Chris Barczak The second common thread among Barczak & Associates, In the House Realty and In the House LLC, which are all located at 2965 North Main Street, is Chris Barczak, founder and owner and boss.

The headquarters building on North Main is a recent occupancy. The previous headquarters was at 1929 Marion Street. Barczak rents out the Marion Street address to Foundation Mortgage Co. The North Main address is just south and up the hill from the railroad trestle, leaving Earlewood Park on the north side of the trestle. Classical Glass is next door and just up the hill from Barczak. A native of greater Columbia, Barczak is where he wants to be.

A founding member of the North Columbia Business Association, where Sabrina Odom (North Main Deli) is president, Barczak sees great gains in the works for his headquarters’ surroundings. The NCBA headquarters occupies Barczak’s North Main building. The focus of NCBA is a collection of three main thoroughfares: Main Street, Farrow Road, and Monticello Road.

Barczak was born in Brunswick, Ga., when his father was in the Navy, but Barczak’s mother moved him and his older brother Keith Bradley to Irmo before Barczak was one–year old. Besides Keith, who is four years older than Barczak, there are two half–brothers, Kevin and Michael Barczak. Keith is a mechanical engineer in Atlanta. Kevin is a real estate appraiser who works with Barczak. Michael is with Bank of America.

Born in February, Barczak went to kindergarten his first two years of elementary school at Timmerman School. That way, he could enter the first grade at age five, but he could also transfer after two years to Dutch Fork Elementary about a year ahead of the average age for a third grader.

After finishing Irmo Middle School, Barczak entered Irmo High School, where his class had more than 700 students. With 700 in each class, Irmo High could accept only the very best athletes for their varsity teams. Barczak did not play high school sports; however, he did participate in neighborhood sports with league teams.

For pick–up money while in high school, Barczak bagged groceries at the nearby Bi–Lo, later moving up to the stock rooms and cash register after he enrolled in college.

Barczak entered USC the fall following high school graduation, but he lived at home his freshman year.

For his sophomore year, he stayed in Columbia Hall next door to Capstone. For his junior and senior years, he lived on the Horseshoe, just about the ultimate in convenience.

While a junior in college, Barczak formed his own pool cleaning business. One of his favorite customers, a real estate appraiser named Volk, asked Barczak if he might be interested in the real estate appraisal business. Barczak said absolutely, and he and Volk shared the office at Volk’s home on Brickyard Road near Spring Valley High School.

Barczak graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and he served himself the seamless transition into the working world, where he had been with Volk already for two years. Barczak stayed another two years with Volk, these two as part of an official apprenticeship, until Barczak was qualified to take his license with him and hang his own shingle as a real estate appraiser.

About the time he was in business for himself, Barczak bought his first house. Getting close to 40 years of age, Barczak can cite Elmwood and Earlewood and Cottontown has his only neighborhoods

for both home and office since finishing college.

Starting his own real estate brokerage business in 2005, Barczak has built a second business to conveniently complement his first business in real estate appraisals. His biggest producing real estate agent is Jeff Jones.

Staying on top of local government politics and getting tired of municipal real estate rigmarole, Barczak ran for Columbia City Council in 2006, losing to Tameika Isaac Devine. Kelly Coleman came in a respectable third.

For fun Barczak is still an active amateur athlete, playing club volleyball and league flag football on a regular basis. His favorite watering hole is the bar at Terra overlooking the corner of State and Meeting in West Columbia. For an occasional getaway weekend, Edisto Beach is hard to beat, he says, especially if he can reserve his favorite beach house.