Performances
The Carolina Opry’s Christmas Special lasts all November and December. This holiday show features music, comedy, and dance all themed around Christmas and the holiday season. Another winter classic, The Twelve Irish Tenors, will be performing at the Palace Theatre this winter as well.

Concerts
Myrtle Beach is lucky to have a professional orchestra, The Long Bay Symphony Orchestra. They will be performing their concert series this month on November 8 at Myrtle Beach High School. And don’t miss the Youth Orchestra’s fall concert on November 19th, also at Myrtle Beach High School.

Christmas
It’s never too early to start enjoying Christmas at Myrtle Beach! Broadway at the Beach holds its Christmas tree lighting on November 7th, while Market Common will have its own tree lighting on November 27, along with free carriage rides starting November 28 every Saturday until Christmas. Little River will be holding a Christmas Market with a parade on November 28th.

And don’t forget, we offer plenty of Myrtle Beach winter rentals for those who want to beat the rush and get a great deal!

There are several ways to cut down the expense of insuring your vacation home in Myrtle Beach. Here are some great tips from our local  insurance agent, Scott Todd of Todd Insurance Agency, Inc.

1. Get a longterm customer discount – If you’ve had homeowner’s insurance with the same company for years, think twice before moving to a new carrier. You may be getting discounts for having that policy for a long time. Do the math and see if moving to a new company will save you money. (Many companies grant the same discount if you’ve been with a prior company for a long time)

2. Combine your vehicle, boat or motorcycle, and homeowners insurance policies and keep them with the same company. This is one of the biggest discounts you can have.

3. Try to purchase your home nearby to a “paid” or city fire station. Volunteer fire stations will help, but your best discount is being near a city organization. Try to make sure you have a fire hydrant within a mile of the house for even more of a discount.

4. Add a security system to your home. Make sure you keep well-maintained fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, carbon dioxide detectors, even an alarm for radon gas. Don’t forget to notify the agent when you’ve done this. Neighborhood Watch communities can help, too.

5. Don’t own a typically vicious dog or dangerous animal. Any type of dog like a doberman, rottweiler, or pit bull can increase your homeowner’s liability insurance. Resist the impulse to get that new “wild” cross-bred cat, too.

6. Keep pools, hottubs, or trampolines behind a locked fence, and maintain guard rails on any outside stairs. Many times these fall under city ordinances as well.

7. When figuring your appraised value, deduct the amount that would cover land only. You want to insure only the home or structure, not the rocks and grass!

8. If purchasing, choose a newer home. Most insurance companies charge more for older homes due to repair rates.

9. Stick to a well-known national insurance company and choose a higher deductible. You may find a lower rate with a fly-by-night company, but if you have to make a claim, they may have flown!

10. Keep a high credit score, or choose one of the insurance companies that don’t count your credit rating in your premium charges. If you’ve got excellent credit, find a company that rewards it. Taking the time to do a little homework can help your insurance expenses whether it comes to SC homeowners insurance or cheap car insurance in Myrtle Beach.

Also, if you’re in another state and have your car insurance with a company, you can insure your condo in Myrtle Beach with the same company and get the same multi-policy discount. Todd Insurance Agency, Inc is fully licensed for any city in the states of North and South Carolina. Todd Insurance can protect your car, home, motorcycle, boat, provide renters insurance, and much more..

Contact them for details!

Todd Insurance Agency, Inc.
1515 Hwy 17 South
North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582
(888) 288-8713 (Toll Free)

www.carolinapolicies.com

Oktoberfest
Germany’s Oktoberfest, started in 1810, is known as the largest public fair and has become so popular that Oktoberfest celebrations are held around the world. There are many different places around Myrtle Beach hotels to enjoy the festivities. Market Common will be holding its festival on October 3rd with German food, beer and wine, and children’s activities. The City of Myrtle Beach will also be celebrating Oktoberfest on October 3rd along downtown Ocean Boulevard, with food vendors, a biergarten, a bratwurst eating contest, an alcohol-free kids zone with inflatables, and live music featuring Edwin McCain. The town of Surfside Beach will also be holding a Family Festival on the same day with food booths, live entertainment, and children’s events. Broadway at the Beach celebrates Oktoberfest and its Fall Festival October 9th-11th with a German-inspired menu at Liberty Steakhouse, musical and dance performances, and pumpkin painting and fireworks on Saturday.

Taste of the Town
Taste of the Town is the talk of the town! This event, now in its 25th year, is the Grand Strand’s biggest culinary and social event. Over fifty of the finest restaurants in Myrtle Beach will offer samples of their delicious dishes and desserts. Don’t miss out on this chance to mingle and try some of the best food around. Taste of the Town 2009 takes place October 27th from 4PM to 10PM at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

Halloween
There are Halloween events for both kids and adults in Myrtle Beach this year. Head over to Broadway at the Beach for trick-or-treating, Booville at Pavilion Nostalgia Park, and a Halloween costume party and contest for adults. There will also be Halloween trick-or-treating at the shops at Market Common.

Have fun on your Myrtle Beach vacation with these great events! You can view the entire calendar of events on our Myrtle Beach Condos website.

The are many North Myrtle Beach condos and hotels that still describe their location using these markers. “It’s located in the Ocean Drive section,” they say.  So this addition will help tourists familiarize themselves with the sections of North Myrtle Beach.

According to the story on WMBF News, Cherry Grove signs are red, Crescent Beach is taupe, Ocean Drive is blue, and Windy Hill, well, we don’t know quite yet.

Good news? Yes and no.  While there may be more people actually HERE in Myrtle Beach, because of the tremendous discounts offered by the hotels, condos and other lodging businesses, the profit margins are very thin. According to the article, the Myrtle Beach Chamber even spent more money this year in advertising, using money from the 1 percent tax increase.

It’s not just the accommodations industry though, but people are simply watching their money in general, which is why the promotion for the Freestyle Music Park on July 4 went over so well and lots of people are taking advantage of our Myrtle Beach condo deals at CondoLux.

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On another note, if you happen to be interested in real estate deals, we just updated the Myrtle Beach oceanfront condo foreclosures list.  We try to keep this list updated as much as possible so that you can take advantage of the changing real estate market.  Bookmark the page and check back!

July 4th is a favorite time for people to book their Myrtle Beach vacations. It’s a great way to enjoy the summer at the beach, and with all the local holiday events, it’s no wonder tourists from all around choose to make the Grand Strand their Fourth of July destination.

There will be July 4th celebrations all up and down the coast this year. Broadway at the Beach will have face painting, patriotic music and fireworks from July 2 to July 4. Market Common will have music, children’s activities, and fireworks from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm on July 4. Surfside Beach will be having live music, moon bounce, concessions, and a fireworks display at Surfside Pier from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Head to the Murrell’s Inlet Marshwalk area at 5:00 pm for the 26th Annual July 4th Boat Parade.

There’s been a lot of new attractions added since last summer! Now is the perfect time to try out the brand new waterslide on second avenue in North Myrtle Beach, or head down to Myrtle Beach to see the new Market Common shopping complex. Freestyle Music Park, at the site of the old Hard Rock Amusement Park, is also open for business with a rollercoaster and lots of amusement rides.

There are several area movie theaters for those who like to enjoy a movie during the holiday. Myrtle Beach Mall (aka Colonial Mall) in North Myrtle Beach, Coastal Grande Mall, Broadway at the Beach, and the new Market Common all have great theaters. Right now, there’s a movie out for everyone. This summer’s Star Trek movie is still in theaters and has been getting rave reviews. There’s also Disney/Pixar’s Up for the kids, Terminator and Transformers for action fans, the comedies Hangover and Away We Go, the tearjerker My Sister’s Keeper, and the horror thriller Drag Me To Hell.

Finish it all off with a live show at the Palace Theatre, go shopping at Tanger Outlets, or finish off a round of golf at one of our championship courses. Enjoy your holiday at Myrtle Beach!

Known as “The Hippo” by the manufacturing company FreeStyle Slides, this slide is 36 feet tall and 180 feet long.  The charge is $3 per ride or riders can purchase an all-day wristband for $20. Tickets are located at Ocean Park, which is located at 2nd Avenue South street end.

The Hippo is located close to a some of CondoLux’s North Myrtle Beach vacation rentals such as The Ashworth, The Verandas, and Ocean Bay Club.

The good news is, we had fun! I can’t remember where were were headed, but we just finished looking at some Myrtle Beach condos along the Ocean Blvd when we drove by and decided to give it a try.  We actually had the ride back when tourism season wasn’t so bad, so we only had to wait 10 minutes to get on the “chopper”, which was alot smaller than we thought it would be.

We took a look at the map they had on the wall to plot which course we wanted. (You get alot of different choices, check em out here.) We went for the one right above the “cheap” one. I had been watching the “chopper” (sounds cooler than helicoptor) take off, and it seems like the $20 ride only lasted maybe 2 minutes, if that. They took off and landed VERY quickly.  SO, if you are going to do this, go for at least the Pavilion Tour if you can spare the cash. With that one, (the one we picked) you did have time to relax and soak up the scenery before you landed again.

Enough blabber. So we were up in the air, I was taking pictures with my camera phone and having a blast. You always see the guys in the movies with the huge ear-muff speakers on… well… you need em!  It is VERY loud up there. And of course, they have speakers and microphones so you can talk to each other and the pilot as well.  You got an EXCELLENT view of all the Myrtle Beach real estate out there. You fly right along the coast so you see all the condos, as well as all the land and some residential neighborhoods as well.  It does feel weird though, definitely not like flying in an airplane. It more or less resembles flying in a tin can.

So whats the bad news?  For value, I give it a 3 out of 5.  At $40 per person for a 10 minute ride, I can’t say I would recommend that unless you have extra money to spend. And if you have a full family, forget it. You might as well go to the new Freestyle Music Park and spend a few hours.     Do I recommend the experience? YES! Definitely put it on your list if you have the money for it.

Only in Myrtle Beach, SC!

Granted, Myrtle Beach lends itself to a family friendly vacation, but wouldn’t it be better to plan your trip knowing your agenda?  There is plenty to do in Myrtle AND North Myrtle. And there are even kid-friendly resorts with cool mini-water parks they can enjoy. All in all, there are plenty of Myrtle Beach attractions for kids.

Let’s see. Water Parks. Check.  Mini-golf. Check. Ripley’s Aquarium. Check. Of course, the beach. And plenty more for all age groups, from the little ones to the teenagers. (They would love Medieval Times.)

While you are checking out Myrtle Beach condo rentals for your next vacation, be sure to ask your reservationist of what kind of kiddie pools are at the condo.

Of course, check out the Myrtle Beach attractions for kids website as well at http://www.myrtlebeachkidsstuff.com/.

This local option sales tax will offset the property tax levied by the school district for debt service.  The tax will most obviously provide a revenue stream for building needs of local public schools and the two schools of higher education, Coastal Carolina and Horry-Gergetown-Tech, but will also provide opportunities for more collaboration between the public school system and the two  institutions of higher learning.

Specifically the local option sales tax will:

“Add a revenue source for debt service”;

“Rolls back debt service millage on all property including houses, businesses, vehicles, land, and personal property”;

“Generates over $1 billion for school facilities for K-12 public education and the county’s two post secondary schools”;

“Broadens the base of tax payers by allowing everyone, including non-residents, to help pay for school facilities”;

The impetus for this local option sales tax is multi-fold, but one of the main factors for adapting this new tax structure is the the accelerated growth of our local educational community. Of the 85 school districts of South Carolina, Horry County has sen the most rapid growth and is the third largest school district overall. Horry County schools have added 10,000 students in the past decade.  The anticipated growth rate would see 17,000 more students over the next decade and a half.

Coastal Carolina has seen similar growth and is currently the fastest growing four-year university in the state accounting for more than 60 percent of enrollment growth of all state-wide comprehensive  institutions of higher learning. Horry-Georgetown Tech is similarly the fastest growing two-year public university, almost doubling enrollment over the same ten tear span.

As with all tax proposals there are many points to be considered, questions to be answered, and difficult tax language to be understood. Here are a few FAQ’s:

What will this penny do?

The penny will allow an additional revenue stream allowing the school systems to retire existing debt for school construction and emerging building needs for the rapidly growing school system. Property owners will be relieved of some of the tax responsibility to provide for our educational system, allowing the masses of people who visit and vacation here along the Grand Strand the opportunity to contribute to these escalating costs.

How much money will the sales tax generate?

Current conservative estimates have this local option sales tax generating over a billion dollars for our growing educational system over the 15 year life span of the tax.

What will be taxed?

The one cent sales tax would apply to most all taxable goods and services that a consumer currently pays tax on at the time of purchase. Exempt from this sales tax would be groceries, gas, and prescription drugs. As well most weekly or monthly recurring payments like mortgages or rent, childcare and insurance are not subject to current sale taxes. This also means an additional 1 percent tax added to Myrtle Beach vacation rentals as well.

There are a few additional FAQ’s that you might want to explore in further detail in order to educate yourself about the new tax law that will go into effect next month. Please feel free to view the full PDF.

Malibu Pointe is one of the most popular vacation rentals in North Myrtle Beach because of its amenities/value.  Because it’s an ocean view condo, the price is lower, but yet, you still get ceramic tile floors, granite countertops, master bath jacuzzi, private balconies, lazy river and all the other amenities of a first class resort.  And because of the value, it’s a hot spot for Myrtle Beach golf packages.

Malibu one-bedroom units, which sold at presale in 2007 for $299,900, are now selling for $150,000 through CondoLux. Three-bedrooms which were $550,000 are going for $295,000; four bedrooms from $689,900 to $349,900. To top it off, these units are fully furnished and ready for rentals as well.   Read the full real estate foreclosure article on PR Web or learn more about other Myrtle Beach condo foreclosures.

The Myrtle Beach area is an excellent choice for investors because of its value as an oceanfront tourist destination and Myrtle Beach golf destination. The area is constantly growing with the millions of yearly visitors converting to the residential population.  Those choosing to live in the area will find an abundance of attractions, shops, entertainment, dining, and golf destinations.

Last year, CondoLux adopted a family for Christmas, with the staff bringing in loads of wrapped Christmas presents – stuff the family wanted, as well as needed.  We felt good being able to lend a hand and reach out to those in need.

However, the point of this article is not to gloat about CondoLux, but to make aware of the content of the letter written to us, and hopefully it will bring a smile and warm feelings to you.  For almost 20 years, S.O.S. Health Care has been in the “helping hand” business for children. Their Caring-4-Kids program has helped changed lives for years. A part of the letter reads:

“Recently, when perusing the Sun News, a horoscope caught my eye. Mind you, I don’t regularly check my horoscope but here is what it said: ‘You have two hands: One is for helping yourself, the other is for helping others. Think about this in the week ahead, since you may be called upon to assist a friend or achieve a compromise.’”

Thank you S.O.S. for allowing us to help lend our other hand.

Mayor Rhodes indicates in his statement that this ordinance was an  extremely difficult decision for the city. Myrtle Beach welcomes anyone who would like to visit anytime of the year, after all the city has some of the nicest luxury condos rentals, restaurants, golf, live theater, and shopping anywhere on the east coast. Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand are a vacation paradise resort of sorts.

In fact though, the rallies were just growing too large and putting an undue strain on the city.  Government staff, Myrtle Beach residents, and local businesses strained to keep up with the hundreds of thousands of people that flooded the city in such a short amount of time. Mayor Rhodes wants to be very clear that Myrtle Beach is not anti-biker. The point of contention here for the city is that the rallies are just too big and last for too long.

One fact that could not be ignored was the clear and insistent opposition that was being raised by the residents of Myrtle Beach. Many people that live in the area felt like they were forced out of their homes and their hometown for the better part of a month.

The city has passed a dozen or so new ordinances which will govern those bikers that still chooses to come to the Grand Strand during these weeks in May. We will highlight just a few of these new laws here, but for the complete list please go to www.myrtlebeachbikerinfo.com.

“Everyone on a motorcycle must wear a safety helmet and protective eyewear (glasses, goggles, face shield, etc.) at all times while the cycle is moving.”

“Curfew is in effect from 1:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. for juveniles under age 18, with certain exceptions. Violators are detained and parents are called.”

“No alcohol consumption or open container possession allowed in parking lots and garages of any business.”

*All ordinances taken verbatem from the information posted at www.myrtlebeachbikerinfo.com.

It is difficult to predict at this juncture what the long-term  effects will be for the city, businesses, and residents, but one thing is for certain the area will always be a popular destination for vacationers looking for Myrtle Beach Condos to rent, delicious seafood to eat, endless entertainment possibilites, warm ocean air, bright sunshine, and a wonderful vacation experience year after year.

New this year in the guide is an extensive Myrtle Beach condo rental section from the new CondoLux office in Myrtle Beach. The new office already has a large inventory of resorts to choose from, including Paradise Resort, Atlantica, Bay View, and much more.

You can download the PDF rental guide from here: Click This Link

You may also request a printed rental guide for when they become available on that page as well. They will be printed soon and shipped out soon!

CondoLux, who for over 23 years has been an industry leader in vacation rentals in North Myrtle Beach, has opened a new office in Myrtle Beach, offering some of the top vacation rental resorts and condos the area has to offer. Some of their top resorts include: Bay View, Paradise Resort, Sands Ocean Club, The Atlantica, Grande Shores, The Breakers.

The new office opened only a month ago, but they already have a large list of Myrtle Beach condo rentals for next year. Guests can check-in at the office on 21st Avenue North in Myrtle Beach and go straight to their condo, all within a very short drive.

“CondoLux already offers some of the best condos and beach homes in North Myrtle Beach,” said David O’Connell, who is overseeing the new office in Myrtle Beach. “Now with this office here, guests have a choice of either North Myrtle Beach or Myrtle Beach rentals through CondoLux.”

That means more of a variety for guests to choose from. The new office will offer luxury Myrtle Beach condo rentals, golf packages, and real estate sales. Along with a new office, the company also launched a fresh new website www.myrtlebeachluxuryrentals.com to display their Myrtle Beach properties.

Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach are two seperate cities, often confused by tourists as being the same. Generally speaking, Myrtle Beach has more attractions, but North Myrtle Beach offers a quieter atmosphere with less congestion along Ocean Blvd during the busy season.

Myrtle Beach has been voted as a “Top Family Destination” by Ask.com, “Overall Value For Money Destination” by Golf Digest, “Top 10 Places for Families to Visit in the U.S.” by Yahoo!, and the list goes on and on.  Popularly known as the Grand Strand, the Myrtle Beach area actually encompases 12 cities with over 60 miles of beach that was voted as “World’s Best Beach” by Yahoo! Travel.

For more information on Myrtle Beach Paradise Resort or any other Myrtle Beach condos mentioned, please visit www.myrtlebeachluxuryrentals.com or www.condolux.net.