A.C. Flora’s #1 Took On Nation’s #1.

Last week I attended my second or third A.C. Flora girl’s tennis match. It was the 2nd or 3rd round of the tournament, and a rematch of the 2021 SC State Championship match vs Lucy Beckham from Charleston, SC, which my girls and I attended last year.

Why did I attend? First – My oldest is 13 and all three of our girls have started on their tennis journey, so it’s fun to be around and learn about the culture and vibe. Second – The #1 U16 player in the nation (according to this article), Piper Charney, was on the other team and I wanted to see what she could do, again.

She is amazing, BTW. Piper is #1 in the USA for her age group and in the Top 20 or so U18. Piper recently made it to the US Open doubles quarterfinals, and won some big dog national tournament, respectfully.

That said, the reason for this post isn’t about Piper. It’s about her opponent, Frances Smith.

The score may not reflect it, but Flora’s Frances went into the cage, AGAIN, and was charged with a phenomenal ask. That said, Frances returned serves that Piper is able to put 6 feet up into the chained link fence behind her opponent. She rallied with the best in the nation and had to deal with the best, featheriest, drop shop these eyes have ever seen.

I saw or heard somewhere that Piper doesn’t play all of the school’s matches. Good on them, and her. Flora won courts 4,5 and the doubles court which had the battle tied 3-3 until the decider, whereby Piper was forced to play again. What I’m getting at is, Lucy Beckham HS had to ship their all-time ringer in to beat Flora.

Why did we meet Lucy Beckham in the early rounds instead of the State Championships like last year, you ask? Answer – Apparently, Flora was flipped this year to compete as a Lower State School this year as opposed to the Upper State.

Well done, Flora tennis! Y’all are top of the class and we are super proud of you!

Further still, Frances, you’re are awesome. Your opponent brought our country’s #1 player in to get a win.

Who knows where time takes us, but if Piper makes professional waves and starts playing the likes of Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu on the WTA circuit, Frances Smith will have a helluva story to tell her kids.

Thank you!

Franklin Jones

 

 

 

“Keller WHO?” Not Anymore!!!!

When the brass at The Central Carolina’s REALTOR Association reached out a few weeks ago and asked, “Franklin, where are y’all?” I answered, “What do you mean?” Her response, “If we don’t get two more bowling teams committed by Friday night, we’re going to have to cancel the first round next Tuesday, altogether.”

So, I quickly became the franchise owner of two amateur sports franchises – 1) Keller Williams Palmetto “Big Rocks,” and 2) Keller Williams Palmetto “Lead Dominos.”

What do the team names mean, you may wonder? Big Rocks, as in, “big balls?” Lead Dominos, as in, “falling pins?”

No.

BIG ROCKS – Keller Williams is a training company at its core, and “Big Rocks” refers to a time blocking facet whereby we are trained to write our “Big Rocks” on our calendar. I don’t mean that they focus on training how to sell more houses, which is certainly a part of it, but, to me, it’s more of a life growth company. That said, think of the Big Rocks as boulders in a stream that all of the water in the stream (everything else that life brings) must maneuver and flow around. The boulders are Big Rocks, such as family vacation, investing in your family/career through national training events, or sports tournaments and/or games you’re not going to miss coaching or watching your little girl or little boy participate.

Once you get it, it’s a life-changing mind flip and can make you more productive and open more opportunities for you and others than you thought could happen.

LEAD DOMINOS – Do you know of the Domino effect? Do you understand that success is linear? Do you know your BIG WHY? Do you know your spouse’s Big Why or your co-workers? Do you know where you are in business and/or life, and do you know where you want to be? Pick a Lead Domino for five things: Spiritual, Family, Health, Personal Relationships, Job, & Business. If you don’t know what you want, how could you know how to get there? Do you know The ONE Thing that such by doing it would make everything easier or unnecessary?

What is your lead Domino? Go crazy small with your answer, but think of big results of what that easy domino will create.

If you’ve read this and paid attention, you get what I’m talking about and why I named the teams the way I did.

Now to a bigger story and what makes my heart full. It wasn’t long ago, when across America, any REALTOR that heard the words, Keller Williams, responded, “Keller Who?”

Locally, this mantra was the same until about five years ago. Fast forward to 2022 and we have hundreds of REALTORS in the Midlands with three franchises selling hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate volume and we’re just getting started. That said, we just took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place among all brokerages at bowling, of all things. #SeeThreeTrophies #TotalSweep

Congrats to our brothers and sisters at KW Columbia, SC for taking first place and our KW Palmetto “Big Rocks,” & KW Palmetto “Lead Dominos” for placing 2nd & 3rd, respectively.

Big SHOUT OUT to CCRA and all of the other brokerages and teams that raised over $30,000 for RPAC over the last few weeks, and THANK YOU to the bowlers (and Candy Limehouse – #IfYouKnowYouKnow!!) for bringing home those trophies!

IT WAS FUN!

Franklin Jones

 

 

My Heart Is So Full. #REDDay2022!

What an amazing day!

Thursday was Keller William’s national, “RED Day!”

What is RED Day, you ask? “Introduced in 2009, RED Day, which stands for Renew, Energize and Donate, is Keller Williams Realty’s annual day of service. Each year on the second Thursday of May, associates celebrate Mo Anderson’s birthday by spending the day away from their businesses serving worthy organizations and causes in their communities. RED Day is just another example of our commitment to each other and to the cities and towns where we live and work. Join us!”

Mo Anderson is one of the Grand-Poobahs of Keller Williams Realty International. While her official title is Vice-Chairman of the Board, her aka is the “Velvet Hammer.” I’ve seen her in action at various events, and the name fits. She’s also the author of,  A Joy Filled Life: Lessons From A Tenant Farmer’s DaughterShe’s also hilarious. Oh yeah, and she doesn’t like cussing. :-O

I’m proud to be associated with Keller Williams Realty. The Realtors, leadership staff, and vendor partners work hours accomplishing various projects each year. The year, Keller Williams Palmetto turned out a big showing at Epworth Children’s Home @ Downtown Columbia, SC!

I want to recognize the hard work of this awesome KW office. I love this company and all of what Mo Anderson helped create.

The photo above is of the after-party, hosted by @Za’s Brick Oven Pizza on Devine St.

More pics OTW, for sure!

Special shout out to Penny Broach and Eric Tucker for leading KWPalmetto to an awesome and impactful KW RED Day!

This is an amazing company and organization.

Thank you!!!
Franklin Jones

 

King’s Grant, Columbia, SC – $248.64/Ft.

Of the thousands of homes we’ve sold, some are just memorable. Thinking back, this may be the 5th time someone on the team has represented either the buyer or seller of this awesome house. Without doing research, years ago I think my journey with 31 Foot Point started at 810K, then 975K, and as of last week we landed at 1.1M, representing both buyers and sellers along the way, with Meghan Hesley representing the sellers, most recently.

While the paragraph above is a great story for The Neighborhood Company, the bigger picture is about King’s Grant. 31 Foot Point just popped $250ish/Ft. $1,100,000.00 / 4,424 sq.ft. = $248.64

As KG neighbors read this they’ll be sure to wonder, “Can I get this for my house?” The answer is, “No. Yes. Maybe.” The point of the post is not to brag or to coach you to “cash out,” but to make readers aware that this comp is “CLOSED” and available to all banks/lenders/appraisers to anyone that may be interested in selling and/or seeing what they can get for their house in King’s Grant Neighborhood.

Remember too, that the square footage of a house is far from the only factor in deciphering its value. It just happens to be what people in this market like to discuss first.

Over the years I’ve been criticized a few times for listing a house for too much money. Insert my theory, “If you don’t try to raise the bar, then how can home values in a neighborhood ever rise?” Translation – I’m not scared to ‘go for it’ (and neither was this seller).

If any of my KG Neighbors would like to know the money you may be able to get for your house, ring/text me at 803-447-8683 or DM on FB and we can share what we know.

Congratulations to all of the buyers and sellers of 31 Foot Point over the years! It’s an awesome house and obviously punches a lot of buttons!

Franklin Jones

Your $60,000,000. Neighborhood Co.

I can’t describe through this keyboard how happy and proud I am to show you the image above. If you’re into real estate, click the pic and check it out. #LoveIt!

Of the $60 Million in real estate sales volume, the six circle medals in the photo are the level each person on the team reached during 2021. The six triangle medals from Keller Williams International represent where we landed as a team within the company, respectively (Triple Platinum is over 1.5M GCI).

As you and I well know, this volume of sales does not happen without extreme professionalism, partnerships, vendors, and straight-up love and effort for our clients who trust our team to make things happen.

Of all of the gold, silver, platinum, and diamonds in the photo, the most fulfilling facet for me, personally, is that every REALTOR on our team qualified to be recognized for their individual sales results combined with their involvement within our local professional organization, The Central Carolina’s REALTOR Association. All of us. (Mine is the glass one that is upside down).

If you think you or anyone you know would like to talk about joining the team or have a conversation about a career in real estate sales, please reach out to me at 803-447-8683 or Franklin@TheNeighborhoodRE.com. Keller Williams has a real estate school and we have scholarships available. Click on this link if you would like to know more.

Congratulations, Elizabeth W. Ross, Sarah Penn, Liz Black Fischer, Elizabeth Laffitte, Meghan S. Hesley…and Amy Ackerman Cartin for holding it all together!!!

Huge thanks to everyone, and thank you for being part of the best real estate network in SC!!!

Franklin Jones

“Starting Back With A Bang,” Liz

We are beyond excited about the recent sale by Liz Black Fischer. Yes, it’s an amazing house and property, as you can see. That said, her post on IG and FB, “Starting back with a bang,” is a big deal.

As many of you know (and some readers don’t), Liz lost her husband to complications due to Covid-19 and is now a single mother of their beautiful baby Gia. Liz started 2021 in a big way, personally and professionally, when life and death were happening at the same time last summer.

Fast forward to her hard work to get this Lake Murray/Chapin stunner closed this week! We’re glad she’s back and ready to help her buyer and seller clients achieve their real estate goals in 2022 and forward!

Congratulations to Liz’s clients on the purchase of their new home, and to Liz for being back to who she has become in our industry!

Thank you!

Franklin Jones

Happy KW Anniversary To Us! WOW!

February is the anniversary date for The Neighborhood Company at Keller Williams Realty so I thought I would share what has happened along the way.

In the beginning, we all sat around a conference table at various offices in Downtown Columbia. Special shout out to Charlie Mather at The Mather Company and David Terrell @ Golden Gate Mortgage for the hospitality! Those were fun times!

Three years ago, we were awarded the opportunity to open a franchise. Here’s the tale of the tape for Keller Williams Palmetto 2021 including Sumter and Orangeburg. (Note – These are the KW Palmetto brokerage numbers, not The Neighborhood Co. team stats. That is for a later post).

  • Units Closed – 1,370  (Ranked #4 Brokerage in the Midlands)
  • Volume Closed – $348,497,779.  (Ranked #4 Brokerage in the Midlands)
  • Number of REALTORS working at KW Palmetto – 149
  • Profit Share Paid To REALTORS (voluntary 2nd income opportunity KW provides)- $71,982.

This is pretty amazing considering this brokerage is only 3 years old!

If you or someone you know would like to talk about a career in real estate, please call/text 803-447-8683 or email Franklin@TheNeighborhoodRE.com and for those that are hesitant because school is too expensive, it’s not anymore! KW now has its own real estate school partnership and full scholarships are available! Check it out!

We are changing lives through real estate at KW Palmetto, and we would like to talk to you about changing yours, too!

Thank you!

Franklin Jones

 

 

Happy New Year, Neighborhoods!

Merry Christmas @Neighborhood!

JLC After Party! = Band! = Let’s GO!

For the first time I’ve been involved with Junior League of Columbia (over 20 years), the Holiday Market’s fancy party isn’t on a Wednesday, it’s now on FRIDAAAAY!!

If this is your first time attending the Junior League of Columbia’s Holiday Market Preview Party, or haven’t heard yet, a bunch of us head to Za’s Brick Oven Pizza on Devine St. to celebrate with a super fun, ‘After-Party!’ Everyone knows Za’s (half of us probably met at Za’s!) and everyone loves a stress-free after-party. BOOM – #WinWin

If you remember, ever since Dianne’s on Devine decided to close her doors the After Party had nowhere to go. A few years went by when the owners of Za’s Brick Oven Pizza asked if we would help bring the good time to their place. It was the damn hit of the year. Fast forward to today and it looks like we have a new tradition…

We all have a BIG TIME at the fancy, dress-up event, for sure, but some of the best memories are made at the annual late nighter!

Is attending Preview Party a prerequisite for the after-party? Heck, no…who cares?!! Come on!

We’ll see you Fri. night (Dec. 3) at Za’s hanging out with friends, laughing hard, and dancing to live music starting whenever you get there.

Thank you!

Franklin Jones