Christmas has come and gone, and the new year is upon us. After 12 long months of a Covid-19 infused 2021, many people are ready to get into the groove of 2022 with the hopes of a rebound back to pre-Covid normalcy! For many, this means traveling to some of their favorite vacation destinations. While international travel is still heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, domestic travel has seen a major uptick in traffic, as people all around the United States are eager to get to the beach and relax. As one of the most exciting and popular beach destinations on the East Coast, Myrtle Beach is primed and ready to host the massive influx of visitors that are ready to head its way. Now, is Myrtle Beach worth visiting in January? We sure think so, and this post should give you a bunch of reasons why. Here are the best things to do in Myrtle Beach in January.

1.     Indulge During Restaurant Week South Carolina

As Myrtle Beach has grown in popularity as a tourism destination, its restaurant scene has grown in lockstep. This trend will be fully on display during this year’s Restaurant Week South Carolina! This event takes place all over the state from January 13^th to the 23^rd this year, and Myrtle Beach itself will have seven restaurants participating. The list includes Southern food, Italian food, and seafood, and the restaurants that will be taking part include Croissants Bistro and Bakery, Ducati’s Pizzeria and Italian Trattoria, Hook and Barrel, Hot Tomato Italian Restaurant and Brick Oven, Mojo’s Marina Bar and Grill, Sweetberry Myrtle Beach, and The Wicked Tuna. Each restaurant will be offering its own promotion, and the full list can be found here. Good food is always a plus, but restaurant week ups the ante as one of the best things to do in Myrtle Beach in January.

2.     Head to Pancakes and Penguins at Ripley’s Aquarium

On January 17^th from 8 to 10am, you will want to get tickets to Pancakes and Penguins at Ripley’s Aquarium. This event allows for patrons to meet and greet the aquarium’s penguins before the aquarium opens for the day, while also having a unique visitor experience and eating a nice breakfast. The breakfast includes pancakes, eggs, bacon, fruits, coffee, and juices. In addition to the meet and greet with the penguins and the breakfast, guests can expect a photo op with the aquarium’s mascot, a craft session, and admission to the aquarium once the event has concluded. Tickets cost $59.99 for adults and as low as $12.99 for kids depending on their age. Be sure to purchase your tickets online in advance to make sure that you have a spot, as the event only happens once or twice per month. Pancakes and Penguines in one of the best things to do in Myrtle Beach in January, and if you miss this opportunity you won’t have another chance until early February.

3.     Do Some Shopping at the Tanger Outlets, Barefoot Landing, or Broadway at the Beach

We’ve mentioned this in many of our posts, but Myrtle Beach has no shortage of great shopping options. Because of the immense tourist traffic that this region gets during its busy season, there are several premier shopping locations that have just about any store you can imagine. While you probably are not traveling to Myrtle Beach just to go shopping, this is a great activity to fill some downtime. Whether you received a bunch of gift cards for Christmas or are expecting a hefty refund from your tax return this year, checking out some of these shopping destinations is probably right up your alley! From great deals at the Tanger Outlets, to lovely evenings out at Barefoot Landing and Broadway at the Beach, you have plenty of great places to shop in the Grand Strand, making shopping one of the best things to do in Myrtle Beach in January.

4.     Search for Seashells on the Beach

The ocean brings waves into the coast all year long, so what makes January any better than the other months when it comes to seashell hunting? As the number of beachgoers and tourists drops drastically in January, there are significantly less people out on the sand looking for treasures from the sea. As a result, seashell hunters can expect to find large, intact seashells all along the 60 miles of the Grand Strand, as well as other nautical treasures like shark’s teeth and sand dollars.

Like we always say, there is no such thing as a bad month to visit Myrtle Beach – January included! With the low numbers of tourists and the reasonably mild weather, January is a great time to visit Myrtle Beach, depending on what you’re looking for. The temperature during daytime tends to stay in in the low to mid 50s, and the significantly smaller crowds allow you to enjoy those comfortable temperatures without having to wait in long lines. Plus, as Covid-19 continues to play its course, these smaller crowds provide a much safer environment for visitors to come and enjoy the Grand Strand while keeping their social distance.

If you visit Myrtle Beach or any other place in South Carolina and fall in love, reach out to us for help. We at The Boyd Team are always here to help you figure out whether Myrtle Beach is your next home or not, and we are committed to helping you find the right property for your needs and dreams. Any question that you have about moving to the area and finding your dream home by the beach is our pleasure to answer. Feel free to send us an email at eddie@boydteam.com or text or call us at (843) 222-8566, and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Being true natives of the Grand Strand and Horry County and with over 25 years of experience in the local real estate market, whether buying or selling, we can help you make your dreams a reality.  

No One Knows The Grand Strand Better! Trust, Knowledge, Experience, Professionalism, You Can Count On!

Written by Zohra

Having a baby is one of the most exciting times of your life, but there are many worries and challenges that new parents may face. One of the biggest ones is childproofing your house in order to make sure that the little one is safe and secure in their new environment. Childproofing a house can take a lot of time, and many new parents wonder what exactly they need to do to make sure that the new member of their family is safe. This post is going to outline some of the most important things you should do to childproof your home, and offer a few suggestions that could make the process easier all around for you.

The Most Important Things to do to Childproof Your Home:

Put a Limit on Your Water Temperature

This is one of the easier things that new parents can do to childproof their home and make sure it is safe for a baby, but it often gets overlooked. Babies – especially between their first and second birthdays – tend to get very curious with everything that they can move. Knobs and buttons are of particular interest to them. Faucets tend to fall into this category, too, and your little baby does not yet understand that hot water can harm them.

Your water heater will be preset to a certain temperature that is probably above the scalding level. To avoid the possibility of your baby scalding himself or herself, lower the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees. This is a temperature that is warm enough for a hot shower but not hot enough to cause permanent burn damage to your baby’s skin.

Cover Up Everything With an Electric Current

Little kids have a habit of putting things where they don’t belong. Small holes, crevices, and compartments are often of interest to small children as they begin to explore their home. Often this curiosity is harmless. Putting their hands in the space below the nightstand, for example, is not likely to lead to any harm. However, one little crevice that for some reason tends to be a very dangerous favorite for little kids is electrical outlets.

While it may sound crazy, it is not unheard of for little kids to get curious and put objects – including their fingers – into live electrical outlets. This is clearly not a scenario you want to deal with as a parent, whether in a new house or not, and the best way to avoid this is with plastic outlet covers that plug into the outlets that aren’t in use. If they don’t see the holes, they probably won’t try to stick things in them.

Eliminate Access to Potentially Dangerous Rooms and Spaces

While there are many things you can do to eliminate or mitigate risks in various rooms throughout your house, there are some rooms that just will never be fully childproof. This might include garages, workshops, offices, kitchens, and more. While kitchens are challenging to block off, you can definitely try to keep them out of all of the other potentially dangerous spaces. Offices might not seem like a very dangerous place, but there are actually plenty of risks both to your child and to your valuable equipment in an office.

The most common way to keep children out of spaces temporarily is with baby gates, which are portable gates that attach to the doorframe leading into a room. When you want to keep the child out of a room, you simply put up the gate! Since they are not able to climb over it, they are naturally barred from entering the room. Another common way to keep small children out of a room more constantly is with doorknob covers. While baby gates need to be put up and taken down each time you want to use them, doorknob covers can remain on the door for as long as you wish. When you shut the door, your little one has no way of opening it!

Make Sure Dangerous Objects are Out of Reach

You can block small children from entering a lot of rooms, but this just is not possible with some parts of the house. You may have really difficulty keeping your child out of rooms like the kitchen and living room, as they are often part of an open concept with walkways too wide for baby gates. If you have a room like this – or really any room with potentially dangerous objects – you should do all that you can to keep these things out of reach, sight, and mind of your small child.

What are some examples of dangerous objects to keep away from kids, you might ask? If you have a fireplace, all of the pokers and tools that you use for it can present a risk, as they are pointy and covered in dangerous soot. If you have a utility closet with tools or office supplies, the child may accidentally wind up with toxic ink or sharp bladed objects. In your bathroom, children might be able to get their hands on toxic cleaning supplies or harmful medications. The list of potentially dangerous objects is extensive, but the common point stays the same regardless of the room or object: put it in a place where they can’t see it, reach it, or even know it exists.

Anchor All Furniture Pieces to the Wall

This is a fairly simple childproofing task that many parents completely neglect. While this is particularly important in areas with earthquakes, it is relevant and necessary all over the country. Tall furniture items, like bookshelves, mirrors, dressers, grandfather clocks, and other shelving units should all be firmly anchored into the wall behind them. This is because there is always a chance that they will tip over, and the last thing you want is for your grandfather clock to tip over onto or around your child. Even if they manage not to get hurt by the falling clock or shelving unit, they will probably be a bit traumatized from the perilous experience.

As adults, we know not to try to climb bookshelves or pull firmly on shelving units in the kitchen, however small children usually don’t have the same level of wherewithal. If you live in an area with earthquakes it is even more important to anchor your furniture, as it can fall even without a curious child’s influence. To anchor your furniture pieces to the wall, you can either use drywall anchors to drill holes right through the back of the furniture or you can use brackets that cause less obvious damage to the back of the furniture. As long as it is strong enough to withstand the weight of your child, you are probably fine.

Remove all Heavy Objects from Tables and Shelves

Now, you have blocked access to dangerous rooms, and you have anchored all of your tall furniture to the walls. You are good to go, right? Not so fast. While the bookshelf in your living room may be firmly anchored to the wall now, the heavy items on it may not be. It is not easy to remove every heavy item from every shelf in your house, and it may not be necessary either. However, making sure that they are out of reach and are on a securely installed piece of furniture is a good compromise that can make sure your small child stays safe without making you sacrifice some of your favorite decorations.

Books are going to remain on bookshelves, knickknacks are going to remain on the hutch, and other heavy items are going to stay on display. It is just a matter of making sure that your child can’t get a hand on them and rip them off of the shelf and onto the floor. This can keep them out of danger and can also protect any valuable, fragile, heavy items you might have, like fine china or porcelain displays. Be sure to keep in mind that children are often good climbers, and if they can reach it by standing on the recliner, it may not be high enough or far enough out of reach!

Be Aware of Potential Choking Hazards

Just like they love to touch every button and poke every hole, little kids love putting anything they can get their hands on into their mouths. This is a major problem when the items that they find are toxic in nature, like cleaning supplies and pest control products. Toxic bathroom supplies are not the only dangerous thing that little ones can put in their mouths, though. Anything smaller than 2.5 inches in width is small enough to fit in a child’s mouth, and if it can fit in their mouth it can be choked on. To properly childproof your home, it is necessary to do a thorough scan of the house to remove all small items from the floor or any other reachable places to keep your little one out of harm’s way.

This piece of advice also circles back to the point about blocking off spaces that are naturally unsafe for your child. If there is a place in your home that naturally has a lot of small items that may be choking hazards, it is probably best to just bar them from entering that room as a whole. If you have a garage with many small tools, screws, and nuts, for example, it is probably easier to just keep them from entering that room entirely rather than constantly checking the floors and low shelves to make sure that all dangerous items are out of reach.

Soften the Corners of Furniture Pieces if Possible

Many parents overlook this step, and many choose to avoid it entirely. What you do is your own decision, but it is at least worth understanding the dangers! Many furniture items have pointy corners that can pose a real risk to small children, especially when they are first learning how to walk. Toddlers toddle, and toddling involves a lot of falling down. While hitting their head or body on anything isn’t great, falling into a sharp corner is even worse and can lead to a hospital trip. If you want to avoid that possibility, either look into getting corner covers for all of your squared-off furniture items (like tables) or consider purchasing round versions in either circular or ovular shapes.

Install Window Guards to Prevent Falling Accidents

Small children are filled with curiosity, and there is no more alluring place than the world outside of their windows! They will learn to adapt to the space that they live in, but the natural curiosity about what lays outside of the windows will take years to get over. As a result, your small child may be inclined to constantly peek out through the windows. In theory, this is a good thing! You want to encourage natural curiosity as much as possible with small children.

However, many windows are not strong enough to be leaned on by a small child, thus posing a fall risk. If your windows are not strong enough to withhold the weight of your little one, there is a real chance that they could go tumbling through the window – especially if it is left open. One common thing you can do to prevent your windows from opening too far is to install window guard, which are small systems that limit the maximum openness of your windows to a few inches. This is enough to open them up and let a draft in without risking your little one falling out.

Opt for Placemats Instead of a Tablecloth

Everyone loves a nicely decorated dining room table and a beautiful tablecloth, and that unfortunately includes your small child. Like we have said, small children like to grab and pull on anything that they can, which often includes tablecloths. If you keep your table empty other than the tablecloth, the only real danger is that they will cocoon themselves in it as they pull it off of the table. However, if you keep plates, glasses, and silverware set on the table, there is a real possibility that glassware and knives wind up falling onto your little one, which poses a very serious risk.

If you opt to use placemats instead of a tablecloth, the risk significantly decreases. This is because your child is probably too small to reach all the way up onto the table to pull on a placemat, and there is no way that they can inadvertently pull every item off of the table at the same time. Tablecloths, on the other hand, pose that risk. While placemats eliminate a large amount of the risk, it is still a wise idea to remove glassware and silverware from the table when not in use, as knives are never safe for small children.

Thanks for reading our post about the best way to childproof your house! We hope you learned a little something about the best ways to keep your small children safe as they grow up in your home. Some of them may have seemed like common sense, but it is very easy to overlook them if you don’t sit down and think critically about ways to protect your loved ones in your own home. Also, this list is only scratching the surface when it comes to ways that you can eliminate dangers to small children in your own home, and we encourage you to read as much information on childproofing your home as possible!

If you visit Myrtle Beach or any other place in South Carolina and fall in love, we’re here to help. We at The Boyd Team are committed to helping you find the right property for your needs and dreams. Any question that you have about moving to the area and finding your dream home by the beach is our pleasure to answer. Feel free to send us an email at eddie@boydteam.com or text or call us at (843) 222-8566, and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Being true natives of the Grand Strand and Horry County and with over 25 years of experience in the local real estate market, whether buying or selling, we can help you make your dreams a reality.  

No One Knows The Grand Strand Better! Trust, Knowledge, Experience, Professionalism, You Can Count On!

Written by Zohra

Finding the perfect home is not easy, and going house hunting is only one part of the entire home buying process. After weeks of searching, negotiating, debating, and deciding, the light is at the end of the tunnel! There is one giant piece of the puzzle that is left to figure out, though: the mortgage. Taking out a mortgage is not a very simple process, and there are so many places where things can go awry. While you will almost certainly be approved for a mortgage by somebody, you want to do all that you can to make sure that you find the best mortgage offer for your own financial situation.

There is not really a correct answer to the question about whether short mortgages or long mortgage are better, as each kind can be the right solution for someone depending on their financial situation. When we say “long” mortgage we are referring to 25 or more years of loan length while when se say “short” mortgage we are referring to 10 or fewer years of loan length. This post will take a look at the reasons why each type of mortgage could be the right choice for you.

Advantages of Long-Term Mortgages

Long mortgages, which we consider to be ones with a loan life of over 25 years, sound intimidating to a lot of people. After all, contractually agreeing to pay a fixed amount for the next three decades is quite the task. However, there are definitely reasons why they exist! While a three decade loan is scary, it does allow the homebuyer to pay much less per month than they would with a shorter mortgage. This is because the cost of the house is spread out over so many years.

While things get complex with interest, the crux of the concept is very simple. If a house costs $300,000 and you take out a 30-year mortgage (assuming no interest, which would never happen of course), you would pay $10,000 per year, or about $830 per month. For a 10-year mortgage, you would be paying three times that amount each month, which is $2,500. For individuals or families that don’t have the money to shell out three times the monthly amount of a 30-year mortgage, the longer mortgage is probably a better choice. This is why 30-year mortgages are the most common mortgages in the United States – they incur much lower monthly payments!

To be fair, our example above is overly simplified because there will always be interest on the loan. In fact, the interest will be much more than you expect. The current average rate is just above 3%, meaning that on a $400,000 mortgage with an average interest rate, you can expect to pay over $200,000 just in interest. This makes the house 50% more expensive! The interest part of the equation is pretty unavoidable, but stretching the mortgage out over 30 years at least allows you to pay it via much smaller payments. Opting for a 30-year mortgage leaves you with more room in your monthly budget in exchange for a much higher overall price tag at the end of the loan. Thirty-year mortgages are much easier to qualify for, too, which contributes to why they are the most common mortgage term in the United States.

Advantages of Short-Term Mortgages

Stretching out the mortgage over three decades leads to much smaller monthly payments, as we just noted above. However, there are strong advantages to short mortgages, too. Short mortgages tend to come with much higher monthly payments, which makes them unaffordable for many people. Not everyone has the thousands of dollars of residual income necessary to pay the high monthly installments of a 10-year mortgage. However, for those that do, there are three major advantages.

Firstly, short-term mortgages come with lower interest rates. This means that less money per month will go towards interest, and more money per month will go towards actual equity in the house. These mortgages are harder to qualify for, because the banks are much more selective with short-term mortgages as they are much harder for new homeowners to pay. The financial strength required to qualify for a short-term mortgage is rewarded with lower interest rates.

The second advantage of short-term mortgages stems directly from the first – if the interest rate is lower, the total amount of interest you pay will also be lower. The subtle rate differences between 10- and 30-year mortgages can actually equate to tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the loan, which is a major incentive for home buyers. While the monthly payments are much higher than the payments required by a 30-year mortgage, the total price that the home buyer pays is much less via a 10-year mortgage than it is via a 30-year mortgage.

Finally, short-term mortgages are paid off sooner, leading to faster financial liberty and independence. Owing a bank tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a few decades is not a fun feeling for most people, and making the final mortgage payment is a very momentous occasion. For those who choose to take out a short-term mortgage, their moment of independence comes much sooner, freeing up their credit background and their budget for decades to come.

Thanks for reading our post comparing the advantages of long-term mortgages and short-term mortgages! There is no perfect answer to the question of which is better, as it is fully dependent on the financial background of the homebuyer. Short-term mortgages lead to much less interest over the life of the loan, but the monthly payments are significantly higher than the payments on long-term mortgages. Long-term mortgages are the most common type of mortgages in the United States, as they increase the total price of the house but provide more financial flexibility throughout the whole life of the loan.

If you visit Myrtle Beach or any other place in South Carolina and fall in love, we’re here to help. We at The Boyd Team are committed to helping you find the right property for your needs and dreams. Any question that you have about moving to the area and finding your dream home by the beach is our pleasure to answer. Feel free to send us an email at eddie@boydteam.com or text or call us at (843) 222-8566, and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Being true natives of the Grand Strand and Horry County and with over 25 years of experience in the local real estate market, whether buying or selling, we can help you make your dreams a reality.  

No One Knows The Grand Strand Better! Trust, Knowledge, Experience, Professionalism, You Can Count On!

Written by Zohra

Buying a new home can be one of the most exciting times of your life, but it can also leave you a little strapped for cash at the end of the day. While this makes sense, as houses are among the most expensive purchases you will make in your life, it still leads many people to look for ways to save every possible dollar throughout the homebuying process. Some people come up with ideas that are not very beneficial to them in the long run - like trying to buy a home without a realtor or trying to spread their mortgage out over as many years as possible – and they ultimately wind up worse off than they were before they started. If the thought of skipping out on having a realtor has crossed your mind, be sure to read this post on the importance of having a realtor.

Anyway, this post is going to outline one of the easiest ways to put a few dollars back into your bank account after buying a home, which is by taking advantage of the numerous tax breaks available to homeowners. The government likes to incentivize people to buy houses, and the slew of tax credits and deductions available to homeowners is clear proof of that. Simply owning a home offers several financial incentives each year at tax time, and this post is going to provide a quick overview of them all. Keep in mind that these are all tax deductions, meaning that they reduce your taxable income but don’t equate as direct savings.

1.     Mortgage Interest Deduction

The first thing on the list of tax breaks for new homeowners is incredibly easy to take advantage of, and it is the mortgage interest deduction. If you have a mortgage on your home, the IRS allows you to write off the interest that you pay on your mortgage as an itemized deduction. There is a limit of $750,000 for people filing as single or jointly as married, but this figure is far higher than the vast majority of people ever pay.

2.     Property Tax Deduction

As a homeowner, you will be paying property taxes. This is one of the unfortunate costs of homeownership that you can never escape. However, the IRS does at least look favorably on this during tax season, as they will allow you to deduct up to $10,000 of property tax if you are married and filing jointly, or up to $5,000 if you are filing as single or married separately. This applies to every homeowner but applies more to some than others due to the amount of property tax that you pay. Most people do not pay $10,000 in property taxes, but some do, making this quite the deduction!

3.     Home Office Expenses Deduction

This tax deduction is one that applies to almost everybody in some capacity, and can be utilized fairly liberally. Especially now in the era of work from home - but even before – the IRS allows homeowners to deduct several expenses that are incurred by working out of one’s home. A very wide range of things can fall into this category, often including Wi-Fi, electricity, and furniture. The rules are also fairly flexible, making just about anyone qualify for this deduction to some degree. You do not need a fully remote job or your own business to qualify for this tax deduction in most cases, making it a very popular deduction every January!

4.     Capital Gains Allowance

Capital gains tax is the tax you pay on the growth of any investments that you sell. When you buy and sell stocks, for example, you pay taxes on any money that the stocks you sold made while you owned them. The IRS also sees your home as an investment, and thus considers any gains you make from the sale of your house to be capital gains. In a rare turn of events, the IRS is actually very friendly to taxpayers who make a gain from selling their home, allowing them to keep the gains of up to $500,000 if married filing jointly or $250,000 if single or married filing separately, all without any taxation.

5.     Necessary Home Improvements Deduction

The IRS allows you to write off any necessary improvements you make to your home over the course of the year. This could be a new roof, a new air conditioning, new piping systems, and more. This tax break can turn out to be very valuable, as some of the major maintenance costs of owning a home, like replacing a roof, are pretty costly. This tax deduction is a bit stricter, and the IRS defines what is “necessary” and what is not. Before making any upgrades to your home and banking on getting a tax break, make sure that the IRS considers them to be necessary. Also, be sure to keep your receipts!

6.     Home Equity Loan Interest Deduction

This one is very niche and applies to a lot fewer people. Still, it is worth mentioning in this post! A home equity loan is a secondary loan that you take out to cover large expenses, using the equity that you have already gained on your home as the collateral. Just like the mortgage interest deduction, the IRS allows you to deduct any interest paid on a home equity loan over the course of the year. The only caveat, which is a pretty big one, is that the loan must have been used to pay for necessary home improvements. If you used the loan for a different purpose, this one does not apply to you.

7.     Mortgage Insurance Deduction

If you have opted to enroll in mortgage insurance coverage, the IRS allows you to use the premium payments as an itemized deduction on your tax return. What is mortgage insurance, you might ask? Mortgage insurance is optional coverage that you may elect to purchase when you take out a mortgage. Mortgage insurance is used to guarantee any payments to the mortgage company in the event that you are unable to make your mortgage payments. This protects the lender and can protect your credit future.

Thanks for reading our post about tax breaks for new homeowners! Buying a new home can put a major financial strain on you or your family, and hopefully taking advantage of these tax breaks can help to create a little bit more wiggle room in your budget. As always, be sure not to bank on these things as part of your budget – relying on them to keep you afloat may be successful a lot of the time, but if you are not careful, it will lead you with a much higher tax bill than expected.

If you visit Myrtle Beach or any other place in South Carolina and fall in love, we’re here to help. We at The Boyd Team are committed to helping you find the right property for your needs and dreams. Any question that you have about moving to the area and finding your dream home by the beach is our pleasure to answer. Feel free to send us an email at eddie@boydteam.com or text or call us at (843) 222-8566, and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Being true natives of the Grand Strand and Horry County and with over 25 years of experience in the local real estate market, whether buying or selling, we can help you make your dreams a reality.  

No One Knows The Grand Strand Better! Trust, Knowledge, Experience, Professionalism, You Can Count On!

Written by Zohra

Traditional wisdom commonly says that the best time to buy a house is in the warmer summer months. If you look at the sales figures, you will see the same story. It is factually true that most people tend to buy houses in the warmer months, and over the years this has been taken to mean that the best months to buy a home are indeed the summer months. Like so many things in life and society, this logic is not necessarily rooted in truth. This post is going to take a look at some of the reasons why buying a house in the winter can lead to many advantages as a buyer, then consider some of the disadvantages of holiday home shopping, and ultimately it will answer the question of whether or not buying a home in winter is a good idea when compared to the summer.

Reasons To Buy a House in the Winter

There are several reasons to buy a home in the winter, or at least to go shopping for one. The market itself looks very different in the winter when compared to the summer, meaning that the prices, supply and demand, and the people who get the job done in the first place are all operating in different ways and in different capacities. On top of that, the weather itself can play a role in your homebuying experience, from the tours to the availability of moving companies and more. Here is a quick list of the biggest advantages to buy a home in the winter.

1.     You Get to See the House at its Worst

Everybody loves going on tours of prospective new homes. During the tour, you get to imagine yourself living in the home, fantasize about decorating schemes, and bask in the rays of natural sunlight shining in through the window. It sounds like such a dreamy experience, and it often is! The summer is when a house tends to look its best, and this is partially why so many houses get sold. Everyone wants to buy a gorgeous house on a day that is sunny and 65 degrees!

The problem is that the house might not be so dreamy and ideal all year long. Some houses are stunningly lit with a gorgeous yard in the summer, but have horrible insulation problems and a slippery, steep concrete driveway in the winter. While touring a house in the winter might undersell its beauty in some ways, it unmasks any potential hidden disadvantages that the summer can hide. If the house is good enough for you in the bleak midwinter, odds are it only gets better as the year goes on and the months get warmer.

2.     You Have Much Less Bidding Competition

While the amount of houses up for auction may be less than it is in the summer, the amount of people looking to buy is usually even less than that. As everyone tries to get their new home in the warm months before the winter sets it, there are very few people in the market that can outbid you. Additionally, many current homeowners will not want to wait all the way until the summer to sell, meaning they might be more inclined to accept a lower offer. Even if you are not able to lowball them, at least you will not need to worry too much about being outbid!

This advantage does come with its drawback, of course, which is the decreased supply of homes on the market. As we just mentioned, most houses get sold over the summer. On top of that, many people will actually delist their homes during the holidays because they do not want to worry about hosting tours and open houses around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. With fewer homes up for sale, the odds of you finding your dream house do decrease. Still, it doesn’t hurt to look, and if you stumble upon one that you love you may be in a better bargaining position that you would be in the summer!

3.     You May Pay Less Overall

While having less competition means that you are less likely to be outbid, buying in the winter can also lead to lower prices across the board. Yes, sellers are more likely to accept a lower offer in the winter than they are in the summer, but there is also a chance that their asking price in the winter is going to be lower than their asking price in the summer. This is due to a more urgent need to sell.

While you can’t expect home prices to be lower in the winter, you may indeed stumble across it. As most people list their homes in the spring and sell them over the summer, often sellers whose homes are still on the market in December are simply excited to get any offers at all. While this does not mean that their prices will necessarily drop or that they will certainly accept a lower offer, it does mean that there is a higher chance that this happens. On top of that, buying your home before the end of the year can reward you with several tax breaks and credits that are offered to homeowners just in time for tax season.

4.     You May Be Able to Close Faster

Paperwork is every potential homebuyer’s (and seller’s, for that matter) nightmare. Waiting for mortgage lenders and land transfer agencies to work through the stack of papers on their desk until they get down to yours can take days or weeks, and every day that it takes them to process the paperwork is another day that you could have been moving into your new home. In the peak of July, your papers might be below those of a hundred other new homebuyers, needing little more than a stamp and a signature.

Buying a home in the winter offers you the chance to close much faster, as there are probably a lot fewer papers in those piles. As mortgage lenders and land transfer agencies have shorter stacks to work through, there is a much better chance that your papers will be processed in a timely manner. The less time you spend waiting, the sooner you can begin enjoying your new home.

5.     You Have a Wider Selection of Realtors and Moving Companies

There are only so many moving companies and realtors in the world, and the supply of both of them goes down drastically in the summer. As the year goes on and they become less busy, there is a better chance you will have your pick of the best realtors and moving companies in your area. Picking the right realtor can really make or break your home buying experience and being able to have your pick of the lot is a great advantage that summer buyers simply do not have. The same can be said about moving companies, as you want to be sure that the people you are trusting to move all of your possessions truly care about your things and protect them as if they are their own.

If you are wondering if having a realtor is really necessary, you might want to read this post. Using a realtor may seem like it costs you money that you could otherwise save, but it is indisputable that having a good realtor heavily outweighs any cost it takes to attain their services. Their knowledge alone can often save you much more than you pay them in the end, and their assistance throughout the process takes unquantifiable amounts of stress and work off of your hands.

Disadvantages of Buying a Home in the Winter

While there are plenty of advantages to buying a home in the winter, there are still a few drawbacks that you ought to consider before going holiday house hunting. They are not all applicable to everyone, and they might not even be something to consider at all depending on where you are looking to buy a home. These tips are highly dependent on the assumption that the place you are looking to buy a home in experiences true winters. If it does not, then you have much less to worry about. Here is a quick look at some of the most important disadvantages of buying a house in the winter.

1.     You May Have Bad Move in Weather

While the weather on the day of your move in is not overly important in the grand scheme of things, it can certainly pose some struggles – especially for people who are less equipped or physically able to deal with it. If you are moving to an area that sees a lot of snow in the winter, you may need to move into your new home amid bad road conditions, meaning countless potentially dangerous trips between homes. On top of that, if the sidewalks or driveway are not particular friendly, you may risk slipping as you carry boxes and furniture out of your old house and into your new one. The one perk to this, though, is that at least you will know what the house is like in the winter and what you can expect in future years living there!

Even if snow isn’t a major concern, moving to a new home in the cold may just be less pleasant overall, and may be a deterrent for you. It doesn’t need to be, but it is certainly something to consider. If you are moving somewhere that has very mild winters or does not experience much snow or ice, this point is clearly much less relevant to you.

2.     You May Have a Smaller Selection of Homes to Choose From

This point was touched on above, but it deserves its own consideration when it comes to disadvantages to buying a home in the winter. Houses are expensive – probably the most expensive items you will ever purchase – and you want to make sure that the one you buy is truly the one that you want. It is not very easy to undo, after all! If you go house shopping in the winter, the odds of your dream home being on the market are substantially lower.

If you are flexible with home options or have less of a vision of a dream home, then this point may not be very relevant to you. However, if you are the type of person that has always imagined your dream home and are hoping to find it now, be sure to remind yourself that there are bound to be more homes on the market in the summer, and if you can’t find the perfect one now, you might not want to settle on one until the summer.

3.     You Might Have a Harder Time Selling Your Own House

It is important to consider that not everyone is in the same position, and not every one of these advantages or disadvantages will apply to everyone equally. Not everyone is selling their current home when they are shopping for a new one. Not everyone has a current home in the first place! If you are a first-time homebuyer, this tip is less relevant to you. If you are trying to sell your current home to move into a new one, though, listen up.

Just as the sellers of the homes you are looking at are likely to accept lower offers because of the decreased demand, you are entering that same market as a seller. While you are likely to get a great deal on a home that you are looking to buy, you are also likely to be lowballed on the house that you are trying to sell. Most people are not in a financial position that enables them to buy a new home without the confidence that their current home will sell soon, and trying to complete the whole homebuying and selling process in the same month in the winter is not likely to lead to the most favorable outcome.

Thank you for reading our post answering the question “is buying a home in the winter a good idea?” As you can now see, there is no clear cut answer to this question. There are some very clear advantages to buying a home in the winter, but there are also a handful of drawbacks that need to be considered. The right decision is the one that makes the most sense for you after you weigh the advantages and disadvantages. No two situations are the same! The most important thing is just that you evaluate your own situation and make sure that you are doing what is best for yourself or your family. Unless you are in a hurry, there is usually no harm to waiting until the summer to start looking for a new home. If you are in a hurry, you have nothing to worry about. You will have a great homebuying experience, and despite any disadvantages on this list, you are still going to be just fine.

If you visit Myrtle Beach or any other place in South Carolina and fall in love, we’re here to help. We at The Boyd Team are committed to helping you find the right property for your needs and dreams. Any question that you have about moving to the area and finding your dream home by the beach is our pleasure to answer. Feel free to send us an email at eddie@boydteam.com or text or call us at (843) 222-8566, and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Being true natives of the Grand Strand and Horry County and with over 25 years of experience in the local real estate market, whether buying or selling, we can help you make your dreams a reality.  

No One Knows The Grand Strand Better! Trust, Knowledge, Experience, Professionalism, You Can Count On!

Written by Greg

Buying your first home is one of the most exciting times of your life. This new space that you call your own will be the center of so many memories and stories for the next several years of your life. Having your own home means creating your own dwelling place – decorating it as you like, inviting over whoever you want, and welcoming in any tradition that you see fit. As the holiday season rolls around, you may find yourself wondering how to decorate your new home for the holidays and make it feel as cozy as possible. Your new home is your new space to celebrate life however you want to celebrate it, after all! This post will give you some ideas and tips for decorating your new home for the holidays.

Scents

Decorations aren’t just about the looks; they are about the entire sensory experience that your home puts forth. If you want to decorate your new home to the max for the holidays this year, you need to consider each of the senses during your planning and decorating. The first of these senses is the sense of smell.

When you think about the holidays, there are probably several scents that come to mind. The list is honestly endless, and the following are just a few of the countless scents that tend to flood homes during the holiday period. There are the smells of foods, like freshly ground nutmeg, homemade pumpkin pie, recently baked cookies, and even spiraled ham straight from the oven. There are the smells of nature, like the aroma of pine that comes off of the Christmas tree, smells of flowers used to decorate the house, and the smell of crisp, cold air that wafts into your home. Then of course there are the smells that are traditionally used to freshen up a home, like vanilla, lavender, and fresh linen. All of these smells join together to play a vital role in the overall ambiance of your home during the holidays.

There are several ways that you can work these aromas into your home during the holiday season. First and foremost, you can create them naturally. Bringing home a Christmas tree, baking fresh cookies, and displaying vividly scented flowers are a few easy ways to do this. Additionally, you can utilize continuous air fresheners. Between plug-in air fresheners like Bath & Body Works Wallflowers and wax melting hotplates like Pink Zebra, there are plenty of different scents that can safely and continuous fill up the common spaces of your home. On top of all of that, candles make a great temporary addition to any room and are especially good at providing warm, comforting aromas.

Think About Your Color Theme

While the sense of smell is important in creating a well-rounded decorating plan, there is certainly no sense more important than that of sight. The things that are seen are the things that wind up in pictures, memories, and are the first impression that guests will have when visiting your home. For these reasons, the visual things are usually the first parts of the decorating scheme that homeowners consider.

There will be several points in this post about visual ideas and practices, but the first one to think about is the color scheme. The color scheme of your decorations is something that will carry over across every item, and the decisions you make about color scheme play a large role in the impression that your decorating scheme gives. One example of this is the visual temperature of your home. The colors that you choose to decorate with impact the moods that your guests feel and choosing warm colors or cool colors is one of the most direct examples. Warm colors, which are those that tend to fall on the reddish side of the color spectrum, make your home feel cozier and warmer, while cool colors, which are those that fall on the bluer side of the color spectrum, make your home feel cooler and less inviting. This is largely why deep reds and burgundies are such popular Christmas decoration colors; they make guests feel welcome and at home.

Another thing to think about is striking a balance between bright and muted tones. This does not mean that you need different colors perse, but rather that you find a proper balance between shades that pop and shades that blend in. By choosing too many bright colors, your decorating scheme may be visually overstimulating which dampens the overall impression of your living space. By choosing too many muted colors, you don’t really capitalize on your opportunity to make your living space pop and give it personality. A great example of this can be a Christmas tree. Fir trees themselves tend to be very dark and muted shades of green, and for this reason bright red decorations are such a perfect complement. The reds appear brighter and livelier than they would on a bright green tree, and the lighting is very well balanced. If you have a tree that is brighter in color than a traditional fir tree, you might consider using burgundy or dark red decorations to nicely complement the tree.

Take Advantage of Electronics

In the day and age that we live, there are so many different kinds of electronic devices at our disposal. While this can often be overwhelming, they can absolutely be used to your advantage when it comes to decorating your home for the holidays. Electronics can be used to visual purposes and for audial purposes.

When it comes to the sense of hearing, music is one of the best touches you can add to your decoration plan. While it may not immediately seem to be a decoration, music is something that truly complements the overall environment of your living space that you are decorating. Good visual decorations set the stage, but adding quality music is what really makes the show complete. Utilizing speakers to play music – whether they are through the TV or through a different speaker system – is an instant boost to any room. Music doesn’t need to be loud. Soft music in the background is almost a way to calm the subconscious and make your guests feel at home. Music has a heavy effect on mood, so playing soft orchestral music is great to calm a room while playing livelier toons can bring energy and enthusiasm.

Music isn’t the only advantage that electronic devices offer when it comes to decorating your home. Utilizing screens is actually a great way to create the environment that you want to offer to your guests. One very effective tactic is to use your TV as a virtual fireplace. Many homes do not have fireplaces, and while you can’t use a TV to replicate the heat of a fireplace, you can definitely use it to replicate the appearance and the sound of one. If you have a smart TV, you can go directly to the YouTube app or to YouTube on the browser to pull up a great virtual fireplace. There are videos that run for hours on end and are really quite nice. If you do not have a smart TV, you can simply connect any device you have – phone, laptop, tablet, etc. – to the TV via the HDMI port to have the same effect. On top of all of that, virtual photo frames are a nice way to display some of your favorite pictures without having to take up too much shelf or wall space. They can simply be put on loop and cycle throughout the day.

Yard and Exterior Decorations

Indoor decorations are very nice and have a great effect on helping people to get into the holiday spirit. However, outdoor decorations are the first thing that people see when they arrive at your home! Everyone always talks about how important first impressions are, and this is your chance to make a good one. Outdoor decorations, if you choose to use any, do not need to be very elaborate to have an effect. Doing something as simple as running Christmas lights along your gutter can do a fantastic job of giving your home an elegant facelift. If you desire to do even more than that, you have plenty of options. Yards are blank canvases, and you can really apply your own style to them to dress them up however you like. Some people like to use inflatable yard decor, while others stick to more minimal lighting and wreaths. What matters is just that you choose things that reflect on you and your own style. Elegant or playful, there is no wrong answer!

Fake decorations or live decorations?

One of the biggest arguments when it comes to holiday decorations is whether or not you should use real decorations or reusable plastic ones. This argument extends past just the Christmas tree, too. It includes garlands, flowers, wreaths, and more. There are advantages and disadvantages to both kinds of decorations, and the most heated argument of them all is that of the Christmas tree. Here is a quick breakdown of some of the advantages and disadvantages of using a real or a fake Christmas tree:

Advantages of Using a Real Christmas Tree:

Real Christmas trees are as traditional as it gets, and there is a reason so many people go out of their way to buy them. First and foremost, the smell that they bring into your home is so fresh and crisp. That fresh smell of pine is so closely intertwined with Christmas celebrations for a lot of people, and for this reason some people can’t even imagine the holidays without one. Another one of the key advantages is just the ability to go out and get one every year. While this is not very fun to some people, others use it as an important family tradition year after year.

The other main advantage of a real Christmas tree is just that you don’t need to store it when the holidays are over. While an artificial Christmas tree needs to get tucked away somewhere, a real Christmas tree gets discarded at the end of the season. Not everyone has a lot of excess storage space in their new home, and being tasked with storing a big item that you only use for one or two months out of the year is not very appealing to some people.

Disadvantages of Using a Real Christmas Tree:

While real Christmas trees can do a lot to put people into the holiday spirit, they have the complete opposite effect on some people. In fact, when it comes to raw numbers, there may be more disadvantages than advantages when it comes to getting a real Christmas tree. Firstly, they cost money – and a lot of it. Christmas trees can cost anywhere from fifty dollars for a small one to hundreds of dollars for a large one. Not everyone has this kind of cash sitting around, and it may be an expense that some people just deem unnecessary.

On top of that, going and getting a Christmas tree takes time and effort that some people don’t have or don’t feel like expending. Not everyone lives right next door to a Christmas tree farm, and the drive to the nearest one may be pretty far. That, plus the effort of trying to get the thing home, plus the effort of getting it inside is enough to deter some people.

As if all of that weren’t enough, some people actually dislike the smell of pine in the first place. While some people absolutely love it, others find it to be nauseating and really don’t want to be around it. If you don’t like the smell of pine, imagine having to constantly pick up pine needles that fall to the floor. That is especially important if you have pets, as they can be toxic to animals.

Advantages of Using a Fake Christmas Tree:

The advantages of using a fake Christmas tree are basically just the inverses of the disadvantages of using a real one. They are also very subjective, as some of the “disadvantages” of real trees, like the scent and the effort of buying one each year, aren’t disadvantages to everyone. Anyway, fake Christmas trees have no aroma. If you don’t like the smell of fresh pine, you’re in luck. They also are quite easy to attain – you can either run down to your local department store or you can even get one directly on Amazon. It’s amazing how well they condense to store, actually.

The one advantage of artificial Christmas trees is that they are significantly cheaper than real ones. While they are usually more expensive than a single real Christmas tree – often even double the price – they are a one-time expense that does not need to be repeated every year. Once the second year of having your artificial Christmas tree passes by, every year from there on out you save hundreds of dollars. If you are budget conscious and are indifferent between using a real Christmas tree and an artificial Christmas tree, this is the one thing that may make you lean one way over the other.

Thank you for reading our post about decorating your new home for the holidays for the first time. Hopefully this post offered you a little bit of insight or steered you in the right direction in some way toward creating your ideal decorating scheme for this holiday season. The most important piece of advice that can possibly go into this post is just that everyone has their own style and their own set of preferences. There is no perfect way to decorate your home, and really there is no right or wrong. Your home is your living space, and you have earned the right to decorate it however you want! Use this time to really express yourself and make yourself feel cozy. At the end of the day, it isn’t all about the guests – even if you are hosting a holiday dinner. It is your home, and what matters most is your own happiness and satisfaction within the confines of your own home.

If you visit Myrtle Beach or any other place in South Carolina and fall in love, we’re here to help. We at The Boyd Team are committed to helping you find the right property for your needs and dreams. Any question that you have about moving to the area and finding your dream home by the beach is our pleasure to answer. Feel free to send us an email at eddie@boydteam.com or text or call us at (843) 222-8566, and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Being true natives of the Grand Strand and Horry County and with over 25 years of experience in the local real estate market, whether buying or selling, we can help you make your dreams a reality.  

No One Knows The Grand Strand Better! Trust, Knowledge, Experience, Professionalism, You Can Count On!

Written by Zohra

Image via Pexels

3 Tips to Help Seniors Reduce Moving Stress

If you’re a senior who is planning a move, you likely have a bit of anxiety about what it might entail. First, it’s important that you consider all your options. While this probably isn’t your first move, maybe it’s been a long time, or perhaps you’re unsure how to navigate today’s ever-changing service options. Here, Myrtle Beach Real Estate shares some tips that can help make your move as simple and painless as possible.

1. Choose the Right New Home

Concerns about your new home can compound the stress of moving, so invest time and research into finding the right home for your move. First, think about what you want and need in your next home. Do you have special needs or health concerns? You may want to look for a single-level home with an open floor plan that’s easy to navigate. How much space do you need? For decades, it’s been common practice for people to downsize their homes after retirement. However, a recent study indicates that more and more seniors are choosing to move to larger homes instead.

Whether you intend to stay local or move cross-country, thoroughly researching the current state of both local and national housing markets can give you a good idea of what to expect and help you spot a good deal. During your housing research, focus on key metrics such as median home prices, the average number of days homes stay on the market, and inventory levels, including the number of homes for sale and the current “months’ supply,” or how many months it would take to sell all the available homes.

2. Take Advantage of Senior Moving Services

As the average American age increases, more moving companies are beginning to offer or specialize in moving services that specifically address seniors’ unique needs and concerns during a move. Examples of these services can include:

• Sorting through, packing, and labeling belongings

• Assisting with selling or donating items during downsizing

• Scheduling and overseeing moving-day logistics

• Helping you unpack and settle into your new home

A senior move manager is a professional who specializes in coordinating, overseeing, and facilitating these services on your behalf. Not all companies that offer senior moving services offer move managers, and working with a move manager isn’t required. However, it can be helpful to have a single point of contact for move-related issues.

To find and hire a senior moving specialist, an internet search is a good place to start. Research your potential options. Ideally, try to find a company that has the experience, insurance, and references. The National Association of Senior Move Managers, an organization that certifies and accredits senior move managers, is another helpful resource.

3. Keep Estate Planning and Long-Term Goals in Mind

Concerns about your future may also be adding stress to your move. Fortunately, this is an ideal time to consider estate planning issues such as who should inherit your new home, so you can ensure your new deed is drafted accordingly. This is also a great time to review the guidelines for Medicare and other programs to ensure that your assets don’t jeopardize your plans.

Whether you’ve acquired a lifetime’s worth of belongings and are ready to downsize, or you’ve waited your whole life to move into your dream home, moving to a new place has the potential to cause anyone substantial stress. Fortunately, with careful research and thorough planning, your move can be the enjoyable experience you’ve been waiting for. 

The experts at Myrtle Beach Real Estate are here to assist you in making the best decision for you and your family. Call 843-222-8566

Featured image

Alt-tag: A house covered in snow

Buying a house in winter, I hear the Internet's collective gasp at the absolute absurdity of my suggestion. Hear me out. Yes, spring and summer are considered the prime seasons for home shopping. Fellow article readers and writers alike, lend me your ears, or, in this case, your eyes, and allow me to propose something a little different. See, winter has more to offer than the smell of spiced cloves and jolly men bearing gifts. Yes, the housing market does tend to slow down, and there are fewer houses on offer. Still, if we scratch a little below the surface, we can discover why winter is a good time to buy a home in South Carolina. Let's get to scratching!

Actually, is the weather outside frightful?

If you live in Charleston, chances are you've gone through a significant stretch or two without seeing a single snowflake. Our neighbors up north can only dream about the kind of mild winters South Carolina tends to enjoy. Even in December, places such as Myrtle Beach offer an abundance of things to do and try. Therefore, one of the reasons against buying a house in the winter gets nullified right off the bat. Yes, it will be chilly outside, but it's not one of those cartoonish scenarios where a snow blizzard is threatening to lift you off the ground. It's certainly not as pleasant as when the song of nightingales accompanies your steps to an open house showing, but in this part of the country, it's hard to imagine it being a deal-breaker.

It works both ways

Yes, there are fewer houses on offer, but it also means there are fewer buyers. This translates to less competition. Proportionally, you are getting a better deal during winter than in summer as you should be up against a lower number of buyers per house. Again, this means you can avoid a bidding war or the disappointment of losing out on your dream home because someone made a better offer. In a nutshell, summer increases the chances of you finding the perfect home. Winter increases your chances of actually being able to buy the home you picked. Those chilly winter months actually allow you to be a bit more selective and offer the opportunity to snag a property at a fairer price. Not too shabby. If you need a few tips on building a budget for the purchase itself, as always, we've got your back!

Caption: New evidence just in - it's easier to win the race if you are the only one actually running!

Alt-tag: One woman running on a race track whilst the rest watch from the start line

Look at it from the seller's perspective

If winter is a slow month, why are there still properties on offer? Use a little psychological trick and try to enter the seller's perspective. If they cannot wait for spring, it means they have a good reason to sell as fast as possible. This gives you, the buyer, a little more leverage. The chances of getting a good deal are increased.

Furthermore, if the house itself has been on the market since summer, for example, this again gives you a little more negotiating power. Of course, it doesn't mean you should get greedy, but getting a reasonable price is much better than competing with several other buyers for the same home. We all know what high demand does to the price.

Are you the type of person who hates queues?

Let's sing our mantra one more time. There are more homes on sale during the spring and summer. There are more buyers and more sellers. This is the prime time for the housing market. What does it all mean? More work. More work means delays, being backed up, waiting longer to close, and tension between you and the loan lenders. The list goes on. Guess what winter offers? You know, the season where everything slows down? I think it's clear!

Why winter is a good time to buy a home in South Carolina

When you finish the paperwork, when the funds are transferred, and all parties are satisfied, one more thing needs to be done. It's not quite time to sigh that sigh of relief. The dreaded move looms on the horizon. Relocating can be time-consuming and a logistical nightmare. It can be, but it doesn't have to be. With the help of professional movers, it can all go off without a hitch. The same logic from the previous point applies. Movers are not booked solid, and you might even be able to negotiate a cooler price.

Caption: Professional movers really are at your service, which is why winter is a good time to buy a home in South Carolina.

Alt-tag: People loading things into a truck

Preparations

Moving can be tricky, as we have established, but it can be handled rather easily with proper organization and patience. Like anything else in life, you just need to prepare in time and not be caught off-guard. Finding professional movers is almost a must, especially during winter when the weather is less favorable. However, there are other factors to consider. From packing to storage, if you have an efficient preparation process, you will be ready for your interstate relocation in a month.

What About Rover?

There is one more thing to consider before moving. If you have a furry companion, he may not be able to understand what is happening. The concept of moving is as foreign to a dog as the stock exchange market. To alleviate unnecessary stress, make sure to plan around their needs as well.

Remember, they are creatures of habit; maintaining a certain routine while moving with a dog is essential. There are certain things you can do to make the process stress-free, so make sure to take care of your pet during the move.

Caption: Your pets might not understand what is going on and what those brown squares in the living room are. Help them make the transition.

Alt-tag: A dog in a cardboard box

The Perfect Present

There are plenty of reasons to move to South Carolina, but we just found another one. A picture-perfect house could be the ideal New Year's gift. It may seem slightly illogical, but now you know why winter is a good time to buy a home in South Carolina. Not everyone will be aware of the benefits, so while the rest of the world is snuggling up next to a warm fire, put on those gloves and a scarf and see what the market has to offer. With a bit of luck, next winter, you too will be by the fireplace, but in your brand new home. One that you purchased at a surprisingly fair price, I might add!

Pictures used:

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Meta Description: Summer is over and with it your chances to buy a home, right? Not quite. Here is why winter is a good time to buy a home in South Carolina.

Myrtle Beach is one of the top coastal destinations on the entire East Coast, and the huge influx of tourism has led to the creation of some really fantastic businesses. From great boutique stores and awesome entertainment venues to devilishly delicious restaurants,
Myrtle Beach is booming with places that you need to check out. This post is going to cover the best places for breakfast in Myrtle Beach to satisfy those early morning cravings.

Whether you live in the Grand Strand, are thinking about moving here, or are visiting Myrtle Beach for vacation, these places are definitely worth checking out if you are looking for the best breakfasts in Myrtle Beach. It is worth noting that while national chains like IHOP and the Waffle House are common breakfast choices all around the country, this post is going to specifically highlight small businesses that you can’t find anywhere else.

1.     Mammy’s Kitchen

Mammy’s Kitchen is a Myrtle Beach classic that has been around for almost 70 years and is still going strong! Located right in Myrtle Beach, Mammy’s Kitchen is famous for its all you can eat breakfast buffet with just about every southern breakfast staple you can imagine. Breakfast isn’t all they have, either – locals know this place for having some of the best crab legs in town! Whether you are looking for a traditional breakfast or are thinking about grabbing a bite to eat later in the day, you can’t go wrong with Mammy’s Kitchen.

2.     Eggs Up Grill

I said that I wasn’t going to include chains on this list, but this is the one exception. At least it is local! Eggs Up Grill is a chain from Pawleys Island that has been in operation for almost 25 years. In the span of that time, it has grown to be a chain with locations all over the region, spanning from Virginia to Florida. Since that time, they have served up over 6 million eggs and created a strong reputation for their great food and southern hospitality.

3.     Johnny D’s Waffles and Bakery

Johnny D’s is a local favorite thanks to their great food and prime location. Their chef, Jamie Daskalis, is actually a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has been cooking up great recipes for over 20 years. The quality of food and service at Johnny D’s is top-notch, too. They have locations in Surfside, Myrtle Beach, and North Myrtle Beach, meaning you are never too far away from a Johnny D’s location for a great bite to start your day!

4.     Croissants Bistro and Bakery

In business since 1995, Croissants Bistro and Bakery has made a name for itself by serving up high quality comfort food for very affordable prices. Their focus is entirely on their customers, as their mission is “to make memories with family and friends through our passion for Southern hospitality and delicious food.” They have two locations, both in Myrtle Beach, and are open for dine-in service until 4pm every day with the exception of Sunday, when they are closed.

5.     Lulu’s Cafe

Lulu’s Cafe is one of the newer spots on this list, as it celebrates its 10^th anniversary this year. Since its founding, Lulu’s Cafe has focused on recreating the coastal spirit of the Grand Strand with is beach-view restaurant and relaxed eating environment. Famous for its mimosas and known as one of the best places for brunch in Myrtle Beach, Lulu’s Cafe is a spot you definitely don’t want to miss.

6.     Blueberry’s Grill

Blueberry’s Grill is a very nice eatery that is newly celebrating the opening of its third location after opening its first location just 4 years ago. Now with locations in Wilmington, Myrtle Beach, and North Myrtle Beach, Blueberry’s Grill has clearly found success with its upscale environment and delicious dishes. They pride themselves on crafting creative dishes with the freshest ingredients that all foodies should love. Blueberry’s Grill is open 7 days a week from 6:30am to 3:00pm.

7.     Flapjack’s Pancake Cabin

Flapjack’s Pancake Cabin is a Tennessee pancake joint that just recently opened its first location outside of Tennessee, which just so happens to be in the Grand Strand. Open for only 5 hours a day from 8:00am to 1:00pm, Flapjack’s prides itself on its scratch made, Smokey Mountain style food. The restaurant itself is a log cabin and is a really unique place to fill up in the morning. If you are looking for a real treat, be sure not to miss their sticky bun pancakes!

Thanks for reading our post about the best places for breakfast in Myrtle Beach! You know what they say: breakfast is the most important meal of the day! This list of eateries is by no means exhaustive and only scratches the surface of great breakfast joints in Myrtle Beach. There are so many great places to eat breakfast in Myrtle Beach, that even the locals haven’t checked them all out. If you buy a home in Myrtle Beach, you can be confident that you’ll always have top notch pancakes and waffles just a quick drive away!

If you visit Myrtle Beach or any other place in South Carolina and fall in love, we’re here to help. We at The Boyd Team, Myrtle Beach Realtors are committed to helping you find the right property for your needs and dreams. Any question that you have about moving to the area and finding your dream home by the beach is our pleasure to answer. Feel free to send us an email at eddie@boydteam.com or text or call us at (843) 222-8566, and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Being true natives of the Grand Strand and Horry County and with over 25 years of experience in the local real estate market, whether buying or selling, we can help you make your dreams a reality.  

No One Knows The Grand Strand Better! Trust, Knowledge, Experience, Professionalism, You Can Count On!

Written by Greg

Buying your first home is a really big deal, and there are few things in life more exciting. You’ve spent hours and hours looking for the perfect home, talking to realtors and agents, exploring neighborhoods, and navigating mortgage details. Finally reaching the light at the end of the tunnel is very relieving and being able to finally settle into your brand-new home makes the process very worth it. Moving into a new home usually means you will have friends and family over to celebrate, and they will probably want to bring you a housewarming gift when they come to your new home for the first time!

The section above sees the process from a new homeowner’s angle. But as a friend or a family member, what in the world are you supposed to bring them?

This post is going to answer that question. If you are a new homeowner, this post is going to give you some ideas that you can give to people asking what you would like them to bring. If you are that friend or family member that has been invited over for a celebratory dinner and you have no idea what you should bring, this post is going to take that pressure off of your shoulders and give you some ideas that are a little bit better than a Target gift card. (To be fair, gift cards are actually one of the best gifts you can give, but more on that later.)

Do’s and Don’ts of Housewarming Gift Giving

Before getting into how to pick the perfect housewarming gift, it is probably a good idea to outline a few do’s and don’ts of housewarming gift giving to generally steer you in the right direction. Picking out housewarming gifts can be a tricky task, because you want to get them something that they need and something that they like, but you also don’t want to step on their toes and buy something they may have been looking to getting or picking out for themselves. To help avoid accidentally bursting their bubble with your thoughtful gift, here are the basic do’s and don’ts of housewarming gift giving.

Do:

Think about what they want and need. Your housewarming gift should be personal, at least in the sense that it is something they truly need. Unless you know them very well, wall decorations are generally not the best idea. More practical things are!

Do:

Ask them! While the element of surprise can be very cool, sometimes just asking them for a list of things that they want is the best way to make sure that you get them something they will truly appreciate. When it comes to picking things they will truly want, nobody knows better than the new homeowners themselves!

Do:

Think about their personal style and preferences. When we shop for gifts, it is natural to gravitate toward things that we ourselves would like. It is important to remember that the gift is not for ourselves, though, and it should be something that the new homeowner would like themselves. While some people like wall decals, cute sayings about family, and flowery decorations, others just don’t. Neither one is wrong – it’s just about preference!

Do:

Consider the amount of space they have in their new home and what already occupies that space. While every gift is special and should be appreciated, some things just don’t work in some homes. If your friend or family member just bought a home with a tiny yard and no shed, a riding lawn mower probably isn’t the best gift idea, right? This same logic applies to things inside. If their home is completely carpeted, a steam mop probably isn’t the best gift.

Do:

Ask them if there is a certain style or color scheme they are using in the room that you want to gift for. If they are going with neutral colors, it is probably a good thing to know before buying them bright blue throw pillows!

Do:

Include gift receipts if possible. While you may love the gift you are giving them, they might not. Or, also possible, you might love the gift you got them, and someone else had the exact same idea. If the new homeowners get two of the same thing, let’s say two sets of white bath towels, they might want to be able to exchange one set to get something else they need. Who can blame them!

Don’t:

Worry about spending too little. Most people don’t expect housewarming gifts, and anyone that gets upset about the smallness of a housewarming gift probably doesn’t deserve one anyway! If your budget only allows for you to spend ten dollars, then spend ten dollars! A ten-dollar gift that is thoughtful and personal is better than an impersonal one-hundred-dollar gift any day.

Don’t:

Think that your gift needs to be flashy or cute. Trust me – a new homeowner would probably love a 50-roll pack of toilet paper or a gallon container of refillable soap or a 300 count container of Tide pods, as long as it is a brand they use and they have room to store it. If you are worried about picking a gift that they might not like, pick a gift that they need. Everyone needs toilet paper and dish soap.

Best Housewarming Gift Ideas by Room

To answer the question of what housewarming gift you should bring someone that just bought their first home, we have decided to split up our ideas by room. This way you can think about what room you would like to help your friend family member out with first, and then you can actually think about what gift to get them. Pretty simple, right?

Housewarming Gift Ideas for the Bathroom

The bathroom is a pretty easy room to default to when it comes to giving housewarming gifts, because there are so many bathroom necessities that new homeowners tend to need. As long as they have the storage space, there is really no such thing as too much toilet paper or disinfectant cleaning products. If you think that giving something like toilet paper is too lame, there are other, more personal choices too. Here are a few easy ideas.

Toilet paper – Like I said, there is really no such thing as too much toilet paper as long as they have the room to store it. It is something they will absolutely need, and if you don’t gift it to them, they will have to go and buy it anyone. The best gifts are often the things that they would need to get themselves, and because of you, they no longer need to.

Cleaning products and laundry detergent – Much like the toilet paper, cleaning products are an absolute must for any new homeowner, and they often are towards the bottom of the list of things that homeowners get for themselves right off the bat. Gifting them a nice basket of bathroom cleaning products may sound silly, but it is actually a really thoughtful gesture that saves them a lot of time and effort later on. That effort can be redirected to setting up their new home!

Decorative Pieces for around the sink – If you feel weird about carrying a Costco sized pack of toilet paper into the housewarming party, I can’t say I blame you - (Although if you wrap it, it looks like a giant expensive gift…). If you have a good idea of how they want to decorate, getting some stylish pieces for around the sink or on shelves can be a nice idea. Things that can be used for organizational purposes are usually especially welcome.

Towels – Towels of all shapes and sizes are usually a great gift and going with white is almost always a safe bet. White goes with everything, and white towels and sheets are the hotel industry standard – if luxury hotels choose all white towels, your friends will probably appreciate them too! Whether you are getting bath towels, hand towels, or washcloths, towels are usually a pretty good choice.

Housewarming Gift Ideas for the Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most common rooms to buy housewarming gifts for, and this is largely because it is such a multi-purpose room with so much extra space to fill. From perishable things that can be consumed, to cooking utensils that will get plenty of use, to fine pieces that are only pulled out for special occasions, the kitchen has plenty of gifting opportunities. When people shift from apartment living to living in their own house, one of the rooms that tends to grow the most is the kitchen. Whether you choose to get one of the gifts on this list or not, hopefully these ideas spark some sort of gifting inspiration for you.

Baking and cooking supplies – While perishable, baking supplies are extremely useful! If the new homeowners like to cook and bake, putting together a basket of baking supplies – like flour, sugar, and baking soda – or cooking supplies - like spices and oils - is often a great idea. One huge bonus of this is that they can never have enough of these things, so you don’t need to worry about getting them the same thing as someone else! I bet they would not mind getting two bottles of olive oil.

Dish Soap and Dishwasher Detergent – Just like the example in the bathroom, dish soap and dishwasher detergent (if they have a dishwasher, that is) are practical and useful gifts that they will absolutely need. Putting together a basket of dishwashing essentials is a thoughtful and very presentable gift that they are sure to appreciate.

Cheeseboard and Utensils – If they like cheese, a nice cheeseboard is always a nice gift. Having a new home often means a desire to host more events, and having a nice cheeseboard helps them to take those events to the next level! Cheeseboards are often sold in nice sets that include cheese knives and other useful utensils, which is even better. Just beware, as cheeseboards are a fairly common housewarming gift, and you may risk getting them the same thing as someone else!

Dish Towels – Dish towels are always in demand and having a nice and healthy supply of them is usually very helpful. Getting the new homeowners a nice and stylish dish towel set is often a great idea that they are sure to use.

Coasters and Placemats – Coasters and placemats are a great idea because they are something that can be tucked away and pulled out for special uses. While they may not want to use placemats and coasters for every meal or every drink, these are nice things to have anyway. You never know when you will need them!

Wine Rack – This one only works if they are wine drinkers, but a clever wine rack is often a very thoughtful and stylish gift. Etsy has endless options of creative wine racks and wine-themed decorations that can make a great addition to any wine drinker’s home.

Glassware – This can mean wine glasses for wine drinkers, beer glasses for beer drinkers, whiskey glasses for whiskey drinkers, and regular glasses for water drinkers! While they might already have glassware, few people would refuse the opportunity to upgrade their glassware game to the next level with high quality glasses. Wine glasses are usually an especially welcomed type of glass to gift!

Gifts That are not Specific to any Room

While all of the housewarming gift ideas above are fantastic choices, there are other things to consider. Most importantly, moving into a new home is expensive and tiring. Getting the new homeowners an item that will take a place in one of their new rooms is a great idea, but an often forgotten idea is to give them a gift for themselves. A self-care basket including facemasks and bath bombs, or a basket with fresh coffee beans, or a bottle of wine or case of beer are all great examples. Things that will help the new homeowners to relax and unwind in their new home are always very welcomed, and they are probably the gifts that the new homeowners will enjoy the most!

Another great idea is to take a small financial burden off of their plate. While that might sound odd, just think about it – we live in an age that is so subscription based, and giving Netflix, Spotify, and Hulu gift cards is actually a really thoughtful gift! On top of that, I wanted to mention that gift cards are actually one of the best gifts that you can give. I touched on this above, but gift cards and money are the only two things that give the power to the recipient, and frankly, buying things is really fun. While any gift you give will be appreciated, giving a gift card allows them to pick the exact item that they want. In that sense, there is no better gift that you can give!

Thanks for reading our post about the best housewarming gift ideas for someone who just bought their first home. Hopefully this post gave you some good ideas, or at least pointed you in the right direction toward buying a gift that your friend or family member is bound to love. While this list had plenty of ideas, the more important takeaways are in the do’s and don’ts section, as these tips can guide you to help pick the perfect housewarming gift for your loved one that just bought a home.

If you visit Myrtle Beach or any other place in South Carolina and fall in love, we’re here to help. We at The Boyd Team are committed to helping you find the right property for your needs and dreams. Any question that you have about moving to the area and finding your dream home by the beach is our pleasure to answer. Feel free to send us an email at eddie@boydteam.com or text or call us at (843) 222-8566, and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Being true natives of the Grand Strand and Horry County and with over 25 years of experience in the local real estate market, whether buying or selling, we can help you make your dreams a reality.