Elizabeth “Sing” Pappas : A Life By Design
story by Stephanie Cardozo
Elizabeth Pappas, also known as “Sing,” she has been making dreams a reality for folks in South Carolina for over thirty-five years. Born and raised in Kingstree, SC, she decided to make move to Beaufort in 1955. In the sixties, she decided to take a dive into the motel business. Sing built and owned the Joyland Motel and multiple Ramada Inns and found success until real estate peaked her interest in the early eighties.
Leaving the motel business behind, Sing got her real estate license in 1982 and took her business to Port Royal. She went into real estate looking for a part-time position but realized rather quickly that it would take much more of her time and dedication. “I wanted to get a little part-time job, real estate is not a part-time job, it is most definitely a full-time job,” she jokingly explains.
Sing started her real estate career with a ReMax office in Beaufort. In 1996, she opened her own company, Apex Realty. She experienced immediate success with her own real estate company and in 2004, she bought a Weichert Realtors franchise.
Success sky-rocketed for Sing at this time. In 2005, her Weichert office was named as one of the top five Weichert franchise offices in the nation, and she was named the number two agent for Weichert in the nation simultaneously. Sing consistently earned the distinguished “President’s Club” trophy every year she was with Weichert.
When transitioning to a Weichert Realtors franchise from Apex Realty, her son, Carl Joye, joined the real estate family business and left home building. Carl is now the broker in charge at Apex Team Real Estate. Her life in Beaufort has kept her busy. Working alongside her son gives her great joy. With great pride, Sing explains that her son truly has found his niche within the real estate industry. He has proven his all-around knowledge of the trade, as he built homes throughout the Beaufort area for over twenty years. Now, as a Broker/Owner, he continues to work in this area, as he and his mother have formed a dynamic family duo.
Carl Joye will be the first to tell you how amazing his mother is. When speaking to him about his mother, the tone of his voice has a completely different sound, one of energy and enthusiasm.
Carl shares, “She was an immediate success in real estate. It’s a perfect fit for her. She loves people, and loves to help them. She is just good at what she does.”
Looking back at her most memorable transaction, Sing takes us back to an exciting and “interesting” (as she called it) transaction. A three-hundred-acre waterfront plantation she sold to developers proved to be a one-of-a-kind deal. The property is known as Walling Grove Plantation. She managed to not only make the transaction happen, but managed to obtain the necessary documentation for the docks at the same time. “Some people come into town and don’t have a full understanding of the waterways, what deep water is, and how to get from one place to another. It was the first development in South Carolina where permits were obtained for the docks at the same time as the sale. It is and always has been a really nice place to live. With nice size lots, a lot of which are right on the water, it is just a beautiful place to live,” Sing enthusiastically expresses.
When Sing thinks of what motivates her to continue her long career in real estate, it is an instant answer for her, one of which is as natural as taking a breath of fresh air. “Helping the people find what they want. And the way that my clients have trusted me to help with a second or third transaction, it makes me feel like I have helped them make a really big investment. If they do not get the correct information, it can really have a big impact on their lives.”
She conveys true interest in getting her clients not only what they want, but what is right for them and their lifestyle. In doing so, this keeps Sing in the top rankings for best realtor in the county. It is a no brainer as to why clients will line up to work with her. “It makes me feel good when I get a call from a client who wants me to sell for them,” she says, “I have a little saying, I want you to like me two days. The day I sell it to you and the day I sell it for you.”
The great sale of the ports, will it ever happen?
“Well, I have been in Port Royal waiting for this sale to take place for twelve years now,” she says. “I sold a large piece of property when everyone thought the port was going to sell for one million and twenty-five thousand dollars. It’s really just about helping people keep a realistic approach to what kind of effect the port sale will have on the town,” she explained with much certainty.
The town of Port Royal has become more than just a home for Sing. It is more of a cherished family as she tells of the friendly neighborhood policemen, the ability to walk freely and with much ease late into the evenings. Simply enjoying the town without worry of crime or safety.
She continues to express her love for the town and the hopes of closing the sale will be decided so the people can “get their lives adjusted around the ports being sold” as she states, with the eagerness to move forward.
When asked if Sing saw herself taking time off or retiring, it was a simple and very quick, “no.” Her passion runs far too deep and will not allow her to step down in a career that has sky-rocketed her into a life by design. “It is not an option.” She says. “I enjoy meeting new people and helping the people that I’ve known for a long time. Working with my son in the business is so rewarding and this is something I want to continue to do.”
In her free time, Sing enjoys playing bridge with her friends and swimming at the local YMCA. “I feel like I live on vacation,” she says with a sense of bliss and peace. It’s safe to say that Port Royal is the place to visit, and the place to look when wanting to buy their new home.
Elizabeth “Sing” Pappas is the reigning queen of real estate in the area. She has two grandchildren, one from her son, Carl, and another from her daughter, who she sadly lost to a battle with cancer.
If you are riding down Paris Avenue in Port Royal, take a look to your right at the Apex Team Real Estate office….Sing just may be sitting on the porch to welcome you in.
