Myrtle Beach · Buying a Home
Buying a Home in Myrtle Beach, 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, zoning, insurance rules, and loan programs change, so please confirm what applies to you with your lender, your insurance agent, your closing attorney, and the city and county. I am a real estate professional, and my part is the search, the negotiation, and the path to closing.
Buying a Home in Myrtle Beach: Decide How You Will Use It
Buying a home in Myrtle Beach starts with a question the city answers for you in its zoning: will you live in it, rent it by the year, or rent it by the week? Those three uses carry different taxes and, for weekly rentals, are allowed only in certain zones. Local to Coastal Realty works the Grand Strand from our North Myrtle Beach office. I walk every serious property with you and run the comps so you see what it is worth before you offer.
The City's Tax Bill, Two Ways
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. Horry County's certified 2026 levies list the county at 52.1 mills, school debt at 10.0, school operations at 109.1, and the City of Myrtle Beach at 83.4.
So a Myrtle Beach home you live in carries about 145.5 mills on 4 percent, roughly $2,328 a year on a $400,000 home. The same home as a second home or rental carries about 254.6 mills on 6 percent, roughly $6,110. Apply for the legal residence rate through the Horry County Assessor before the first penalty date for the year you claim it. I confirm the levies on the exact parcel before you offer.
Where Weekly Rentals Are Allowed
The City of Myrtle Beach says most traditional residential neighborhoods are not zoned for short-term rentals, meaning any rental of less than 90 days. Any zoning district beginning with R does not allow them, except the RMV zone (Residential Multifamily Visitor). The city counts fewer than 30 houses in traditional residential zones grandfathered citywide, and a property not already in a zone that allows short-term rentals cannot be converted to that use. Every rental, short or long, needs a city business license. If renting by the week is part of your plan, we confirm the zone before we tour.
Insurance, Schools, and the Contract
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 market of last resort in the coastal territory. Horry County Schools' "Find My School" gives the assignment for an exact address. The South Carolina REALTORS contract uses a due diligence period, and ending it inside that period takes written notice plus the termination fee written into the contract. The seller's disclosure is due before you both sign, and the closing runs under attorney supervision. We sign a written buyer agreement before touring, as the National Association of REALTORS has required of MLS participants since August 17, 2024. My Myrtle Beach guide covers the Boardwalk to The Market Common. Call me.
Sources
The rules and figures above come from these sources, checked in October 2026. Rates, zoning, premiums, and programs change, so the city, the county, your insurance agent, your lender, and your closing attorney have the final word.
- 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
- City of Myrtle Beach, Know Your Zone: short-term rentals
- 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
- Horry County Schools, Find My School
- South Carolina REALTORS residential purchase contract, 2024 edition of the form (copy hosted by a brokerage)
- Doe v. McMaster, South Carolina Supreme Court (2003)
- National Association of REALTORS, settlement FAQs, practice changes effective August 17, 2024
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the property tax on a Myrtle Beach home?
On Horry County's 2026 levies, a home you live in inside the city carries about 145.5 mills on a 4 percent assessment, roughly $2,328 a year on $400,000. A second home or rental carries about 254.6 mills on 6 percent, roughly $6,110.
Can I rent a Myrtle Beach house by the week?
Only if it is in a zone that allows rentals under 90 days. The city says districts beginning with R do not, except RMV, and fewer than 30 houses in those zones are grandfathered.
Do I need a license to rent my Myrtle Beach property?
Yes. The city requires a business license for every rental, short-term or long-term.
Myrtle Beach
What buying a home looks like in Myrtle Beach
The Grand Strand's Boardwalk, SkyWheel, and Broadway at the Beach, with golf and shopping close by.
Myrtle Beach holds a 1.2-mile Oceanfront Boardwalk, the 187-foot SkyWheel, and shopping at Broadway at the Beach and The Market Common.
The Grand Strand comprises 14 communities along 60 miles of coastline, and Myrtle Beach calls itself the Golf Capital of the World.
The method
How we do it in Myrtle Beach
Buying a Home: keep exploring
Ready to make your move with Local to Coastal Realty?