Imma just get right to it: I’m a fan of Shane Beamer being the Head Coach of the UofSC Gamecock Footballing Program.

I watched the presser at my desk and read a lot of the comments. Some were dumb af, and some were deep football strategery. That said, two fun ones really stood out from the rest. (and then the consensus ones).

1 – “Get those superstars on the sidelines on Saturdays.” In the presser, Shane mentioned some Gamecock greats that lobbied or rooted him on as the man for the job. This would be a big deal. I’m aware that most of the big dogs the commenter was speaking of are currently playing on Sundays. That said, if the players that Shane recruited or played when Shane was a coach here would make an appearance when they could, would receive an incalculable return for the program.

2 – “This is a coach I can get drunk and fight for!” Well, that’s somethin’…and if a tailgater is fired up and willing to walk up the steps and yell for Shane & Co., that’s awesome!!!!!!!!!

While my shortlist of two points may be good reading, here’s the thing, and the underlying theme of what is going on across Gamecock Nation.

Shane is passionate about this. He wants to be here. This attitude is a big deal for his players, staff, program, and all Gamecocks. Truth told it’s a big deal for the Midlands.  This is a culture thing.

To put this in real estate terms, the football program is the front porch of the university. The University of South Carolina is the front porch of The Midlands of South Carolina.

I got to know the Beamers when they were selling their home in Greenhill Parrish. I know first-hand that they love Columbia, and damn’t, that’s a big deal, and quite frankly, the difference for me.

Given all this, at the moment, I don’t care if he wins or loses…until he does. Until one happens, I think we have a man and family we can rally around and give a chance, and a familial push, to take us to the next levels.

Congratulations to Shane, Emily, and their beautiful family as they return to Columbia, SC!

Thank You!

Franklin Jones

Everyone check out our newest listing to hit the market in the super-popular Heathwood area – 1705 Belmont Drive, 29206!

Meghan Suddeth Hesley just put this good-looking, all brick, 3 BR/2.1BA on the market on Friday and it is pretty awesome!

I haven’t looked yet, but this may be the 3rd time we’ve sold this home. This house has a ton going for it and the stars of this show are that it’s good looking, nice kitchen set-up, a bangin’ screened-in porch to hang out and watch movies and football…along with other outdoor amenities including a huge yard, and of course, LOCATION!

Check out the 3D Floorplan and “Dollhouse” view HERE. 

As most of you know, Belmont is only minutes away from anything Downtown Columbia, Forest Acres, I-77 and is zoned for Satchel Ford Elem, Crayton Middle, and Flora HS!

If you or anyone you know would like to know more about 1705 Belmont Drive, please contact Meghan at 803-665-8844 or email Meghan@TheNeighborhoodRE.com. As you can see from the pics, Belmont is a pleasure to show and we’re never more than a few minutes (or even seconds for this one) away!

Thank you!

Franklin Jones

I’m not sayin’…I’m just sayin’…if Jennifer and I weren’t already nestled in our little cul-de-sac life, we may have to consider 826 Maple Street in Old Shandon, 29205.

Take a look at the pics and you will see what I’m talking about. 826 Maple has everything and more, and what’s not represented to its fullness, is the super ginormous backyard.

If you know me, you’d understand why I’m lovin’ on this house – Huge front porch, tall ceilings, the heart of pine floors, bada$$ kitchen, and all of that in-between. More importantly, this home is within seconds of everything that is the Devine Street corridor.

Hungry? Awesome! Thirsty? Let’s go to Henry’s, Cantina, Za’s! Or, “Everyone come over and watch the game!” in the massive outdoor kitchen area. I mean, seriously, look at the third pic above. It looks like an amenity that a summer camp or country club may have!

If you or anyone you know would like to know more about this awesome house, or other homes for sale in Shandon, Old Shandon, Melrose, Heathwood, or anything 29205, give me a call/text 803-447-8683 or email Franklin@TheNeighborhoodRE.com!

Check it out and Thank You!

Franklin Jones

 

Now that Turkey Day 2020 has happened, whereby we chose not to have turkey, I thought it may be a good time to straighten out something that has been bent up for a century or two.

There’s a myth within Americana lore that Benjamin Franklin wanted the wild turkey to be the national symbol of the United States of America.

While Ben-Jammin didn’t think the bald eagle was the best choice, he didn’t openly lobby for the turkey, either. I’ve been telling the story incorrectly for years now.

Check out the story from History.com below.

There ya go!

Franklin Jones

“After the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, it next tasked Benjamin Franklin—along with John Adams and Thomas Jefferson—with designing a seal to represent the new country. Given the opportunity to choose a national symbol, the Founding Father never suggested a turkey. According to his notes, Franklin proposed an image of “Moses standing on the shore, and extending his hand over the sea, thereby causing the same to overwhelm pharaoh who is sitting in an open chariot” along with the motto “Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God.” While the committee selected the scene from the Book of Exodus for the reverse of the seal, the Continental Congress was not impressed and tabled the concept. Not until 1782 was the Great Seal of the United States, with a bald eagle as its centerpiece, approved.

The story that Franklin proposed the turkey as the national symbol began to circulate in American newspapers around the time of the country’s centennial and are based on a January 26, 1784, letter in which he panned the eagle and extolled the virtues of the gobbler to his daughter, Sarah. In doing so, though, he was not delivering a critique of the Great Seal but a new medal issued by the Society of the Cincinnati, an association of Continental Army veterans. “For my own part I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country,” he wrote. The Founding Father argued that the eagle was “a bird of bad moral character” that “does not get his living honestly” because it steals food from the fishing hawk and is “too lazy to fish for himself.”

In contrast, Franklin called the turkey “a much more respectable bird” and “a true original native of America.” While he considered the eagle “a rank coward,” Franklin believed the turkey to be “a bird of courage” that “would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with a red coat on.” While the private letter was a spirited promotion of the turkey over the eagle, Franklin never made his views public, and when the chance had been given to him to officially propose a symbol for the United States eight years earlier, his idea was biblical, not avian.”

This edition of The HotSheetincludes the most recent homes to hit Downtown Columbia, SC’s real estate market in the last two weeks. As of 12:05 AM, the fastest site in the industry is featuring 26 new listings for sale.

The areas include the zips 29201, 29204, 29205, 29206, and 29209, with a price range of $100,000 to $Zillion. Remember!!… No big deal if you don’t want to ‘register’ to look deeper at a particular property. Simply type in my initials or the word “Blog” (or whatever you can think of “Cocks,” “Tigers”), and shoot in a random email address in the field. Even if you don’t want to register or ‘poser register,’ you can still get a good glimpse of what’s new to the market by simply scrolling around the Gallery Page.

If you or anyone you know would like more information about any of these Downtown Columbia properties for sale, or if you’re interested in putting your home on the market, please call 803-447-8683 or email Franklin@TheNeighborhoodRE.com .

Happy clicking and Thank you!!

Franklin Jones

As many of you know, Meghan jumped the gun on me blogging about our announcement regarding her joining The Neighborhood. To make it a little bit worse, she blamed it on one of her daughters saying, “My kid made me do it.” MmmmmHmmmm..

Come to find out, I got the results of her DISC Personality Assessment and she can get up in the ’90s with her “D” (Driver). This isn’t a good or bad thing, it’s just who she is. What this score tells me is that she had ants in her pants and couldn’t wait to get her news out.

That all said, Welcome To The Neighborhood & Keller Williams Palmetto, Meghan Suddeth Hesley!!!

Meghan and I met at another real estate firm where she started her career about a year before me. I think it was around 2003-2004. We were both single practitioners then, as real estate teams weren’t really a thing in Columbia, SC back then (I’ll dive deeper on that in a later blog post).

Fast forward a few years and she got engaged to super awesome, Josh Hesley. Somewhere along the line, they decided to move to Atlanta after their wedding. During this transition time, Meghan joined the team whereby she trusted us to take care of her clients and later her referrals. I was flattered, to say the least.

The second picture above is the original, “Team Franklin,” at Meghan’s wedding 11 years ago (I know this b/c Facebook just reminded everyone that was tagged).

Josh and Meghan moved back to Columbia/Heathwood a few years ago and have two awesome daughters. Meghan and I have been discussing her re-entry and re-joining the team for some time now, and as many of you know from her post, is officially back!

Call or text Meghan at 803-665-8844. Her email is Meghan@TheNeighborhoodRE.com & her website is Meghan.TheNeighborhoodRE.com

Congratulations, Meghan, and welcome (BACK) to the team!

Thank you!

Franklin Jones

This edition of The HotSheet includes the most recent homes to hit Downtown Columbia, SC’s real estate market in the last two weeks. As of 11:50 PM, the fastest site in the industry is featuring 48 new listings for sale.

The areas include the zips 29201, 29204, 29205, 29206, and 29209, with a price range of $100,000 to $Zillion. Remember!!… No big deal if you don’t want to ‘register’ to look deeper at a particular property. Simply type in my initials or the word “Blog” (or whatever you can think of “Cocks,” “Tigers”), and shoot in a random email address in the field. Even if you don’t want to register or ‘poser register,’ you can still get a good glimpse of what’s new to the market by simply scrolling around the Gallery Page.

If you or anyone you know would like more information about any of these Downtown Columbia properties for sale, or if you’re interested in putting your home on the market, please call 803-447-8683 or email Franklin@TheNeighborhoodRE.com .

Happy clicking and Thank you!!

Franklin Jones

Tip O’Neill famously stated, “All Politics is Local.” Well, I’ve written many times and lived by the mantra, “As in politics, all real estate is (hyper) local.” That said, the number one driver of this is the schools. I believe in it so much that after 10 years of being in the real estate business, we renamed our real estate team, “The Neighborhood Company,” because most of the value of your property (for more or for less, respectively) is directly related to the schools.

As the ads fly across our TVs and hit our mailboxes for Trump and Biden, and Graham and Harrison, this post is different than most on social media. This is hyper-local, right here “home” focused.

I’m asking friends and readers to vote for Jonathan Milling for the At-Large position for Richland One School Board on election day. Didn’t we just vote for him, you ask? Yes. Please note the first time (a few months ago) was a Special Election, and now it’s already time to vote for the seats again.

Jennifer and I have become pretty good friends with Jonathan and Cydney over the last few years, and we think a lot of them. First of all, PARENTS OF TWO SETS OF TWINS!

To harp on Jonathan, he drives me crazy on the tennis court with his serve and volley game. Pre-Covid restrictions, he and his fam attended church on Wed. nights, which meant he couldn’t participate and bring that damn kick serve to our neighborhood’s men’s tennis night on a regular basis. He’s also a coach to many of my friend’s youth teams around Columbia, and also officiates neighborhood swim meets. I mean, honestly, I don’t know how he does it on top of being a small business owner and successful attorney.

Here’s the thing. There are a lot of fine and involved parents out there, to be sure. Truth told I think Jen and I are pretty good at it. In my mind, however, the premium quality Jonathan offers to the R1 school board is accountability. This dude and dad isn’t intimidated or scared to ask under lights and cameras, “Hey guys, where and why is this money going here?” or “What’s the deal with this?”

I’m not selling you, I’m telling you, for the good of your children’s school district, and your property values, you need to take the time to vote for Jonathan Milling on election day. If you have an excuse whereby you can’t make the trip to your voting box, please call or text me at 803-447-8683 and we can work something out and/or make arrangements.

As I remind you again that all real estate value is hyper-local, and this isn’t JUST about R1 students. It’s also about a better Midlands as a whole. Further, schools drive property values. To that point, as every voter should be concerned about securing and maximizing their property values, I’m personally asking our Hammond, Heathwood, Ben Lippen, Cardinal Newman, Timmerman, St. Joe’s, et al private school friends, along with empty-nesters, and peeps w/out kids/R1 students to be sure…and very purposefully…vote for Jonathan.

Thank you & VOTE!

Franklin Jones

Check out this awesome house Liz Black Fischer put on the market this week in one of Downtown Columbia’s hottest and most active neighborhoods!

2410 Superior Street is 1,850 sq. ft. with 3 Bedrooms and 2.5 Baths! A few features of this good lookin’ house include hardwoods, open floorplan, iron spindles, double vanity in the primary BR, and a long granite slab peninsula bar in the kitchen to hang out with the cook (or whoever is serving drinks!)  *see MLS remarks below for more features…

Rosewood Neighborhood is in the middle of everything and only a few minutes from Downtown Columbia, Forest Acres, & I77 (and Williams-Brice), and is zoned for popular Rosewood Elem, Hand Middle, and Dreher HS.

For more details or to schedule a showing, please contact Liz at 803-460-9050 or email Liz@TheNeighborhoodRE.com. As you can see, it is a pleasure to show and we’re never more than a few minutes away!

Thank you!

Franklin Jones

All-brick Craftsman-style newer home is move-in ready! Features hardwood floors, smooth ceilings, and neutral colors. Relaxing front porch opens to living room with built-ins and gas fireplace. Dining area flows into the kitchen with granite counters, stainless appliances, breakfast bar, and pantry. Owner’s suite on main floor with walk-in closet and private bath with double vanity. Iron spindle stairway leads to 2 large bedrooms on second floor with shared bath. French doors lead to back deck and fenced backyard. Rosewood Elem schools. Come see!