16 minute read
Habitat for Humanity
Helping Hands Home Sweet Home
CORCORAN REVERIE GEARS UP TO BUILD HABITAT FOR HUMANITY HOUSE IN WALTON COUNTY
BY KARI C. BARLOW
For most Corcoran Reverie agents, helping a family find a dream home usually entails conducting market research and showing properties.
But this fall the brokerage — which stands more than 200 agents strong — will don hard hats, work gloves and tool belts to build a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house for a deserving family in Santa Rosa Beach.
Corcoran Reverie is partnering with Walton County Habitat for
Humanity to support the home-building project through their volunteer work, funding and connecting partnerships with some of their preferred vendors.
“It’s an amazing organization,” said Jacob Watkins, owner and real estate advisor of Corcoran Reverie. “What they stand for is about so much more than building a house. They really give back to communities.”
The house is one of four that the nonprofit hopes to complete during its current construction season, according to
Teresa Jones, executive director of Walton County Habitat for Humanity.
“Corcoran Reverie has an amazing reputation throughout our community,” she said. “We are beyond excited to be a part of their commitment to making an impact where they serve.”
Jones said Corcoran Reverie’s exceptional reputation, strong leadership and commitment to providing homeownership opportunities make it an ideal home sponsor.
“Sponsoring a home truly is an investment into our community,” she said. “Not only does it affect the partner family that we are building for, it creates jobs and brings people together.” Jones said the one thing she works to help people understand about Walton County Habitat is that the nonprofit doesn’t give homes away. Partner families not only pay their zero-interest mortgage, property taxes and home insurance, they are also required to commit more than 250 hours of sweat equity per adult into the program. And the act of paying back their loan in turn creates funding to build more homes in the future.
“Habitat makes a permanent difference to the families we build for and is one of the only organizations that helps lessen the burden for governmental subsidies and other nonprofits,” she added. “It truly breaks the cycle of poverty.”
Corcoran Reverie came out to support Habitat for Humanity at the fourth annual Hard Hats and High Heels event.
Future homeowners (left) look forward to the holidays in their new Habitat home. A volunteer (right) is hard at work on a Habitat for Humanity house.
And with such a scarcity of affordable housing in Walton County and the surrounding area, Walton County Habitat cannot afford to slow its pace.
“Our local schools and hospitals are severely struggling to find staff, as well as our booming tourism industry due to lack of affordable housing,” Jones said. “Workforce housing is the number one issue that our local community faces at this time.”
The donation of construction costs, building materials and construction volunteers are critical to building Walton County Habitat homes.
“Our local Habitat doesn’t receive funding from Habitat for Humanity International, so we truly depend on local families and businesses to make our mission possible,” said Jones, who has led the organization since 2011. “In turn, we try to use local businesses and vendors when we build our homes to help create jobs and generate income for those businesses.”
Another way to support Walton County Habitat is through donations of cash, home goods and housewares to its ReStore.
“Our ReStore pays for all of our operations, so every dollar donated goes directly to build homes in Walton County for deserving families,” Jones said. “We really depend on the local community to make this happen.”
In the past two years, due to economic hardships posed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Walton County Habitat has faced obstacles on many different fronts. The pandemic-induced
lockdown hit the organization hard, slowing its building capacity just when it was needed most. Like many nonprofits, the agency also lost scores of talented volunteers and hasn’t fully recovered yet.
“We lost a lot of our participation,” Jones said. “Businesses are struggling with staffing, so we’re not getting as many build days as we used to.”
Construction has also been affected by ongoing inflation and a still-snarled supply chain.
“Not only are construction material prices higher but vendors and labor as well,” Jones said. “Everybody is struggling to keep up.”
Yet even in the face of these challenges, Jones is hopeful about the future because Walton County Habitat has big plans on the horizon. In addition to the goal of four houses this building season, it is slated to complete the infrastructure for its first-ever Habitat for Humanity neighborhood, Hope Village, which will feature 13 homes.
Although the Corcoran Reverie house has seen some delays in the framing process, Jones expects the property to be framed and ready for volunteers sometime in October. More than 200 volunteers — who will be doing
“Knowing that your hands were everything from installing siding to laying sod — will be needed to complete the 1,427-square-foot home the ones that were hammering those within the expected four-month time frame. Watkins said the Corcoran Reverie nails is going to feel so amazing because team is excited to provide muchneeded labor but also to work alongside their colleagues in a that’s who we are at our core.” completely new way. “It’s a team building situation,” he said. “All of our agents are going to come out, and they’re going to put their hands on that house and they’re going to help to build it.” Watkins said the ultimate goal — a well-built home for a family who couldn’t otherwise afford one — is the best motivation Corcoran Reverie could have as it heads into the project. “We are going to know, as a company, that we physically built a house from the ground up that is going to help an underprivileged family,” he said. “Knowing that your hands were the ones that were hammering those nails is going to feel so amazing because that’s who we are at our core. We are that group that gives back and gets our hands dirty.”
Team Spirit Partners in Excellence
CORCORAN REVERIE EMERGES AS THE OFFICIAL REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE OF THE TENNESSEE TITANS
BY KARI C. BARLOW
PHOTOS COURTESY OF TENNESSEE TITANS W hen Corcoran Reverie owners Hilary Farnum-Fasth and Jacob Watkins began making plans to expand operations from Northwest Florida to Nashville, the entire company started dreaming big.
Broker and owner Hilary Farnum-Fasth was no exception.
“I think Christoffer and I were driving in the car, and I looked at him and I was like, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to partner with the Tennessee Titans being that they’re the largest organization in that area?’” she recalled. “And it was just fun-talk.”
The couple shared their idea with a Corcoran Reverie investor who had a key connection to Nissan Stadium, the Titans’ home field, and were invited to meet with Titans executives. Introductions were made, visions and values aligned and a dynamic partnership was forged.
“It just snowballed from there, and it was quite amazing,” Farnum-Fasth said. “I think they saw aligning with us as an elevation.”
This fall, as the Titans’ 2022 football season kicked off Sept. 11, the once fun-talk became reality. Corcoran Reverie made its debut as the Titans’ official real estate brokerage with its brand name flashed across multiple screens throughout Nissan Stadium.
In September, Corcoran Reverie debuted across screens at Nissan Stadium as the official brokerage of the Tennessee Titans.
“Part of our partnership package is that we get a lot of light time … And we’ll have a spot on the actual scoreboard,” Farnum-Fasth said. “We’ll be in the concourses and all over the grounds.”
The exclusive partnership entitles Corcoran Reverie to promote itself alongside the Titans while the Titans, in turn, introduce and promote Corcoran Reverie to their fans, staff and players. “We couldn’t be more excited or more proud to be partnering with a brand like Corcoran Reverie,” said Gil Beverly, senior vice president and chief marketing and revenue officer for the Titans. “We have learned a lot about them and have a crazy amount of respect for Hilary and her team. We just think the sky’s the limit with this partnership.”
Beverly said that Corcoran Reverie’s commitment to excellence and recent success in gaining a foothold in the Nashville real estate market — with the acquisition of Worth Properties LLC — makes it the perfect fit for the Titans franchise.
“One of the goals of our corporate partnership program is we want to align the Titans with the best and highest quality brands out there, particularly the ones that impact Middle Tennessee,” Beverly said. “We
PHOTOS COURTESY OF TENNESSEE TITANS Nissan Stadium brings an incomparable platform to the Corcoran Reverie table with a seating capacity of nearly 70,000 and numerous games, concerts and events held each year.
see ourselves as a premium brand, so we want to partner with other premium brands. Corcoran Reverie has a great national reputation. They’re a leader in their field.”
Perhaps the strongest connection is the one that exists between Titans fans and Corcoran Reverie’s home base of 30A, where an increasing number of Nashvillians — many of whom have migrated from California and New York in the past few years — are spending regular vacations and purchasing second homes.
“We consider our market to be, obviously, the state of Tennessee, but we also reach into southern Kentucky and northern Alabama, and the one thing that folks from all three of those states like to do is hit the beach in the springtime and summer down on 30A,” Beverly said, adding that he has personally made the drive several times in the past few years. “The reality is that a lot of our fan base spends time down there — 30A is officially a thing here!”
Farnum-Fasth agreed, adding that the geographical connection is a vital part of the lasting relationship they are building with the Titans franchise.
“Nashville is basically an extension of our 30A market,” Farnum-Fasth said. “So, many people in Nashville have a second home on 30A.” Add to that the Titans’ massive reach and appeal across multiple Southeastern states and the partnership is a win-win for all involved. “Nashville and this team are only growing,” Farnum-Fasth said. “I believe when you Leaders on and off the field, the put two high-end brands together, success Titans step up for their community through outreach and assisting in just goes up exponentially.” disaster relief. And while theirs is certainly a lucrative partnership, the underlying relationship is one rooted in respect and trust, she said. “We have so much in common, and we have become good friends with the people in this organization,” Farnum-Fasth said. “When we go up there, we get invited to dinner. When they come down here, they get invited to dinner. It’s not just business.” Farnum-Fasth is especially excited to collaborate with a company known for generously giving back to its surrounding communities. For decades, the Titans have lived up to their mission statement — “to win, serve and entertain” — by having an active
presence in the community. One of the team’s priorities is growing the sport of football and making it more accessible in cities and towns across the Nashville area. In 2021, the Titans partnered with public schools in Williamson County, a suburban area south of Nashville, to introduce girls flag football. And this year the team is launching the same effort with Metro Nashville Public Schools.
“We’re really creating the opportunity for young women to learn and play the sport,” Beverly said. “It’s an opportunity that frankly just hasn’t been out there before.” The Titans organization also shows up when duty calls.
“Unfortunately, we have had plenty of opportunities to engage in disaster relief, dating back to the tornado of 2020 that struck the heart of Nashville,” Beverly said. “Days later we had coaches, players and staff literally in the streets cleaning up stuff, delivering food to people, delivering blankets.”
Beverly said it’s not so much an obligation as it is the simple belief that serving others, particularly in a time of need, is the right thing to do.
“From our team owner on down, we just believe that community is a core value for the team,” he said. “We take being a corporate citizen very literally. Obviously winning is part of the football aspect, but the role we play in this community goes far beyond entertaining folks 10 games a year at the stadium.” Corcoran Reverie has also embraced its chance to step out as a corporate citizen and recently served as the title sponsor of the popular pre-season Titans Foundation 5K — where thousands of runners finished on the 50-yard line at Nissan Stadium. The company will also be the official sponsor of community tailgate events at every Titans home game throughout the 2022 season. “Stuff like that is very, very big for us,” Farnum-Fasth said. “For us to do things that are community driven really speaks to who we are as a company.” The Corcoran Reverie leadership team also plans to spend plenty of quality time in Nashville during the rest of the 2022 football season. They will be regular and enthusiastic occupants of their suite at Nissan Stadium, hosting clients and other associates while they watch the Titans rule on the field. “We’re coming off a season where we were the 2021 regular season AFC cham“We’re really creating the pions,” Beverly said. “We’ve got a lot of exciting young players. We’ve been pretty competitive in the past few years, and we opportunity for young expect to be again this year.” For Farnum-Fasth, a long-time and loyal New Orleans Saints fan, it’s been easy to women to learn and play make room in her heart for the Titans and their fans. “Now I just have a second team that I get the sport.” to cheer for and interact with on more of an intimate level,” she said. “It’s going to be amazing!”
The Titans have partnered with community schools to introduce girls flag football, an opportunity that has previously been underrepresented.
Home for the Holidays Decorating, Naturally
ADD CLASSIC TOUCHES WITH PINE BOUGHS AND PINECONES, HOLLY, VINES AND ACORNS
BY AUDREY POST
Bringing the outdoors inside for the holidays can add a special touch to your seasonal decor. Whether you want timeless elegance, a rustic funky feel or just a bit of greenery to add a festive flair, using what you have in your yard can deliver.
Classic natural decorations include evergreen boughs wired to the top of a staircase banister or draped across the mantel over the fireplace. Be aware that if you do light a fire, it will dry out the boughs, so have a mister handy to spritz them periodically. It’s also a good idea to have a supply of evergreen boughs tucked away in a bucket of water to replace as needed.
You can dress up your evergreens with red velvet bows, small Christmas ornaments of various colors or small antique children’s toys scattered throughout. If you’re going for a more rustic design, wire together a trio of pinecones and nestle them among the greenery. You could spray-paint the tips of the pinecones with gold flecks for a pop.
A living tree you can plant in your yard after Christmas is the ultimate natural Christmas decoration, but make sure you get a tree that will thrive in our area. Those Douglas firs and blue spruces look great in their burlap bags, but neither will survive a North Florida summer. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services lists red cedar, Virginia pine, sand pine, spruce pine and
Leyland cypress as trees grown in Florida for Christmas trees.
Lana Arnold, a Florida Master Gardener and a board member of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, has taught classes on using nature to decorate. She particularly likes acorns from the
Shumard Oak, which have a ruffle near the base.
“Cut cedar boughs, holly bushes with berries on them, juniper — any of your evergreens make great wreath additions,” Arnold said. She also recommends cutting your wild grapevines, normally found annoying, and winding them in a circle in the bottom of a plastic bucket. They will dry into a wreath form, but it’s important to cut them while they still have some green. You can glue on greenery, hickory nuts or acorns, small pinecones or leaves once the vines have dried. Wreath forms are also available at many garden centers and hobby stores, and you can bring them to life with many things in your yard. Loquat leaves make a lovely wreath; attach ripe kumquats with picks. Or slice blood oranges and dry them in a dehydrator, then pin them to your wreath for a touch of seasonal color. If you want to add fresh blossoms, make sure you put them in floral picks, which have a water reservoir to keep the bloom fresh. Camellias are lovely in a wreath or floating in a holidaytheme bowl on a side table.
Boxwood is an old standby. Prune your boxwoods in late November or early December and keep the trimmings in water. They can be used for any decorative element, but they are especially useful for creating topiaries. A round foam ball atop a PVC pipe anchored in a flowerpot is transformed with a bit of paint on the pipe and boxwood covering the foam ball. Add a few camellias in picks or colored ball ornaments as mulch in the pot as a finishing touch.
Blooming plants such as amaryllis and Christmas cactus can provide colorful blossoms for the holiday season and then be preserved for future years. Plant your amaryllis outdoors in the spring. Move your Christmas cactus to a guest room after blooming and water it sparingly, then move it to a covered porch in spring. Bring it indoors before a frost.
Boughs from fir trees, pruned and assembled on a form, make excellent wreaths. Keep them fresh by spritzing them regularly.
Mantles spruced with natural elements and enhanced with delicate lighting can be enough to knock the socks off even Santa Claus.
Experienced. Trusted. Connected.
INVEST IN A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES ON 30A
Lynne Andrews, REALTOR® Corcoran Reverie Luxury Property Specialist
Mobile - 404.784.5606 Lynne.andrews@corcorangroup.com
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