Buying a new build on the Grand Strand
New construction homes
in Myrtle Beach.
By Timmy Fredrick Nash, Broker-in-Charge, 30+ years on the Grand Strand · Reviewed by Devin Day, Operations Officer · Updated July 30, 2026
The Grand Strand is one of the most active building markets in the Carolinas. New does not mean worry-free. Here is how to buy a new build with your eyes open, and why your own agent walks in with you.
Tour new construction with your own agent.
Tell us the communities you are looking at. We register with you, review the contract and incentives, and set up the inspections.
Free, no obligation. We reach out the same day, evenings included. Prefer to talk now? Call 854.333.2135.
The direct answer
Buying new construction in Myrtle Beach
New homes are going up across the Grand Strand: Carolina Forest and its roughly 30 neighborhoods, the Market Common district on a spec home Air Force base, Grande Dunes, and fast-growing corridors through Longs, Little River, Conway, and Surfside. If you are shopping here, new construction is on your list whether you planned it or not.
A new build changes the process, not the stakes. The contract is the builder's contract, the sales agent in the model home works for the builder, and the warranty is whatever the paperwork says it is.
Representation
Bring your own agent to the first visit
The sales agent in the model home is the builder's representative. They can be genuinely helpful, but everything you tell them serves the builder's side of the negotiation.
Most builders require your agent to register with you on or before your first visit. Walk in alone first and many builders will refuse to recognize your agent afterward, which leaves you unrepresented for the entire purchase.
Since August 2024, buyers sign a written agreement with their agent before touring homes, so the cost of representation is settled in writing up front. In most Grand Strand communities the builder pays the buyer agent fee from its sales and marketing budget, and we confirm exactly what applies, in writing, before you tour. Builders almost never lower the price for an unrepresented buyer, because a visible discount would undercut the comps in their own community.
Want us to look at it for you?
Incentives
Builder incentives and the preferred lender
Builders usually lean on incentives instead of price cuts: closing cost credits, design center money, and interest rate buydowns. A price cut lowers the appraised comps for every future sale in the neighborhood, so builders protect the list price and give value in other ways.
Most incentives are tied to using the builder's preferred lender. Sometimes that is still the best deal. Sometimes the credit is built into the loan terms. The only way to know is to compare complete loan estimates side by side, not just the advertised rate.
Any lender can run that comparison for you, including our affiliated lender, BrickWood Mortgage.
Disclosure. Chapter3 Realty Corp has a business relationship with BrickWood Mortgage (NMLS #189497). Because of this relationship, this referral may provide Chapter3 Realty a financial or other benefit. You are never required to use BrickWood. You are free to shop any lender. See full AfBA Disclosure.
Inspections
Yes, you inspect a brand-new house
New homes are built fast, by many crews, under one superintendent. Independent inspections catch what the county checklist does not, and on a new build the timing matters as much as the inspection itself.
- ✓Pre-drywall inspection. Framing, plumbing, and wiring get checked while they are still visible. Once drywall goes up, problems hide for years.
- ✓Final inspection before closing. The punch list becomes part of the deal, in writing, while you still have leverage.
- ✓The 11-month inspection. Most workmanship warranties run one year. An inspection in month eleven puts repairs at the builder's cost instead of yours.
If a builder discourages an independent inspection, treat that as information.
Warranties and defects
Warranties, and the defect problem nobody advertises
South Carolina has no statutory new-home warranty. What you get is the builder's written warranty, commonly one year on workmanship, two on systems, and ten on structure, plus the implied warranties South Carolina courts recognize.
Construction defect complaints have been rising across South Carolina, and the coast is part of it. In early 2025, roughly sixty defect lawsuits were filed against a single national builder across three counties, including Horry. The most common coastal problems are water intrusion, flashing and stucco issues, and rushed HVAC work.
South Carolina generally allows three years from discovering a defect to bring a claim, with an eight-year outer limit. That is why the eleventh-month inspection matters, and why we track punch lists and warranty deadlines for our buyers. Nobody can promise a defect-free house. The goal is catching problems while they are still the builder's to fix.
Want us to look at it for you?
Spec vs to-be-built
Spec home or to-be-built
A spec home is already built or nearly built. It closes fast, what you see is what you get, and specs sitting at quarter end often carry the strongest incentives.
A to-be-built gives you the lot and the finishes, and it takes months, during which prices and rates can move. Deposits and design center spending run higher, and upgrade pricing is where builders make back their incentives.
Either way, upgrades, lot premiums, and credits move more than base price, so that is where we focus for our buyers.
Touring models this weekend?
Register us as your agent before you walk in. We tell you in writing what it costs you, which in most communities here is nothing.
Common questions
New construction FAQ
Do I need a realtor to buy new construction?
You are allowed to buy without one, but the sales agent in the model home represents the builder. Your own agent reviews the contract, the lot, the incentives, and the inspection findings for your side. In most Grand Strand communities the builder pays the buyer agent fee from its sales budget, and we confirm in writing what, if anything, you would pay before you tour.
Does using my own agent make a new build cost more?
Builders almost never discount the price for unrepresented buyers, because doing so would undercut the comps in their own community. Since August 2024, representation terms are set in writing up front, so you know the cost before you tour, and in most local communities the builder covers it.
Do I have to use the builder's lender?
No. Incentives are often tied to the builder's preferred lender, so compare complete loan estimates side by side. A credit at closing does not automatically beat a better loan.
Should I get an inspection on a new build?
Yes, and ideally three: before drywall goes up, before closing, and again around month eleven, before the one-year workmanship warranty runs out.
What warranty comes with a new home in South Carolina?
South Carolina has no statutory new-home warranty. Most builders offer a written warranty, commonly one year on workmanship, two on systems, and ten on structure, plus the implied warranties South Carolina courts recognize. Read it before you sign, not after.
Are builder incentives worth it?
Sometimes. Price the incentive against the whole deal: the lot premium, the upgrade pricing, the loan terms behind it, and what resales in the community actually sell for.
What should I know about construction defects?
Defect complaints have been rising in South Carolina, including the coast, with water intrusion the most common issue near the beach. South Carolina generally allows three years from discovery to bring a claim, with an eight-year outer limit, which is why the eleventh-month inspection matters.
Should I buy a spec home or to-be-built?
A spec home is finished or nearly finished, closes fast, and what you see is what you get. A to-be-built gives you the lot and finishes but takes months and carries timeline risk. Pricing and incentives differ between the two, and quarter-end spec homes often carry the best deals.