Holly Lynch

After recently relocating my parents here from Cincinnati, my mom asked me about local retirement communities. Not nursing homes, communities with amenities. So I decided to look it up and check. There is 1..yes I said ONE, established community in Greenville near Woodruff Road. This is unacceptable.

But within weeks after this conversation, I was happy to see the development of an incredible community at Furman University just north of downtown and close to Travelers Rest at the base of Paris Mountain. It's called the Woodlands at Furman and is geared toward active seniors and outdoor activities. And just this last weekend a proposal in Mauldin was brought up to establish another Spectrum Retirement community in that burb. That is great news for a growing senior community in Greenville!

Greenville is a great place to live and raise a family. Now it's going to be a great place to retire!

Na Na Na Naaa Na! LOL I love being part of a team. Many agents dont' like the idea of sharing the spotlight. But after many years as the Endorsed Local Provider for Dave Ramsey in Greenville, SC for Real Estate (the only ELP in Greenville by the way) we got a huge endorsement over the national airwaves for our team's work for just one of the hundreds of clients we serve.

So what exactly does that mean? Dave Ramsey is a national talkshow host of a financial program which teaches the average joe's like you and I how to handle money the way our grandparents would have. In other words...save, don't spend, save for retirement and don't use credit cards! If you've never heard his very funny yet incredibly informative show you can find him on a local station via his website at www.daveramsey.com.

What that means for the Connie Rice & Partners Team at Keller Williams in Greenville SC, is that if a listener to his program wants to know who Dave recommends in our area, they click on a link and BAM..there we are. Our quick response to the emails we get and the fact that our entire team is running both business and personally on Dave's program, is a huge boost to our clients. We get it. And we help them find a home within their needs and not just try to sell them something they can't afford..for a commission. We're consultants...and REALTORS too...but because of Dave Ramsey and within the time I've helped Connie with the buyers for Dave Ramsey, our clients through him have truly become friends as well!

And to have a just closed client call Dave's program and say that the Connie Rice & Partners team in lil ole Greenville got their home sold in 45 days as opposed to the other listings in the neighborhood which have been on the market for over 90 on average was huge. We have an incredible advocate. And when Dave read that email from our client live on air..well let's just say that millions of average joes out there heard of us and if they go to his site..we'll clients and new friends we just may have. Not to mention a nearly 1 minute advertisement which is worth thousands read by Dave himself.

Way to go Team! and let's all keep livin like no one else!!! Let's all be DEBT FREE!!

If you ever need a truly nationally recognized REALTOR referral in Greenville SC, I as a buyers agent, or our entire team of Connie Rice & Partners would be glad to help!

GAIHN That is the short name for The Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network. A bit like Habitat For Humanity however it is driven by area churches. I'm proud to be a part of GAIHNS latest project through a conglomeration of my church, Springwell in Taylors, Cornerstone and several others that have united with out dickering about denomination or attendance. It's wonderful to see over 200 people who will converge on a small home near the mall in Greenville to remodel this old house which was donated by a local business owner.

The home keys will be presented to a single mom with a 12 and 3 year old who have successfully completed a program to get them out of the circle of poverty and homelessness. She's not the typical though. She has cancer so we're doing all we can to assist her with the financial burden of that as well. She and her children will live in the home for a year, rent and utility free so she can get well, acquire a job and get on her feet. The house will then be transitioned to another family going through the same hardships.

So far the churches have raised over $34,000 and we had only needed $25 so I"m guessing the other will be spent on utilities for the year and her medical costs.

As a REALTOR in Greenville, Im proud to be a part of this project and am currently looking for other homes for GAIHN to buy and remodel. We can worry constantly about our economy and commissions, but God will give to us what we put in to this life. Why should he abundantly bless us if he can't trust us to do His will with what we've already been given. The abundance is out there my friends. You just have to give a little of yourself back to those who need it more.

Get involved, Give and Good luck!

Lil ole Greenville SC in the Upstate of SC is growing. The multi-national businesses that are influxing (is that a word?LOL) here is ridiculous, new housing has slowed, but there is a plethora (I know that's a word) of resale and discounted specs out there. But what else does Greenville have and why would people want to live here?

Mountains, Shopping, Arts, Culture and ....Animals of course! Four our youngins this is a must. And though the zoo is not large, it does have a wide variety of creatures great and small that amaze the young eyes. A family pass is only $60 per year and gets you in to the special events like the Halloween Trick or Treat at the Zoo for the kids and such. The Zoo is right next to downtown Greenville so it's very easy to get to and there's ususally enough parking. Just don't go on Free Hot Dog Day!! LOL

Here we go into the zoo and look..today no line!

Who can resist the pachyderms especially when they're throwing water on everyone!

Although you probably can't see them in the picture these are howler monkeys which if you don't know...are EXTREMELY loud. The last time we came they scared my son to death and we had to leave the zoo with him in tears! But this time he was fascinated and wanted to know why they were crying!

Of course as a mom, you know how pleased I was to share the wonderful world of the tarantula!

A calming walk down the path to the lion display to see Simba of course!

So if you visit or if your intention is to live in the great city of Greenville SC and the Upstate, don't hesitate to visit one of Greenvilles finest..the Greenville Zoo! Y'all come back now....ya hear?

This is more of a frivolous post. But there is more to being a realtor than working. But my husband, dad and I took my son to the fair today. Kiegan is almost three now so we thought it would be a lot more fun than last year. And we were right! The fair as always was great and since we went during the day it was not crowded at all, the day was overcast and muggy but not unbearably hot. Now with a three year old mind you, we weren't planning on more than 2.5 hours...we lasted exactly that!

Now fairs are fairs, and we've gone each year to the SC State Fair which is at the Greenville/Pickens Speedway about 15 minutes west of Downtown Greenville, SC. We got to go on rodeo night too and my son loved watching the older kids chasing the calves around trying to pull the pink ribbons off their rears to win a bike or a cowboy hat! Oh yea the roping was good too..but we only lasted there about 15 minutes. LOL the funniest part is that Kiegan wanted to look at the big bulls and kept pointing to their "oysters" if you know what I mean, and asking "whas dat?"..time to go ride the pony! LOL

Daddy took him on the roller coaster and he loved it (although you can't tell by the expression LOL)

and he rode the train and had a big time watching the absolutely crazy people in the big rides (you wouldn't catch me dead on one of those carny rides!!) and we won a bear and he got a big rig toy and squirt gun which he proceeded to squirt everyone walking past. Good thing it was hot so nobody minded.

Please no redneck NASCAR jokes or making fun of my pony tails! It was hot and my day off! LOL

So for lil old Greenville, SC..go to the fair...beware the sausage, pepper and onion sandwich???Gawd..gave me heartburn just thinking about it..and enjoy the outdoors with the wonder that is a carnival with a child.

Happy Labor Day!