on the MLS for them to look at and get the process started.  My father on the other hand, interjected and said that we needed to call the bank first to get pre-approved to purchase this much real estate.  We called in, spoke with the lender and within 10 minutes we came to find out that the gentleman was in debt up to his eyeballs, had liens against his current home, and was also currently involved in a lawsuit. Unfortunately, he couldn’t buy a ten thousand dollar unit, let alone a million dollars worth of real estate.  That ten minute call saved me weeks of work, frustration, and all types of headaches.

So as you can see, while getting a pre-approval when working with an agent is more work before you get to see homes, in the long run it is a major saver on grief, time and heartaches.  It also shows your agent that you are serious about buying a home in Myrtle Beach.  If you want more information on how to go about getting pre-qualified for a mortgage, feel free to contact me for more assistance.

photos by: &

Did you enjoy this post? If so, then make sure you subscribe by email to be notified every time we share something new. Thanks for visiting!

Did you enjoy this post? If so, then make sure you subscribe by email to be notified every time we share something new. Thanks for visiting!

Written by Jeremy · Categorized: Buying A Myrtle Beach Home

Sep 17 2014

Waterbridge Homes In Myrtle Beach Features World Class Amenities

Waterbridge Homes If you are looking to move to Myrtle Beach and want world class amenities, the Waterbridge community in Carolina Forest is definitely a neighborhood you should consider.  Waterbridge homes in Myrtle Beach features the largest residential swimming pool in South Carolina, clubhouse, 24 hour fitness center, tennis, basketball, & sand volleyball courts, and a boat launch.

The gated entrance to Waterbridge welcomes you to this beautiful community while also providing an additional level of security. When using the clubhouse for your next event, you and your guests will love the refreshment center and caterer friendly kitchen to help your next gathering to run flawlessly.  Your guests will leave feeling like they just visited a world class resort.

The crown jewel of amenities in Waterbridge is the one of a kind pool.  Junior Olympic size swimming lanes, swim-up refreshment center, jetted spa, and more will provide hours of enjoyment each day throughout the summer.

If this sounds like heaven to you as a place in which you would like to live, then I would highly recommend looking at the Waterbridge community in Myrtle Beach.  This great community features some wonderful homes at affordable pricing. You can either purchase a lot and build your own custom home, or check out some of the current homes for sale in Waterbridge:

In addition to the phenomenal amenities that Waterbridge features, the location is very convenient to get to just about anywhere in Myrtle Beach without much hassle.  Centrally located in the Carolina Forest area, you can easily get to either North Myrtle Beach or south to Murrells Inlet in under 30 minutes via Carolina Bays Parkway (hwy 31).  Located close to golf, shopping, area attractions, and less than 20 minutes to the beach.

If you would like more information on purchasing a home here, feel free to contact me.  I would love the opportunity to help turn your dreams of living in Waterbridge into a reality.

Written by Jeremy · Categorized: Myrtle Beach Communities, waterbridge · Tagged: carolina forest community, homes for sale in carolina forest, waterbridge community, waterbridge in Myrtle Beach

Aug 25 2014

How Much Earnest Money Do I Need To Buy A Myrtle Beach Home

MoneyOne of the questions that arises on a regular basis when helping someone buy a Myrtle Beach home has to do with earnest money.  First, what is earnest money? Wikipedia gives a wonderful definition of the term here.  Basically, it is the deposit made towards the purchase of real estate and is part of your down payment.  In South Carolina, this money is held in a trust account of a real estate company or closing attorney.  It cannot be used by the real estate company for any other purpose.

So, here is the big question that normally comes up in regards to earnest money is How much should I give for earnest money?  People are looking for some sort of formula to calculate out how much is needed.  Unfortunately, there is no exact formula to determine how much for your offer.  Some use the 1% of purchase price principal, but that does not always work.  For example, if you are buying an $75,000 condo, you may want to offer more than 1% or $750.00.  In this scenario you may wish to offer $1,000.00.  On the other hand, it could be some sort of offer where you are limited on money for down payment at the time of making the offer and only have $500.00. This amount is something that can be negotiated just like any other part of the offer.

The key concept behind earnest money is that it is the money you use as part of a down payment and is given at the time of presenting the offer to show good faith or earnest in a property.  The more that you put down shows a higher level of genuine interest.  You do not want to put too much money down because you do run the risk of possibly losing that money.  However not enough can offend a seller. Here is an example.

A few years ago we had a gentleman in town that wanted to purchase a 22 unit motel that was for sale for $660,000.  The gentleman made a fairly reasonable offer on the property and wanted to close in a rather short time of just over 30 days.  He was supposed to pay cash for the deal.  So, when we asked how much he wanted to put down as earnest money, he stated that he didn’t have the money at this time, but it was “coming soon.” He never would tell us where he was getting the money or could provide us with proof of funds.  So we asked once again, how much would you like to use as earnest money.

DollarThe gentleman reached into his pocket and pulled out a dollar bill and slammed it down on the desk and said: “Here is my earnest money. And I am not putting another penny down!” A single dollar, that was his earnest money.  Needless to say when we presented the offer to the seller, they were not amused by this offer.  In fact, they were so annoyed that they flat out declined the gentleman’s offer.

This is a prime example where not enough earnest money caused a seller to not even want to negotiate with a buyer.  The reason the seller was so offended is that if the gentleman changed his mind about purchasing and walked away from the deal, the seller would only receive $1.00 for incurring all types of expenses for various tests, inspections, attorney fees, etc, all while taking their property off the market during that time.

Hopefully this clears up the issue of earnest money a little bit.  In closing, I leave you with this piece of advice in regards to earnest money.  Each and every market all around the US is very different in regards to how much is enough/not enough.  I would strongly urge you to ask a local REALTOR® for guidance when determining how much to give.

 

photos by: &

Written by Jeremy · Categorized: Buying A Myrtle Beach Home · Tagged: myrtle beach homes, myrtle beach real estate

Jul 28 2014

Preparing To Move Into Your Myrtle Beach Home One Month In Advance

movingA lot of people stress when it comes time to move into your new Myrtle Beach Home.  Most people only move a few times during a lifetime, so they are not always aware of all the things they need to do when moving.

To help lower the amount of stress, here is a brief checklist of items to do one month before closing on your new Myrtle Beach property.  In the next few weeks there will be follow up articles with checklists of items to do at 2 weeks before moving, day before the move, day of move-out, day of move-in, & after you are settled.

  • Clean out closets, attic, basement, etc… Take this time to start going through things and discarding things you don’t want anymore or have no need for.  For example, if you currently live in a cold weather climate, you can take that snow blower and place it for sale on Craigslist.  Our warmer temperatures in Myrtle Beach leave zero need for it.  Also, you can reduce down your winter clothing collection greatly.  Sell those items off and start your new boat fund.
  • Consider having a garage sale.  What to do with all that unwanted stuff?  Have a garage sale and sell the things you dont need anymore.  Maybe you are downsizing when you move and will not have the need for the extra furniture.  Host a garage sale or two and put some extra money in your pocket.
  • Goodwill StoreDonate unwanted items.  Some things may not sell at a yard sale.  Those items that are of any worth you can donate to the local goodwill, library, or thrift shops.  You can get a receipt for tax purposes.
  • Register children for school.  If you are moving to another school district, take this time to get children registered for their new school.  As moving day approaches, you won’t have time available and may forget this.Many of the Horry County Schools have information on their website.
  • Start opening new bank accounts.  If you are moving to an area where your bank does not service, you will need to find a new bank.  Most banks now have the option to apply online and can be done from your current residence.  Not having a local bank can cause issues with extra fees to try and do basic banking functions.
  • Contact your veterinarian.  Check with your vet for travel preparation for your pets.  Also, see if they have a recommendation for you to transfer to here in Myrtle Beach.
  • Notify post office.  Contact the post office along with any other publications of your change of address and the date it will become effective.  This can now be done online by clicking here.
  • Frozen FoodContact lawn service, security company, & other regular services.  Let these services know in advance of your vacating date so that they can discontinue service at that time and not charge you extra.  Nobody likes to waste money.  If you are just moving across town in Myrtle Beach, some of these services will just need to be transferred.
  • Use your frozen foods.  It is very difficult to travel with frozen foods.  They can be very heavy and there is not really any safe way of traveling with them.  Also, once you arrive at your new home, if you are bringing the refrigerator with, it could take up to 24 hours until it is cold enough to freeze items again which will result in major spoilage of foods.

So these are just a few great tips to help you prepare for the big day of moving into your new Myrtle Beach home. Are there any other tips you can think of?  Share in the comments below.

photos by: & ,

Written by Jeremy · Categorized: Myrtle Beach Real Estate · Tagged: moving to myrtle beach, myrtle beach home, myrtle beach real estate

Jul 03 2014

About Magnolia Place

Magnolia Place Magnolia Place is conveniently located close to Carolina Bays Parkway (Hwy 31), Coastal Grand Mall, Broadway at The Beach, Myrtle Beach International Airport, Golf Courses, and is only 5 minutes to the Beach.

Magnolia Place Condos features Efficiency, 1BR, & 2BR condominium units. Some of the great amenities of Magnolia Place are the numerous outdoor pools and BBQ areas.

These spacious units have some great interior features including crown molding, chair rail, ceramic tile and large rear balconies and more.  Many of these condo buildings overlook the Myrtlewood Golf Course.  If you are not a fan of stairs, some buildings even include an elevator.  

Other than fantastic location, I believe another thing that makes Magnolia Place Condos so popular is the flexibility in usage. Some of these buildings can be used for short term rentals, long term rentals, second homes, or even as primary residences.  There is a good mixture through the community.


The schools are:
Elementary School: Myrtle Beach Elementary School
Middle School: Myrtle Beach Middle School
High School: Myrtle Beach High School

Magnolia PlaceMagnolia PlaceMagnolia Place

Below is a sampling of some of the current Condos for Sale In Magnolia Place:

Or, use one of the custom searches below to search Magnolia Place Condos for sale:

  • All Magnolia Place Condos For Sale
  • Efficiency Condos For Sale At Magnolia Place
  • 1 Bedroom Condos For Sale In Magnolia Place
  • 2 Bedroom Condos For Sale At Magnolia Place

If you would like to learn more about Magnolia Place or other Golf Course Condos in Myrtle Beach, feel free to contact me.

Written by Jeremy · Categorized: Myrtle Beach Golf, Myrtle Beach Golf Condos, Myrtle Beach Real Estate

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • …
  • 36
  • Next Page »

Search Homes

Featured Listing

Recent Posts

  • Coastal Corners of Myrtle Beach You’ll Love Living In (2025)
  • What Retirees LOVE About Myrtle Beach Living
  • Living in Myrtle Beach: Hurricane Prep Guide
  • Dealing with Termites in Myrtle Beach, SC
  • Fantastic Amenities at The Parks Of Carolina Forest
Myrtle Beach REALTOR® Finalist
Jeremy Blanton
Myrtle Beach REALTOR- Jeremy Blanton
186 Fresh Drive
Myrtle Beach, SC 29579
(843) 222-9402
Send Me A Text Message
Email Jeremy Blanton
RE/MAX Southern Shores
Myrtle Beach Home Search | Additional Myrtle Beach Home Searches

Custom WordPress Site by 210 Consulting- Social Media Advisors