2 InTown Goodies Now Under Contract

Just before we left for the Domincan Republic, two more of our proud listings fetched contracts. WoOHoO!!

The first pic above is 2824 Wilmot Ave. It's a Shandon cutie that has a lot going for it. The home sits in the heart of Shandon, only a few blocks away from award winning Hand Middle School. This Wilmot house has loads of Shandon "charm," like a cute front porch, and transoms throughout. I'm sure other Shandon bungalow sellers will be curious as to why this house sold so fast over others, which I'll save for another post.

1446 Kathwood Dr. actually has a line of buyers. I knew it was only a matter of time before this house "popped," as it just has too much to offer at a "reasonable" price. Located in popular Lake Katherine, it sports four bedrooms, a bonus room, a two car garage, feeds into Brennen Elem. School, and sits on a great corner.

Birthday vacations notwithstanding, Amanda and I have been busy. These two are great additions to "the board," and we look forward to a smooth closing for both. I'm chomping at the bit to put the coveted red "Pending Contract" riders on top of the signs, but Amanda keeps tapping my brakes until inspections are completed. WAA-WAAaahhh..... :|

Just FYI, Wilmot and Kathwood are scheduled to close next month, in the $300,000-$340,000 range.

Happy Birthday Jennifer, @ Punta Cana

I haven't posted in a while, and for good reason. Last Wednesday afternoon, six of us woke up early and made our way to Dominican Republic's Hard Rock Hotel & Casino to celebrate Jennifer's 40th birthday.

To get to the resort, we had to fly around a still developing Hurricane Irene. The flight was a little bumpy, but we made it, albeit about five hours late. No matter.

I can't express how big this joint is. From what I could tell, the place offers over 2,000 rooms. BIG rooms, with a hot tub in the center of each one. There are pools everywhere, of every shape and size. The casino rivals many that Vegas offers, and the spa... Oooh, the spa.

The beach is wide and expansive with soft powder sand, which of course led to clear, cool water (Not blue... but clear water, which was Jennifer's only prerequisite when planning for the trip).

I have to admit, I was impressed. Is it a 5 Star, 5 Diamond venue? Perhaps not, but it's not supposed to be. This is an all-out, all-inclusive, fun-filled, never-run-out-of-anything-to-do place to relax, at your own personal pace.

I can't reiterate enough the sheer size of, well, everything. Many of the restaurants were as big as I've ever seen. The spa seemed endless (and I only saw the boys side, of course). The bedrooms were ginormo, complete with bathrooms that would make anyone want one in their home. The shower felt more like a car wash. So good.

I'll post more pics later, but so far I've been ordered by our fellow travelers to hold back, and can't poach off our our Shutterfly account (I can't remember my dang password). The pics above are off of my phone.

In all, it was a great trip. From breakfast, beach, pools, spa, & "casino time," I'd go back to Hard Rock-Punta Cana anytime.

Downtown Columbia's MLS Hotsheet

Columbia, SC's Latest Listings: July 20 - Aug 24, 2011
It's been a while, so it's as good'a'time as any to post Columbia's Newest Hotsheet. This edition has some good stuff all over town, including Elmwood, Forest Acres, Shandon, The Hamptons and King's Grant.

In all, there's around 140ish to click over... covering all price levels.

Have fun!!

Happy Birthday Weekend For My Girl

This weekend, my real estate world stood still as all the attention turned to my sweet girl. It's pretty unfathomable to think, but Finley S. Jones turned two years old today. As Landon Denemark taught me to say, ....WoWeE!!

Having a few parents/in-laws feeling less than 100%, we found ourselves making a whirlwind tour of Upstate, South Carolina. The photo above is at our "Mimi's" home in Anderson, SC. As you can plainly see, this was a fancy affair. Linen napkins, heirloom silver, and a large centerpiece were sweet touches. Antique bowls were filled to the brim with dippin' sauces, while chicken nuggets were plated next to crustless olive finger sandwiches. Everything was well thought out, and, well... pretty yummy.

For the first two years, Finley has been not too far from perfect. As many of my friends have heard (prolly more than once)... she's slept through the night since birth; she prefers broccoli and brussell sprouts to cookies or ice cream; she says "Peeeze," "Tan'kooo," and "Wa'kom,"; doesn't pop her knuckles; and doesn't cuss.

As you can imagine, I can't say enough about our first years with Finley. I can't wait to take her to her little schoolhouse in the morning, as we begin another year together. #LoveMyGirl :)

Good Buds Get New Gigs At Statehouse

If you know me or read this blog much, you're aware that I keep up with much of the business going on up the street at the Capitol building. Partisan politics notwithstanding, many of my good friends work in the political industry.

Yesterday, the Senate side of the building had a staff shakeup, whereas two of my good buds will enjoy new roles within the SC Senate Republican Caucus. I can't type anything more accurate than the paragraphs below, so I'll yield to http://www.scsenategop.com for the details.

Good for these fellas on their new gigs. They do a good job, and I'm sure Sen. Peeler (R-Cherokee) is pumped about his new caucus lineup.

From what I understand, political innovator Wesley Donehue will continue to do what he does @scsenategop.com .

Well done, friends. FJ

COLUMBIA, SC – August 17, 2011 – Mark Harmon will take over as Executive Director of the South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus. Prior to this position, he served as the Caucus Research Director for the past six years. He is replacing Lisa Manini-Sox who served in this position for the past 10 years.

During his time as Research Director, Mark worked on several important pieces of legislation, the most recent of which include Tort Reform, Voter ID, Card Check, and Reform of the Unemployment System. He has worked hard at advancing many important conservative issues and will continue to do so as the Executive Director.

“I want to thank Majority Leader Peeler for bringing me onto his staff nearly six years ago, and also for allowing me the opportunity to take on this new challenge. The past six legislative sessions I spent working in the South Carolina Senate as Majority Research Director have been nothing short of rewarding. My goal was simply to do everything within my abilities to help the members help the people of our state by enacting the most commonsense and conservative laws. In my new role as Executive Director, I intend to continue pursuing an agenda to make South Carolina prosper, while also working to build upon the Republican majority in the Senate,” said Mark Harmon.

The goal of the Executive Director is to help expand the Republican majority in the Senate. Mark will help the caucus raise funds for reelection and work with all the Republican Senators to have a unified direction for each legislative session.

“Mark has done an excellent job serving the caucus as the Research Director. I am happy to see him take over this position and look forward to the the future successes his leadership will bring about,” said Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler.

Mark is a native of Gaffney and graduated from Clemson University with a bachelor of science degree in Ceramic and Materials Engineering.

Ben Twilley has been named Mark Harmon’s replacement as the Majority Research Director. Ben will be tasked with researching and forming conservative legislation to help get our state’s economy moving again. He currently serves as a budget analyst for the House Ways and Means Committee. He previously worked for the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. Ben is from Graniteville and he graduated from the University of South Carolina.

“It is going to take creative ideas to get our economy back on track,” Peeler said. “Ben understands South Carolina’s business climate and the impact big government and high spending have on our economy. I know he will help our Senators draft good conservative bills to spur economic growth.”

2 Druid Hills Listings Under Contract

Recently, Amanda and I put two Druid Hills homes on the market. As of this week, both of these houses on well-traveled Harrison Rd. are SOLD. :)

The first pic is a sneak of the interior of 3120 Harrison Rd. I don't have a link tonight, as it has already been taken off most of the national websites. Nevertheless, you can tell from the pic (check out that granite slab!) that this house was "done right."

The 2nd pic, 3204 Harrison Rd., has its own attractive features. My favorite part of this listing is the property itself. It's a big corner lot, with loads of concrete (some covered), that translates into good outdoor entertaining space.

Every now and then I'm approached by folks that are under the impression that we don't want to list homes under the $250,000 range. This is not the case... and these two properties are prime examples of this.

Both of these Harrison Rd. listings received the same treatment and exposure on the national websites (Realtor.com, Zillow.com, Homes.com, ColdwellBanker.com, etc.) that any Heathwood, Shandon, Lake Katherine, Forest Acres, or King's Grant home enjoys. We pay handsome sums to maximize all of our listings, no matter their price point. In short, we're volume Realtors and want to move property for our clients, period.

Both of these homes are set to close between $100,000 and $110,000, respectively. Hopefully, the coveted red "Sale Pending" and "SOLD" riders will be placed on the blue Coldwell Banker signs by Wed. afternoon. WOoHoO!

GOP Debate Was Fun Late Night TV

Bachmann Found Some Forest Among The Trees