The beach part of this move is easy to picture. Morning walks on the Grand Strand, no I-4 at 5:30, a slower pace. The hard part is the house you still own in Orlando. It holds most of your equity, it carries a tax break you are about to lose, and it has to sell on your timeline, not the market's.
Most people planning this move spend their research hours on the South Carolina side. That makes sense, it is the exciting part. But the money decisions that shape the whole move happen here first. Get the Florida side right and you arrive in Myrtle Beach with your proceeds in hand and no loose ends. Get it wrong and you can end up paying for a house you no longer live in, or a tax bill you did not see coming.
- Your Florida Save Our Homes benefit does not follow you to South Carolina. It ends when you leave.
- Tell the property appraiser when the Orlando home stops being your homestead. Keeping an exemption you no longer qualify for can mean back taxes, a 50% penalty, and 15% interest.
- Selling first gives you certainty on proceeds. Buying first gives you one move. Pick based on whether you can carry two homes.
- Keep your Orlando insurance in force until closing, and read the vacancy clause if the house will sit empty.
- For the South Carolina side, read the Secure Home Finder Team's Myrtle Beach relocation guide.
Your homestead benefit stays in Florida
If you have owned your Orlando home for a while, the Save Our Homes cap has probably kept your assessed value well below market value. Under section 193.155 of the Florida Statutes, annual increases on a homestead are capped at 3% or the change in CPI, whichever is lower. After a run of strong appreciation, that gap can be large.
Florida lets you carry that benefit to your next home, but only if your next home is also a Florida homestead. Portability does not cross the state line. Once you sell and move to South Carolina, the benefit is gone. That is not a reason to stay, but it is a reason to count it correctly. If you were planning to keep the Orlando house as a rental instead of selling, your tax bill will reset toward full market value, and the rental math has to carry that.
The step people skip: when the Orlando home stops being your permanent residence, notify your county property appraiser. The same statute lets the appraiser go back up to 10 years on a homestead benefit that was not earned, and collect the unpaid taxes plus a 50% penalty and 15% interest per year. If you rent the house out or move before it sells, make that call.
On the South Carolina side, you apply for the 4% legal residence assessment rate on your new home. The Secure Home Finder Team explains how that works in the taxes section of their Myrtle Beach relocation guide.
Sell first or buy first?
This is the decision that shapes everything else. There is no right answer for everyone, only the right answer for your cash position.
| Sell your Orlando home first | Buy in Myrtle Beach first |
|---|---|
| You know your exact proceeds before you shop. | One move, straight into the new home. |
| Your offer in South Carolina has no home-sale contingency, which makes it stronger. | You can take your time choosing in Myrtle Beach. |
| You may need a short-term rental or a lease-back from your buyer. | You carry two mortgages, two insurance policies, and two sets of utilities until Orlando sells. |
| Two moves if you rent in between. | The Orlando house may sit empty, which affects insurance and how it shows. |
A middle path that works well for many sellers: put the Orlando home under contract, then negotiate a closing date or a short lease-back that gives you a few weeks to close on the South Carolina side. You get certainty on the sale and avoid two moves.
If you will be in Myrtle Beach before the Orlando sale closes, that is fine. Florida closings can be handled remotely, and many sellers never come back for the closing table. Plan for it early so the paperwork is not a scramble.
Know your number before you list
Your Orlando equity is your Myrtle Beach budget, so the list price matters twice. Price it above the market and the house sits while you pay for it from another state. Price it right and the sale funds the next chapter on schedule.
Start with what homes like yours actually sold for, not an online estimate. A home value report is a good first step, and a full comparative market analysis is better before you set a price.
Then net it out. In the Orlando area, the seller customarily pays Florida's documentary stamp tax on the deed, set at 70 cents per $100 of the sale price under section 201.02. On a $400,000 sale that is $2,800. Add your mortgage payoff, commissions, title costs, any repairs from the buyer's inspection, and prorated property taxes. What is left is your real budget for the Grand Strand.
Insurance on the house you are leaving
Keep your Orlando homeowners policy in force until the day the sale closes. Cancel early and you own an uninsured house, and your lender will notice.
If you move out before closing, read your policy's vacancy terms. Many policies limit coverage once a home has been unoccupied for a set period. A call to your agent before the moving truck leaves is cheaper than finding out after a claim.
Two things also help your sale:
- A current wind mitigation report. Buyers shop insurance during their inspection period. A report showing your roof and opening protection helps their agent get an accurate quote quickly, which keeps the deal moving.
- Your flood answers ready. Sellers of residential property in Florida must now answer three flood questions under section 689.302: whether flooding damaged the home during your ownership, whether you filed a flood claim with any insurer including the NFIP, and whether you received flood assistance such as FEMA aid. Gather the answers before you list.
On the South Carolina side, coastal insurance works differently and can change what a home really costs. The Secure Home Finder Team breaks it down in how coastal insurance math is moving Myrtle Beach buyers inland.
Timing around storm season
Orlando and Myrtle Beach share the same hurricane season, June 1 through November 30. Insurers commonly pause new policies while a named storm is threatening, which can delay a closing on either end. If your timeline is flexible, a closing outside the peak late-summer weeks takes one variable off the table.
What changes when you cross the line
A few differences catch Orlando movers off guard:
- State income tax. Florida has none. South Carolina does. For tax year 2026, the SC Department of Revenue lists two rates, 1.99% and 5.21%. If you are still working, talk to a tax professional before you move.
- Attorney closings. South Carolina closings are run by an attorney, not a title company.
- Property tax rates. South Carolina assesses a primary residence at 4% of market value and other property at 6%, so apply for the lower rate as soon as you close.
For everything on the South Carolina side, including neighborhoods from Little River to Pawleys Island, schools, healthcare, and storm prep, read the Myrtle Beach relocation guide from the Secure Home Finder Team. Andrew Burnett and his team work the Grand Strand every day, and the guide is dated and sourced.
Questions Orlando sellers ask before moving to Myrtle Beach
Can I take my Florida Save Our Homes benefit to South Carolina?
No. Florida portability only moves your Save Our Homes benefit to a new Florida homestead. Once you sell and leave the state, the benefit ends, and you apply for South Carolina's legal residence rate on the new home instead.
Should I sell my Orlando home before buying in Myrtle Beach?
It depends on whether you can carry two homes. Selling first means you know your exact proceeds and buy without a sale contingency. Buying first means one move instead of two, but you carry both payments, both insurance policies, and an empty Orlando house until it sells.
Who pays documentary stamp tax when I sell my Orlando home?
Florida charges documentary stamp tax on the deed at 70 cents per $100 of the sale price. In the Orlando area the seller customarily pays it, though it is negotiable in the contract.
Do I need a lawyer to buy in Myrtle Beach?
Yes. South Carolina closings are handled by an attorney, which is different from the title company closings most Orlando sellers are used to. The Secure Home Finder Team's relocation guide covers the South Carolina process.
Start with what your Orlando home is worth
Every number in this move starts with your sale price. If you are planning a move to the Grand Strand, I will run the comps on your Orlando home and walk you through your net proceeds, your timing options, and the Florida paperwork, so you can shop Myrtle Beach knowing your budget.
Call or text Brenden Rendo at 407-616-9019, or get your home value report here.
This post is general information, not tax, legal, or insurance advice. Confirm your situation with a tax professional, your county property appraiser, and your insurance agent.
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