Buyers and sellers · Grand Strand
Buying or selling income property? Start with the questions.
For multifamily, property bought for short-term rental use, commercial property, RV parks, and manufactured-home parks, the numbers only matter once the documents and rules behind them are known. This page organizes those questions for owners and buyers, including people evaluating the Grand Strand from somewhere else.
Jeff's published profile identifies investment property and multifamily among his areas of work. Ask him about the property you are evaluating.
Two starting points
Are you buying or selling?
The same property looks different from each side. Pick the one that fits and bring what you know.
Buying
You are evaluating a property to buy.
Decide what you can document before you decide what it might earn.
- Name the asset type and the exact address, park, or building you are considering.
- List the documents you will ask the seller for before relying on any number.
- Separate what is permitted today from what you hope to do later.
- Choose the lender, attorney, insurance and tax professionals who will review it.
Selling
You own a property and are weighing a sale.
A buyer will ask for the same records you would ask for. Know what they are.
- Gather current leases or rental records, expense history, and property tax and insurance bills.
- Confirm which permits, licenses, and registrations apply and whether they are current.
- Identify anything that transfers with the property and anything that does not.
- Ask about price, timing, and preparation before the property is marketed.
By property type
Different assets, different first questions.
These are prompts for your own research and your professionals. They are not a statement of what any specific property allows or earns.
Multifamily
Rent roll and unit-level facts, not a headline rent.
- How many units, and which are occupied under written leases?
- What do trailing twelve-month income and expense statements show?
- Who pays utilities, and are they separately metered?
- What deferred repairs, capital needs, or code items are known?
Short-term rental use
Is short-term rental the intended use of this property, and is it allowed there?
- What do the HOA or building documents say about rental length and frequency?
- Which local license, tax registration, and permit requirements apply to this address?
- What does address-specific rental history show, and who can document it?
- What does the insurer require, and at what cost?
Commercial property
Which zoning, tenant, and lease facts apply to the intended use?
- What is the zoning, and does it allow the intended use?
- What are the lease terms, who pays taxes, insurance and maintenance, and when do leases end?
- What do environmental, survey, and flood information show?
- What access, parking, signage and utility facts matter for the use?
RV parks
Which site, utility, and license facts can the seller document?
- How many sites are permitted, and how many are actually usable?
- Are guests short-stay, seasonal, or long-term, and how is that documented?
- What water, septic or sewer, and electrical capacity serves the sites?
- Which licenses and approvals apply, and do they transfer to a new owner?
Manufactured-home parks
Are you evaluating the park itself or a single home in one?
- Is this a park purchase or a single manufactured home on a lot or land? Each has its own checks.
- Who owns the homes, and who owns the land under them?
- What do lot leases, rents, and arrears records show?
- What utilities are shared, and what condition are they in?
- What state and local rules apply to the park and to changes in ownership?
Twelve months, documented
What to have in hand before you trust a number.
Ask for records that cover a full year. A projection built on a single strong season, or on figures nobody can document, is a guess.
Income
Leases, rent roll, or booking and payment records covering a full twelve months, including slow months.
Operating costs
Utilities, management, maintenance and repairs, supplies, licenses, and payroll or contractor costs.
Fixed costs
Property taxes, insurance quotes for the current use, HOA or association dues, and any special assessments.
Financing
A written loan quote for this asset type, including down payment, rate type, and what the lender requires.
Vacancy and turnover
Occupancy history, seasonality, cleaning or turnover costs, and the months income actually dips.
Capital and reserves
Roofs, systems, paving, utilities, and other large items, with dates and quotes where available.
Rules and permits
Zoning, licenses, tax registrations, and association rules, confirmed in writing for this property.
Not local to the Grand Strand?
Questions to settle before you rely on a distant property.
Get these answered in writing where you can before you rely on the property.
- Who will physically inspect the property, and can you attend or see a live video walk-through?
- Who will manage it day to day, what do they charge, and can you speak with their current clients?
- Which local attorney, title company, and insurance agent will you use, and have you spoken with them?
- What do flood, hurricane, and wind coverage cost for this exact address, and is the quote written?
- How will you handle repairs, emergencies, and tenant or guest issues when you are not nearby?
- Which local taxes, licenses, and registrations apply to an owner who lives elsewhere?
- What would you need to see to walk away, and who will give you an honest second opinion?
Keep going
Read the local guides, then talk with Jeff.
The guides name decisions that still need address-specific checking. They are not rental projections, valuations, or advice.
Buying a vacation rental in Myrtle Beach
Rules, expenses, management, and the questions to answer before counting on rental income.
Read moreIs Murrells Inlet a good investment?
Property types, local considerations, and the facts an investor should verify.
Read moreGrand Strand real estate investors
The general Forturro investor page: search paths, input worksheet, and due-diligence checklist.
Read moreTalk with Jeff Forman
Tell Jeff what you are buying or selling.
Share the property type, the area, and what you still need to confirm. For homes and land currently for sale, the general Grand Strand search shows active listings; it is not filtered for parks, commercial property, or rental permission, and listings change.
General education only. This page is not financial, tax, legal, appraisal, insurance, or investment advice and does not promise income, appreciation, or returns. Property use, permits, financing, insurance, and operating results vary and must be independently verified for each property.