Murrells Inlet · Buying a Home
Buying a Home in Murrells Inlet, SC
A straight guide through buying in North or South Carolina, from your first search to the day you get the keys.
A Quick Note
This page is general information, not legal, tax, insurance, or lending advice. Tax rates, insurance rules, and loan programs change, so please confirm what applies to you with your lender, your insurance agent, your closing attorney, and the county. I am a real estate professional, and my part is the search, the negotiation, and the path to closing.
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Buying a Home in Murrells Inlet Starts With Which County
Buying a home in Murrells Inlet means checking something buyers rarely think to ask: whether the address is in Horry County or Georgetown County. Murrells Inlet sits in both, and the county line decides the tax rates, the rental rules, which veterans office you use, and which school district serves the house. Local to Coastal Realty confirms the county on every address before we tour. I walk every serious house with you and run the comps so you see what it is worth before you offer.
Two Counties, Two Tax Bills
South Carolina bills in mills on an assessed value: 4 percent of market value for an owner-occupied legal residence, which is also exempt from school operating millage, and 6 percent for most other property.
Georgetown County side. The county auditor's tax year 2025 sheet puts the Murrells Inlet-Garden City fire district, tax district 41, at 248.8 mills: 71.6 county, 3.2 solid waste, 28.0 fire, and 146.0 school, of which 120.0 is school operating. A home you live in carries about 128.8 mills on 4 percent, roughly $2,061 a year on $400,000; a second home about 248.8 mills on 6 percent, roughly $5,971.
Horry County side. Horry's certified 2026 levies list 52.1 mills for the county, 10.0 for school debt, 109.1 for school operations, and 28.0 for the Murrells Inlet-Garden City fire districts. A home you live in carries at least about 90.1 mills on 4 percent, roughly $1,442 a year on $400,000, before waste management or any other district levy on the bill. I pull the actual bill on the exact parcel before you offer.
Flood and Wind
Homes near the inlet and the marsh bring flood questions first. Lenders require flood insurance on a federally backed loan for a building in a Special Flood Hazard Area, and FEMA lets a new policy bought with the mortgage start at closing if it is paid by then. For wind and hail, the South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association is the state's market of last resort in the coastal territory, and it notes that if no flood policy is in force at the time of a loss, a wind claim is handled on an actual cash value basis.
The Contract and Closing
The South Carolina REALTORS contract uses a due diligence period, and ending the contract inside it takes written notice plus the termination fee written into the contract. The seller's Residential Property Condition Disclosure Statement is due before you both sign, and the closing runs under attorney supervision, as the South Carolina Supreme Court held in Doe v. McMaster. For a Horry County address, Horry County Schools' "Find My School" gives the school assignment. We sign a written buyer agreement before touring, as the National Association of REALTORS has required of MLS participants since August 17, 2024. My Murrells Inlet guide covers the MarshWalk and Huntington Beach State Park. Call me.
Sources
The rules and figures above come from these sources, checked in October 2026. Rates, premiums, and programs change, so the county, your insurance agent, your lender, and your closing attorney have the final word.
- Georgetown County Auditor, millage rates, tax year 2025
- Horry County Auditor, 2026 tax levies
- South Carolina Code, Title 12, Chapter 43, Section 12-43-220, assessment ratios
- South Carolina Code, Title 12, Chapter 37, Section 12-37-220, property tax exemptions
- FEMA, flood risk and lending requirements
- FEMA, flood insurance waiting period and loan exception
- South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association, about the Wind Pool
- South Carolina REALTORS residential purchase contract, 2024 edition of the form (copy hosted by a brokerage)
- South Carolina Code, Title 27, Chapter 50, Residential Property Condition Disclosure Act
- Doe v. McMaster, South Carolina Supreme Court (2003)
- Horry County Schools, Find My School
- National Association of REALTORS, settlement FAQs, practice changes effective August 17, 2024
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Murrells Inlet in Horry County or Georgetown County?
Both. Murrells Inlet sits in Horry and Georgetown counties, so check the county for each address before you compare taxes or rental rules.
What is the property tax on a Murrells Inlet home I live in?
On the Georgetown County side, tax district 41's tax year 2025 rates come to about 128.8 mills on 4 percent, roughly $2,061 a year on $400,000. On the Horry side, the 2026 levies come to at least about 90.1 mills before waste management or other district levies.
Is there a due diligence fee in South Carolina?
Not the way North Carolina does it. The South Carolina REALTORS contract uses a due diligence period, and ending the contract inside it takes written notice plus the termination fee written into the contract.
Murrells Inlet
What buying a home looks like in Murrells Inlet
The Seafood Capital of South Carolina, a half-mile boardwalk over the marsh, and Brookgreen Gardens and Huntington Beach State Park nearby.
Murrells Inlet is known as the Seafood Capital of South Carolina. The MarshWalk is a half-mile wooden boardwalk over a saltwater estuary, lined with seafood restaurants and known for live music.
Brookgreen Gardens holds the largest collection of American figurative sculpture displayed outdoors anywhere in the world, and Huntington Beach State Park is home to Atalaya, the Moorish-style winter home of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington.
The method
How we do it in Murrells Inlet
Buying a Home: keep exploring
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