Run a cash-out on a typical Murrells Inlet single-family rental and the rent won’t carry it. Redfin puts the median sale price near $495K, and Apartments.com shows three-bedroom rents around $1,994 in a dated snapshot. That is roughly 0.4 percent of value per month (derived). Model that rent against a 75 percent LTV loan, with full taxes and insurance in the debt, and coverage lands around 0.7x. This is an equity story, not a cash-flow story. The investors who do well here know that going in.
DSCR Cash-Out Calculator
Run the cash-out numbers in Murrells Inlet, SC
Rate source: Freddie Mac 30-yr average via FRED® — Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis · effective Sep 24, 2026
Prefilled with starting assumptions — enter your property’s value, balance, taxes, and insurance for a more accurate picture.
Program parameters update from Lendmire’s centralized guideline source. Taxes and insurance are editable estimates.
As of Sep 24, 2026 · General Freddie Mac market benchmark, not a Lendmire loan offer. Property value, balance, taxes, and insurance are editable estimates. Maximum loan-to-value varies by lender, program, property type, and seasoning. Not a Loan Estimate, approval, or commitment to lend. Program availability and eligibility are subject to lender guidelines, credit approval, property review, and underwriting.
The Short Version:
A DSCR cash-out refinance on a Murrells Inlet, South Carolina rental is underwritten primarily on the property’s rental income measured against its full monthly obligation, so the process runs from a seasoned-ownership check through appraisal and a rent review to a lender decision, with proceeds capped by a 75 percent loan-to-value ceiling.
- Redfin’s median sale price sits well above what local rents can carry, so single-family rent covers well under 1.00x once taxes and insurance are included.
- Duplexes near a dated $440,000 multifamily median also tend to fall short of 1.00x on modeled rents, so coverage depends on the specific property and its documented income.
- A regional health system headquartered in the area anchors year-round workforce demand along the Highway 17 Bypass.
- Cash-out caps at 75 percent LTV after about six months of ownership from title recording.
- Portal medians vary widely from one source to another, so the appraisal is the swing factor.
The Highway 17 Bypass Corridor Anchors the Tenant Base
The strongest demand story in Murrells Inlet is the medical corridor, not the beach. A regional health system operates four hospitals and more than 70 outpatient locations, with the Waccamaw Community Hospital campus on the Highway 17 Bypass. The City of Georgetown’s Facts & Figures page names Tidelands the largest employer in the county. That is a year-round paycheck in a market where much of the housing stock caters to second-home buyers and visitors.
Clinicians, support staff and traveling medical workers are the likely renters there. That is inference, not sourced tenant data. The supply side is easier to document: a regional business-news recap of Georgetown County’s shared priorities lists a lack of workforce housing as a county challenge. For an owner already holding a rental near the corridor, that shortage supports lease-up and rent stability. It won’t make rent jump.
The population base is modest. The CDP held 10,044 residents in the latest five-year ACS estimate, up from 7,547 at the 2010 census. That is roughly 29 percent decade growth (derived from the 2020 count of about 9.74K). Growth is real, but the renter pool stays thin.
Where the Coverage Math Actually Clears: Duplexes
Small multifamily is the only property type here that gets coverage near 1.00x without a huge equity position. It is also the scarcest.
NeighborhoodScout puts single-family detached at 57.02 percent of housing units, with row houses and other attached homes at only 6.52 percent. Homes.com showed just two multifamily listings in a cached snapshot, spread across a very wide price range from the low end to the high end of the market. PawleysIsland.com describes the Surfside and Garden City stretch next door as mostly single-family homes, duplexes and the occasional small condo building. So expect thin 2-4 unit comps, and don’t assume a duplex appraisal will have much to lean on.
Run the numbers on a duplex valued near that $440,000 median. Model one 1-bedroom at $1,460 and one 2-bedroom at $1,851, using the Apartments.com averages as assumptions, not as leases. Against a 75 percent LTV loan with taxes and insurance in the full obligation, coverage lands in the 0.76x–0.83x range. The same loan on a single-family rental at the Redfin median, using a modeled $1,994 rent, comes out near 0.7x. Same market, same leverage ceiling. The difference is two rent streams against one basis.
DSCR files in markets like this one typically look the same. The borrower holds a seasoned asset with real equity, but the rent-to-value ratio is thin and the appraisal carries the file. Brokers usually see the strongest submissions pair a conservative value estimate with a rent schedule that has been checked against actual leases and local comps. Files that lean on portal medians tend to stall when the appraiser comes back lower.
What’s the Catch on Sub-1.00 Coverage?
Single-family owners in the 0.7x range are not in a typical standard-program position. Most standard DSCR programs are built around a 1.00x baseline, because that is where rent covers the full obligation. Some lenders may review sub-1.00 or no-ratio scenarios. Those files usually require lower leverage, stronger credit, more reserves and different pricing. Whether any of that fits depends on lender guidelines, credit approval and property review.
The honest read: if you own a single-family rental here at current values, the path to a clean 1.00x is either a smaller cash-out, a paydown or a different property type. The other option is a program that accommodates sub-1.00 files. Reserves still apply on any of these routes, typically about six months of PITIA on most files.
Skip the Oceanfront and High-End Pockets for Cash-Out Math
Not every Murrells Inlet pocket works for this strategy.
Garden City Beach is the cautionary one. Homes.com’s neighborhood guide calls it one of the few inlet-area neighborhoods allowing rental homes, a claim worth confirming locally before you rely on it. The demand there is seasonal and tied to the beach calendar. Long-term rent fit is weaker on the oceanfront side, so this strategy works better in other pockets.
Huntington Beach State Park and the Atalaya vicinity is a lifestyle draw. The 2,500-acre park pulls buyers, and the nearby housing skews high-end and second-home. High values with ordinary rents is the weakest coverage combination there is. Skip it for DSCR cash-out.
The Marsh Walk and Inlet core along Business 17 is a different case. PawleysIsland.com calls the creek-front restaurant district the heart of the Inlet. Hospitality workers are the logical tenant base, though that is inference. No sourced rent or price data exists at the neighborhood level, so treat any specific block as a comp-by-comp question.
One property-type note. NeighborhoodScout reports 18.21 percent of housing units here are mobile homes or trailers. Manufactured homes, log homes and barndominiums fall outside these DSCR programs. Don’t plan a cash-out around one.
The Cash-Out Math: Seasoning, 75 Percent and Reserves
Here is how the mechanics work for an owner who already holds the property. Programs generally look for about six months of ownership, measured from title recording. The LTV ceiling on a cash-out is 75 percent, and it is a hard cap. Credit tiers run from a 620 floor up through 660, 680 and 700, and reserves are about six months of PITIA on most files (about nine months above $1,500,000). Loan amounts go up to $3,000,000 on standard programs. All of this is guidance, not a commitment to lend, and details can shift by lender.
Proceeds are not a fixed number. They depend on appraised value, rent used for lender review, the full obligation, reserves and that 75 percent ceiling. Equity on paper doesn’t equal cash on closing. To size it, the DSCR cash-out refi mechanics page walks through the inputs, and the guide “What Is a DSCR Loan” covers how the rent-to-obligation ratio is calculated.
Here is the thing nobody likes saying. In Murrells Inlet, the cash-out is funded by equity, and the rent only has to clear the program’s coverage test. NeighborhoodScout puts median value at $586,744 and calls the town one of the most expensive places in South Carolina. Redfin’s $495K median is up 7.0 percent year over year. If you bought at a lower basis, that appreciation is your proceeds. It is also the part that can reverse.
Why Appraisals Are the Real Risk Here
This is a toss-up market for valuation, and the data shows why. Redfin shows $495K and homes selling in 90 days for the most recent three-month window. Movoto lands in between at $449,900 with 83 days on market.
Those numbers can’t all be right for the same market. Small sample sizes explain most of the swing, and Redfin’s earlier snapshot showed a median of $322,500 on only 20 sales. For a seasoned owner, that means an appraisal can land well above or well below the portal medians. Underwrite your expected proceeds on a conservative valuation and use appraised comps, not portal medians.
The softness cuts both ways. Heavy price cuts and slow absorption give buyers room to negotiate lower basis, which improves coverage on new deals. They also weaken exit comps for anyone refinancing later. These are for-sale inventory figures, not rental vacancy, and no reliable rental vacancy rate turned up in the research. Rents also look flat to slightly down: Apartments.com showed a 2.2 percent annual decline. Don’t underwrite rent growth.
Putting the Proceeds to Work
The point of pulling equity is redeployment. The sharper uses in this market are a low-basis duplex, a workforce rental in the Highway 17 corridor, or a property outside Murrells Inlet that carries better rent-to-value. Keep the next deal’s coverage in view before you pull the cash. A cash-out that funds a purchase with weak coverage just moves the problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you qualify for a DSCR cash-out refinance in Murrells Inlet?
Qualification centers on the property’s rent against its full obligation, with a 1.00x baseline on standard programs. You also need roughly six months of ownership from title recording, a credit score at or above 620 and about six months of PITIA in reserves. Final eligibility depends on lender guidelines and property review.
DSCR vs. conventional financing
There are two common ways to finance an investment property in Murrells Inlet, SC, and they qualify you differently — here’s how investors weigh them.
Why investors choose it
- Qualifies on the property’s rental income — no personal tax returns, W-2s, or pay stubs needed to document income.
- No personal debt-to-income ceiling to clear, so existing mortgages and obligations don’t cap your borrowing the same way.
- Can be closed in an LLC, keeping the property inside a business entity.
- Built for scaling — not held to the limit on number of financed properties that conventional financing applies.
- Underwriting centers on the deal: generally qualifies when the rent covers the payment, a 1.00x coverage ratio being a common baseline (confirmed in underwriting).
- Designed specifically for investment property, including long-term and, where the program allows, short-term rentals.
Where it’s strong
- Often the lowest ongoing financing cost for a buyer who fully qualifies on personal income — a fit for a first property or a cost-first purchase.
Trade-offs for investors
- Requires full personal income documentation and must fit within a debt-to-income limit — salary, existing debts, and other mortgages all count.
- Typically held in your personal name rather than a business entity.
- Caps how many financed properties you can carry, which can become a ceiling as a portfolio grows.
- Evaluates you as a borrower as much as the property, which usually means more paperwork.
How investors usually choose: a first or single property often optimizes for the lowest financing cost; portfolio builders often optimize for leverage, vesting in an LLC, and scaling past conventional caps. The right answer depends on your goals, the property, and current guidelines — both paths run through select lenders in Lendmire’s wholesale network, with eligibility and terms confirmed in underwriting.
What are the requirements for an investment property loan in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina?
Expect an appraisal, a rent schedule or market-rent opinion, a credit review and reserves. Cash-out is capped at 75 percent LTV. Manufactured homes, log homes and barndominiums fall outside the DSCR programs, and 18.21 percent of local housing units are mobile homes or trailers.
Why do Murrells Inlet price medians disagree so much?
The town is small, and monthly medians swing on a handful of sales. Redfin shows $495K, Movoto $449,900 and a market source $334,500. Appraisal comps, not portal data, determine your loan base.
Does a single-family rental in Murrells Inlet cover a cash-out at 75 percent LTV?
Usually not on long-term rent alone. Modeled coverage near the Redfin median runs around 0.7x including taxes and insurance. Lower leverage, a sub-1.00 program or a duplex structure are the routes a lender may review.
If you only take one thing from this piece, it’s this: in Murrells Inlet the equity funds the cash-out and the rent only has to pass the test, so size your proceeds on a conservative appraisal and an honest rent schedule.
For current guidelines and terms, see Lendmire’s DSCR loan programs page.
About Lendmire
Lendmire (NMLS# 2371349) is a non-QM mortgage broker serving investors in 41 markets, including Washington, D.C. It helps structure DSCR scenarios commonly evaluated around a property’s rental income rather than personal income paperwork, subject to lender guidelines. Recognized as a 2026 Scotsman Guide Top Mortgage Workplace and a top-ranked workplace in 2025, Lendmire places loans through wholesale investor lenders and is not a direct lender.
For broader investor-financing rules and property-type coverage across the state, see South Carolina DSCR loans.
Get Started
Ready to find the right loan for you?
In about 30 seconds you can review financing options available for your investment property. No commitment required.
Informational only. Not a Loan Estimate, approval, or commitment to lend. Program availability and eligibility are subject to lender guidelines, credit approval, property review, and underwriting.
References
1. Redfin, Murrells Inlet housing market
2. Apartments.com, Murrells Inlet rent trends
3. Homes.com, Murrells Inlet multifamily listings
4. City of Georgetown, Facts & Figures
5. Georgetown County’s shared priorities
6. southcarolina.hometownlocator.com — Georgetown Murrells Inlet
7. U.S. Census Bureau (census.gov) — QuickFacts
8. NeighborhoodScout, Murrells Inlet real estate
10. Homes.com’s neighborhood guide
11. pawleysisland.com — Things to Do Huntington Beach State Park
12. PawleysIsland.com, Murrells Inlet
13. Movoto
14. a 2026 Scotsman Guide Top Mortgage Workplace
15. Scotsman Guide — Top Workplaces 2025
This article is part of Lendmire’s investment property cash-out refinance program — full qualification details, guidelines, and scenarios live on the program page.
Related reading: DSCR Cash Out Refinance in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina: The 2026 DSCR Refi Guide to Marsh Walk · DSCR Cash Out Refinance in West Columbia, South Carolina: How Rent Math Clears at 75% LTV · DSCR Cash Out Refinance in Irmo, South Carolina: Equity Math for Single-Family Rentals
Guides: Investment Property Cash-Out Refinance in South Carolina
Brandon Miller
Founder & CEO, Mortgage Loan Originator, Lendmire LLC
- Mortgage Loan Originator · NMLS# 1129696 · Verify on NMLS Consumer Access
- North Carolina Real Estate Broker · License# 343312 · Verify on NCREC
- North Carolina Insurance Producer · License# 19053198 · Property, Casualty, Life, Health · Verify on NAIC SBS
- Lendmire LLC · Firm NMLS# 2371349 · Verify firm licensure
Disclosures. The information presented in this article is general market commentary, not financial, legal, or tax advice. Lendmire is a mortgage brokerage (NMLS# 2371349) — not a direct lender or depository institution — and loan placement is subject to lender underwriting. Nothing in this content represents a commitment to lend. Loan terms, pricing, and program availability vary based on borrower qualifications, property characteristics, and state of subject property, and are subject to change at any time. Lendmire complies with Equal Housing Opportunity requirements. Consumer access: nmlsconsumeraccess.org.