Well - Yes and No. Experienced land buyers can surely get through the buying process without much trouble. On the other hand, first-time land buyers and less experienced buyers may want to consider using a real estate agent to assist in the process. But not all real estate agents are equally qualified. Continue reading ...

Continue reading ...

Avoid The Most Common Mistakes When Selling Your Home or Land

Here are the most common mistakes Carolina Farms & Estates see people making when selling their property.

Your Land or Home You Are Selling Is Priced Too High

This will certainly turn buyers off, have you frustrated, and you may have to make several contingencies or offer incentives in order to get buyers even interested in making an offer. While you may feel your home or land is special, asking more than the fair market value will usually get you nowhere. The property will sit on the market longer than necessary and will soon get a stigma as if "something must be wrong with it". The simple fact is that there is nothing wrong with the property or the marketing, it is simply priced too high. Starting off with a fair market price is always the best way to hit the market. Buyers do not mind paying for property that is priced fairly. 

Your Property Is In Bad Condition

While your home in its current condition may work for you and your family, if there are obvious repairs that need to be made, or it is terribly outdated, fixing these problems will not only make it easier to market your home, but will also increase its value. In most cases this increase will be considerably greater than the money you put into making the changes. If your land needs a "shave and a hair-cut", the time to do it is before you put it on the market for sale. Make sure the buyers can walk or drive the property to see the full potential it has to offer.

Your Land or Home Is Being Marketed Incorrectly and You are Possibly Using the Wrong Agent

When selling your land or home, there are no guarantees that the ultimate buyer will simply walk through the front door or happen-across your land while out for a walk. In many cases you will have to bring your land or home to the buyer. Effective marketing will help ensure that your property receives maximum exposure to attract a ready, willing, and able buyer in the shortest period of time. Tim Helline and Kyle Hoover with Carolina Farms & Estates specializes in land sales and the sale of homes with land. Stacy George and Sarah Helline specialize in typical home sales- whether new or previously owned. We have years of experience in sales, marketing and negotiating. It is extremely important when selling your home or land to find an agent that specializes in what you are selling. You would not go to a brain surgeon to have a pace-maker put in. Both are very qualified physicians, but specialize in different ares. The same goes for Real Estate agents.

By adhering to the advice in these simple tips, you can avoid the biggest mistakes property owners make when selling their properties, and the process will be smoother and more profitable in the long run.

If you are thinking of selling your land or home, give Carolina Farms and Estates a call at 803-324-0803. We will connect you with the correct agent that specializes in the property that you are trying to sell. Our agents will guide you in the pricing of your property, and will market the property to the correct buyers.

 I can live for two months on a good compliment - Mark Twain

As I sit at my desk, day in and day out, I can hear the commotion of phones ringing, clients stopping in, printers printing and people talking. Oh, and at our office, an occasional yelp from an excited dog!

Several calls this week made me sit back and reflect on why we do what we do -  and that being we go the extra mile for the industry, community and our peers.

One call came in from another agent from a different firm. He said something like this - "Tim, I have a client looking for land and I have no idea what I am doing. You guys are the experts in this area - can I refer my client to you and have you help him find what he needs." 

A buyers agent from another company had a client that put a tract of land we had listed under contract. One of the terms of the contract was that the property had to perk. (Our company always handles the perk for our buyers) The agent was unsure of how to get a property perked and had the buyer take responsibility for it. The buyer got frustrated with the process. The agent called and asked if we could help her client get the perk test done. Kyle Hoover from our office was more than willing to help.

An appraiser called today and asked Tim for his opinion on a tract of land that he needed to appraise for an estate. He calculated out the price of the land at $5000/acre. He asked a local agent that he knew what his opinion was. It differed by A LOT. He said, "I figured I just needed to call the land guru and get your opinion.

We work hard around here at Carolina Farms and Estates. Not only do we work hard for our clients to make sure they get the best price for their land or home, we also work hard for the industry to make sure that all clients are taken care of - whether they are ours or not.

Feel free to call us at any time and ask questions regarding selling or buying land - It's what we do and we love doing it! 

Sometimes pictures just don't show the whole picture! Occasionally we list a property that is a "must see" because the pictures just do not do it justice.

This beautiful log home at 980 N. Shiloh Rd on 28 acres of land is just that case. The video shows the vast amount of open ground surrounding the property, and also shows the layout of the outdoor entertainment area with the pool, pool house, open-air bar, outdoor fireplace, fire pit, patios and decks.

SOLD!!! Congratulations to James and Barbara on your purchase of this beautiful 6 acre tract on Walnut Ridge Rd in Rock Hill. Closed on it last week and already clearing the home-site! James and Barbara are moving from Kentucky, so let's give them a warm South Carolina welcome! With temps near the 90's this week, we think that's a warm welcome:)

Congratulations to Fort Mill for being listed No. 9 in the Movoto Real Estate Blog listing the top cities in South Carolina with a population of 10,000.

Click on the link below to read the full article from the Fort Mill Times. 

Ashleigh Walsh stops in for a funnel cake Saturday at the 2013 S.C .Strawberry Festival in Fort Mill, which was named one of the top-10 communities in he state.

JEFF SOCHKO SPECIAL TO THE FORT — File - Jeff Sochko Special to the Fort Photo from the FortMillTimes.com webpage

www.fortmilltimes.com/2014/03/06/3334983/sc-real-estate-blog-includes-fort.html

Although the numbers are not out yet from the North Carolina and South Carolina Multiple Listing Service for the month of January 2014,  Carolina Farms & Estates is off to a good year.

Increased activity on the phone and website has led to quite a few properties going under contract and a good amount of new listings.

We continue to see a correlation between properties that are priced right and properties that are not on the market for a long time. If you are a seller and your property has been on the market for a long time, it may be time to think about getting another market analysis and lowering your price if the market suggests so.

If you are a buyer, you need to stay on top of properties that are newly listed. Again, the properties that are priced right are not on the market very long!. Do not hesitate to give us a call if you are looking for something in particular and you cannot find it on the market. We know of many properties that are not listed on the market, yet the owner is willing to sell. Don't assume that you will pay more for a property that has not been listed and marketed for sale. Sellers have many reasons why they do not market their property. Many sellers may simply not want to market their home or land, but are willing to sell at a fair market value.

Many of the tracts of land for sale that are listed by Carolina Farms & Estates, can be sub-divided into smaller tracts. Tim Helline and Kyle Hoover specialize in selling large and small tracts of land in the York, Chester, Clover, Lake Wylie, Fort Mill and the surrounding areas in South Carolina.

If you are looking to buy a large or small tract of land, do not always assume that the amount of acreage listed for sale is the only way the land will or can be sold. Many sellers are willing to consider sub-dividing the land into smaller tracts.

Whether you are a seller or buyer considering splitting a tract of land, many things need to be considered before land can be split. Some things that need to be considered are  

• the amount of road frontage
• zoning restrictions
• how many times and how long ago was the land split 
• easements
• deeded restrictions
• building restrictions

These are only a few of the many things to consider before selling or buying sub-divided land. Make sure you contact a land specialist to help with sub-dividing land.

Here is a list and link to some of our properties(at time of posting this article) that can be sub-divide

Armenia Rd. Chester 30 Acres

Blacksburg Farm -Dye Rd 72 Acres

Canal Rd Catawba 65 Ac  65 Acres

Cedar Grove Rd - The LakeLands 108 Acres

Garvin Rd Farms 239 Acres

Garvin Rd/Kays Dr 454 Ac  454 Acres

Golf Course Rd.- Blackstock 147 Acres

King Rd/Cedar Grove Rd  32.5 Acres

Parson Rd.  62 Acres

Ranger Rd. -Clover  369 Acres

Walnut Street - Smyrna  302 Acres

As the new housing market continues to recover, the timber tracts in South Carolina are of vital importance. Whether you own a family timber tract of land, are looking to invest in a timber tract or buy a timber tract of land for recreational use, it is important to know how to care for timber land.

Click on the link below to read the booklet "A Landowner's Guide to Forestry" provided by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee of the South Carolina Forestry Association.

A Landowner's Guide for Forestry

If you are looking for a timber tract of land to purchase as an investment, recreation land or to build your private home, give us a call to talk about tracts of timber that are for sale in the South Carolina and North Carolina area.

-Read this recent article by Chris Isidore regarding the housing recovery

-Builders say housing is back

Is the housing recovery for real? It looks that way, as a key measure of home builder confidence crossed a major threshold Monday.

The National Association of Home Builders' index hit 52 in June, marking the first time it has been above 50 in seven years. A reading above 50 indicates that more builders say sales conditions are good rather than poor. The index has been posting gains for the last year, but those moves only indicated that builders thought the market was less bad than it had been. 

"It's further confirmation of what we've felt for six months at least -- that the housing market is back and will continue to improve," said David Crowe, chief economist for the trade group.

June is typically a month when builders report slower activity, after the spring buying season peaks. But this year they're reporting better traffic levels and better sales conditions than they did in May.

The NAHB survey found that 41% of builders said current conditions are positive, almost double the percentage who said they were poor. A year ago, only 15% said conditions are good, while three times as many said it was a poor environment.  (Read More)

After receiving many comments and jabs about our empty sign frame at our office on Hands Mill Hwy in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the sign finally arrived. Tim Helline and Kyle Hoover took some time out of their busy day and hung the sign. Thanks guys! We just need to add the finishing touches with some top-soil, mulch, decorative rocks and plants!

Carolina Farms & Estates is proud to announce that 2012 was a very good year for selling farms and large tracts of land! If you have a large tract of land or a home with acreage, now is a great time to give us a call and talk about selling. Due to the large number of land sales in 2012, OUR LAND INVENTORY IS DOWN.

We have a number of BUYERS LOOKING for a specific type of land or farm that is not in our inventory or on the market. If you have been thinking of SELLING YOUR LAND OR FARM, give us a call to discuss what we can do for you. You just might have the type of land our buyers are searching for! We look forward to visiting your farm or walking your land and discussing what Carolina Farms & Estates can do for you!

Log Cabin with barn on almost 12 acres of land.  Very private with a nice country setting. Bring the horses and enjoy life in the country.

View additional photos

This is a one of a kind property. A long winding driveway leads you through nice hardwood trees to the front of this cozy log cabin. Log cabin has a large front porch for sitting and enjoying the outdoors.  Large screened in back porch with a gazebo in the back yard.  This property is set up for enjoying the outdoors.

Walking into the cabin you are greeted with a nice open feel.  Loft over looks the living room that has a nice rock wood burning fireplace.  Cabin has 2 bedrooms and a full bath downstairs with the master bedroom upstairs.  Master bath has double sinks, jet garden tub and separate shower.

Horse barn sits behind the cabin at the edge of the large fenced pasture.  Barn has hay storage, 2 stalls and horse trailer storage. 

This property is set up and ready to go.  Come enjoy the piece and quiet of the outdoors with a nice country setting.

Turkey Hunting Season Ends at Dusk on May 1, 2013 in York County, South Carolina

Good luck everyone on your last day of hunting!

We ran across this new magazine Modern Farmer today and absolutely loved the articles and pictures that were in it (such as this pepper photo).

An article titled "Growing Pain" "Chilehead fanatics race to cultivate the world's hottest pepper" caught our attention!

http://modernfarmer.com/2013/04/growing-pain

We spoke to North Carolina Pepper Farmer Ed Currie of PuckerButt Pepper Company several times over the last year and was pleased to run across this article and see the attention he is getting in his race to the hottest pepper. We tried to buy some PuckerButt Pepper Sauce on our last visit to Charleston at the Pepper Palace, but unfortunately he was sold out of the PuckerButt Sauce. Upon further investigating, we discovered that we can buy the sauce from the PuckerButt Pepper Company website.

Although nowhere near the volume or heat that Ed Currie has, we at Carolina Farms & Estates have planted our "hot peppers" for this year and are looking forward to that first taste of HEAT!

Here is a photo of our garden boxes from 2012 mid-season

I ran across these photos when going through our file cabinet today. They bring back such wonderful memories of our alpaca farm in Ohio.

Some of our favorite times and memories are from raising alpacas and watching our children learn about animal husbandry. We strongly believe that working with the animals on our farm has help to make each of our four children the awesome workers that they are today.

We love the way this blogger and her husband "de-cluttered and re-purposed" items laying around on their farm. She has a great blog site with some really fun reads. Check it out at

http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/2011/09/sweet-tweet-retreat.html

We are presently about mid-season of Quail hunting in South Carolina. Quail season in upper South Carolina (Zone 2) runs from December 26-February 27, 2013 on Wednesday & Saturday only with a limit of 10 quail per day.

If you have some fresh quail, frozen quail or store-bought quail, below are three grilling recipes from Garden & Gun magazine that sound delicious. Some key points from one of the articles are to grill the quail at a very high heat for a very short time. The longer the quail is over the heat, the gamier it will taste. Quail only needs a quick sear on each side.

Grilled Honey-Lacquered Quail

For the Full article from Garden & Gun - click here

From Fire In My Belly, by Kevin Gillespie/Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC

Makes enough for 4 small plates

1 cup honey
12 cloves confit garlic (recipe below)
⅓ cup red wine vinegar
4 quail (with skin on, breast bones removed, leg and wing bones intact—often labeled “semiboneless”)
Olive oil
Salt

You can make the honey lacquer ahead and store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just heat it up a little in a pan before using, so it’s free-flowing.

Put the honey and garlic confit in an 8-inch sauté pan and set over medium-high heat. When the mixture starts to bubble and foam, cut the heat down to medium. As the honey cooks, take a whiff. After a couple minutes, it will begin to smell like toasted rice, then the aromas of the flowers will start to develop; orange blossom honey will have a citrus aroma, wildflower honey will smell more floral. The flavors will intensify and the honey will start to change color from very pale to slightly golden after about 5 minutes.

When the color starts to change, add the vinegar. It will foam up and then deflate, and the mixture will continue to bubble. Cut the heat down so that the mixture simmers very gently and cook for another 15 minutes. The mixture will be crazy hot, so be very careful. Gently pull the pan from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Puree the mixture in a blender, then strain the puree and discard the solids.

Heat a grill for direct high heat.

Pat the quail dry, brush both sides lightly with oil, and season the breast side with salt. Scrape the grill clean and coat it with oil. Set the quail on the grill, breast side down, at a 45-degree angle to the grates. Grill for 1 minute, rotate 90 degrees, then cover with a foil pan or metal bowl and grill for another 2 minutes. Flip the quail over, cover again, and grill for 2 minutes more. Remove the quail from the grill and immediately brush on a thin, even coating of the honey lacquer. Let the quail rest for 2 minutes before serving.

Confit garlic

Makes about 1/2 cup cloves and 2 cups garlic oil

3 whole heads garlic, each clove peeled and trimmed of its woody end, about 30 cloves total
2 cups olive oil

Put the garlic cloves and olive oil in a small saucepan. Bring the oil almost to a simmer over medium heat, but don't let it boil. Cut the heat down to low and cook until the garlic is golden brown and soft, 20 to 25 minutes. Pull the pan from the heat and let the garlic cool in the oil. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Spiced Quail with Chocolate Gravy

For the Full Article in Garden & Gun - Click Here
 (serves 4)

Ingredients
1 tbsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin seeds
5 allspice berries
3 tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp. benne seeds
1 large clove garlic
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup canola or other neutral oil
¼ cup orange juice
4 quail, semi-boneless
2 to 4 large peanuts

Chocolate Gravy
4 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1¼ cups whole milk
2½ tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
¹⁄³ tsp. cayenne
2 tbsp. butter

Preparation
Toast coriander, cumin seeds, and allspice berries in a sauté pan until fragrant. Cool two or three minutes, then grind in a spice grinder until powdery. Place ground spices in a small mixing bowl and add paprika and benne seeds. Mix well.

Chop garlic, sprinkle with salt, and mash into a paste using the side of a knife. Add garlic, canola oil, and orange juice to the spices and mix thoroughly.

Snip wing tips off quail. Pour rub over quail, turning to coat.

Marinate at least one hour but no longer than six hours.

Prepare a medium-hot grill and cook each bird for seven to nine minutes, turning once, until medium-rare.

Gravy preparation
Combine first six ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium until thickened, whisking often to reduce lumps. Remove from heat and stir in butter. (The sauce can be reserved while the quail cooks. Just loosen with a few tablespoons of water as you reheat it.)

To serve, pool a bit of gravy on a plate, top with a quail, drizzle with chocolate gravy, and then, using a micro plane, shave peanuts over each bird.

Meet the Chef: Robert Newton
Hometown: Mountain Home, AR
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Personal fuel: Lots of nuts, wheat berries, and shaved vegetables, with one or two all-vegetarian days a week
Favorite footwear: Birkenstocks
On the radio: “I’m addicted to Spotify.”

Honey Glazed Quail

Tabasco advertisement Garden & Gun Dec 2012/ Jan 2013

http://www.tabasco.com/

1 T Tabasco brand Soy Sauce

2 T heaping of your favorite Honey

2 T fresh-squeezed orange juice

1 T Red Wine Vinegar

1 T Tabasco brand Original Pepper Sauce

6 semi-boneless Quail

Salt to taste

In a small bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients. Season the quail with salt and toss in the marinade. Bring grill to high heat. Place quail skin side down and cook 3-5 minutes on each side until brown.

More and more homeowners are joining in the movement to raise chickens in their backyard. The eggs are fresh, tastier and plentiful during the summer months. Chickens are easy to care for, and if you raise all hens (no roosters) they are relatively quiet.

Before you consider raising chickens, make sure your county zoning and neighborhood restrictions allow it.

Now is the time that you want to start building your chicken coop so that it is ready by the time your chickens will be arriving. Carolina Fresh Farms on Celenese Rd. in Rock Hill usually starts selling peeps sometime in March. Below are a few links to help get you started.

Be creative when designing your coop. You do not need to put a lot of money into your chicken house. An old shed can be converted into a coop, old barnwood can be used to build a coop, and like below, an old dresser was converted into a coop.

http://www.hgtv.com/gardening/chicken-coops-for-backyard-flocks/pictures/index.html?ic1=obinsite

 http://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/agrarian-garden/agrarian-garden-chicken-coops/

 http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/6471900/list?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u220&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery10

The "Meet Your Farmers" event takes place at the Old Town Market Hall on Saturday, January 19, 2013 from 10am to 12pm.

The Rock Hill Herald reported  "Farms and businesses scheduled to participate are Tirzah Farm and Flowers of York, Mama Beehive Honey Farm of Clover, Lovern Landscape & Greenhouse of Fort Lawn, Pennington Produce of Rock Hill, PuckerButt Pepper Co. of Fort Mill, The Pennell Barn of York, Watson Farms of Lowrys and T & M Farms of Chester."

Read the full story at

Old Town Market website

http://onlyinoldtown.com/do/featured/9/eat-fresh-be-fresh/schedule/175/old-town-markets-meet-your-farmer-event

The Rock Hill Herald

http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/16/4549141/meet-your-farmers-at-old-town.html#storylink=misearch

I do it every year. I make the resolution to clean out the closets, drawers, attic, garage, shed... In theory, it sounds easy. Heck, I even think I can get to unpacking some of those sealed boxes from our move -- 7 YEARS AGO. One thing stays consistant - every year I make Continue reading ...

Kyle Hoover joins Carolina Farms & Estates

We're growing! If you get a chance, please welcome Kyle Hoover to the world of real estate. We are very excited and pleased to have Kyle, and all his knowledge about dirt, to be joining Carolina Farms & Estates. Kyle was previously working for SC DHEC in York County specializing in waste water management. He is a bundle of knowledge about land, soils, and the whole York County market.

Today's Friday's Find is brought to you by our son Quintin. He found this when he was out walking to a fishing hole one day. He must have a lot of me in him, because he seems to have a knack for finding someone else's "trash" and seeing beauty in it. He also found the Beer Wood Crate that I wrote about a few weeks back.

I would like to claim this as my Friday's find also. When I was cleaning up leaves around our yard, I found it on his work trailer. I kept an eye on it for a few weeks and he never moved it. So....Finder's Keeper's. We fight over it from time to time, but it now sits in the front room of our new office. 

The palm tree sits atop a cut-out of the state of South Carolina. It is pretty rusty and dirty and could use a good clean-up. I haven't decided yet if I am going to paint it or leave it in it's natural state. Quintin wanted to paint it orange for Clemson and put a tiger paw on it. Nice, but I don't think so!

Tim and I had an opportunity about 7 years ago to visit a metal fabricating shop in Florida that makes electric gates for large horse farms. The whole process was pretty interesting and definitely made you want a custom electric gate. If you ever get a chance to drive around Ocala, Florida, you are in for a treat. Miles of black and white fencing and custom electric gates are everywhere!

I'm not sure where Quintin's metal palm sculpture came from, but I believe I may have found the manufacturer. If you click on the photo, then watch the video, a lot of the work looks like the palm tree we have.

Here are some other metal fabrications and links to websites.

Welcome to ChristmasVille! Read this excerpt from the Rock Hill ChristmasVille web-site.

  " Did you ever open a storybook and want to step inside? Or dream of a simpler time - filled with music and merriment and festive folks brimming with good cheer? If so, then bundle up the family and become part of the whimsical world of Rock Hill's adopted son, Vernon Grant, America’s favorite children’s illustrator and artist of the famed Kellogg’s®  Rice Krispies Snap!® Crackle!® Pop!®

Once again, “Old Town” Rock Hill will come alive as a charming, picturesque holiday village and outdoor art festival. The 7th annual ChristmasVille will take place November 29 - December 2, 2012. This award winning festival has over 70 events including horse drawn carriage rides, historic tours, strolling Dickens carolers, art, theater, dance, music, a gingerbread house contest, multiple Santa activities, an ice skating rink, and 20 tons of real snow! We hope to see you at ChristmasVille 2012!"

Follow this link to get all the information and events for Rock Hills ChristmasVille event 2012

http://www.christmasvillerockhill.com/#

Why is it that you can find so many vintage dresser-mirrors laying around? Whatever happened to the dresser it was attached to? This weeks Friday's Find is just that - a mirror with no dresser. The top of the mirror frame has a decorative wood design and the center mirror tilts up and down.

My original plan for the mirror was to remove the posts that connect the mirror to the dresser and use it as the bathroom mirror at our new office. But...it's too large for the space. So now what?

As the weather has changed in South Carolina to the cool fall mornings and evenings, I have started wearing a jacket to work and hanging it on the back of my desk chair. That's how I got the idea to turn the mirror into a front hall mirror with hooks for coats.

I can't decide if I should paint it, stain it a darker color or leave it natural. Any ideas???

Here's a few photo's for my inspiration.

Here is the front hall that the mirror/coat rack will be hung

Today's Friday's Find brings joy and sadness. First, joy- because I love the crate and can't wait to use it in some decorating form. Second, sadness- because when our son, Quintin, and I found the crate in an old barn we were cleaning out, we only nabbed two of probably 50 crates. Quintin, a college student at Clemson, wanted to take the crates to school and use them for who knows what. NO WAY! They were staying with me!

After doing a little research on the crate, I found out the crates were used by The National Beer Company in Baltimore, Maryland to transport their National Bohemian Beer. The beer, known as "Natty Boh" or "National Boh" was first brewed in 1885, but is now brewed by the Miller Brewing Company in North Carolina.

As a reference to the Chesapeake Bay area, the slogan for the Bohemian style beer was "From the Land of Pleasant Living". Mr. Boh, the companies one-eyed, handle-bar styled mustached mascot (as seen on the crate) was retired in the early sixties, but is now considered the area's "unofficial mascot". A neon sign of Mr. Boh now sits atop the former Brewery which has since been converted into the multi-million dollar office and apartment complex known as Natty Boh Towers. 

When I was doing some research on the crates, I found this interesting bit of information - New Zealand kiwis have come up with a way to celebrate the first day of summer. National Crate Day! It takes place December 1st, 2012. The concept is to grab a crate of beer, get together with your mates, dust off the "barbie" and share the crate have a good time. http://www.facebook.com/NationalCrateDay/posts/407781832616819#!/NationalCrateDay

Here are some "crate" ideas for some crates:) Click on the photos for links to the websites.

Here is a link to our pinterest page for other ideas

http://pinterest.com/carolinafarmse/re-purposed/

This Tuesday I thought you might enjoy some waterfall videos from the Dupont State Forest in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

Tim and I had the opportunity to hike and enjoy the beautiful fall weather and the leaf change in the western North Carolina mountain region. We enjoyed both lunch and dinner in downtown Hendersonville, along with a few of the local shops.

The first video is a short video of Triple Falls and the beautiful sound of the falls. The second video is a composite of pictures taken while hiking at the State Park.

Below are some links to Hendersonville and information on the Dupont State National Forest

historichendersonville.org/dupont_tour.htm

http://www.dupontforest.com/index.html

http://www.cityofhendersonville.org/

I love today's Friday's Find! And you're not going to believe where I found them -  the Scrap Yard!

After we purchased the building for our new office, our youngest son volunteered (LOL) to remove the old heating ducts so they could be replaced with new duct work. Bless his heart, he crawled around in the very small crawl space and cut out the old duct work. We piled it, and the old metal awnings from the front of the home, onto the trailer and off to the scrap yard we went.

After weighing the scrap and dropping it off in the back of the lot, I went inside to collect Brody's money. $28 for the first load. We went back to the office and loaded up the remainder of scrap, and back to the scrap yard we went. This time, when I went inside to collect Brody's money I saw the large and medium sized copper planter's and fell in love! BUT, I walked away with only the $30 in cash for the scrap. Brody was happy. Me, not so much.

Several days went by and I couldn't get the copper planter's out of my mind. They were sitting in the scrap yard office on a dirty old shelf with layers of dust on the outside, and scraps of copper wire, bolts, nails and the likes, piled on the inside. I had to find out how much they were.

Tim and I finished up an appointment on a Friday afternoon around 4 o'clock. I asked him to stop by the scrap yard so I could look at the planter's again and find out how much they were. I was only interested in the large one. I thought it would look nice in front of the fireplace at the office. We pulled into the scrap yard just as they were closing the gates and went in and talked to the owner. After a lot of negotiating, finagling, and adding on copper planter's, we settled on a price for all three. $80

Click on the photo for more information on the pictured copper planter.

 http://www.brydenroad.com/Antique-Copper-Finish-Planter.html

http://www.signaturehardware.com/product15315?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=pronto&utm_content=Outdoor-Planters%20Windowboxes

http://www.signaturehardware.com/product15385

http://www.bellacor.com/productdetail/dessau-home-gu741-copper-finish-rivet-planter-691909.htm

http://www.hayneedle.com/sale/taubaovalcopperplanterwithironhandlessetof3.cfm?source=shopzilla_hayneedle&mr:referralID=e55ba68c-1ee6-11e2-97b3-001b2166becc

http://www.bellacor.com/productdetail/imax-44106-3-tauba-oval-copper-planter-with-iron-handles-set-of-three-612984.htm

Having owned horses over the years, Tim and I understand that one of the best ways to enjoy fall foliage is by horseback. I found this video on for horseback riding trips in upstate South Carolina. What a great way to travel the mountain area of South Carolina and enjoy the picturesque views at the same time!

Want more upstate activities. Click here to view the Upcountry South Carolina Website

Its nothing special. Just a metal cart with shelves and wheels. We found this in the crawl space under the home we purchased for our new office. Tim and I have been using this as our lunch table while we remodel the office kitchen. Continue reading ...

Continue reading ...

Now is the time to taking that day trip to the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway to enjoy the beautiful colors of fall. This is one of our favorite family day trips for hiking. From York County it is only about a two hour drive to jump on the parkway and travel South to the many waterfalls, or travel North to to the many hiking paths and small towns. Below are some links to get you started on your Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway sight-seeing. Continue reading ...

Call me cheap. Call me Frugal. Call me a pack-rat, dumpster-diver, or hoarder (that would be extreme). The truth is, I have a hard time throwing away something that still has "some" life or re-purpose. In todays economic times, people are finding all kinds of ways to up-cycle, re-cycle, refurbish or refinish to bring new life to an old item. Just check out our "Re-Purposed" page on Pinterest. Continue reading ...

I think that anyone who has had the opportunity to visit Charleston, South Carolina would have to agree that Charleston is one of America's icon cities. The city is full of history, architecture and some of the best restaurants around. Our daughter, Daniella, is thinking about attending The American College of the Building Arts next fall. The small college located in the old jail-house in downtown Charleston had Continue reading ...

If you asked me a few months back what Pinterest was, I am not sure I would have had an answer for you. Social networking sites are one of the fastest growing online sites today, and it is easy to see why. They can be very addictive. Pinterest is an Continue reading ...

Exciting news for Fort Mill and York County, South Carolina. Shutterfly has announced plans to move it's operations, along with 637 jobs, to the Fort Mill area. Approximately 400 of the 637 jobs will be new positions! This is great for the high unemployment rate in the surrounding area.

What is really awesome about the move is that most of the 237 current employees will be able to keep their employment with the company. The relocation of Shutterfly's operations to Fort Mill, South Carolina is within approximately 10 miles from the current location in the Charlotte, North Carolina area.

Read the full story in the 

Fort Mill Times 

Charlotte Observer

 Yahoo! Finance

Watch the story on WSOC-TV out of Charlotte

16 +/- Acre Farm located in York, South Carolina - For Sale - Carolina Farms and Estates is proud to offer this beautiful tract of land located off of Hwy 49 in York on Davis Farm Rd. This tract has approximately 100 ft of frontage on Davis Farm Rd and opens up into a larger tract of open ground. The proposed 1300ft driveway would wind through some beautiful Continue reading ...

It's hard to believe, but the holiday season is fast approaching and now is the time to make your reservations to experience "Christmas at Biltmore". Tim and I had the opportunity to take our children when they were very young. We were traveling back to Ohio from spending the holiday with my brother and his family in Georgia, when we decided to take a side trip to Biltmore. Words cannot describe how breathtaking Biltmore Continue reading ...

A lot has been happening since a week ago. We have a new roof on the building and after the old shingles were removed, we had no roof damage that needed repaired!! Hard to believe after all the damage we found after removing Continue reading ...

Our new office location renovation is moving along. The exterior shingles have been removed and any framing and boards that needed to be fixed have been repaired. The roofer has been scheduled and the windows have been ordered. The back door and porch door are getting replaced, but I have decided to leave the original front door. I am a sucker for "old" wood doors! The bathroom has been gutted and Continue reading ...

I never expected Peter and Joni's hay and straw storage barn to be transformed into such a beautiful and elegant wedding and reception hall! The last time I was in my sister Joni and brother-n-law Peter's barn, it was full with over a thousand hay and straw bales and large farming equipment. Our youngest son was covered with dirt and dust after working in the fields all day and stacking straw bales higher than you could imagine. Bats hung from the rafters in the ceiling and the barn smelled of fresh country air (meaning the smell from the cows and pigs in the livestock barn below was finding its way into the storage barn). But on Saturday, September 1st, the barn had been transformed into heaven (at least through a farm girls eyes). The minute I entered the barn I said to my daughter Daniella, "This is a Pinterest moment!". The old storage barn exuberated country elegance. The guests were decked-out in cowboy and cowgirl hats and boots and welcomed by Continue reading ...

A big thanks to my “Secretary” (lol) for posting on my Blog today while I am out of the office all day digging perc test holes on a 108 acre tract of land. –Tim First, let’s get something straight! I am not Tim’s “Secretary”. I like to think of myself as his Boss – or better known as his wife. I’m not quite sure how I entered into the position of working for (whatever) Tim, but my life just kind of morphed into a full time business partner. Second, I want to thank Tim for letting me “guest post” today. For the past 3 years, Tim and I have sat directly across from each other at a large dining room table -our desk. From the large number of comments we here, we know this work environment would not be attractive to every married couple Continue reading ...