NAI Realvest Negotiates New Lease Agreement for 5,000 square feet of warehouse/flex space on O’Brien Rd. in Fern Park

MAITLAND, Fla. – NAI Realvest recently negotiated a new lease agreement for a 5,000 square foot free-standing warehouse/flex building at 244 O’Brien Rd. in Fern Park. Paul P. Partyka, managing partner at NAI Realvest, along with associate Juan Jimenez, negotiated the lease representing the local landlord, Larry Carroll. First Call Restoration of Central Florida LLC based in Sanford leased the space which includes 2,000 square feet of office space. Alison Reynolds of Sperry Van Ness represented the tenant.

NAI Realvest Negotiates Sale of 10 Acre Residential Development Site in New Smyrna Beach

MAITLAND, Fla. -- NAI Realvest recently negotiated the sale of 10 acres designated for up to 60 single-family residential lots located north of Turnbull Cove Drive in Turnbull Bay in New Smyrna Beach. Chris Butera, investment associate at NAI Realvest, negotiated the transaction representing the seller CharterBank of Carrollton, Ga. The buyer NSB OSM Properties, LLC based in Ormond Beach paid $185,000 for the vacant land and was represented in the transaction by Herb Lubansky Realty.

Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty names Susan Wilkinson International Luxury Home Specialist at its Dr. Phillips Marketing Center

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty has appointed Susan Wilkinson an International Luxury Home Specialist in the firm’s Dr. Phillips Marketing Center. Roger Soderstrom, founder and owner of Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, said Wilkinson will specialize in luxury homes and unique properties in the greater Orlando market area. Wilkinson, who was born in Great Britain and grew up close to the famous English Lake District, relocated to Orlando three years ago. She has experience in international marketing and has worked with clients from around the world. She is also the owner of a concierge company in Keene’s Pointe and surrounding communities in Windermere. Wilkinson worked in the Middle East for 16 years, where she managed private luxury jets for ruling families, government officials and celebrities throughout the region. The world traveler is an avid golfer and former member of Dubai Nad Al Sheba Course in the Middle East and St. Andrews, Scotland’s Regulus Golf Club. Most recently, Wilkinson was the Membership Director at Golden Bear Golf Club at Keene’s Pointe in Windermere.

With interest rates at an all-time low, now is the time to acquire commercial property, says Author/CEO of Mercantile Capital Corp

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Mortgage rates for commercial properties are at their lowest ever and that means now is the best time to acquire commercial property, says Christopher Hurn, chief executive officer of Mercantile Capital Corp. in Orlando. Since Jan. 1, Mercantile Capital Corp. has closed more than 85 commercial loans to finance projects totaling $364 million, and by the end of the year that total could reach $450 million, Hurn projects. Mercantile Capital 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. Hurn said the SBA 504 loan program is offering a fixed 4.16 percent interest rate on a 20-year loan. SBA 504 loan proceeds can be used for a variety of expenses besides development or acquisitions of commercial real estate, Hurn said. “Eligible uses for SBA 504 financing include commercial property remodeling; conversions; expansions or renovations; improvements, including grading, street work, utilities, parking lots and landscaping; energy-efficient “green” projects; purchase of long-life machinery; furniture, fixtures and equipment; contingency reserves; and soft costs,” Hurn explained. As traditional lenders have yet to loosen their purse strings, Hurn said SBA 504 lending ranks as perhaps the nation’s most effective stimulus for economic recovery. “Small business entrepreneurs all across the nation are using 504 loans to secure their enterprises, add more workers and grow businesses,” Hurn said, adding that “interest rates are the lowest ever and its now a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for entrepreneurs.”

Lennar Opens Unique NexGen Model Home at Concord Station in Land O'Lakes to Meet Demands of America's Changing Demographics

TAMPA, Fla. – Lennar has opened the Independence model home at Concord Station, located on S.R. 54 two miles east of the Suncoast Parkway in Land O’Lakes in Pasco County. David Parker, director of sales and marketing for the Central Florida Division of Lennar, said the Independence is the first example in Lennar’s new NexGen floor plan series designed for a new generation of multi-generational American families. “The number of multi-generational households in the U.S. has increased by 60 percent since 1990 as adult children continue to live with their parents, sometimes with children of their own or as grandparents move in with their children,” Parker said. “Lennar’s NexGen homes are designed to accommodate this trend with separate, private living quarters – a home within a home that features its own private entrance, eat-in kitchenette, bedroom, bathroom, laundry room and living room,” Parker said. The two-story Independence model home at Concord Station offers 3,357 square feet of living space with five bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and a three-car garage. Parker said Lennar’s NexGen homes have proved popular throughout the country. “Lennar has sold more than 400 NexGen homes nationwide and we’re only getting started here in the Tampa Bay region,” Parker added. So far, the Central Florida Division of Lennar reports sales of 12 NexGen homes in five communities in the Tampa Bay region. Lennar’s NexGen homes range in size from 3,300 square feet of living space to 3,600 square feet priced from the $200s to the $300s. Visit www.LennarTampa.com.

Cuhaci & Peterson Architects Complete Design Work For Fresh Markets in Pensacola and Daphney, Ala.

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Cuhaci & Peterson Architects Engineers Planners, based in Orlando’s Baldwin Park, recently completed design work for two Fresh Market Supermarket stores – one in Pensacola and another in Daphney, Ala. Lonnie Peterson, chairman of Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, said the facilities total 21,000 square feet and 19,400 square feet. Both stores are finishing construction.

Henin Homes remodels $600,000 Bear Creek Estates Luxury Home for Resale

DEBARY, Fla. --- Henin Homes has started work remodeling a $600,000 luxury home at Bear Creek Estates in the Tuskawilla area for resale. Jerome Henin, who heads the Henin Companies, said the two story luxury home at 1507 Black Bear Court required about $100,000 worth of new landscaping and a new lawn, classic marble tile and hardwood flooring, granite and stainless kitchen, a new energy efficient HVAC system, plumbing fixtures, and new painting and millwork. Henin said the four-bedroom home offers 4,106 square feet of living area, with a 950-square foot glass-enclosed, air-conditioned patio with wet bar that is ideal for entertaining. The floor plan features two master suites, three full baths and two half-baths, plus two additional bedrooms with fireplaces upstairs and down. “This home is ideal for the discriminating buyer with a taste for classic elegance,” Henin said.

Lennar to Unveil its First NextGen Home for Multiple Generations at Somerset Landing at Wyndham Lakes

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Lennar will unveil its first NextGen model home in the Orlando region in November at Somerset Landing at Wyndham Lakes, located in south Orlando off Wyndham Lakes Blvd. For thousands of American families today the family unit has grown to include grandparents, in-laws or adult children who may have children of their own. Lennar ranks among the first U.S. home builders to address these changing demographics with its NextGen Homes, designed to accommodate extended families with privacy. Mark Metheny, president of Lennar’s Central Florida Division, said the new NextGen home at Somerset Landing offers six bedrooms and four-and-a-half baths in 3,858 square feet of living space with a three-car garage and one more unique feature. “Lennar’s NextGen home designs offer a home within a home, Metheny said. Besides traditional bedrooms, baths, living and dining rooms and family room, each NextGen home features a private suite that includes a kitchen, breakfast nook, bedroom, bathroom, living room and one-car garage. Metheny said designers carefully planned each home to accommodate a traditional single-family layout. “Home owners can use the private suite for a parent, a child, or even to rent out for additional income,” Metheny said. Lennar’s NextGen homes at Somerset Landing at Wyndham Lakes are priced from the low $300s. For more information, visit www.Lennar.com.

Celebration Golf Management to hold Certified Training Course for golf cart mechanics, superintendents at Stoneybrook West

CELEBRATION, Fla. --- Celebration Golf Management, which manages nine golf courses in the Central Florida area, will hold a certified training course for superintendents and golf cart mechanics and maintenance specialists Nov. 28 at Stoneybrook West Golf Club in Winter Garden. Gene Garrote, president of Celebration Golf Management and Scottish PGA Golf Professional Kenny Nairn, executive vice president of golf for Celebration Golf Management, said they expect more than 20 participants in the training sessions, which are being conducted by club cart specialists. Nairn said mechanics and superintendents will receive the Club Car Maintenance training certification when they successfully complete the training course. “This is the first time we know of that this has been done,” Nairn said. “This training is normally available only at the Club Cart Headquarters in Augusta,” he said. Nairn said he organized the training program so Celebration Golf Management can play a more proactive role in preventing golf cart failures.

Florida Business Incubation Assn to Host Bi-annual Meeting Dec 10-11 at Ocala Power Plant Business Incubator

Orlando, Fla., - The Florida Business Incubation Association (FBIA), a professional network that supports business incubators and economic development throughout Florida, will host its bi-annual meeting on Dec. 10-11 at the Ocala Power Plant Business Incubator located on S.E. Osceola Avenue and S.E. 4th Street in Ocala, five blocks south of SR 40 (Silver Springs Blvd). Dr. Tom O’Neal, president of the Florida Business Incubation Assn. and executive director of the UCF Business Incubation Program in Orlando, welcomes everyone interested in supporting entrepreneurs in Florida to participate in the meeting in Ocala. O’Neal emphasizes that entrepreneurship should be on everyone’s agenda in this current economy, and it needs to become a movement that everyone gets behind, recognizing entrepreneurs as the true drivers of economic wealth and prosperity. The agenda for the bi-annual meeting includes presentations on engagement marketing, FBIA advisory board new initiatives, angel network program and business startup funding. The concluding roundtable discussions, which have been highly regarded by participants in the past, will focus specifically on marketing to entrepreneurs, new client practice, sponsorships and data collection from clients. O’Neal said he looks forward to presenting the new initiatives from the FBIA, and to again exchange best practices and ideas from around the State with all the participating groups at the upcoming conference. Cost to attend the two-day meeting is $40 for FBIA members and $65 for nonmembers, which includes a one-year membership. Parking is ample and free. For additional information regarding the event and accommodations, visit www.fbiaonline.org or www.facebook.com/FLBIA.