Myrtle Beach Real Estate

We have some exciting news. We have just upgraded our account with Realtor.com so now we offer more services to our clients. They say over 80% of people start on the internet, so we are constantly trying new avenues to see what works. We feel that although there are many new real estate sites out there right now Realtor.com still has an excellent presence on the internet.

This is also the beginning of spring, so we have many exciting activities. We're only about a week away from hearing the roar of engines up and down the Grand Strand. Tens of thousands of bikers are heading to the beach for the annual Harley week. This year is going to be a little different though, when most of the vendors move over to Hard Rock Park.

Important Dates:

Bike Week may 9th- 19th

Atlantic Bike Week, May 23rd - 26th

Little River Blue Crab Festival on May 17th and 18th along the Waterfront

Hard Rock Park is now in full swing



So lets Rock and Roll!!

Myrtle Beach Real Estate Update
It is time for our monthly update! These are the actual numbers reported by our local CCAR Multiple Listing Service. The market is coming back, slowly but surely. As you can see the numbers for March shows a pick up again over January and February, which is great news!! We are still below 2007 but we really need just to think about the present numbers and as you can see we have had a slow increase each month on Condos and Residential, but this month Land has come back a little as well, we are heading in the right direction, so this is a positive trend.

Property History



There are many more people looking, and the number of contracts has increased a little but we are still not where we need to be. As we have said before we are constantly updating our marketing and trying out new content. We recently joined resources with a marketing company that has several magazines. We understand that print does not always sell, but there are a small amount of people that read the magazines. As you are aware, over 80% of people start looking on the internet for homes prior to buying and coming to visit, but the other 20% we need to capture as well.

This is our real estate blog that lets people know what is going on in our area. Please feel free to submit comments and suggestions. We have started a program on our radio show for each area, we started with Carolina Forest, and then went into the Grande Dunes, and we are hoping to follow along with a show about the Grand Strand. If you would like to listen to the show, tune into WRNN 99.5 FM on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am or go to our web site www.SCBeachRealEstate.com and click on the WRNN 99.5 link. If you have any ideas or suggestions for other topics we could cover, let us know. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you on your real estate needs. As you know, one of The Willis Team is always available.

If you have been listening to the last few shows you would have heard Brad Dean, the president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, and Kerry Graves, the Vice President of Marketing/Sales for the Hard Rock Park. Now, let’s think about what they were saying about Myrtle Beach, and what we have to look forward to.

What price should you list your property at? You know, you can always adjust it later right? If you were to list your property at a price that is over what the market is calling for then you could drastically hurt your chances of selling your property. We potential buyers look at properties they are going to see what the comparable properties are listed at, and from this could decide to not view your property at all since it is overpriced. Not only here, but when people receive emails and notices of new listings that is your best chance to get noticed, and when you are overpriced you might not get noticed at all. Buyers are comparing your home or property with others based on asking price. You want to be priced similar or better than your competition. This ensures that you have the best chance of your property getting viewed. Lowering your price after it has been listed awhile can bring back the buyers, but remember you must consider where the market is now not where it was when you first listed it.
If you are worried about receiving a low offer you should remember that this is why you should work with an experienced Realtor. You do not have to accept a low offer. In fact, you and your Realtor should discuss negotiating to get the offer to a price that you are willing to accept.

Listing your home or property in the right price range to start off should lead to a higher selling price than if you were to list it with a higher price. With the higher price you would need to keep making adjustments to get it to the right price and depending on the timing could damage your chances of getting the highest price possible.

If you have any thoughts on the subject please feel free to mention them. Whether you are an agent, seller, or even buyer tell us your thoughts.

Myrtle Beach Real Estate with the Willis Team

We keep hearing about how you shouldn’t speak so much about yourself and what you can do, but rather tell people what’s in it for them. I agree with this, but being realistic we do like to explain to our clients what it is exactly that distinguishes us from the rest of the Realtors and real estate agents in the area. A little information about The Willis Team, we are about building relationships of trust, honesty, and integrity. We try to build rapport not just sell you a property. Anyone that has worked with us knows this first hand.

What we offer for those interested in purchasing real estate in Myrtle Beach:
We take all the information that our clients tell us and find the properties that best match their criteria. Not only do we take them out to preview the homes, but also for those that are not from the area, we take around Myrtle Beach so they can become familiar with the area. Sometimes oceanfront might be exactly what a client has asked to view, but after seeing some of our world renowned golf courses they might change their mind. Or maybe, they find that the scenery on the Intracoastal Waterway is more of what they would like. We help our clients so they can make the right decision for what best fits their needs or wants. It isn’t about what we want, it is about our clients. To us, a happy client will refer friends and family members because of the service that we have given.

For those interested in selling Myrtle Beach real estate:
We offer a visual tour on all of our listings. Also, we provide a photo show for when potential buyers call us up asking for more pictures. With the photo show we can send them a link to the show and they can view it without the hassle of sending large emails with the pictures in it. Our listings are not only placed on the MLS, but on many different well known and quality sites. We try to provide maximum exposure to all of our listings to ensure that they are in front of potential buyers as much as possible. Anyone can say that your listing will be put on their site, but if no one can find their site then how useful to you as the seller would that be? Our sites show up in the top of the search engines so when your listing in placed on one of our sites you know that you have a better chance of a potential buyer finding your property. Our newest endeavor is our Real Estate on the Radio. On our show we try to cover topics that people want to hear about in regards to Myrtle Beach real estate. If you would like to see what some of our shows are about or would like to hear them they are all posted on our main website: www.SCBeachRealEstate.com, just click on the WRNN 99.5 logo and it will take you there. We are open to suggestions so if you would like to hear about a specific topic please feel free to let us know.

It’s time for our Myrtle Beach real estate monthly update! We understand that the market is slow, and we can definitely feel the difference. When looking at the numbers for February versus January you can see that February had an improvement over January for Residential and Condos. This is good news, as it gives us an idea of what to expect for 2008. With this we feel really positive about this year!! These are the actual numbers reported by our local Multiple Listing Service. Residential sales are down in February 2008 by 26% over 2007 but in January we showed a 38% decrease. This is a movement in the right direction with a 12% increase just in one month’s time. Condominiums are down 31% in February 2008 over 2007, and January showed a 50% decline, which is a 17% increase from just 30 days prior. Land didn’t perform as well as Residential and Condos. We show a 56% decrease in February, where January was a 41% decrease. This is primarily due to building permits being down until the units that are available are sold.

Myrtle Beach Real Estate Analysis Update


With this said, we want you to know that there are a lot of people looking, but we still haven’t seen many buyers. We are constantly trying to upgrade our marketing and by keeping on the edge of technology we feel that when people are ready they will know where to come. We have a blog located at www.MyrtleBeachSpecialist.com that lets people know what is going on in our area. Please feel free to submit comments and suggestions. We have noticed an increase in calls to The Willis Team from outside the US which is a plus for us. With our Radio Show in full swing we are inviting many VIPs and officials from around the Grand Strand to be on our show. This keeps the local people and visitors up to date on what is going on. If you would like to listen to the show, tune into WRNN 99.5 FM on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am or go to our web site www.SCBeachRealEstate.com and click on the WRNN 99.5 link. If you have any ideas or suggestions for other topics we could cover, let us know. There is always someone from our team available and ready to assist. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you on your real-estate needs.

Sand Dunes - Myrtle Beach Oceanfront Condos







$1,649,777
3 Bedrooms
3.5 Bath
Myrtle Beach, SC

Remarkable 3BR/3.5BA 2 story Penthouse unit with the most unique features ever to be found on the entire Grand Strand. "Classy" would be an understatement for this spacious unit which happens to belong to the Sand Dunes developer. This Penthouse is a turn-key unit that has been completely redecorated to suit that special owner wanting nothing but luxury! So sit back & relax in the upscale lifestyle or look at the ocean from your massive balconies. Comes with upscale features to include private penthouse elevator, assigned private parking, wood/tile floors in main areas, massive Jacuzzi master bath withdual shower heads, granite countertops, gas log fireplace, wine chiller, upstairs/downstairs wet bar, sub-zero refrigerator, pre-wired intercom just to name afew. Unit can also be used as lock-out by closing off downstairs as well! Over 3400 heated sq ft and over 3800 total sq ft.

More information and pictures

Call (843) 457-9254 or click here to email us to view this property.

Some local information:

Myrtle Beach Convention Center is working on plans to expand for trade shows and events. This could include multi-story parking structures. There is also talk of placing a performing arts center on the site. Currently there are 250,000. Sq ft and there are plans for 1,350,000. Sq ft, parking spaces right now are at 1,400 and planning on 4,700 spaces. The plans are still in progress, but this shows the growth pattern that Myrtle Beach is heading for.

Myrtle Beach Regional airport is reporting record numbers of people that are coming to Paradise. Each year the numbers at the airport go up, some come to soak up the sun and swim in the blue Atlantic, some come for the world renowned golf courses, and then some come on business and stay in the oceanfront resorts. If you have been considering travleing to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina or if you have considered moving you might want to begin your search now for somewhere to stay or contact the Willis Team for help.

When is the Best Time to Buy Myrtle Beach Real Estate?

It might sound crazy with all of the news discussing the terrible market, but it is definitely true. Myrtle Beach real estate has never seen a better time to take advantage of some great bargains. Look at what we have that would make this true:

1. A Lot of Inventory – this means that the buyers for Myrtle Beach real estate have more choices and the sellers understand this. More choices give the buyers more negotiating power. This creates a market where sellers are competing to have the best priced property. In the past it was more of a competition to see who could get the most, but times have changed.

2. Very little competition with other buyers – right now there are fewer buyers in the Myrtle Beach market for real estate. Add this with the oversaturated inventory and there is less of a chance that buyers will be competing with one another on purchasing a property whether it is a home or condo in Myrtle Beach.

3. Low Mortgage Rates – mortgage rates are at an almost all time low. In the 70s and 80s it was considered normal to have double digit rates. At one point in 1980 mortgage rates were over 20 percent.

Like investing in the stock market everyone recommends to buy low and sell high. Everywhere you turn it is said that real estate prices are low, so why aren’t there more buyers in the market? If buyers were to wait until the media was to say “Now is the time to buy” then they could be back into competition with one another. The ones waiting to see what’s going to happen to the Myrtle Beach Homes market will all try to get in at the same time. By this time it may be too late. The best deals could be gone. Besides, historically when home prices have fallen they didn’t stay down for too long.

We have seen an increase in the buyer’s interest since the beginning of the year. Contracts are coming in and negotiations are under way. It is only a matter of time until we can get the inventory to dwindle down. Once this happens the deals that are there now might not be then. People that are willing to hold properties for a longer duration might want to consider potential purchases now since over the long term your home appreciation usually will pay off.

Remember, real estate is more of a long-term investment. If you are looking for Myrtle Beach condos or homes start your search now!


Contact The Willis Team at: 1-877-559-1755 for more information and to find some bargains in Myrtle Beach.



Contact Information:
Larry Willis
843-457-9254

Linda Willis
843-457-9255

So what is this about South Carolina holding my money? A number of our clients have asked us this question so we figured it would be best to cover it for others (non-residents) considering selling property in South Carolina. Yes there is a 7% withholding tax on the net gain of the sale, for non-residents. Many people do not understand that when they are a non-resident of South Carolina and they sell a property here there is a 7% withholding tax. This is based on the net gain. The amount is given by you to the attorney at closing, and then at the end of the year you can file a South Carolina tax return, and any excess that was withheld will be refunded to you. For more detailed information we recommend you talk with your accountant or attorney about this.

The Grande Dunes - Seville




$1,149,900
4 Bedrooms
3.5 Bath
Myrtle Beach, SC

Magnificent two story home, steel framed, 4 bedrooms plus study which could be used as 5 bedroom, 3 ½ bathrooms, overlooking lake and fountain, fromyour covered patio. This home has electric appliances with natural gas hook-ups, and upgrades throughout.

More information and pictures

Click here for the Visual Tour

Call (843) 457-9254 or click here to email us to view this property.