Friday, January 28, 2011

Del Webb to Showcase 10 New Model Homes at Grand Opening Feb. 19 at Stone Creek in Ocala

OCALA, Fla. – Del Webb will unveil 10 new model homes priced from the $130s to $270s during its Grand Opening on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Stone Creek, a golf course community located at 6320 SW 89th Court Rd. in Ocala.

Sean Strickler, vice president of sales and marketing for Del Webb in Central Florida, said a lively grand opening celebration is planned from noon to 4 p.m. with food, refreshments, live music and giveaways. Admission is free and the public is invited.

At completion Del Webb plans to build over 4,000 new single family homes at Stone Creek.

The Stone Creek 18-hole championship golf course on 187 acres is open and boasts stately live oak trees on a rolling countryside with water features strategically placed on 14 of the holes, and a six-tee box design for beginners to experts. There is also an on-site restaurant called Stone Creek Grille.

Stone Creek’s Reflection Bay and Elan Spa community clubhouses are completed and consist of over 44,000 square feet, situated on more than 29 acres including a grand ballroom, fitness center, movement studio, indoor spa, steam and sauna room, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, horseshoe pits, pickelball courts and bocce ball courts.

“Stone Creek offers a refreshing alternative for Active Adults making the move to Florida or for residents of the Villages who are looking for a more intimate, less crowded community while still having a variety of Lifestyle offerings at their doorstep” according to Strickler.
For more information, visit delwebb.com/stonecreek or call 877-333-5932.
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For more information about this news release contact: Jennifer Hendry, Marketing Coordinator, North Florida Division, 904-217-0005, jennifer.hendry@pulte.com; Lyndsey Clarke, Marketing Manager Pulte Central & North Florida Divisions, 407-661-2150 ext 1416 2301 Lucien Way, Suite 400, Maitland, FL 32751; lyndsey.clarke@pultegroup.com; Sean C. Strickler, Vice President Sales & Marketing PulteGroup/Florida, 407-661-1461 sean.strickler@pultegroup.com; Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142 lvershelco@aol.com

About Del Webb: Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2010, award-winning Del Webb communities provide a vibrant, enriched lifestyle for those ages 55 and older, creating an unmatched experience for the next phase of life. Del Webb communities began with the original Sun City which opened outside Phoenix, Arizona in 1960 and have grown to include more than 50 communities currently open for new home sales in 21 states. Del Webb is the undisputed leader of active adult communities in America and draws on its 50 years of experience of providing residents an engaging life which fulfills their creative, physical, mental, and social needs. Together with Del Webb residents, the brand is redefining retirement. For more information on Del Webb, visit www.delwebb.com

Celebration Golf Management Plans Statewide Expansion

CELEBRATION - Celebration Golf Management LLC, which operates the Celebration Golf Club and four others in the Central Florida area, plans to expand statewide within the next few years.

Gene Garrote, president and principal of Celebration Golf Management LLC, said the firm focuses on quality golf courses in primary visitor destinations.

In the Orlando area, Celebration Golf Management owns and manages Legends Golf & Country Club in Clermont; The Golden Bear Club in Windermere; Kings Ridge in Clermont; Stoneybrook West in Winter Garden and Celebration Golf Club in Celebration.

The firm also owns and manages Crockett Ridge Golf Course in Kingsport, Tenn. and The International Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

“The recession has impacted golf courses across the country and the golfing industry as a whole,” Garrote said. “Our management model incorporates current economic conditions and, as the economy improves, we anticipate substantial opportunities to expand our portfolio of managing and owning golf courses and golf clubs throughout the state,” Garrote explained.
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For more information, please contact:Gene Garrote, President, Celebration Golf Management, 407-566-1045Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142

Dupree Lakes in Land O’Lakes Offers Incentives on Sales of New Homes

Land O’Lakes - Beazer Homes is offering incentives worth up to $8,500 on sales of newly-built single-family homes at Dupree Lakes, located at 6153 Everlasting Pl. off Ehrens Cutoff Rd. east of Land-O’Lakes Blvd.

Kareyann Rhodes, sales manager for Beazer Homes in the Tampa Bay region, said the incentives include closing costs assistance up to three percent of the value of the home and up to $8,500 worth of free design options that could range from appliances, counters, cabinets and faucetry to floor, window and wall treatments.

Rhodes said Beazer recently introduced five new floor plans at Dupree Lakes.

New floor plans at Dupree Lakes include the Bay Island, with three bedrooms and two baths in 1,402 square feet of living space with a two-car garage, priced at $154,990. The five-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath Newberry II floor plan with 3,197 square feet and a two-car garage is priced at $218,990.

Three ready-to-move-in homes are available now on 55-foot home sites at Dupree Lakes, and four more homes under construction will be available in February, Rhodes said.

Two model homes will open by Feb. 1, Rhodes added, including the two-story Newberry II model home and the St. Augustine model home, with five bedrooms, three baths and a bonus room in 2,546 square feet of living space, priced from $214,990.

Rhodes said new homes with three-car garages on 65-foot home sites at Dupree Lakes range in size from 2,465 square feet to 3,210 square feet, priced from $210,990.

All new homes at Dupree Lakes are built with Beazer’s eSMART features that include elements to increase energy and water efficiency and indoor air-quality.
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For more information contact: Kareyann Rhodes, Sales Manager, Beazer Homes/Tampa Division 813-663-9002 Krhodes@beazer.com; Theresa Tilton, Vice President of Sales Beazer Homes/Florida 407-339-4114; ttilton@beazer.com; Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142

Turning Your Leased Industrial Facilities into a Profit Center

Turning Your Leased Industrial Facilities into a Profit Center By George Livingston and Christie Alexander

Ed. Note: George Livingston is founder and chairman of NAI Realvest, based in Maitland, one of the most active commercial real estate brokerage firms in Central Florida. He is a principal of CommerCenters, LLC, which ranks as one of the region’s largest developers of industrial facilities.

According to current economic indicators---and most economists--- U.S. business and industry will likely show measurable signs of improvement in 2011. That means the window is narrowing on the opportunity for industrial firms to recognize significantly improved revenue from their leased facilities.

That may seem counter-intuitive at first. But the current economic cycle is rife with opportunity for successful enterprises with positive credit history. Your landlord is loath to admit it, but the fact is, your company---more specifically your leasehold obligation---is one of your landlord’s principal assets right now.

Nationwide, commercial properties---including the facilities you occupy now---have decreased in value as a result of the real estate decline and the accompanying recession. With regional and local market vagaries, all properties have suffered. As undercapitalized companies downsized or folded, vacancies spiked and rents from remaining tenants have not made up the difference.

That means the capital value of your monthly rent payment---the relative proportion of your landlord’s mortgage payment or ROI covered by your payment---is substantially greater than the numerical dollar value. Your landlord and your landlord’s lender are both eminently aware of this.

To the extent that you can turn that value differential into cash---or concessions---you can improve your company’s cash position.

But beware the window is closing. As the economy improves and more companies expand, the value differential will evaporate.

If your lease is due for renewal this year, current market conditions are even more favorable.

Landlords will agree to substantial concessions to retain a good tenant. Even if your lease is not due for renewal soon, negotiate now and offer to extend the term.

A reputable offer of terms and conditions from a new landlord will inevitably lead to stronger concessions from your current landlord.

From your current landlord’s perspective, the only meaningful differential is an estimate of your relocation costs versus his cost to lease the space to a new tenant.

Well-informed---and well-represented---tenants are cutting very good deals now with pragmatic landlords, fixing advantageous rates, lengthening lease terms and negotiating improvements and upgrades.

In the current market cycle, most companies will benefit from lease negotiations conducted with the expertise of a good tenant representative. Almost every commercial property firm today retains associates whose specialty is representing the interests of tenants.

Such specialists have the capacity to research properties, landlords and local market conditions, and know which concessions are most reasonable.

They also know the conditions landlords face. A newly built industrial property may have minimum lease requirements imposed by lenders, and thus might be more flexible granting improvements or upgrades than lower lease rates.

Landlords of older properties may be in a better position to wait out the recovery and thus be less inclined to negotiate generous concessions of any sort. A good tenant representative will know the inside story.

The end result is the same. Time is of the essence. Act now and you can lock in rates and terms that fit your business plan and substantially improve your bottom line.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Margie and Richard Trostheim of Cedar Falls, Iowa Feted as 500th Home Buyer at Del Webb Southshore Falls in Apollo Beach

APOLLO BEACH, Fla. – Margie and Richard Trostheim of Cedar Falls, Iowa, were recently feted as the 500th home buyers at Del Webb Southshore Falls, the historic active adult community located at Shell Falls Drive in Apollo Beach.

The soon-to-be retired couple plans to move into their new home at Del Webb Southshore Falls in July, said Sean Strickler, vice president of sales and marketing for the Central Florida division of Del Webb Communities.

Richard Trostheim is retiring from a career as custodial supervisor at the University of Northern Iowa and Margie is retiring from the same university where she has been a clerk for many years. Del Webb Southshore Falls appealed to them for the warm weather and nearby golf.
“We have been looking forward to this for many years,” the Trostheims said.

For the Trostheims, the safety features, planned activities and friendly neighbors proved an irresistible lure.

“There is something interesting to do every day and the home owners we met here are friendly, happy and engaging,” Mrs. Trostheim said. “We have already met friends and we are looking forward to being neighbors,” she said.

For more information about this news release, contact: Lyndsey Clarke, Marketing Manager Del Webb Central Florida Division, 407-661-2150 ext 1416 2301 Lucien Way, Suite 400, Maitland, FL 32751; lyndsey.clarke@pultegroup.com; Sean C. Strickler, Vice President Sales & Marketing Del Webb-Central Florida, 407-661-1461 sean.strickler@pultegroup.com; Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142 lvershelco@aol.com

About Del Webb: Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2010, award-winning Del Webb communities provide a vibrant, enriched lifestyle for those ages 55 and older, creating an unmatched experience for the next phase of life. Del Webb communities began with the original Sun City which opened outside Phoenix, Arizona in 1960 and have grown to include more than 50 communities currently open for new home sales in 21 states. Del Webb is the undisputed leader of active adult communities in America and draws on its 50 years of experience of providing residents an engaging life which fulfills their creative, physical, mental, and social needs. Together with Del Webb residents, the brand is redefining retirement. For more information on Del Webb, visit www.delwebb.com.

About PulteGroup: PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM) based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., is America’s premier home building company with operations in 67 markets, 29 states and the District of Columbia. Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2010, the Company has an unmatched capacity to meet the needs of all buyer segments through its brand portfolio that includes Pulte Homes, Centex Homes and Del Webb. As the most awarded homebuilder in customer satisfaction, the brands of PulteGroup have consistently ranked among the nation’s top homebuilders as surveyed by third-party, independent national customer satisfaction studies. For more information about PulteGroup, Inc. and PulteGroup brands, see www.pultegroup.com; www.pulte.com; www.centex.com; www.delwebb.com

Lavista Associates Reports Sales of 36 Commercial REO Properties in 2010 That Total More Than $24 Million

ATLANTA, Ga. --- Lavista Associates, one of Atlanta’s leading commercial real estate companies, reports it sold 36 commercial REO properties in 2010 with 10 of those sold in the month of December alone.

Tom Davenport, president of Lavista Associates, Inc. said proceeds from sales of REO properties in 2010 totaled more than $24 million.

Lavista Associates represented 11 banks and lending institutions in the sales, Davenport said.

Commercial REO assets sold in 2010 included 20 office buildings, two office condominium projects, seven retail strip centers, one convenience store, five industrial properties, and one self-storage facility.

Lavista Associates is currently responsible for the marketing of 54 REO properties representing eight financial institutions. The firm is currently engaged in the marketing, sales and management of 37 office condominium projects.

“Our REO work saw substantial growth in 2010 and we expect that trend to continue in 2011,” Davenport said.

Lavista Associates recently added three major REO clients---First Citizens Bank, BB&T, which awarded assignments to Lavista Associates in the fourth quarter of 2010, and Ameris Bank, which selected Lavista Associates in December.
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For more information contact: Tom Davenport, President, Lavista Associates, Inc. 770-448-6400; tdavenport@lavista.com; Kimberly Steele, Director of Marketing & Administration, Lavista Associates, Inc. 770-729-2824; ksteele@lavista.com; Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142 lvershelco@aol.com

About Lavista Associates, Inc.: Serving Atlanta for over 38 years, Lavista Associates, Inc. is one of metro Atlanta’s leading commercial real estate companies, representing clients in the sale and leasing of a broad spectrum of commercial, industrial, office and retail properties. The firm’s goal is excellence of service to its clients resulting in the highest value for their real estate holdings.

Ashton Woods Homes to Host Grand Opening to Showcase New Town Homes at Highland Park on Racetrack Rd. in Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. --- Ashton Woods Homes will host a grand opening Feb. 13 to showcase new model town homes at Highland Park, located off S. Mobley and Racetrack Rds. in the Westchase area of Tampa.

Michael Roche, vice president of sales and marketing for Ashton Woods Homes in the Tampa Bay region, said Ashton Woods Homes plans to build 33 three and four bedroom town homes at Highland Park that feature two-and-a-half baths, two-car garages and private courtyards, priced from $176,900.

Ashton Woods’ first model town home at Highland Park is ready for viewing now and will be featured at the Grand Opening event Sunday Feb. 13.
Ashton Woods Homes is a subsidiary of the Great Gulf Group of companies, a North American real estate conglomerate headquartered in Toronto, and currently has communities under development in Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Raleigh, Phoenix, Tampa, Denver and Orlando.
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For more information, contact: Michael Roche, VP Sales & Marketing Ashton Woods Homes Tampa-Orlando 407-647-3700; mroche@ashtonwoodshomes.com; John Reny, President Ashton Woods Homes Tampa-Orlando 407-647-3700; Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142

NAI Realvest Negotiates Two New Office Leases in Orlando and Lake Mary

MAITLAND, Fla. --- NAI Realvest recently negotiated two new lease agreements for office space in Orlando and Lake Mary. NAI Realvest Principal Tom R. Kelley II, CCIM negotiated both transactions.

In Lake Mary Kelley represented the landlord in a lease agreement for 1,275 square feet of
office space at 153 Parliament Loop in Regency Pointe. Jonathan Fitzgerald of KW Commercial represented the tenant, JD Insurance & Financial Group of Lake Mary.

Kelley brokered a lease transaction in Orlando for 750 square feet of office space at 2212 Hillcrest St. where Brian Adams Photographics is the new tenant and Whirly Properties, LLC is the landlord. * * *

For more information contact: Tom R. Kelley II, CCIM, Principal, NAI Realvest, 407-875-9989, tkelley@realvest.com; Patrick Mahoney, President NAI Realvest, 407-875-9989 pmahoney@realvest.com; Beth Payan or Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142

About NAI Realvest: NAI Realvest, covering all of Central Florida, is a fully integrated commercial real estate operating company specializing in brokerage, development, investment, leasing and management, consulting and research services in the U.S. and worldwide. NAI Global is an international commercial real estate network with over 325 offices spanning the globe. Since 1978, clients have built businesses on the power of NAI Global’s expanding network. Extensive services include multi-site acquisitions and dispositions, sublease, tenant representation, lease administration and audit, investment services, due diligence and related consulting and advisory services. To learn more, visit www.NAIRealvest.com.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Only Two penthouse Units Remain available for lease at Emerson Plaza II

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS - Only two penthouses remain available for lease at Emerson Plaza II, the luxury condominium building Emerson International opened nine months ago as the premier luxury apartment community at Uptown Altamonte in Altamonte Springs.

Eric Emerson, vice president and general manager of Emerson International, said the 3,400 square foot three-bedroom penthouse apartments lease for $4,000 per month.

Emerson International is offering a special lease incentive program through Jan. 15, Emerson said.

For more information, contact:
Eric J. Emerson, Vice President and General Manager Emerson International, Inc. 407-834-9560; ejemerson@emerson-us.com; Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142 lvershelco@aol.com

About Emerson International:
Emerson International is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Emerson Group, the global corporation that is one of the largest privately-owned property development companies in the U. K.

Tolaris Realty Group reports November sales best in three years

LAKE FOREST – Tolaris Realty Group, based at Lake Forest off SR 46, west of Sanford, reported that sales during this past November rank as the best month for the company in the last three years.

Richard Bavec, president of Tolaris Realty Group, said the realty group closed on sales of eight homes that totaled $2.5 million.
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For more information, contact: Richard Bavec, President, Tolaris Realty Group, 407-402-9866; Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, LV Communications, 407-644-4142