Miami look in Myrtle Beach. How Grande Dunes became a SC’s high-dollar real estate area
The Myrtle Beach area is home to many expensive homes.
Houses sell for millions of dollars, and while there are expensive homes across the Grand Strand, the Grande Dunes area is home to some of the most pricey abodes.
First conceived as a project during the 1990s, Grande Dunes’ architecture initially resembled the South Florida designs of famed builder Addison Mizner. Homes had features like tile roofs, stucco, columns, and arches on the outside, and interior elements were luxurious too, extenuated by high ceilings and extensive detailing.
The intent was to bring something new to the Myrtle Beach area, said Michael King. King is the CEO/Founder of KingOne Properties International and, from 1996 to 2005, was the Director of Real Estate Sales for Grande Dunes.
“I took them down to South Florida, a lot of the senior vice presidents, and we went around, and we looked at developments from the panhandle, all the way down the west coast of Florida, and all the way up to the east coast of Florida, and I said, ‘this is what we need to do,’” King said in an interview with The Sun News. “It’s different. It’s a big risk, but at the same time, it’s a big reward.”
He added that the project, launched by Burroughs & Chapin, required a massive initial investment and thus somewhat of a risk at the time, King said.
“The hardest thing that I really had to talk them into doing was put $100 million worth of infrastructure in before we closed our first sale,” He added. “And they did it.”
That sale would come in October 2000 in the Castillo del Mar section, the first completed house selling for $1.15 million, King said.
Bruce Carrell was also involved in that process. President of the Carrell Group, a luxury custom home building firm, Carrell has built more than 1,200 homes along the Grand Strand, between 200 and 300 in the Grande Dunes area alone.
A third-generation developer who got his builder’s license in 1987, Carrell was part of some initial focus groups that determined the Grande Dunes concept.
“At one point (it was) entertained making (Grande Dunes) look kind of like Charleston with the long shotgun houses, but ultimately obviously decided on the Mediterranean or Floridian look,” Carrell said in an interview with The Sun News. “They challenged me and a few other builders to go to Florida and study that and bring it back to Myrtle Beach that was late 90s.”
Carrell’s company built the first home in Grande Dunes, continues to design houses for the area, and has lived there since around 2005.
“One of the things that we were required to do was to put two spec homes up,” Carrell added. “Up until that time, I don’t think I had done a spec house, maybe more than $400,000. So it was a huge roll of the dice for me and my company to jump off on a limb or something like that ... and it was a big boost to our business.”
Ultimately, the Grande Dunes development paid off. King said the development was the first time a home in Myrtle Beach sold for more than a million dollars, not on the Oceanfront. He added that Grande Dunes had $45 million in new home sales in 2001, $62 million in 2002, $103 million in 2003 and $281 million in 2005 in new home sales.
“There’s always been a lot of money that’s coming to Myrtle Beach, but there’s never been a development like Grande Dunes,” King added. “We brought a property to this area that satisfied the people with money that were coming here and a property that would attract people from all over the world. We did that.”
While many of the most expensive houses in Grande Dunes still have Mizner-influenced designs, there has been a shift in some of the area’s architecture. Carrell lives in a Grande Dunes home that blends the grandeur and elegance of the early Grande Dunes with newer, more casual features.
“Opulent is a word I would use for a lot of those early projects,” Carrell added. “As time went on, people’s tastes shifted a little bit, and the houses became a little more casual, a little less detailed.”
Given the high-end style of the area, here are the five most expensive houses in the Grande Dunes on Zillow.
5. 8534 La Costa Drive
At $999,000 8534 La Costa Drive is the fifth most expensive property in the Grande Dunes area on Zillow. Built in 2003, it’s the oldest house on the list.
With four beds and four baths, the 3,189 square-foot home sits next to the Grande Dunes Resort Club, a small lake separating it from the golf course.
The single-family home was previously listed on Zillow Nov. 14, 2023, at $1,160,000. The 0.38-acre property was purchased for $633,367 in May 2003 and now has a market value of $613,010, according to Horry County Land Records.
4. 8205 Sandlapper Way
Currently listed for $1,125,000 on Zillow, 8205 Sandlapper Way’s blue exterior is new to the Grande Dunes area, being built in 2019.
The house is 2,706 square feet with four beds and baths and a view of a small lake from the back porch. The single-family home was previously listed on Zillow Nov. 13, 2023, at $1,175,000.
The property itself is a 0.15-acre tract, according to Horry County Land Records. First purchased in June 2019 for $741,149, it has a market value of $721,880, according to Horry County Land Records.
3. 1579 Bellini Court
The third most expensive home in Grande Dunes greets you with a stately entrance and estate-esque interior.
Built in 2007, 1579 Bellini Court is listed for $2,599,000 on Zillow and has been on sale for 154 days. At 5,900 square feet with four beds and five baths, 15799 Bellini Court has a red and white paver driveway accompanied by a fountain.
The Bellini Court property is 0.61 acres and was last purchased in 2007 for almost $1.4 million, according to Horry County Land Records. Horry County Land Records also lists 1579 Bellini Court’s market value at about $1.33 million.
2. 1775 Serena Drive
Sitting next to the Intracoastal Waterway and a walk away from the Grande Dunes Resort Club, 1775 Serena Drive is one of two ultra-expensive homes on the same street listed on Zillow.
Listed at about $2.7 million, the four-bed, four-bath and 4,901-square-foot house was built in 2015 and went on sale in Nov. 2023. The home also comes with a pool and palmetto trees lining the backyard.
The 0.54-acre Serena Drive property was first purchased in 2016 for $1.4 million before changing ownership again in 2019 for about $1.7 million, according to Horry County Land Records.
Horry County Land Records lists the property’s market value at about $1.6 million. While very impressive, a proposed home next to 1775 Serena Drive would eclipse its price and size.
1. 1771 Serena Drive
Next to 1775 Serena Drive, 1771 Serena Drive currently sits empty. One proposed design on Zillow wants to change that.
The nearly three million dollar, 5,400 square foot home would have five bedrooms, seven baths and a view along the Intracoastal Waterway.
The plan also calls for a hot tub/spa, sauna, pool and elevator. The 0.38-acre plot was bought by its current owners in Oct. 2020 for $350,000, according to Horry County Land Records.
It is also currently the eighth most expensive listing on Zillow for the Myrtle Beach, S.C. area. Despite the opulent design, 1771 Serena Drive would not be the most expensive home on the street.
While not listed on Zillow, 1681 Serena Drive currently has a market value of about $4.8 million, according to Horry County Land Records.
Built in 2006, the 9,787-square-foot mansion has four beds and five baths, according to Horry County Land Records. The house was listed on Zillow for sale in 2022; its highest asking price reached $7.5 million in Aug. 2022 before being taken off the market in September.
