Oceanfront Myrtle Beach Hotels are often the only consideration many home buyers are aware of when it comes to making a rental property purchase.  These concrete and steel structures dominate the landscape and are often a draw when making Summer vacation plans for many future purchasers.  The problem with focusing only on an Oceanfront condo purchase is that Myrtle Beach, S.C. has three distinct travel seasons that cater to tourists with different needs and desires.

Another issue that relates to purchasing Oceanfront is the cost.  Prices for two bedroom, two bath Oceanfront Myrtle Beach Condos generally start at around $395,000.00 even in today's soft market.  Traffic for tourism in these condos often plummets after the Labor Day summer season ends and often does not pick up again until Valentine's Day.  Spring Myrtle Beach Vacations in these units often consists largely of weekend stays.   This will create a revenue disparity,  as the mortgage on these off months remains constant while revenues are slim to none.

A better alternative for savvy investors are Myrtle Beach Condos on luxury Myrtle Beach area golf courses.  Premium golf courses like Tidewater Plantation, Grande Dunes Golf Courses, and Barefoot Resort offer several advantages in year round business that Oceanfront properties can not match.  Prices for a two bedroom,  two bath condo at Barefoot Resort on short sales this past summer have been as low as $140,000.00.  While this is not the normal rate,  deals can be found and are abundant.  Listed below are bullets for why this price point makes great sense as compared to the rental income realized.

• Summer Season rentals keep these properties running at over 80% as the beach is largely at capacity.
• Golfers,  who come in late September through mid May prefer the convenience of being on course and not driving all over town.
• Ammenities at Barefoot Resort, for example, are a stone's throw from the condo and venues like 4 world class golf courses, House of Blues, Alabama Theatre, Greg Norman's Australian Grille, and 64 shops drive Christmas shoppers and golfers directly to renting onsite.   The Christmas season in Myrtle Beach runs from early November through December 24th.

Chris Ward, Broker in Charge with Eagle Realty,  a prominant Real Estate firm in the Myrtle Beach area, states, "Not only will buying a golf course condo (which there are some tremendous deals on this time of year) benefit you in the long run since golf communities tend to keep an above par standard on the properties surrounding their courses, but rental advantages span above the normal summertime vacationer to the spring and fall golf groups, and also the "snow-bird" renter for a couple months in the winter.  This supplemants income usually not there in the winter months."

When comparing price paid to overall rental income potential,  golf course condos tend to give a greater bang for your dollar invested.  While Oceanfront Condos can see tremendous appreciation in real estate values during hot markets,  the carry on the mortgage during down periods just doesn't add up to the total appreciation.   When looking for location and price,  we recommend that you investigate premium golf course condo concepts.

For more information about these,  check with our primary real estate advertisers at Myrtle Beach Condos Direct.