"Real Estate is the Only REAL Investment"
Julian V. Brandt III
Broker in Charge
Julian 'Vic' Brandt began working as an office assistant to his grandfather, Julian V. Brandt who founded the firm in March of 1917 while in Middle School. From their Church Street office, he routinely delivered documents, made bank deposits, installed 'For Sale' signs and visited properties. At a young age, he learnt about the value of Real Estate, reinforced by the company motto, “Real Estate is the Only Real Investment”. Julian V. Brandt who founded the firm in 1917, had a wide range of real estate and related interests including, Development, sales, leasing, construction, financing, and insurance.
His parents would torture him from time to time with visits to new developments just outside the City and walk through new construction to examine the latest floor plans. Vic’s earliest experience with Historic Preservation started when he join his father, Julian V. Brandt, Jr. to supervise repair and restoration projects in the Old City and new construction often participating as a laborer. Being fortunate to have a family farm outside of Charleston, Vic learned about land surveying, poultry production, timber management, soil and wildlife habitats at an early age.
Graduating from The College Preparatory High School as President of the Student Body, Vic enrolled at the Citadel, graduating with a degree in History. Shortly after graduation, and pondering many career choices, he decided to follow his father and grandfather in the Business.
A young advocate of Preservation, he was invited to serve on the Revitalization Committees of the South Carolina and National Association of Realtors, penning several articles on the subject. He also served as the South Carolina Association of Realtors representative with the State Legislature committee in the creation of the first South Carolina Condo law.
At the beginning of the Charleston Real Estate Renaissance beginning in the late 1970’s Vic was appointed to the City of Charleston’s Board of Architectural Review by Mayor Joseph P. Riley. During his eight-year tenure on the Board, he served as Chairman and a member of various committees including: the City Historic District Ordinance Review, and Historic District expansion. He was a founder of the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions, an organization funded by the Department of the Interior created to train member of Historic District Commissions. As a real estate agent, Vic saw the value of restoration for the City’s tax base and began to measure the gross amount of building permits in the Historic District and was surprised to discover the enormous financial impact of tax credits from “Qualified Rehabilitations” following the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. As a result of this work, he was invited to testify at Congressional Hearings on the effects of the tax credits on communities and funding for the Department of the Interior and National Trust for Historic Preservation.
As a participant in Preservation, he restored over 30 buildings in the Historic District, many using Preservation Easements and Historic Tax Credits. He served as an officer of the Preservation Society of Charleston and was Chairman of the Preservation Easements committee. Because of his interest in Preservation, he was appointed by the South Carolina General Assembly to the Old Exchange Building Commission to represent the State’s interest in this most historic building.
Having sold hundreds of properties, he learnt the value of the nuances of historic property value including: quality of historic Architectural details, quality of construction, and susceptibility to flooding to name a few. With his background, he has lectured nationally on various topics from Historic District Zoning Administration to history and philanthropic needs.
Vic has had a long history of community involvement in many organizations and societies including: The Footlight Players, past president, College Preparatory School (merged as Mason Prep), past chairman; the Society of St Thomas & St Denis, founded in 1706 to support the preservation and restoration of this historic church building and churchyard, first completed in 1708; La Societe Freancaise de Francaise (French Benevolent Society), past president; Child Soldier Relief, Washington, DC; the American Friends of St George, Past President, which supports the restoration and preservation of the historic building fabric of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle; Charleston Renaissance Weekend Resource and Panelist on Real Estate topics and local history. He has written countless articles on Real Estate and local history for various publications including Charleston Magazine and the Charleston Mercury.
Vic was appointed to The Order of St. John: Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, an Order of Chivalry of the British Crown. The Order runs the St. John Eye Hospital Group with hospitals in Jerusalem, Hebron and Gaza in addition to clinics and mobile outreach serving almost 150,000 people per year without regard to creed or ability to pay. He served on the Priory Chapter (Board of Governors) 2012- 18 and currently National Regional Committees Chair. He vigorously advocates for fundraising for the St. John Eye Hospital Group and works on regional to international issues. In 2018, by Royal Warrant he was appointed Knight by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his service.
vic@julianvbrandtrealestate.com
843-568-0102
John McC. Shannon
Sales Associate
john@julianvbrandtrealestate.com
843-973-0390
John was licensed by the State of South Carolina as a realtor in 2017 since when he has been associated with Julian V. Brandt Real Estate. Although he has roots going back to the earliest days of the Carolina Colony, he first came to the Lowcountry in 2010 and settled here permanently in 2015. Prior to that he lived and worked in New York City as a banker, public relations executive, orchestra marketing director and finally – for 20 years – as executive director of a non-profit organization. He was born in Washington, DC, and grew up there before moving to Paris for six years, then Tokyo for five years, and finally New York City. He holds a BA in History from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.
Upon first visiting Charleston, John was immediately taken by its beauty, history and friendliness. After their marriage, his parents bought and restored a Federal period townhouse in Washington’s Georgetown neighborhood; and taught him about Flemish bond, architectural details, and period furnishings. In later years, John became interested in European baroque and neo-classical architecture. All of this was great preparation to appreciate the unique architectural heritage of Charleston. He loves showing visitors the city’s beautiful houses and surrounding area.
Since moving to Charleston, John has served a term on the Wadmalaw Island Land Planning Commission; and on the vestry of St. Stephen’s Church on Anson Street. Other local involvements include serving as a vice president of the Society of First Families of South Carolina, 1670-1700; treasurer of the Society of St. Thomas & St. Denis, 1706; and treasurer of the local chapter of the English-Speaking Union.
Curtis Estes
Architectual and Interior Design Consultant, AIA
843-576-9217
Curtis M. Estes, AIA, a New England native, is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and the University of Virginia School of Architecture. After leaving UVA, he served six years with the US Navy Civil Engineering Corps in Panama and Philadelphia. He moved on to Fidelity Investments where he worked for six years as Manager of Corporate Interiors in Boston. After operating his own business and teaching interior design at three colleges, in 2000 he joined Citibank’s Corporate Realty Services in New York as a Senior Vice President and Project Director. In that capacity he managed design and construction for the bank’s facilities in the North America, involving at any one time 100 projects worth about $200 million. He relocated to Charleston in 2015 while continuing to work for Citi until 2017, when he started his own architectural consulting firm. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects and a Certified Interior Designer with National Council of Interior Design Qualification. He has given talks on architectural topics at The Merchant House Museum in New York and to private groups such as the Order of St. John. In Charleston, he teaches courses in interior design at the American College of Building Arts. He lives on Wadmalaw Island.