Obama Turns NASCAR Sideways


Obama Orders Chevy and Dodge Out of NASCAR
“Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” may be slogan of the past.

If you know me, you know I’m a GM guy. I’m a GM guy because I am loyal and support my late wife’s father who owns Longstreet Motors in Kingstree, which sells most of the GM brands. I even worked at Santee Motors in Manning, SC for a while. I’ve enjoyed every car and truck that I’ve bought from Mr. Black.

Having said this, I’ve long questioned the national ads of some of the failing brands. Every time a troubled car company rewards a “Player of the Game” with a scholarship of $5,000 I wonder how many more of these the company can give out.

I didn’t even think of NASCAR being a net loser. Geeez.!

Car and Driver Magazine is reporting that President Obama is ordering GM (Chevy) and Chrysler (Dodge) to get out of the NASCAR business by the end of the year. This is going cause ENORMOUS uproar from politcos and racing fans everywhere.

Is This Columbia or HHI? So Cool.



River, Pond, Pool & Tennis-All In One… Love It.
Of the roughly 30 homes in my listing inventory, I would probably have to rank this one as the most fun and unique. Quail Hollow Village is so unique in fact, that it may never be duplicated so close to in-town Columbia (not because of local gov’t but because of FEMA).
This small neighborhood on the Saluda River just about has it all. Not only does it overlook a wide part of one of Columbia’s rivers, it also offers a five acre stocked pond, and owners may opt to join the adjacent pool & tennis courts.

I couldn’t believe it when I saw a pond BETWEEN the home and the river. As I just stared at the view, I couldn’t help but think that it would be perfect for many of my friends.

The home is 1,870 sf with 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths. It has decks and screened porches all over the place and the views are just awesome.

The owner has turned the basement area into a great place to relax, and it features a workshop/tackle room, potting shed, and canoe storage. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that the design, view and ambiance remind me of Hilton Head, SC.
Call or email if you would like to see this one of a kind property. The home is offered for $309,900. There are vacant lots on the river that are priced higher than this!

BFF’s Travel To New Mangia-Mangia

King’s Grant & Shandon Crew Venture Out
If you’re a friend of a Howie, Jones, Denemark, Stivers, Craven or Pooser on Facebook, you’ve seen this picture a few times already. Well…we had such a good time the other night, I thought I could at least throw it up on the blog.

A few nights ago someone suggested we hit the new MangiaMangia in Northeast Columbia for dinner. Apparently, it was a good night for babysitters!

I usually don’t stray away from my regular spots like Mr. Friendly’s, MoMo’s or Za’s, but it was fun to branch out to Mangia for a night.

There are three great restaurants that sprinkle the I-20 corridor of Northeast Columbia. Solstice and Travinia’s are favorite’s off of Clemson Rd. The new MangiaMangia is off of Spears Creek Church Rd. which is the immediate next exit.

With this group good stories and fun debates make for a great time…no matter the venue.

As a side note I ordered a pizza. I’ll do it again.

Tim Tebow’s Speech Now UF Lore


Spontaneous Speech After Loss Goes Legend
Most of the SEC despises Tebow but would love to have him quarterbacking their team. Folks all over the south make fun of his jorts but think his girlfriend is gorgeous. Loathe him or love him, his career isn’t even over yet and his legend is parallel to Rockne and Herschel.

The guy can obviously motivate and move his offense. Now Coach Meyer wants Tebow’s words to motivate every UF offense that walks through the football gates.

Most people know the players at Notre Dame slap the locker room banner that reads “Play Like A Champion Today” and are familiar with “Frank Howard’s Rock.” Meyer’s new plaque of Tebow’s “Promise” is supposed to have the same effect.

I wonder if Tebow would have played for USC if we promised a “Jorts Day” at Williams-Brice.

From ESPN.com – Meyer had Tebow’s speech engraved on a plaque and placed outside the front entrance to the new football facility at Florida Field. Although it might seem like a strange move since Tebow still has one year remaining with the Gators, Meyer said he didn’t want to wait.

Forest Acres = Jordan Anderson Racing

Forest Acres is Jordan Anderson’s ‘Hood
As I was scrolling through the blogs tonight I noticed that FitsNews.com wrote about the City of Forest Acres endorsment of Jordan Anderson Racing. When I clicked “comments” I read that one of the readers thought Fits made the story up.

Fits is correct. The story actually hit the local news last week. One of the elected officials proudly claimed Forest Acres endorsement of Jordan on the air. The man interviewed is hoping for the “Jordan Anderson Museum” in the city’s future.

The sponsorship is sure to stir some debate. Forest Acres obviously sees a great financial benefit in the future.

Over the years, I’ve watched Jordan’s race cars grow bigger and faster. The Anderson’s are great friends of mine and BFF’s with my family at Leon Jones Insurance, who is also a sponsor.

Good luck to Jordan and his new partnership with “A City Apart.”

Shandon Meets Charleston | For Sale

319 Sims Ave. in Shandon is On The Market
This two year old home has 2,470 sq.ft and features 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. Nestled in the middle of Shandon, this is one of the newest in the entire neighborhood.
The floor plan in this open and ready to entertain. The kitchen is filled with granite and stainless appliances. Downstairs is the large owners suite which has granite, a double vanity, separate shower and a jacuzzi tub.
One of the upstairs rooms makes for a “man room,” media room, play room or Wii room. It’s a perfect upstairs den that’s surrounded by the other bedrooms.
In true Charleston style the outside has double decks, one of which wraps around the back of the house.
Enjoy the luxuries of a new home like big bathrooms and closets, while living in a classic Columbia neighborhood. Call/email to visit one of Shandon’s newest and best homes.

More Columbia Homes Find Buyers

Homes on Wheat St. and Park St. Are Under Contract
This week two more homes in our inventory found good buyers. Both of the properties above received offers and ended up with good contracts that were pretty close to list price.
The Park St. house is in Earlwood and was offered for $154,900. The second home pictured is a classic Shandon bungalow and has a list price of $279,900.
Congratulations to both Sellers. These transactions are good indicators that things are still moving in downtown Columbia.

NCAA Tourney Makes March Fun

Tourney Brackets Are For Everyone
America is in love with the March Madness. Some people love it because it gives a platform for “David” to take on the Goliath’s of the basketball world. Other folks glue themselves to the TV because it creates incredible pressure for the big time match ups (this is probably my favorite facet of the tourney). Having said this, I happen to think it’s SO popular because almost every man, woman and child can be a part of the action via “the brackets.”
Even the person who didn’t witness one dunk all year still gets the chance to compete. It’s fun to watch someone who knows zero about sports go crazy when one of their teams win.

College football is a little bit like politics. “Bowl season” is fun, but it’s two months of arguing amongst one another. “The Tourney” is different. The brackets force folks to pick their teams on the front end and that’s that. Once it’s on paper (or logged in) you pull like heck for your teams.

I haven’t filled out my brackets yet but I’m leaning towards (and pulling for) UNC to win it all. I hope I finish ahead of Jenna! ๐Ÿ™‚

Columbia’s Newest Listings

>>Columbia’s New Listings; Feb 27 – March 15, 2009

This Will Help Sell Any House!

Spiral Cellar Would Enhance Anyone’s Property
This is one of the coolest things I’ve come across in a long time. How awesome would it be to have a “Spiral Cellar” under your house?! It would be the conversation piece of any home or restaurant.
Below is the description from http://www.dornob.com/ . Since Ricky Mollohan is Columbia’s wine expert, maybe he should put one of these at Mr. Friendly’s! FJ
Ever want a wine cellar but donโ€™t have the space or money to build one? The Spiral Cellars design/build firm will dig a hole right in whatever room you want your cellar in and haul the dirt right out the front door. In the remaining void they infill a highly functionally and visually dazzling spiral-staircase wine cellar to fit all your favorite vintages and go with your favorite funky furniture designs.

Everything is designed with function in mind but the resulting form is equally compelling – the rows of wine face you as you wind your way down the central stair. Of course, you can store more than wine down in these as well – they are a great and continuously cooled pantry extension for all kinds of beverages.