Kenneth Blank was at a Clemson University football game against the Miami Hurricanes with his family when they left in the third quarter to try and beat traffic getting home to Dahlonega, Georgia.

Clemson came back to win the game in the final quarter and Blank pledged not to leave another game early.

Blank, who fell for the Tigers when his daughter attended the university, purchased a condo at 101 Oak Street in Clemson as a place to stay on game days. He calls Clemson his second home and has since moved to a bigger unit on another floor, spending around 20 weekends a year in town. He's also made friends with others in the building and they travel to away games together.

While no one maintains a count of game day properties in Clemson, realtors said they have seen increased interest in them as the football team continues its streak. But, while many people are interested, not everyone can find what they are looking for at the right price in Clemson's tight housing market.

According to the Clemson June market report produced by the Western Upstate Association of Realtors, the number of new listings in Clemson is down 7.5% year-to-date over 2018 while the median sales price is now $246,200, 17.5% higher than this time last year.

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Although not every second home is for game days, the number of second homes in Clemson has increased. In 2015, there were 213 sales of properties taxed at 6% in Clemson. In 2016, there were 260, in 2017 there were 266 and in 2018 there were 254, according to data from the Pickens County tax assessor.

Game day homes provide 'destination of entertainment'

Russ Hebert is the broker in charge of Re/Max Foothills Real Estate. He has been working in real estate for 30 years and grew up in Clemson.

Hebert said he sees a lot of demand for game day homes, particularly as hotel rates increase, but that people often come in with dreams that can't be met.

He said the problem is that condos, which most people prefer from a cost and maintenance perspective, are few and far between.

Realtor Susie Kohout has been working in Clemson for 20 years. When she talks to people about game day properties, she tells people to think of it "like the beach house but at Clemson."

"It is your destination of entertainment," she said.

Kohout works with developer Tom Winkopp who has built a few condo projects including Valley Walk and Tiger Walk.

At Tiger Walk, the market value of units is around $275,000, according to Pickens County tax records. At the Oakcreste townhomes behind the Esso Club, three-bed, three-bath residences are listed for $399,000 on Zillow.

For a condo in walking distance to Memorial Stadium, Kohout said prices range from around $230,000 to as high as $400,000.

She has a lot of people come in and say, "wouldn't it be great," to have a game day home, but she cautions people that it is an expense 365 days a year and not just seven weekends.

"It is not for everyone," she said. "It's a luxury product."

It's a limited product, too. Kohout said if there were available land in the Oak Street area to develop for additional condos, "I could sell them all day long."

Single family homes also provide game day outlet

For Stuart McWhorter, a condo wasn't a good fit.

McWhorter, the commissioner of the Department of Finance and Administration in Tennessee and a 1991 Clemson alumnus, has five kids at home, so a two-bedroom condo was not going to be big enough.

After coming to Clemson frequently to serve on the foundation board and going to football games, he decided to look for a second home.

He found what he was looking for on Wyatt Avenue in 2017. It's walk-able to the stadium without having to move his car and the added space let's him cook out and have people over.

McWhorter's house is in Linda Gahan's community.

Gahan has lived on Martin Street in Clemson since 1970. The street sits north of the university president's house on campus across Old Greenville Highway.

Gahan knows of at least five homes in her neighborhood that are primarily for game day use, all of which have been bought since 2016.

She said the game day homes are all well-maintained and were "snapped up quickly" from the market.

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While she said it is good that the properties are well-maintained, she said it is "nice having neighbors" and said the game day purchases take up homes that could have been purchased by a professor or another local professional.

Hebert said he has seen downtown homes selling as high as $600,000. Other realtors put the price of a downtown, single-family home around $300,000 to $600,000, depending on the age and how much renovation may be needed.

A current listing on Zillow at 119 Folger Street in Clemson mentions the possibility of the six-bedroom home being used for game days. The home is listed at $649,900 and has orange and purple walls in spots.

Hebert estimates that five game day homes sell downtown each year.

"When they sell, you know it," he said. "It is a price you can’t believe."

There are a lot of Clemson alumni with money. At a trustee meeting in April, Clemson’s vice president for development said his office estimated there were 1,400 alumni with a capacity to give a six-figure gift to the university.

While some residents have voiced concerns over game day homes in downtown neighborhoods, Hebert sees them as having advantages since second homes are taxed at 6% rather than 4%, creating added revenue but less wear and tear on infrastructure than someone living in a home year-round.

For those who do buy game day properties, the purpose usually extends beyond football season. For some, it is a place to retire, a home for kids when they attend the university or a vacation spot.

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Susan Busch and her husband bought a home in Sept. 2018. They spent about six months on the market before the right place came along.

When a property became available on Riggs Drive, their realtor said they needed to come that day. They put an offer in the same day, as did someone else, Busch said. The Atlanta residents sold a home on Lake Hartwell to buy the second house in Clemson.

The Busch's are season ticket holders, but the home is more than a game day property for them. The couple hopes to get involved in the community and take non-credit courses at the university.

Outside of Clemson's city limits, other game day options abound

For those who can't afford to be downtown or just want a different pace, some people looking for game day properties turn to the lakes.

Jim Van Senus with Allen Tate Realtors at Keowee Key said he is aware of properties in Keowee Key purchased for game day purposes.

Van Senus and other realtors said that if you are going to buy a game day property, you probably should not bank on it being an investment property.

"Think of it as an investment for their personal pleasure," Van Senus said. "It's probably not going to be a real sound financial investment."

Marie Williams lives in Rock Hill and her husband's family has attended Clemson for generations. Her son, a cheerleader at the university, graduated last year. They used to travel to games in a day, making the three hour trip each way.

Her family decided to buy a home on Lake Hartwell and it has become a combination of a home base for games, lake house in the spring and summer and a base camp for mountain activities in the winter.

Even without being downtown, she’s enjoyed being closer to the Clemson campus.

“We can leave our house and in an hour be in Clemson and at the stadium,” she said. “When others are barely approaching the Smokin’ Pig, we are sitting on a dock with a glass of wine.”

Lake homes are not the only alternatives for people seeking non-rental game day options. Realtor Judy Webber has had three people come to her looking to buy parcels to park RVs on for game days.

In Seneca, the team behind the Lakeside Lodge development saw an opportunity in the desire for game day homes. Their property combines a hotel and condo. Individuals buy their units but have an option to rent them as hotel rooms when they are not in use or can close off doors to rent a single room.

The 116 units ranging from studios to three bedrooms are priced from $250,000 to $675,000 and 70% are sold, said former Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd, who manages sales for the project.

Boyd said he has seen increased interest over the summer from parents taking their kids to new student orientations at Clemson.

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While it is not set to scream Clemson and won’t have an orange interior, the university’s presence will be felt at the development, which will have a half-size football field and an amphitheater modeled off the one on campus. The project is set to open in November.

“We believe it fills a void in that particular market,” Boyd said of the property.