Newest King's Grant Listing Hits Market

25 Otranto Lane In King's Grant Is For Sale
At 3,412 sq. ft. and 4 bedrooms with 4 baths, this home fits a lot of buyer's needs. Even more attractive, most of the footage and rooms are conveniently located on the first level.

As awesome as the house 'lives,' the star of 25 Otranto is the privacy of the lot. Without exaggeration, this may be the most private property I've ever listed in King's Grant. Actually, it may classify as THE most private lot in the entire neighborhood.

As you can see from the pics above, the covered deck/porch overlooks a large, flat backyard that transitions into a green canopy. The wooded area behind the lot enjoys a creek that feeds a nearby pond, which acts as a deer's paradise. I've blogged about many listings in my career, but this is the first time I've boasted about the deer.

25 Otranto is an attractive home with hardwoods, cathedral ceilings and a fun floor plan. It also sits on a desirable and ultra quiet interior street.

Call or email us at fjones@cbunited.com or amandaqpayne@live.com if you would like to take a peek.

Grody Odor Is Not Good For Downtown Sales
Given my daily consumption of a Claritin-D, I've never pretended to be an aroma expert. That said, I found myself questioning what in the world was permeating throughout downtown Columbia today.

I heard Tuesday was supposed to be unusually hot. Since it was kinda damp outside I just chalked up the odor as some sort of combo of concrete 'wet heat', combined with some autumn plant bloom. Clearly, this was just a guess, but as my patio steamed this morning it was my best guess.

WIS is reporting that the aroma can be blamed on a nearby farm laying chicken manure. While it wasn't a knock down stink, it was certainly a grody funk that Columbia can do without for the rest of the week.

As beautiful as Georgetown SC is, everyone knows about the smell that comes with it. Downtown Columbia doesn't need such a label and I am thankful the culprit is temporary.

Teamwork Makes Shandon Sale Happen

This weekend we finally put a deal together on this cool Shandon home. This sale is a perfect example of why the team concept works in the real estate industry.

The buyers have been looking in Shandon for a long time. I first met them at my Open House on the corner of Woodrow and Monroe. After over a year of looking, Amanda helped find the perfect house for them. Notwithstanding inspections, it's a happy transaction in the making.

This is a perfect microcosm of how we work best. Since Amanda has joined us, we've honed in and deferred to each other's individual talents. In this instance, her veracity to get new clients in the door at all costs combined with my great working relationship with the listing agent turned into a good sale for everyone involved.

In the real estate business, teamwork can be a fun thing. The sale of 2705 Duncan is an example of how it's fun AND prolific. :)

Top Shelf Downtown Home Hits Market

Amanda Added a Nice One To Our Inventory Today

Only three years new, this sharp downtown home sports over 2,100 sq/ft and has 3 bedrooms and 3 full baths.

I was immediately impressed as we drove up to this house. It got even better when we walked through the front door as the arched doorways, heart of pine floors, and designer colors set this one apart from most downtown homes.

The open plan of 3345 Park St sets up as a perfect home for entertaining. The kitchen, with its granite slab tops and stainless appliances, has everything you'd expect from most top of the line kitchens.

The owner's suite is on the main floor and features an awesome bathroom with huge shower that includes one of those cool overhead "rain" shower heads.

Off the kitchen is a large deck that spills into a private backyard. The 2nd floor has two bedrooms, and is complete with a cleverly placed office area.

As we all know, it's difficult to find a move-in ready intown creme puff like this that's priced under $300k. This is one of those homes. In short... it's really good.

If you are interested or know someone that's looking, give us a call/email us at fjones@cbunited.com or amandaqpayne@live.com.!

Fair's Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheesburger

Line is Fuzzy Between What's Good or Grody
I was going to write about a cool new listing that Amanda brought on yesterday but the Realtor.coms and ColdwellBanker.coms of the world haven't picked it up yet.

While we wait on the national sites to upload, I feel compelled to switch gears completely to type about latest phenom... at The State Fair. Pictured above is the Krispy Kreme cheeseburger, which has created quite a buzz around the Midlands. Although I haven't been this year, this sugary/salty fat mass may deserve a few bucks.

Sometimes there's a fuzzy line between what's goodie and what's grody. This one fits in the fuzzy line. While many report to have loved the burger, Jennifer and Amanda went barfy at the pic alone.

Whether it's terrible or divine, it looks like a 100% nap producer... as well as a sales winner.

Just looking at this beast is making me yawn.

Columbia's Newest Real Estate Listings

Columbia's Updated Hotsheet: Sept. 18 - Oct. 17, 2010

Chester Sale Is Finally Going To Happen

Listing Featured On "The Today Show" Fetches Buyer
We're ecstatic to announce that 915 Chester St. in Historical Elmwood Park is scheduled to close tomorrow at Rogers, Townsend & Thomas Law Firm. Exhale...

It's no secret Amanda and I are enjoying a big volume year. Yay! However, the closing of the Chester St. listing is an example of a nice bite of 'humble pie.'

In my own mind, I can only think the awesome sellers stuck it out because they figured that, "What can anyone do that they aren't doing." Hopeful thinking maybe, but I'm going with it.

This transaction has been a long journey in the making. I don't know the hard facts but I'd bet this listing fetched 50+ showings, 4 open house luncheons, and dozens of phone/email inquiries. Regular readers of this blog may remember this house was featured on The Today Show because of Amy's awesome pictures.

I'm approached all over town about this particular listing as the sellers and I share lots of mutual friends. All this said, this sale has been a complete team effort, sellers included.

Hopefully I'm not jinxing the scheduled 2:30pm closing tomorrow, but I'm so relieved of it that I felt compelled to type a few paragraphs.

I'm proud that 915 Chester is closing but also able to chomp on the Humble Pie before the ink dries.

Coast Full of Timeshare Tax Loot For SC

SC Needs Cash And Looking Hard at Timeshares

These days if a blogger mentions http://www.fitsnews.com/ , many readers would obviously assume that the post would be about the potential affair between Will Folks and Nikki Haley. Not this time.

Yesterday 'Fits' tapped out a post that deals with the looming 'timeshare' situation that could greatly impact condo owners on the South Carolina coast.

Admittedly, I don't have a master's degree in timeshare tax law but what Bernie Maybank is proposing is sure to have a big impact.

However, I'm very aware that coastal condo owners are hemorrhaging cash. Obviously, owners of second homes and investors are having to bear the brunt of a monthly mortgage payment (or not), but the 800 lb. gorilla in the room is the dreaded Point of Sale (POS) tax.

In South Carolina, the timeshare concept has become a popular tool to relax the aforementioned gorilla. According to Fits's post, Maybank is to recommend that this tool gets thrown in the ocean. At first glance, it seems that if this comes to fruition more owners will throw their keys back to the bank at an alarming rate.

Again, I'm not an expert at this. I simply know that the state needs money and timeshares look to be next on the collection block. We'll see.

Gamecocks Are The Beast of SEC East

Tide Traveled To Columbia, SC... And Got Jumped

In the world of college football, it seems as though 'something special' happens to a program on any given Saturday. This Saturday, the program was the University of South Carolina.

I don't know what was in the air, and quite frankly none of us care as for a weekend, Columbia, SC was the center of the college football universe.

As the nation watched, Spurrier and Ellis Johnson were in sync and by the time Alabama could read the scoreboard, the defending National Champions had officially been jumped. I don't pretend to be an expert, but I can't remember a time when all of our players preformed to provide a victory like this. Offensively... Garcia, Alshon and Lattimore looked like "All-Americans," all day long. On other side of the ball, Stephon Gilmore was all over the place ridiculous. It was fun to watch.

We're all proud of the USC football team. What they did is a big deal and has really shaken up the college football world. I hope they can use this performance to propel the program to the next level.

For a 37 year old fan that lives in Columbia, perhaps the best thing about it all is how it effects the Midlands as a whole. No doubt about it, the week after a Gamecock victory is a good one, as the whole city seems to be in a better mood. In short, it's going to be a great week in Columbia.

We'll see what the future holds but at the moment, the University of South Carolina is The Beast of the SEC East and ranked #10 in the country. For now, I'll just leave it at that. :)

Cool Saluda River Home Hits Market

Quail Hollow River Home Is A Few Minutes Away
Every now and then we list a property that has some glaring differences from the rest of real estate world. 2645 Pine Lake Dr. is one of these as this awesome tri-level home sits smack dab on the Saluda River.

With 3 stories, 4,650 sq./ft., 5 bedrooms and 4 full baths the home certainly offers a little bit of everything. It has many features like hardwoods, a large master bath and lots of extra living spaces.

I could type about the house all night long but the river is the real star of this show. It's not often that we find a home directly on the river, much less one that's for sale. As you can see from the pics above, there are walkways, decks and boardwalks all over this property. It's quite something. For instance, the steps to the river contain over 600 bags of concrete. Yes...600.

Please click the links above for more pics of the house itself as it's very nice inside. For this post though, I just thought it might be wise to focus on the river itself. So cool....

Call or email amandaqpayne@live.com or me for a tour of this cool place. It's a fun place and very easy to show.

ESPN To Set Stage At USC's Horseshoe

'Beauty Backdrop' Puts Kink In Tailgating Schedules
Pretty much everyone in Columbia is ecstatic about ESPN's College Gameday shooting live from USC. It only adds to what is sure to be a big Saturday as the current national champion 'rolls' into town.

Today we learned that this years set will use USC's picturesque 'horseshoe' as the venue. No doubt about it, this original portion of the campus could make for a fantastic backdrop. The 'Horseshoe's' location also could prove as a logistical hardship for a lot of fans, especially the students.

To be sure, The Horseshoe is a gorgeous place. Pretty much every student, at one time or another, has had a picture made here. Many weddings and grand events have taken place at The Horseshoe including a visit from MTV's 'Unplugged' (Hootie) and even a visit from the Pope, et al. Even so, it's not the ideal 'in and out' as far as parking is concerned. Further, The Horseshoe is not within reasonable walking distance to the stadium. The fact that USC is more of a 'city campus' (this is one of the facets that makes the USC tailgating experience special) will force the usual early tailgater to adjust their schedule, to say the least.

Even with the change in game day ritual logistics, I'm sure Gamecock Nation will provide a strong showing for ESPN's College Gameday. Who knows, maybe Lee Corso will request to borrow Cocky's mascot head to show the world as he predicts a Gamecock victory!

Happy Birthday, Stephen Denemark!!!!

Birthday Party Takes Us To Orangeburg, SC

A little while ago, Townes came up with the idea to have Stephen's Denemark's 40-'something' birthday party in Orangeburg, SC. Ummm...

Turns out it was a GREAT idea. Our journey took us to Four Moons restaurant, which I think is somewhere in the back of the Orangeburg Mall. The food was good and the atmosphere was fun but let there be no doubt, the journey itself was the life of the party.

When the 'Lunar Shuttle' picked us up on Ravenwing in KG, I knew we were in for a good time. Townes loaded the extended, black bus with 'Sonic Ice,' a variety of Cheez-It's and her techno loaded iPod.

I've made the trip to the Orangeburg area many times, but the trip in the Lunar Shuttle made it feel only 15 minutes away. I can't remember a time when I laughed so hard.

If possible, the trip home was even more fun. Townes and her iPod turned the shuttle into a rolling, head bobbin' funk tube. I think the Birthday Boy laughed most of all. It was fun to watch.

Just goes to show that when you're with good friends, there's no telling when a great memory may pop up. This one happened to be on the way to and from Orangeburg, SC. Who knew?!!

Happy Birthday, Stephen!

Drove Around The Block Three Times

Shandon Corner Sporting Some Digital Yard Art
Many of you will recognize this house. 2737 Blossom St. sits on the well traveled corner of Blossom & Maple St., in Shandon. For about two months, the sign in the yard advertised a nice red, "Sale Pending" sign. Thankfully, it closed last week.

As I drove by today I noticed some work was being done. No doubt, it needed a new roof. However, after a closer look, I noticed a new addition to the front of the house. YIKES. I thought to myself, "No... Way."

I don't know if the new owner is a big time Internet "Gamer" or looking for E.T., but I'm pretty sure the large gray disks on the front facade won't be there long. I'm actually a little surprised that the installer didn't refuse the placement request.

Congrats to the new owners of 2737 Blossom St. Living on that corner will be fun and ultra convenient to everything.