Commercial Real Estate Investment analyst: Business Changes Mean Big Things in Store for Florida developers

Orlando, Fla. --- Emerging trends in the way companies deliver their products to consumers and end-users will create major opportunities for Florida developers — and major development initiatives as well. That’s the word from George Livingston, one of the area’s most experienced commercial property investors. “Fortune Magazine predicts same-day service for e-commerce orders will become the standard before then end of this year,” said Livingston, chairman of NAI Realvest in Orlando. “That may be a little aggressive, but not by much. Retailers are determined to reduce the time between placement of an order and delivery to the customer’s door,” Livingston said. “One-hour service is now available from e-Bay in Chicago, Dallas, New York and San Francisco and e-Bay is likely to expand that to 25 cities this year,” Livingston said. “Walmart has started its own self-delivery operations, and other retailers are gearing up to follow suit,” he added. The ongoing battle between online sales and sticks-and-bricks stores has generated several trends but Livingston said they all point to one goal: “online retailers provide greater convenience. As they close the gap on instant gratification, they are significantly increasing their shares of consumer spending,” Livingston said. The key, Livingston added, is to find the quickest way to deliver products to the consumer, and that’s where commercial properties come into play. “Industrial users are already changing from “storage” buildings to “speedy delivery” buildings,” Livingston said. “Retail is becoming much more consumer-based. Global real estate trends are definitely in a growth cycle and regional manufacturing facilities will see a big increase in demand,” he said.

OCEANS LUXURY REALTY STARTS OFF YEAR WITH A BANG

Daytona Beach Shores, Fla. – Oceans Luxury Realty has started the year off with a bang. Crystal Anderson, president and chief executive officer of Oceans Luxury Realty, said the firm has 22 new listings, 17 properties under contract and scheduled 15 closings of sales ranging from $100,000 to more than $1 million. Oceans Luxury Realty opened its doors last year and recently merged with Harbor Village Realty of Port Orange. The firm recently opened its newest office at 3162 S. Atlantic Ave. in Daytona Beach Shores.

Hendricks-Berkadia Negotiates Sale of Two Lake County Development Sites

Orlando, Fla. --- Hendricks-Berkadia, one of the leading multi-family investment banking and research companies in the nation, recently negotiated the sale of two development sites in Lake County---one in Fruitland Park and another in Eustis. Cole Whitaker, partner who heads Hendricks-Berkadia in the Southeast, negotiated both sales with senior vice president Hal Warren. Hendricks-Berkadia negotiated the sale of 86.55 acres on Lake Ella Road in Fruitland Park for $585,000 representing the seller, Capstone Resdev LLC. The buyer was Daryl M. Carter as Trustee of the Lake Ella Road Land Trust. Hendricks-Berkadia negotiated the sale of nine finished residential home sites at Wandering Ponds, improved as a ranchette-style development, on SR 44 in Eustis for $475,000 representing seller PNC Bank, N.A. Golden Orb Properties, LLC acquired the home sites.

Oceans Luxury Realty Opens New Offices

Oceans Luxury Realty opened new offices at 3162 S. Atlantic Ave. in Daytona Beach Shores recently. Co-founders/partners Crystal Anderson, who cut the ribbon, and Enis Qosja to her right said the firm now has 29 agents.

Orlando-based Carter Solutions’ eCommerce, DotNetNuke Experience earns Big Contract from New York Crystal Glass & Mirror Company

ORLANDO, Fla., --- Carter Solutions, a full-service IT solutions company based in Orlando, was recently awarded a contract to help a Brooklyn-based glass company redesign its online marketing and sales program. Tony Carter, president of Carter Solutions, said his company’s experience in web development---particularly DotNetNuke, an emerging powerhouse CMS platform for eCommerce operations---proved to be the winning edge in competition for the contract with Crystal Glass & Mirror Corp. Crystal Glass & Mirror Corp. sells a wide range of retail and industrial glass products that range from shower doors and decorative mirrors to glass panes for storefront exteriors. Carter said the company markets to individual home and business owners as well as architects, engineers and general contractors. “Crystal Glass & Mirror’s current web site was state-of-the-art 15 years ago but new technology available today can significantly improve the efficiency, security, and most of all productivity of their online sales operations,” Carter explained. The company’s existing web site is located at www.customglassny.com. Carter said his work will include custom programming services to redevelop Crystal’s glass and mirror calculator. “Crystal Glass & Mirror wants to create a more powerful user experience with the ability to configure real time site pricing on custom configurations,” Carter explained. Another important goal is to salvage the significant investments Crystal Glass has made to improve its SEO standings. “Our goal is to create a better user experience while maintaining all of the SEO work that has been done on the site to date,” Carter said. Carter Solutions is a client company of the UCF Business Incubation Program at Central Florida Research Park in east Orange County. To learn more about Carter Solutions, visit www.CarterSolutions.com.

Lennar to showcase four model homes at Fiddler’s Creek during CBIA Parade of Homes March 7-9

NAPLES, Fla. --- Lennar Homes will showcase four spectacular model homes during the 2014 Colliers Building Industries Assn. Parade of Homes March 7-9. Matt Devereaux, director of sales and marketing at Lennar Homes in southwest Florida, said he expects Lennar’s Coach Homes at Fiddler’s Creek to play a starring role in the Parade. “Coach Homes at Fiddler’s Creek are Lennar’s solution to the demand for smaller, smarter homes that offer a huge lifestyle,” Devereaux explained. The Florence model Coach Home at Fiddler’s Creek is a case in point. With three bedrooms and two baths in 1,741 square feet of living space, the single-story Florence offers ample family area along with a two-car garage. The open design---with a living room, dining room, dining nook and covered patio all served by an angled kitchen that’s easy to reach, the Florence is a perfect home for family gatherings or even large social occasions. The two-story Verona model Coach Home, priced from $300,990 with 2,110 square feet of living space, offers even more family area along with three bedrooms and two baths, plus a three-car garage. Devereaux said he expects Parade visitors will find Lennar’s Estate Homes even more popular. The Bougainvillea model Estate Home at Fiddler’s Creek offers 2,800 square feet of living space with three bedrooms, three baths and a den priced from $625,990 with a three-car garage. Lennar’s passion for majestic interiors with lots of open space is nowhere more evident, Devereaux said. A dining room, great room, nook and wraparound lanai are all served by a huge island kitchen that leaves room to invite the entire neighborhood for social occasions or for the largest family gatherings. Best of all, the master suite is separate from the guest bedrooms with its own access to the lanai. “Lennar is proud to participate in the 2014 CBIA Parade of Homes and we plan to entertain hundreds of visitors during the weekend,” Devereaux said.