Living Bigg in Myrtle Beach

Think you live in Myrtle Beach just because your address says Myrtle Beach? Not necessarily. 😂 Around the Grand Strand, your mailing address, the community you live in, and the government that actually has jurisdiction over your property can be three different things. In this episode, I break down one of the most confusing things for people relocating here, including Carolina Forest, Garden City,...

Imagine somebody offering you an oceanfront lot in Myrtle Beach for $25 . And if you built a $500 house on it? They'd throw in another lot for FREE. 😂 Sounds ridiculous today, but that's part of the story of how Myrtle Beach went from a barely developed stretch of coastline called New Town to the destination we know today. In this episode of Living Bigg in Myrtle Beach , we're going W...

If you live anywhere around Myrtle Beach right now, it probably feels like there’s a bulldozer on every other corner. New neighborhoods. More apartments. New stores. More traffic lights. So... where the hell are all these people coming from? 😂 In this episode of Living Bigg in Myrtle Beach , I dig into what’s really driving the Grand Strand’s growth, where all those new homes are going, and why t...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. Coming to Myrtle Beach because you’re thinking about moving here? Don’t spend your whole trip looking at houses. In Episode 36, Bigg Lloyd Dotson explains why finding the house is actually the easy part. The bigger decision is figuring out WHERE along the Grand Strand you want to live. North Myrtle Beach. Carolina Forest. Conway. Market Common. Surfside. Garden C...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. The Myrtle Beach you remember might not exist anymore. The Pavilion. The Magic Attic. Cruising Ocean Boulevard. The old motels, attractions and wonderfully weird places that helped make Myrtle Beach... Myrtle Beach. In Episode 35, Bigg Lloyd Dotson looks back at the Myrtle Beach that disappeared, from the Pavilion and Hurricane Hugo to the closing of Myrtle Beach...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. Everybody thinks summer is THE season in Myrtle Beach. Those of us who live here know better. Once Labor Day passes, something changes along the Grand Strand. The summer crowds start thinning out, restaurant waits get shorter, the golf bags start showing up... and the ocean is still plenty warm. Around here, we call it locals' beach season. In Episode 34 of L...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. Brand-new home or resale? It sounds like a simple decision... until you actually start comparing the deals. In Episode 33 of Living Bigg in Myrtle Beach, I'm breaking down what buyers should really look at when comparing new construction and resale homes along the Grand Strand in 2026. We're talking builder incentives, mortgage-rate promotions, closing co...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. Everybody talks about the beach, weather, golf and taxes when they talk about retiring to Myrtle Beach. But those aren't always the decisions that determine whether you'll actually love living here. In Episode 32 of Living Bigg in Myrtle Beach, we're talking about the things retirees should think about before choosing a home: 55+ communities, true mon...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. Garden City Beach isn't actually a city. And depending on where you're standing, you might not even be in the same county. In Episode 31 of Living Bigg in Myrtle Beach , we're taking a drive through one of the Grand Strand's quirkiest beach communities. We'll talk about what different budgets can actually buy, the difference between ocean and...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. If you're planning a move to the Myrtle Beach area and your budget is around $400,000 , where should you buy? In this episode of Living Bigg in Myrtle Beach , I'm taking you on a tour of five different communities to show you how the same budget can buy five completely different lifestyles. We'll compare Conway, Carolina Forest, Surfside Beach, North...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. Surfside Beach has been called "The Family Beach" for decades, but what does that really mean if you're thinking about moving here? In this episode, I'm taking you on a drive through Surfside Beach to show you what makes it different from Myrtle Beach, what your budget can realistically buy, the tradeoffs you should know before purchasing, and w...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. What if one of the most remarkable communities on the South Carolina coast became special by building less instead of more? In this episode of Living Bigg in Myrtle Beach , we explore Prince George, a private community near Pawleys Island that's unlike anywhere else along the Grand Strand. Instead of maximizing development, Prince George chose to preserve the...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. Everybody thinks they want to live at the beach...until they spend an afternoon on the Intracoastal Waterway. In this episode of Living Bigg in Myrtle Beach , Bigg Lloyd Dotson explores one of the most overlooked lifestyles on the Grand Strand and explains why so many buyers completely change their priorities after seeing the Waterway for the first time. We'l...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. Most people start their Myrtle Beach home search thinking they want to be as close to the ocean as possible. Then they drive through the gates of Waterbridge. Suddenly they're surrounded by lakes, beautiful bridges, palm trees, and one of the most impressive neighborhood amenity centers anywhere along the Grand Strand. In this episode of Living Bigg in Myrtle...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. Plantation Lakes is one of those neighborhoods that catches buyers completely off guard. Most people come to Myrtle Beach planning to tour Carolina Forest, see a few homes, and move on. Then they drive into Plantation Lakes. Suddenly they're looking at private docks, pontoon boats, custom homes, and nearly 170 acres of interconnected lakes in the middle of Ca...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. If you've researched Murrells Inlet real estate for more than five minutes, you've probably come across Prince Creek. What most buyers don't realize is that Prince Creek isn't really one neighborhood. It's an entire master-planned lifestyle with golf communities, gated sections, family neighborhoods, active adult living, resort-style amenities...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. Most buyers moving to Myrtle Beach have a number in their head. For a lot of people, it's $500,000. The problem is they assume they already know what that budget buys. Then they start touring homes. And suddenly they realize something surprising: The same budget can buy a beach condo, a golf course home, a family-friendly neighborhood property, or a large hom...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. A lot of people moving to the Grand Strand assume Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach are basically the same place. Same ocean. Same sand. Same weather. But after spending a few days exploring both, many buyers realize they're actually choosing between two very different lifestyles. In this episode of Living Bigg in Myrtle Beach , Bigg Lloyd Dotson breaks dow...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. One of the most common things buyers tell me when relocating to Myrtle Beach is: "I absolutely do NOT want an HOA." And honestly? I get it. But after helping hundreds of buyers navigate the Grand Strand, I've learned something interesting: most people don't actually hate HOAs. They hate paying for things they don't use. In this episode of Li...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. One of the most common questions people ask when relocating to the Grand Strand is: “What are the safest areas around Myrtle Beach?” But after helping a lot of buyers move here, Bigg Lloyd Dotson explains why that question is usually about much more than crime statistics. In this episode of Living Bigg in Myrtle Beach , we break down what buyers are really asking...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. A funny thing happens to a lot of people relocating to the Myrtle Beach area… They come down convinced they want to live close to the beach — then somehow end up in Conway wondering why they suddenly feel less stressed. In this episode of Living Bigg in Myrtle Beach , Bigg Lloyd Dotson breaks down why Conway has become one of the biggest surprises on the Grand St...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. Golf course living in Myrtle Beach sounds peaceful… until somebody’s sliced drive lands somewhere near your back patio. In this episode of Living Bigg in Myrtle Beach , Bigg Lloyd Dotson breaks down what golf course living along the Grand Strand actually feels like — beyond the perfectly staged listing photos and green fairway views. From Barefoot Resort and Arro...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. If you’re thinking about buying a home in Myrtle Beach, there’s one factor that can quietly impact your monthly payment, your risk, and your long-term decision more than most buyers realize: Flood zones and insurance. In this episode of Living Bigg in Myrtle Beach , Bigg Lloyd Dotson breaks down how flood zones actually work across the Grand Strand — and why unde...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. Most people think Grande Dunes is just about luxury homes and big price tags. But the reality is much more layered than that. In this episode of Living Bigg in Myrtle Beach , Bigg Lloyd Dotson breaks down the real lifestyle behind one of the Grand Strand’s most talked-about communities — from the hidden differences between sections of Grande Dunes to the private...

Live Bigg. Move Smart. Coast Easy. If your budget is around $400,000, what can you really get in Myrtle Beach? Most buyers come in with a picture in their head — close to the beach, newer home, plenty of space. But the reality is a little more nuanced, and understanding the tradeoffs early makes all the difference. In this episode of Living Bigg in Myrtle Beach , Bigg Lloyd Dotson breaks down what...