AROUND TOWN

Is this a good time to buy or sell a home? You decide.

The Commerce Department reported new home sales rose 6.7% to an annual rate of 689,000 more in May than April despite high selling prices and low home inventory.

Previously owned homes which represent the bulk of the market fell from a year earlier in four out of the first five months of this year. Their sales may be stuck in neutral.

New home sales still remain below the elevated levels before the 2007 to 2009 recession.

No more incentives

Don’t expect merchants to offer you any more incentives to use another credit card than AmEx. The US Supreme Court backed American Express’s policy of preventing retailers from offering customers incentives to pay with lower fee cards.

Critics called the ruling a restraint of trade. The 5-4 majority sided with AmEx against more than a dozen states. The Justice Department had sought an antitrust ruling against AmEx.

Who’s new

Sherry Gingerich has joined Weichert Realtors - Caughman Company in their Lexington office at 120 Ellis Avenue. For information, please contact Charles Caughman at 803-358-8383.

Want fries with that?

Don’t be surprised if a robot grills your burger on your next McDonald’s visit. Fast-food restaurants are turning to machines due to a shortage of workers.

A West Coast chain, CaliBurger, has acquired Flippy, a robot that turns burgers and cleans the hot, greasy grill. He never complains about the drudgery or the heat in the kitchen. This frees employees to tidy the dining rooms and refill drinks. These less arduous chores might help recruit and retain workers.

Taxpayers catch a break

Right to Work advocates and taxpayers will applaud last week’s Supreme Court decision.

In a 5-4 ruling split between liberals and conservatives, the justices barred public-employee contracts requiring workers to pay union dues.

The court overruled a 1977 precedent that had grown public-sector unionization even as unions withered in private industry.

More than 33% of public employees are unionized, compared with 6.5% of those in the private sector, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Welcome to the

neighborhood

Joyce Mosteller of Mosteller Design wrote to tell us she loves the Explore Lexington County guide. She wanted 5 copies for those moving into her “Walden” neighborhood.

She said she would include them in welcome packets. Those include pizza gift cards (so they can keep unpacking without concern for supper), homeowner covenants, information on things to do, nearby churches, doctors and dentists and a page for something about themselves for the community newsletter.

“We’ve had people from Virginia and Chicago move here in the past couple of months,” she wrote, “and 2 more homes just sold.”

We’re not surprised.

With a neighbor like Joyce, it’s a wonder the builders can keep up with demand.

Business opportunity

Amazon.com wants entrepreneurs to form small delivery companies with up to 100 drivers and lease up to 40 Amazon-emblazoned vans to handle local deliveries.

Its goal is to rapidly build its own delivery network here and across the country.

Amazon wants more control of its own deliveries to build a parcel shipping network for more than a billion online orders a year that UPS, FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service can’t handle. More than $4 of every $10 spent online in the U.S. is on Amazon.com.

Young banker award

Drew Painter, First Community Bank’s Columbia Regional Market President, is the 2018 SC Outstanding Young Banker. The South Carolina Banker’s Association made the announcement at their June 11 annual meeting.

First Community Bank CEO Mike Crapps said, “It is such a pleasure to work with someone of Drew’s character and ability ... Not only is Drew an exceptional leader in our industry, but he’s also an outstanding person, and we’re honored to have him on our team.”

Painter has 18 years of banking experience. He is also involved with the United Way of the Midlands, American Red Cross, Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, and Carolina Walk Park Homeowners Association.

Drew and his wife, Kelly, live in Columbia with their two daughters, Anna Grace and Emma.