Columbia's Newest Listings

>>Columbia's Hotsheet Feb. 11 - 26, 2009

Classic Shandon Bungalow Hits Market

>> 3308 Wheat St. in Shandon is For Sale

This classic brick Shandon bugalow sits on one of Shandon's most popular streets. This home boasts just over 1,600 feet and has 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths.

3308 Wheat has nice hardwoods, smooth ceilings, great kitchen, nice master bedroom and a large screened porch to watch the walkers and bikers that Shandon is famous for. The back deck overlooks a manicured backyard that features a great wired storage building that sits on a concrete slab.

The reason this Shandon cutie is a little larger than most bungalows is because a true master bath was added onto the original house.

Welcome to Shandon...where residents can walk to anything on Devine/5 Points and five minutes to anything downtown.

There will be an Open House at this home on Sunday the first weekend in March.

Learn What a "Trillion" Really is

WOW! This Piece Makes You Think

As I was cruising around Facebook tonight, I noticed one of my buddies updated his blog with an interesting story on YouTube from CNN. Thanks Nathan!

The story speaks to how much money a trillion dollars ($1,000,000,000,000.) actually is. Some of their illustrations are actually quite amazing.

The mathematician sort of hits the nail on the head. The public hears the words million, billion and trillion and doesn't really 'feel' the difference when a politician or economist spouts out 'illions on TV. OH how they're different. Pretty interesting...

Give Credit Where Credit is Due

Joker Meets Oscar - Well Deserved

I don't know much about acting. Actually, I don't know much about Hollywood. However, I do know that when I was sitting in a theater at the beach watching The Dark Knight, I was seriously impressed.

When we showed up, I bought our ticket expecting to watch Batman do his thing. Enter Heath Ledger as The Joker.

The late Ledger completely stole the show. He was gross, happy, awful, nasty, ugly, disturbing, funny and sometimes made sense all wrapped into one character. His makeup licking tongue was borderline barf and the only line I can quote from the movie is, "Wanna See a Magic Trick?"

In my mind Tom Hanks is probably the best actor in Hollywood, but this single performance was probably the best that I can recall. Sitting there, I knew I was watching a great performance.

I wasn't watching when Heath won his Oscar, but I'm glad he did. He deserved it.

Big Open House Day All Over Town

Real Team Hosts Four Open Houses Sunday 2 - 4

We're opening 4 great houses to the public tomorrow. The list below is in the order of the pictures. Come visit us if you get a chance as it's an easy way for you to see some great houses.

1. 228 Wateree Avenue - Wales Garden - 4/2.1 - $495,000.

2. 10 Hobonny Ln. - King's Grant - 5/4.3 - $995,000.

3. 600 N. King's Grant Dr. - King's Grant - 4/3.1 - $624,900.

4. 387 Alexander Circle - Gregg Park - 5/3.1 - $549,900.

See some of you tomorrow!!!

Blossom St. Home is Classic Shandon

>>3215 Blossom Street Hit Market Today

People love Shandon. They love Shandon for it's huge hardwood canopies, sidewalks on both sides of most streets, it's proximity to anything downtown and the charm of the homes that populate the neighborhood.

This particular home is larger than most bungalow's with 1,708 sq. ft. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths.

The sun room in the front is perfect for watching the walkers and bikers go by. From front to back the living space is very open with hardwoods throughout. The open plan makes it great for entertaining and the new kitchen is full of granite and stainless appliances.

Call or email if you know anyone that would love to live one block from Devine Street in one of Columbia's most popular neighborhoods. This Shandon charmer is offered for $289,900.

Home Buyers Tax Incentives Powerful

My Clients Are Loving Homeowner Tax Credits
As most of us know, the $15,000 tax credit for home buyers didn't make it into the final version of President Obama's "Stimulus Package." This was a little bit of a bummer, but I'm not overly worried about it as I think something good is coming down the pipe to address the nation's housing situation.

When it comes to the package, I recognize that my friends are pretty much split down the middle. Having said that, the great majority of my friends would love to take advantage of $15,000 tax credit.

I'm not sure what sort of housing package is coming down the pipe. I do know that first time home buyers can qualify for an $8,000 credit. Combine this with the already tax deductible interest part of your payment and it becomes a powerful thing come tax time. Click http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/ for information.

Stay tuned for the next wave of housing tax credits.

Hammock Replaces Louis's at Pawley's

Louis's and The Fish Camp Now in Pawley's Past

On our way back to the Black's condo, I had to make my buddy pull over so I could take a picture of the new sign where "Louis's" once was. It was expected but still sad to see. Louis's and The Fish Camp Bar were staples in our rotation when we visit the beach.

I hope "High Hammock Maverick Seaside Kitchen" will have great food and will be as fun as Louis's/Fish Camp was. We've had a lot of good times scarfing down She Crab Soup while watching "Dee's Guys" fire everyone up in front of the gazebo at The Pawley's Island Hammock Shops.

I'm sure it will be great and I hope we'll frequent the new establishment. Even though it doesn't enjoy the great views of most restaurants in nearby Murrell's Inlet, I'm sure we'll give High Hammock a fair shot.

When I got out of the car to explore a little, the outside venue wasn't open yet. I'm sure it will be ready for this years beach season.

Beach Weekend in Feburary

Thanks to the Blacks We're Hangin' at the Beach
At the last moments of last week we decided to pack up the cars and head to the beach. One of the greatest things about living in Columbia, is that you can hop in the car and be at a beach in less than two hours.

This particular trip was a little long. My careful wife was spooked by the incredible amount of deer on the road. I don't blame her. We probably saw more deer on this trip than I've seen in the last 10 trips. Keep in mind that we almost always come through Manning, Greeleyville and Andrews to get here, so our deer sightings may be escalated compared to most beach travelers.

Either way, I'm glad we're here. Yesterday we played two hours of windy tennis and later ate in Murrell's Inlet. It rained all day today so we all just sat around with our laptops in our laps.

Tomorrow we start the day at one of our favorite golf courses, Caledonia. We love playing here as it's a seriously manicured course with some awesome marsh views. I hope it's not too cold as I will be sporting shorts and a stocking cap. :-)

Given today's economy we're fortunate to be at the beach at all. Mr. and Mrs. Black are kind to offer their Surfside condo for the weekend.

Floating River Condo's For Sale

What a Great Way to Live and Travel the Country

Below is a description of the new floating city called The Marquette. At present it looks pretty pricey for today's national economic environment, but it's a pretty cool concept and I hope it works out for the developer.

Articles around the internet tout that The Marquette will travel 6,000 miles of American waterways. For those that don't love to vacation at the same beach house every year, this seems like a great alternative. Personally, I could love either one.

In South Carolina, there's debate about the floating fishing shacks that dot our lakes and rivers. Some people love them and some think it's not fair that because they don't sit on actual dirt, they're immune from property taxes. It makes me wonder if these floating condos are immune as well. Interesting. FJ

The boat will travel the northern waterways in the summer and southern waterways in the winter months. The boat is not age-restricted but it has been most appealing to people age 48 and older, according to Nelson.

At 600 feet long and 108 feet wide, The Marquette will be the largest inland passenger vessel in the world. The vessel will consist of 4 barges tethered together for normal navigation on the river. The boat can be temporarily divided into sections when traveling through locks or narrow sections of waterway. The entire boat is expected to have 180 units with an estimated 350-400 residents at full capacity. All units will have exterior views with balconies and range in size from 528 to 924 square feet.

Buyers can choose from full or partial ownership. Partial owners live aboard the vessel in alternating 4 month periods. For full ownership, prices currently range from $300,000 to $500,000 and annual operating expenses from $13,200 to $23,100. The Marquette will offer a variety of services to its residents including concierge, theater, activity rooms, library, fitness center, pool, walking track and chapel. In addition, shore services such as bus, car and scooter rental will be available at the various stops along the way.

So far, the success of the project remains to be seen. According to Nelson, the vessel is at least two years from launching. Because the entire boat consists of 4 separate barges, the boat can actually launch when 2 of the boats are sold and the remaining 2 will join when they sell out. Construction will not begin until around 80 of the units are sold. At this time, the project is approximately 10 percent sold.

Columbia's Real Estate Hotsheet

>>>Columbia's Newest Listings; Feb. 2 - 10, 2009

Game Changer Coming This August

We're On Our Way Now... It's Daddy Time!

If we're friends on Facebook, you know that I don't change my Profile Picture very often. On Friday I had a big time changing it to one of these Ultrasounds pictures. The inquiries immediately started pouring in on the site. When I changed my Status Update to ...."Franklin and Jenna would like to announce to our friends that...," my Facebook page went crazy.

I want to thank all of my Friends for their comments and support. I had such a good time reading them. As I later commented, "Of the millions of Facebook...my friends are the best"... I meant it.

I know this is a Columbia real estate blog and that some readers don't know me. Having said this, I couldn't pass up on posting this news. Our doctors appointment was just such an awesome event that I had to post the pictures.

My wife Jenna is absolutely GIDDY. Thank you for enduring a proud daddy's moment on TeamFranklin.com. :-)

50K Adjustment on King's Grant Home

Listing "On the Loop" Has New Motivation

Of the 10 or so homes for sale in King's Grant, I'm flattered to have two of the best. The "white house with the red door" just enjoyed a $50,000 price reduction. The reason for the reduction is that we found the seller a new house. This is good news for the next owner of this one.

600 N. King's Grant Dr. has many popular features for today's buyer; 3,600+ sq.ft., four bedrooms, large downstairs owner's suite, open floorplan, granite countertops, large FROG, enormous screened porch and a crystal clear pool. The lot even sits on the high side of the street which makes the home feel even more stately.

Call/Email/Text if you would like to know more. The seller has a new motivation.

Senator Introduces Cuss Money Bill

Senator Could Flush or Crush State with Cuss Money

We all know the terms Maybank's Money, Lottery Money and Poker Money. Now we have Robert Ford's "Cuss Money". If Senator Ford has his way, South Carolina may be the richest state in the union. The flip side is that everyone will be completely broke.

Senator Robert Ford (D-Charleston) filed a bill that would make it illegal to use profanity in the Palmetto State. The bill calls for anyone that swears, orally or in writing, to spend up to five years in jail or pay a fine of $5,000. FIVE GRAND! Wow...

I'm all for creativity and don't usually criticize anyone's ideas, but this one is unrealistic and down right not good.

Which words are exactly considered profane is still unclear in Ford's bill, but it does have a list of qualifications for profanity including words or actions that are lewd, vulgar, or indecent in nature.

Many of you will be quick to cite an American's First Amendment right to freedom of speech. While freedom of speech is a right, it is not absolute. The First Amendment doesn't give us the right to say anything we want, anytime we want. Remember the Social Studies teacher that taught us that we can't yell "FIRE" in a full movie theater? Well... there ya go.

I'm all for a more perfect South Carolina, but this may be the most naive attempt at it that I can think of. Maybe it's a publicity stunt. Who knows....

Perhaps Senator Ford is trying to put 1000 Sandlappers in every single South Carolina jail cell, or perhaps he's trying to fix the state's economy by charging $5,000 per cuss word. Whatever he's doing, the bill is ridOnculous and I hope it doesn't require much time in committee or on the floor.

P.S. I know this isn't breaking news or anything, as the bill was all over the internet a few days ago. It just made me shake my head so many times that I thought it deserved a mention.

P.S.S. Senator Ford is pondering a run for Governor in 2010.

Columbia's Real Estate Hotsheet

>>>Columbia's Newest Hotsheet; Jan 22 - Feb 1, 2009