M/I Homes names purchasing manager

LAKE MARY, Fla. --- M/I Homes recently appointed Dave Sellars purchasing manager. David Byrnes, area president for M/I Homes said Sellars attended Southern College in Orlando and has more than 20 years of experience in purchasing. M/I Homes, Inc. is one of the nation’s leading builders of single-family homes, having delivered more than 81,500 homes. The Company’s homes are marketed and sold under the trade names M/I Homes, Showcase Homes, TriStone Homes and Triumph Homes. The Company has homebuilding operations in Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Tampa and Orlando, Florida; Austin, Houston and San Antonio, Texas; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; and the Virginia and Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C.

NAI REALVEST NAMES JIMENEZ SALES ASSOCIATE

MAITLAND, Fla. – NAI Realvest, one of the leading commercial real estate firms in the region, recently promoted Juan Jimenez to sales associate. Paul P. Partyka, managing partner at NAI Realvest, said Jimenez, a native of Columbia, South America, has been an intern at NAI Realvest for over nine months working with Partyka. He is a recent graduate of the University of Central Florida and fully bilingual in English and Spanish. Partyka said he and Jimenez plan to increase real estate relationships in the Latin American market. In addition Jimenez will focus on investment sales and the office sector.

NAI Realvest negotiates three Industrial Leases totaling nearly 6,400 Square Feet in Orlando and Kissimmee

ORLANDO, Fla. – Michael Heidrich, principal at NAI Realvest, recently negotiated three industrial leases totaling nearly 6,400 square feet representing the landlords at industrial centers in Orlando and Kissimmee. Heidrich represented landlord Forsyth Central Commerce Park, LLC of Maitland in a lease agreement with tenant Orlando Recycles, Inc. for 3,000 square feet at 5032 Forsyth Commerce Rd. At Poinciana CommerCenter East in Kissimmee, Heidrich represented the landlord Maitland-based Small Bay Partners, LLC in a lease agreement with the tenant, Jose Rodriguez of Kissimmee for 1,890 square feet at 1775 Business Center Lane. Heidrich also negotiated a lease renewal for Columbus, Ohio based Airport Investment Properties LLC for the 1,500 square feet of space occupied by the General Services Administration of the U.S. Government in Unit 100-F of the Airport Industrial Center, 7480 Narcoossee Rd. in Orlando.

EXIT REALTY OF DAYTONA APPOINTS FIVE NEW SALES ASSOCIATES

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. --- Exit Realty of Daytona has appointed five new sales associates. Aswin Suri, founder of Exit Realty of Daytona Beach, said the five new sales associates are part of a new mentoring and training program which has been initiated in preparation of the new expanded offices Exit Realty will occupy at 3162 S. Atlantic Ave. in Daytona Beach Shores starting in late November. The new sales associates include Boston native Bob Jenkins, who earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications at North Adams State College. Jenkins served as an auditor for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for more than 30 years before entering real estate. Karien Galien took over her late husband’s business developing subdivisions in Port Orange in 1980, earned her Certified Specialty Contractor’s license and then her Mortgage Broker’s license. She is a Notary Public. Ms. Galien is a Short Sale and Foreclosure Specialist who is now earning her Certified Residential Specialist certification. Cape Cod native Sean Hurley moved to Florida to serve as a field manager for Jeff Gordon’s Pepsi Racing. After two full seasons on the NASCAR circuit, Hurley, a certified EMT/Firefighter, enrolled in Real Estate school and recently joined the “A Team” at Exit Realty of Daytona Beach. Kathryn “Kathi” Zawacki, a Pennsylvanian by birth, served three years active duty as a U.S. Navy Recruiter while pursuing studies at Nassau Community College. Zawacki, whose career includes a wide range of sales positions and ownership of several businesses, earned her Florida Real Estate license in 2006 and recently joined Exit Realty of Daytona Beach. She lives in an oceanfront condominium in Daytona Beach Shores and specializes in beachfront condominium marketing and sales. Colleen Pearson, who has had a long career in music, is originally from Toronto where she performed for many years as a solo artist. She plays guitar, keyboard and sings. Pearson also owned and operated retail stores in the Georgian Bay area of Toronto before purchasing property in Ontario and pursuing a life-long passion for real estate and eventually settling in Daytona Beach Shores and joining Exit Realty of Daytona. Visit www.exitrealtyofdaytona.com.

NAI Realvest negotiates sale of office condo at Lake Mary Professional Campus

MAITLAND, Fla. -- NAI Realvest recently negotiated the sale of a 1,300 square foot office condo at 1331 S. International Parkway in the Lake Mary Professional Campus for $269,000. Jack W. Lynch, broker associate in the Investment Services Group at NAI Realvest, negotiated the transaction representing the seller, Marathon Realty, LLC of Lake Mary. Il Luna, LLC purchased Unit 1251, which has a long term tenant in place. The buyer, an investment firm, was represented in the transaction by of Louis Joachim of Dover International Realty.

Cuhaci & Peterson completes design of five Food Lion stores in Virginia, awarded contract for renovation of Stop and Shop in Warwick R.I.

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, based in Orlando’s Baldwin Park, recently completed design work on five new Food Lion stores in Chantilly, Chesapeake, Fredericksburg, Norfolk and Woodbridge Virginia. All five will be approximately 40,000 square feet, Jed Downs, president of Cuhaci & Peterson, said. In addition, the firm was recently awarded a contract to remodel a Stop and Shop facility on Warwick Ave. in Warwick, R.I. The new store will be 80,000 square feet when completed.

Mercantile Capital Corporation closing in on 100 loans and nearing $400 million volume for 2012

ORLANDO, Fla. — Mercantile Capital Corporation, which ranks as one of the nation’s leading providers of U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 504 loans for small business owners who want to acquire or develop their own facilities, closed 78 loans during the first nine months of this year for $335.9 million in total project costs. Mercantile Capital Corporation could very well near the $400 million mark by the end of the year, said Chris Hurn, chief executive officer of Mercantile Capital. Of the three loans closed in September by Mercantile for $17.9 million, two were for hotel projects — one to refinance a hotel in Miami worth $7.9 million in total project costs, and another to construct a Holiday Inn Express Peekskill, N.Y., worth $8.7 million in total project costs. Two of the factors contributing to Mercantile’s success this year — the company’s loan volume is up 178 percent over the same period in 2011 — have been the SBA 504 loan refinance and First Mortgage Lien Pooling (FMLP) programs, which expired on September 27, according to Hurn. “The 504 refi and FMLP programs provided a real stimulus for small business owners wanting to purchase or construct their commercial real estate,” Hurn said. Hurn testified before small business committees of both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year to push for the extension of these helpful programs. Though the extensions weren’t granted, he hopes programs like these will be revisited following the upcoming elections. “The SBA 504 loan program is historically one of the nation’s best job creation tools, and America’s small business owners need programs like the 504 refi and FMLP to continue driving our economic recovery,” said Hurn.

Lennar off to a Big Start at Emerson Park in Ave Maria with Eight New Homes Sold In 45 Days, First Model Home Under Construction

Ave Maria, Fla. --- Lennar Homes has found a powerful niche market at Emerson Park in Ave Maria for its well appointed three, four and five-bedroom Executive Homes. The home builder reports it has sold eight new homes at Emerson Park in 45 days while Lennar’s first model home at Ave Maria is still under construction. Zach Bouchard, marketing manager for Lennar Homes in the southwest Florida region, said Lennar plans to build as many as 100 new Executive Homes in the first phase at Emerson Park in Ave Maria priced from the low $200s. “Sales at Emerson Park in the Ave Maria master-planned community have been stronger than we anticipated,” Bouchard said. “We’ve seen tremendous response from potential home buyers and we are very excited about the future here,” he said. Lennar is building eight different distinctive one and two-story floor plans at Emerson Park in Ave Maria that range in size from 1,340 square feet of living space to 3,357 square feet and all come with Lennar’s “Everything’s Included” pledge. Extras such as Granite kitchen countertops, wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances, crown molding and tile are all included in the Lennar Homes price. Lennar’s Alexandria model home, which is under construction now, will offer 1,904 square feet of living space with four bedrooms, three baths and a two-car garage, all priced at $202,990. A community pool, park, picnic area, walking and biking trails are among the amenities at Emerson Park, and Ave Maria’s town square boasts restaurants and boutiques. The Welcome Home Center at Emerson Park at Ave Maria located at 5076 Annunciation Drive, Ave Maria, FL 34142 is open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5. Call 877 206-8048 for information or visit www.lennar.com

M/I Homes unveils New Model Home with Four Bedrooms, Three Baths at McCormick Woods in Ocoee

ORLANDO, Fla. --- M/I Homes recently opened the Sonoma model home at its community of McCormick Woods, located off W. McCormick Woods Road and S.R. 429 in Ocoee. David Byrnes, area president of M/I Homes, said the Sonoma model home offers five bedrooms and three baths, in 3,642 square feet of living space with a covered lanai and a three-car garage. The Sonoma model is priced from $260,990. Byrnes said 60 home sites remain for sale at McCormick Woods. New three, four, five and six bedroom Energy Star® homes at McCormick Woods are priced from the mid $200s.