More Red Tape On The Way?

Below is an email that many of us received today from the Home Builders Association. Some of these bullet points sound borderline intrusive. I hope that "Red Tape" does not get in the way of my soon to be installed black shutters.... FJ

Call To Action
The City of Columbia Planning Commission will discuss the adoption of "Interim Measures for Community Character Protection" for the following neighborhoods at their meeting on Monday, December 3rd beginning at 5:15 pm in City Council Chambers - Cottonwood, Heathwood, Hollywood/RoseHill, Shandon, Wales Garden, and Sherwood Forest.

If you own properties in these neighborhoods your homes/investments could be affected in the following ways:

• If you want to expand or change your house in any way that is visible from the street (additions, shutters, screen doors, convert porch to room, etc.) except paint color, you will need permission from the Design Development Review Commission (DDRC).
• All residential structures used as housing are affected.
• All changes made to your house must make your home look consistent with the other houses in the neighborhood (height, materials, design).
• The Design Development Review Commission's decisions are appealable only to SC Circuit Court (not City Council). This process could take several years.
• If you have a large lot and you want to subdivide and sell it, you no longer can do so in most circumstances.
• If you want to demolish your house, you will need permission from the DDRC.
• If you want to demolish an old house that will cost more to renovate than rebuild, you probably cannot do so anymore

We expect some favorable amendments to be offered to the interim measures requiring a majority vote of the property owners to opt in for the "community protection measures" rather than a decision of those that may have attended a meeting of the Homeowners Association. You need to attend the Planning Commission meeting in support of this amendment.

You should also plan to attend the Public Hearing before City Council on January 16, 2008 at 10:00 am. This may be the last chance you get to speak for yourself and your investments.

Party of the Year, Every Year...

Tonight holds one of the most fun events that Columbia has to offer. The Junior League of Columbia blasts off their annual Holiday Market via the incredibly popular Preview Party.

The Preview Party serves as the venue where all that attend bring out their best.

I know we have Gamecock tailgating, St. Patrick's Day, The Carolina Cup, Governor's Gala's, etc., but this seems to serve as an outlet where some of Columbia's hardest working women get to have "their night." Perhaps the best part about it is that the men support them, and then some.

More people know one another at The Preview Party than any other event that I have attended in Columbia. I dare anyone to try to move more than 20 feet for a drink or a catfish bite without giving someone a hug or shaking a hand.

Once again, this year's chairs (Tracy and Linda) seem to have done an incredible job. You and your committee are a great microcosm of why The Junior League is so successful in all of it's endeavors. Congratulations! The building looks great!

See you in a few hours!!!

USC/CLEMSON: First Game of Season?

Should Carolina/Clemson be the first game of the season?
This thought may not sit well with many people, but it may be worth taking a good look. In time, the move actually may act as a pioneer among rivalries.

I bring this up as a strategic move for both programs. Given the way teams move up and down the polls in the BCS era, if a team is going to lose, it is far better to lose early. Having said this, one never knows how a rivalry game is going to end up. If we play the "Big Game" early, it will only help both programs (obviously the loser), to get that loss out of the way. I recognize that for this strategy to even matter, one or both team's records have to be worth a flip. I'm just setting up a good situation for both teams, if one or both had outstanding records.

If "buildup" is the dilemma, I can't imagine anymore anticipation than 8 months of no college football, only to be "kicked off" by Clemson/Carolina.

Think about it. Here we sit with deflated Clemson fans (from last week's loss) and disappointed USC fans (it started w/loss to Vandy), half heartedly cruising to Williams-Brice to play this game. What I'm getting at is, there isn't much hype this year for this rivalry game, and there is a reason for this. Conversely, if this game were the first one of the year, it would be HUGE every year by default.

At the very least this idea warrants some discussion and at most I think a "first week" Carolina/Clemson game would be followed by other rivalry games.

How about a 3 year pilot run?

Travel Season Begins...

Well, the statewide traveling season began today.

If you are like me, you will crisscross South Carolina's web of asphalt to see your many family members for Thanksgiving. I hope all of you have a great time hanging out with your inlaws and/or old high school buddies.

I think it's cool to see buddies at different gas stations or rest stops as we all travel to our different hometowns. For me, the most popular station without fail is the one at the "Big" Clinton exit (where 385 splits off from I-26). You all know it well. Its the one with the dueling Waffle Houses.

Anyway, I'm halfway to Anderson at the moment (in Clinton). Jenna and I hope to be back in Columbia on Friday afternoon (so I can show a house). That will give us all of Saturday to devote to USC/Clemson!!!

"5th Highest Year on Record..."

ROCK VEGAS IS ON FIRE; COAST STILL SLOW

Below is part of a press release that was distributed not too long ago. I only posted the last 3 paragraphs of the release, because I thought the rest would only be interesting to Realtors. Although Columbia is not mentioned, I sure am glad to know that most of the Midlands is holding steady! Rock Hill is still on fire.... FJ

In 2007, the Rock Hill area (+16.6%) continues to lead the state in growth, while the Myrtle Beach area (-28.9%) and Beaufort (-24%) reported the largest sales declines. The Hilton Head Area (+7.8%) reported positive sales growth in the third quarter for the first time this year. Year to date sales in the Hilton Head area are only 5% below 2006 levels, a significant improvement from the first quarter of the year.

“Especially in the unique markets of South Carolina, all real estate is local. It’s important to consult a Realtor, because market conditions can vary from one neighborhood to the next and from month to month,” Kremydas said.

According to Kremydas, 2007 is on track to be the fifth highest year on record for existing-home sales in South Carolina and nationwide. “Although sales are off from the peak in 2005, there is a historically high level of home sales taking place this year – one out of every 16 American households is buying a home this year.“

GO SKYHAWKS!!!!

FOOTBALL HAMMOND REPEATS!
Zemp kicks winning field goal as Skyhawks rally by forcing two late fumbles
By JOHN DEVLIN - Special to The State

For full coverage, visit www.midlandspreps.com

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ENTIRE HAMMOND FAMILY !!!

Historic Designations...

This is a combination of two stories in The State regarding Historic designations. My mom is not going to be happy to know that her generation of houses are now deemed "Historic." FJ

For '50s Style, Still Happy Days
Columbia neighborhood enjoying the prestige that comes with a spot on National Register
In 1925, the streets of Forest Hills were laid out by a landscape designer, so they wind and cross at unexpected turns on slopes shaded by evergreens.

HISTORIC DISTRICTS: Columbia neighborhoods

Forest Hills is the latest Columbia neighborhood to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The others are:

• Columbia Historic District, including Arsenal Hill and the Governor’s Mansion

• Columbia Historic District II, including the Robert Mills House, Hampton-Preston Mansion, Seibels House and Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home

• Old Campus District at the University of South Carolina, including the Horseshoe

• West Gervais Street Historic District

• Allen University Historic District

• Elmwood Park Historic District

• Waverly Historic District

• Benedict College Historic District

• Granby Mill Village Historic District

• Bellevue Historic District, also known as Cotton Town

• Old Shandon Historic District

• University Neighborhood Historic District

SOURCE: S. C. Department of Archives and History

ACC Trumps SEC... in Home Pricing

Boston, Mass. helps the ACC double up on the SEC in a recent study.

Coldwell Banker Performed a College Market Analysis for homes in the communities of 119 Division 1A schools. The model home used was a 2,220 sq. ft. home with 4 bedrooms/2.5 baths w/ a family room and a 2 car garage.

Muncie, Indiana (Home of Ball State University) is the most affordable college town to live in with a $150,000 average price for the model home. For the third straight year, the home of Stanford University is the most expensive. Palo Alto, California's average price for the home is $1,677,000.00

Below are the rankings for the SEC and ACC respectively. I didn't think that my readers would be interested in all of the rankings, so I kept it local. Remember, the average price reflects the town/city that the school helps populate. You will have to know the proper city that corresponds with the school to fully appreciate the list.

Recognize that the ACC's entire average is almost double that of the SEC's. This is mainly because of Boston and Miami. Boston College is #2 in the entire country, behind #1 Stanford.

You will quickly notice that in both conferences, the South Carolina schools rank least expensive. I must admit, I'm a little surprised that Columbia and Clemson didn't bring a higher dollar amount than some of the other rural towns on the list. I'm guessing that the only reason that Clemson (which is in Pickens County) topped the $200,000.00 mark, is because of the nice homes on Lake Hartwell, which is a pretty hot lake to live on...

Southeastern Conference - 2007 Avg. Price
University of South Carolina - $198,967
University of Tennessee - $202,450
Mississippi State University - $220,767
University of Kentucky - $234,500
Vanderbilt University - $238,333
University of Alabama - $241,333
University of Georgia - $248,633
Louisiana State University - $250,444
University of Arkansas - $252,950
University of Mississippi - $276,750
Auburn University - $282,600
University of Florida - $305,750
Conference Average Price $246,123

Atlantic Coast Conference - 2007 Avg. Price
Clemson University - $219,600
Wake Forest University - $228,900
Duke University - $229,900
North Carolina State University - $238,000
Virginia Tech University - $292,250
Georgia Tech University - $324,000
Florida State University - $354,538
University of Virginia - $374,080
University of North Carolina - $387,808
University of Maryland - $428,750
University of Miami - $638,333
Boston College - $1,381,250
Conference Average Price $424,784

I think two stats are incredibly interesting: 1) That prices in Gainsville (#1 in the SEC) wouldn't even make the top half of the ACC. 2) That the cities that house Arkansas, Ole Miss and Auburn have higher home prices than Winston Salem, Durham and Chapel Hill. Interesting, to say the least...

Watch Your Squirrel...

"A squirrel is to a home's chimney, as a mouse is to an elephant's trunk." FJ This is now first hand knowledge...

A chimney sweep took a look at our chimney and lo and behold, he found some blockage. A 20 pound squirrel's nest to be more specific. A 20 POUND NEST IN OUR CHIMNEY!!!!!!! Jenna said that he pulled 3 big bags worth of crap out of our chimney. We were all stunned.

In our case, it isn't the "chimney" that vents a fireplace. This is the chimney that many of us have that vents the furnace to the outside. In short, our house almost burned down because of a gigantic nest. The blockage was forcing the heat back down into the furnace, which is in the basement. Oooooof.

I will be doing more of 1 or 2 things from now on: 1) Attempting to have the HVAC company inspect chimneys during the standard HVAC inspection. 2) Have a chimney inspection during the 10 day "inspection" period. Either way, this was a learning experience...