North Myrtle Beach · Buying a Home
Buying a Home in North 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, 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.
Start My North Myrtle Beach Search
Buying a Home in North Myrtle Beach, Where My Office Is
Buying a home in North Myrtle Beach means buying in the city where Local to Coastal Realty keeps an office, across the old sections that joined in 1968: Cherry Grove, Windy Hill, Ocean Drive, and Crescent Beach. I walk every serious house with you and run the comps so you see what it is worth before you offer, and because I am licensed in both Carolinas, I can show you what changes if you also look across the line.
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 North Myrtle Beach at 50.0.
So a North Myrtle Beach home you live in carries about 112.1 mills on 4 percent, roughly $1,794 a year on a $400,000 house. The same house as a second home or rental carries about 221.2 mills on 6 percent, roughly $5,309. You apply for the legal residence rate through the Horry County Assessor before the first penalty date for the year you claim it, and I confirm the levies on the exact parcel before you offer.
If You Plan to Rent It
The city requires a business license for both short-term and long-term rentals, and its quick reference says licenses do not transfer when a property sells, so a buyer applies for a new one. City zoning does not generally restrict where short-term rentals go, but some planned development districts, development agreements, and HOA or POA documents may. I get the association documents early so you know before your due diligence period ends.
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 state's 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 the contract inside it takes written notice plus the termination fee written into the contract. The seller's 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. We sign a written buyer agreement before touring, as the National Association of REALTORS has required of MLS participants since August 17, 2024. My North Myrtle Beach guide covers Ocean Drive and Cherry Grove. Call me.
Sources
The rules and figures above come from these sources, checked in October 2026. Rates, 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 North Myrtle Beach, rental property quick reference
- 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
- Visit Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the property tax on a North Myrtle Beach home?
On Horry County's 2026 levies, a home you live in carries about 112.1 mills on a 4 percent assessment, roughly $1,794 a year on $400,000. A second home or rental carries about 221.2 mills on 6 percent, roughly $5,309.
Does a seller's rental license transfer to me?
No. The City of North Myrtle Beach says rental business licenses do not transfer when a property sells.
Can I rent short-term anywhere in North Myrtle Beach?
City zoning does not generally restrict short-term rental locations, but some planned development districts, development agreements, and HOA or POA documents may.
North Myrtle Beach
What buying a home looks like in North Myrtle Beach
The birthplace of the shag, the Cherry Grove Pier, Barefoot Landing, and Local to Coastal Realty's coastal office.
North Myrtle Beach was formed in 1968 when Cherry Grove, Windy Hill, Ocean Drive, and Crescent Beach joined together, and it is the birthplace of shag dancing, South Carolina's official state dance.
Barefoot Landing sits on the Intracoastal Waterway with more than 75 specialty shops, the House of Blues, and the Alabama Theatre, and the Cherry Grove Pier extends 985 feet into the Atlantic.
The method
How we do it in North Myrtle Beach
Buying a Home: keep exploring
Ready to make your move with Local to Coastal Realty?