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I can’t blog too long tonight, as I’ll be WAY off routine Wednesday morning.   Getting right to it, my grandmother’s closest sibling passed away Sunday morning.  With that, I’ll be traveling to my hometown of Anderson, SC early tomorrow morning.

Here’s the first paragraph of her obituary (paraphrased) :  Mrs. Elizabeth “Bo” Brown Wakefield, age 94,… was a daughter of the late Joseph Dexter Brown and the late Frances Finley Brown. For 66 years, she was the devoted wife of David C. Wakefield, Jr. who died in 2008.

As you see, Mandy, Michael, and I are of the Brown family from the Upstate.  As I age and find relatives around South Carolina, the Brown family is where I find the most connections, by far (usually cousins, obviously).  You can also see where my girl, Finley, gets her name.  

For my Columbia, SC friends, there are more Finleys (with an “e”) in South Carolina than you think!

Through my grandmother, Mimi, my memories of “Bo” are of a good and perhaps normal “great aunt” relationship.   That said, my bigger connection to “Bo” was via one of my best childhood friends, and cousin, John Wakefield.   For a while, John and I pretty much did everything together.  We rode bikes until called home, built forts and dams in the creeks, were soccer teammates, spent hours playing tether ball (remember tether ball???), attended Camp Greenville together, and were just plain buds.  Getting back to the point, our grandmothers, “Mimi” and “Bo”, helped make most of these memories happen.   To me, that’s “Bo.”   I won’t forget her.

So tomorrow, I’ll climb in the car early and blow up I-26 to get to the cemetery by 10:00ish.  I’m anxious to see John, my cousin and friend.

I know John would agree as I type that we wouldn’t be a 10th of the men we aspire to be without influences like his grandmother, Bo.

PS:  If you need anything real estate in Columbia, SC, email amandaqpyane@live.com or call 609-0526.   Thank you!

Ever since I met my first set of in laws, Jim and Nell Black, I’ve purchased my vehicles in Manning or Kingstree.   When I met him, Mr. Black owned Santee Motor Company in Manning, SC, and Longstreet Motor Company in Kingstree, SC.  Between the two dealerships, he retailed almost all the GM brands, including Cadillac.  Shortly after their daughter, Kinsey, passed away, he sold Santee Pontiac/Buick/GMC to friendly competitor Prothro Chevrolet, respectively.  Given the circumstances, it was a natural and seamless move for all involved.  Win/Win.

To date, I’ve purchased two trucks, and my current car from one of these two dealerships.  Fast forward to this weekend.  On Saturday, Jennifer, Finley, I cruised to Kingstree to trade Jennifer’s SUV for a nice shiny….MINIVAN!

Over the years I’ve stayed true to Mr. Black’s brands, too.  This time, however, because Jennifer wanted to go the minivan route, we ventured into the world of Honda.  To this point, I asked one of my best car buddies, Chase Craven, “If the Toyota and Honda’s minivans are so popular/hard to get, why doesn’t GM get into the the minivan game?”  His response, “It’s just not who they are.”  I get that.

I should mention too that as much as I would’ve liked for Jennifer to get a Yukon or Tahoe, she works in one of the downtown towers.  What does that mean??  Garage.  I can certainly understand why she wouldn’t want to maneuver a Yukon through a parking garage every day.   The Odyssey is a smooth fit.

Jennifer owned her red Explorer for almost 11 years.  I’ve never known her to drive anything else, and to her credit, she’s been without a car payment for a very long time.  That said, this was a tough mental step.   Uncharacteristically for me, I was able to vanish my payment about a year ago as well.  Obviously, it’s been nice for our little family to not have a car payment at all.

So far we’re impressed with the Odyssey.  The ride is awesome, and there are buttons on top of buttons, but the biggest reason she wanted this is the sliding doors.  Since Finley can’t open a car door yet, but can let herself in, this will be an extremely convenient feature.

Yay to Jennifer for waiting on what she really wanted.   Thanks to Mr. Black for making it happen.

All the sudden, we’re a minivan fam!

U.S. Olympians In Sino Threads, With A French Twist
In a couple of weeks pretty much all of us will be Tweeting and FBook’in about the Summer Olympics. After all, since the last summer Olympics four years ago, I can’t think of too many events that jumped me off the sofa like two of Michael Phelp’s races. Remember that medley??? Holy moly, Jason Lezak (the anchor leg), had the whole world YELLING as he paddled the leader down. Whew, I remember it like it was yesterday.

Fast forward to 2012, and the announcement of the uniforms to be worn at the Opening Ceremony in London. As a side note, here’s an interesting tidbit – “For inspiration, the Ralph Lauren team relied on photos from USOC’s archives, 1948 in particular, the last time the Games were held in London. Knowing that we were going back to England, there was a feeling of Chariots of Fire,” David Lauren, the designer’s son, said.

Two things:
Point 1 – They’re made in China. Hmmm. There’s outrage all over Capitol Hill about this. Leading the bark, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid went off saying, “I think they should take all the uniforms, put them in a big pile and burn them.” Strong statement, and I get it. I also remember the Canadian company “Roots” that outfitted our team. Outrage? Different relationships, different time. Again, I get it.  

Team USA should be wearing uniforms made in the United States.

Point 2 – That flippin’ BERET. C’mon Ralph! Your stuff is awesome and I may not know fashion, but the success of the Roots brand beret in Canada years ago won’t translate into huge beret sales in the United States.  

Here’s an novel idea (sarcasm injected). Why not outfit our athletes in a good ole’ American baseball cap? Here’s the thing: I’d bet ONE (1) in 1,000 of my friends own a beret (and he owns 25ish baseball caps!). Conversely, I know that 1,000 of 1,000 friends wear baseball caps. Get it? It’s us. It’s American. I don’t understand why Ralph Lauren keeps pushing the French beret.

To take it even further, I can’t think of one noun (person, place or thing… haha), sporting or otherwise, that’s had a more worldwide influence than our baseball cap. I mean seriously, pretty much everyone in first world countries, and even many in third world countries, wear baseball style lids. C’mon, Ralph! Go with it!

We often debate regarding “substance vs symbolism.” The two points above, in my opinion, cover substance AND symbolism, both of which have their place in American pride.

This all said, no matter the garb, I’ll be watching Team USA pretty much every night.

Just FYI, during some of my Googling for this post I saw you can purchase the Ralph Lauren Olympic blazer in the pic above for $795. Remember, made in China…

After declaring in this post that everyone should’ve concentrated on having great time on and around Independence Day, we decided to carry it on into the weekend, too.  

On Saturday night, Rockbridge threw a huge celebration party, complete with DJ, BBQ, jerk chicken, tons of sides, and a pool and pool deck slammed with friendly folks.  

As you can see from the pics above, the kids had a great time. I think at any one time the line to the diving board was seven to 10 deep. It’s the most folks I’ve ever seen at the pool, by far. In fact, the pic above doesn’t do the crowd justice, as the pool curves around to the right where most folks are hanging out.

As you can see too, Finley was as patriotic as her mommy could get her! The “Motorboat” (yes, that’s what I call her right now because of the way she kicks in the water), had a HUGE time. Notice the juice resting, feet crossed, a bucket of cheerios, and that smile. We had such a good time, I think FJ hit her bed around 10 that night. Worth. It.

According to my Twitter and Facebook feeds, it looks like a big time was had by everyone this weekend. For Jennifer, Finley, and me, it was no different! Well done, Rockbridge.

As fun as last week was, I’m drooling for Monday so we can get back to the work routine.

Although we’ve had a pretty productive few days, I’m confident this unusually looong holiday week will continue to feel like a few more Saturdays in a row. Since so many folks are at the beach, lake, or in a pool, I’m aware the amount of eyeballs of this little blog will decrease.

Knowing this is an off week, and to continue with the holiday spirit, I want to take an opportunity to relay some useless information. From the moment you notice it, however, it’s kinda gonna be kinda useful moving forward.

If you haven’t paid attention yet, take a sec to look at the pic above. There ya go!

I got this useless tidbit from Facebook a few weeks ago, but held the pic in my phone until now. Of the thousands of SOLO cups I’ve been around, I’m not sure any of my friends are aware the lines actually serve a purpose. 

Have A Good Independence Day, Or Miss The Point
In the morning, we’ll all wake up to competing and polarizing television stations, watching nasty venom and lava ooze from our 42″ flatty’s.   Let’s face it, it’s just what we do.  

While passion is important, and healthy infighting has its place, be sure and take a good look around you on July 4th.   To be sure, I’m well aware that a good political battle is an important part of the American experience.  That said, I’m also aware we’re Americans first, and for a day this should be cause for coast to coast celebration.

Whether you’re on a South Carolina beach watching fighter jets fly overhead, or sitting on your kids kickboard in a crystal blue pool with a Bud Light Lime sitting four feet away, recognize and inhale the day as a pretty good one.  I know I will.

Happy Independence Day, everyone!!!

FJ

Since July 4 falls on a Wednesday this year, many of us are confused as to which weekend we should celebrate our nations birthdate.  Some, in fact, are utilizing this as an opportunity to have two holiday weekends.  After all, living in South Carolina, that means a lot of beach time.  Perfect!

Some people pay attention to real estate, and some don’t.  That said, you may be the type that pays attention to the real estate signs that dot downtown Columbia.  If you do, you may have noticed we’ve put together a nice little run of listings that enjoy the coveted red lettered, “Pending Contract” or “SOLD” sign riders.  You may have noticed, too, that we love signs!

To list a few, the pics above are Delano Dr., Martha’s Glen, N. King’s Grant Dr. and Churchill Circle. 

What many don’t understand, is often times the marketing process isn’t the most difficult facet of the job.  Sometimes, it’s the “contract to close” part of the sales process that takes the most creativity, tact, finesse, and work.   For instance, two of the homes in the pics above have potentially sticky moisture issues, but a very quick closing date.  One has an easement issue, which is a legal problem.  Further still, one of the homes above didn’t appraise, falling $50,000+ short.  UGGH!  Some of these issues may not seem like big whoops, but considering the super fast closing dates, of eight total buyers/sellers involved, four face the possibility of being homeless.  You can imagine the pressure.

How do we deal with these situations?  Well, we just do.   The one that came up “short” was a terrible problem for the buyer and seller, for different reasons.  After writing a letter appealing the original appraisal, the VP brass of the bank agreed to allow a 2nd appraisal.  Since I was confident in our product, knew the neighborhood, and most of all, ravenously competitive about making it work, I gave the bank my CC# to pay for the 2nd appraisal.  

Thank goodness this was, “in compliance” as all lenders are different.  As a nice gesture, the lender agreed to pick up the tab if the 2nd appraisal came in 10% higher than the first.   BoOM.   We’ll be closing in two weeks, and the sellers are now fiercely looking for a home to rent in order to make it happen.

I can’t type through this keyboard how intense some of these transactions can be.  Not knowing if a sale is going to happen can be an incredibly stressful feeling for any family.  The pressure is overwhelming, and we can feel it from our clients.

Getting back to the seeing all the red “Pending Contract” and “Under Contract” sign riders, all is not as it seems.   Don’t get me wrong, when Amanda, Amy, or I put the rider on the sign it’s a great feeling.  That said, sometimes the challenges and pressure ahead is much more difficult than the marketing process projects.

While some think we’re pretty good at marketing, it may be the “contract to close” part of the transaction we excel the most.  After all, it’s June, and we’re closing in on 100 transactions for 2012.  I can’t verify, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t because of our snazzy photos, “status updates,” blog posts, or tweets.

Thank you!  FJ