Joan Herlong and Associates | Sotheby’s Intentional Reality is planning a big expansion across the Upstate, with the first new office set to open in Clemson this year.
“We are almost a decade old,” said Joan Herlong, owner and founder of the real estate firm. “We felt now was the time to expand our footprint.”
Founded in 2011, the firm affiliated with Sotheby’s International Reality in 2017.
In the first of what will be “numerous expansion offices across the Upstate for the agency,” Joan Herlong said the new office will likely open in a temporary location in downtown Clemson, but the plan is to establish a permanent site at the Patrick Square development in the summer of 2021.
The appeal of the Patrick Square site — a 173-acre traditional neighborhood development that includes homes, a town center, activities and retailers — is its “unique sense of place,” coupled with its close proximity to Clemson University, according to William Herlong, the firm’s chief operating officer.
“This is where we wanted to plant our flag as we expand into the rolling hills and lake region of the upper west portion of South Carolina,” he said.
William Herlong said the firm had been eying the Clemson area for several years due to the high number of clients it has worked with in Pickens, Anderson and Oconee counties.
Uniquely, the plan for the Patrick Square office is to operate with nonstandard hours of noon to 8 p.m., the goal being to encourage more walk-in traffic, with added technology like a “touch gallery,” a through-the-glass storefront display, that will give passerby a better understanding of the properties the firm has to offer.
“There is a definite ‘wow’ factor that we want to convey to people who know the Sotheby’s name and brand, but have never experienced it,” said Jackson Herlong, chief strategy officer. “This is the essence of what we are bringing to Clemson and Patrick Square.”
As of yet, the firm has not announced where future expansion offices will be located. An exact opening date has yet to be set for the new Patrick Square office.
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