“Myrtle Beach new construction” is not one subdivision and one builder.
It is national production in Longs and Conway, master-planned product in Carolina Forest, 55+ from PulteGroup brands, and true custom on Grande Dunes and build-on-your-lot sites.
Heading into 2027, buyers still have leverage on incentives and spec inventory even when a well-priced resale ranch is not a fire sale. Use that leverage on insurance, flood zone, and HOA — not just granite.
This guide names who is actually delivering on the Grand Strand, where they build, and what 62+ and relocating buyers should demand before they sign a lot contract. It is written as a listicle so you can scan it, and so search and AI tools can pull clean answers.
Communities open and sell out. Confirm the current phase on the builder’s site and the MLS.
1. The 60-Second Map
| You want… | Start with these builders |
|---|---|
| Lowest new-home entry (often low-to-mid $200s) | D.R. Horton / Express, Lennar, some Ryan, Starlight (farther inland) |
| Carolina Forest amenities + schools | D.R. Horton, Lennar, Pulte, Ashton Woods, Mungo, Chesapeake |
| Longs / Hwy 9 value | Horton, Beazer, Pulte (Gardens at Long Bay), Great Southern, Ameri Built |
| Conway / 905 corridor | Lennar (Collins Walk and more), Horton, Century Communities, Dream Finders, Mungo |
| Higher finish / semi-custom production | Ashton Woods, Pulte, Toll Brothers, Stanley Martin |
| 55+ | Del Webb (PulteGroup) — verify which campus is selling |
| True custom / your lot | Dawol, MaeWest, Nations, Swift Creek, Carrell, Hometeam, AR Homes, Rowe Ventures |
“Local” here means building in Horry County, not only a Myrtle Beach LLC. Mungo is Carolina-based. Horton is national and still the volume leader.
2. Why New Construction Matters in This Market
The reports kept showing the split:
- Single-family supply often near 5 months (closer to balanced)
- Condos often 8+ months (buyer’s market)
- House DOM commonly weeks to a few months, not 48 hours
New construction does not erase that split. It adds tools resale sellers may not match:
- Rate buydowns and closing credits
- A 0–3 year roof that underwriters like
- Current coastal code (wind connections, openings)
- A pad date you can miss — budget storage
It does not automatically mean cheap insurance, no flood, or a tiny HOA. Those are lot-level.
3. National Production Builders (Highest Volume)
D.R. Horton (and Express Homes)
Largest footprint on the Strand. Carolina Forest (Berkshire Forest is the amenity flagship), Longs (Forest at Black Bear and more), Conway (Pinewood Estates, Fairways at Shaftesbury Glen, Ridgefield), Little River / 544 corridor.
- Entry Express product often starts in the low-to-mid $200s inland
- Berkshire / Sago-type product steps up in price and dues
- Fast specs; limited structural changes
Watch: pond lots and HOA docs. Horton volume is why The Farm-era streets are full of retirees — and why you must still quote flood on water.
Lennar Carolinas
Active in Carolina Forest, Conway (Collins Walk townhomes and SF), Forestbrook Village, Longs (Tupelo Park), NMB-area product (SeaChase Pointe-type sellouts), plus Brunswick County overflow.
- “Everything’s Included” packaging
- Townhome and SF mix
- Median list on some Lennar pulls has sat well under the overall CF median — entry product
Pulte Homes
Carolina Forest (Indigo Bay), Longs (Gardens at Long Bay), Forestwood / NMB-area phases, Socastee-corridor plans (Pine Ridge scale projects have been in planning news), SayeBrook West (south Strand with other builders).
- Generally a step up from Express in finish and process
- Same PulteGroup family as Del Webb
Ryan Homes (NVR)
Forestbrook (Stoneridge), Grande Dunes North Village (including waterway sections), Calabash Sterling Oaks, other northern Strand sites.
- Strong on townhome / clustered product
- Good for buyers who want new without a 2,800-square-foot ranch
Beazer Homes
Longs (Timber Grove planned/active), Forestbrook-area history, Carolina Forest legacy streets.
Dream Finders Homes
Conway (Spring Oaks sold-out-style news; Fowler Estates), Longs (River Haven completed phases). Energy-efficient marketing; confirm actual HERS / insulation specs.
Century Communities
Conway Cates Bay Crossing in 2026 selling news. Value / complete-home packaging similar to other nationals.
DRB Homes
Little River Seabreeze Crossing townhomes and other northern clustered product.
Stanley Martin Homes
More visible toward the NC line (Ocean Isle The Tides) and some Horry counts on aggregator maps. Confirm current Horry pads before you drive.
Toll Brothers
SayeBrook and Market Common–adjacent luxury production when phases are open. Not the $249,990 buyer.
Ashton Woods
Carolina Forest Landing at River Oaks (opening window announced for fall 2026), Trieste at Bella Vita. Higher design emphasis than volume Express.
Chesapeake Homes
Carolina Forest Traditions; other CF / regional sites. Regional production, not a national Super Bowl ad.
4. Carolina-Based and Regional Builders
Mungo Homes
Four-plus decades in the Carolinas. Conway and Carolina Forest area (including North Cove planning/launch news), Arcadia / 29588 product, Hainer Place / Sugarloaf-type Conway communities.
Feels more “regional” than Horton. Still a production system. Porches and Carolina plans are the pitch.
Great Southern Homes
Longs townhome / clustered (Half Moon Bay–type). Another volume regional.
Ameri Built Homes
Sago Plantation participation and Longs Hwy 9 plans. Local-to-regional production.
Hunter Quinn Homes
Longs townhomes at Long Bay. Golf-adjacent attached product.
Beverly Homes
Wildwood townhomes and similar infill. Smaller phases.
5. 55+ and Age-Targeted
Del Webb (PulteGroup) is the name buyers search. Product has sat in the Grand Dunes orbit and NMB / Dockside-type sites; Del Webb Ocean Isle is the nearby NC campus. Dues and amenity packages differ by location. Do not assume the NMB monthly matches Grand Dunes.
“55+” on the Strand also includes non-Del Webb HOAs with age targeting. Read the covenant. It is not all pickleball and a lifestyle director.
6. Local Custom and Build-on-Your-Lot
Use these when the lot, elevation, or floor plan is the point — Grande Dunes, Plantation Lakes, Waterbridge custom sections, marsh, acreage.
| Builder | Typical lane |
|---|---|
| Dawol Homes | Longtime MB custom; CF, Grande Dunes, Market Common, your lot; often 9–12 month build stories |
| MaeWest Construction | Second-gen Grand Strand custom; Horry + Georgetown |
| Nations Homes | Custom / waterfront resilience marketing |
| Swift Creek Homes | Luxury custom, aging-in-place options |
| Carrell Group | Higher-detail luxury |
| Hometeam Construction | Plan-based custom, Surfside / MB |
| AR Homes / Monterey Bay | Premium on-lot |
| Rowe Ventures Custom Homes | Multiple custom communities on aggregator counts |
| Creekside Homes | High community count on some builder maps — verify active pads |
Custom is not cheaper insurance by default. A custom VE house is still a VE house. You do get to specify impact glass, elevation, and a FORTIFIED roof if you pay for them.
7. Where They Are Building (Buyer Geography)
| Corridor | Why buyers go | Insurance / flood / tax note |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Forest | Schools, amenities, 15–20 min to beach | Mostly Zone X interiors; quote pond lots; unincorporated mills |
| Longs / Hwy 9 | Price, new streets, space | Often best new-home insurance story; still map wetlands |
| Conway / 905 | Value, USDA pockets, county seat | Inland wind; city Conway mills if inside city |
| Forestbrook / 707 | Between CF and beach | Mixed; drainage on older-adjacent streets |
| NMB / Little River | Beach-town + golf | City NMB mills; canals = flood homework |
| Grande Dunes / Market Common | Walk / resort | Higher price and dues; check city vs county line |
| SayeBrook / Surfside south | Planned south Strand | Town millage + flood by street |
The cheapest new insurance quotes on the Strand are usually inland production with a documented roof — not a custom first-row.
8. Insurance, Flood, HOA: What New Does and Does Not Fix
New helps
- Roof age and code credits (order a wind-mitigation form after CO)
- Fewer “we don’t write pre-2000 coastal” declines
- Builder structural warranty (often 10-year structure; 2-year workmanship — read the booklet)
New does not fix
- FEMA zone on the PIN
- Named-storm deductible (still often 2%–5%)
- HOA that funds a lazy river
- 6% tax if you do not make this your legal residence
- A vacant spec sitting as a non-owner-occupied risk mid-build
SC Safe Home grants are for existing occupied retrofits, not the spec you are buying from Lennar.
Get flood and HO-3 quotes on the lot, not the community brochure.
9. How to Buy New Without Getting Out-Negotiated
Production builders have a playbook. Yours:
- Compare two builders on the same corridor (Horton Longs vs Pulte Longs vs resale Farm)
- Ask for the incentive sheet dated this week (buydown vs price cut — run both)
- Cap upgrades; model furniture is not in the price
- Pad date + temporary housing / POD in writing
- Independent inspection anyway (yes, on new)
- HOA budget + rental rules before you pick the lot backing the amenity
- Elevation certificate if anything wet is nearby
- Confirm city vs unincorporated for millage
Days-on-market on specs can be short when the phase is hot and long when the street is all inventory. A 43-day average DOM on one Lennar pull does not mean every Horton spec is a bidding war.
10. New vs Resale in 2027 Conditions
| New production | 2006–2018 resale | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Incentives, not always lower sticker | Possible negotiation on stale listings |
| Insurance | Usually easier to bind inland | Roof replacement may be due |
| HOA | New amenity stack can be higher | Farm-type dues often modest |
| Lot | Smaller, HOA-controlled | Trees, no-HOA Socastee options |
| Timeline | 4–12 months common | 30–60 day close if vacant |
Buyer-favoring in 2027 still means condos and tired listings more than “every new house is 10% off.” Use incentives where they exist. Walk from a lot that needs flood you cannot stand.
11. Decision Framework
- Budget all-in (PITI + HOA + wind + flood)
- Inland production vs custom coastal
- 4% primary or 6% second home
- Which hospital and which grocery on a Tuesday
- Two competing builder quotes + one resale comp
- Can I live with this HOA for 15 years?
If 2 is inland and 3 is 4%, start with Horton / Lennar / Pulte / Mungo in CF–Longs–Conway and only then look at custom.
12. FAQ
Which builders offer new construction in Myrtle Beach?
Volume: D.R. Horton, Lennar, Pulte, Ryan, Beazer, Dream Finders, Mungo, Ashton Woods, Century, plus attached specialists. Custom: Dawol, MaeWest, and other local firms. Communities move — verify the phase.
Who builds the cheapest new homes?
Usually Express / Horton and Lennar in Conway and Longs, not ocean-adjacent custom.
Is new cheaper to insure?
Often on wind, if documented. Not automatically on flood or total premium.
Do new communities have HOAs?
Almost all production communities do. Ask the dollar amount and the rental cap.
Can I use a buyer’s agent on new construction?
Yes. Register the agent before you walk into the model. The builder’s sales counselor works for the builder.
13. Bottom Line
The Grand Strand’s new-construction market is a builder menu, not a single subdivision.
Horton and Lennar own the volume. Pulte and Ashton Woods step the finish up. Mungo is the Carolina regional. Custom shops own the one-off lot. Del Webb owns the 55+ search.
Pick the corridor first (insurance and tax), then the builder, then the lot. That order is how 2027 buyers avoid paying Florida-style carrying costs on a South Carolina address.
If you want a current community-by-builder shortlist for Longs vs Carolina Forest, a spec-vs-to-be-built just give us a call:
