Churchill Mortgage Approved to Offer First-Time Homebuyer Bond Programs in South Carolina

  

ANDERSON, SC. and  CHARLESTON, SC.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Churchill Mortgage today announced it is approved by the South Carolina State Housing Finance & Development Authority to offer down payment and closing cost assistance to eligible first-time homebuyers and certain non-first-time homebuyers, depending on county.

Churchill Mortgage is a leader in the mortgage industry providing conventional, FHA and VA residential mortgages across 25 states, including South Carolina.

The South Carolina State Housing Finance & Development Authority assists South Carolina families and individuals by offering financial assistance of up to $4,000, which may be used toward down payment and closing costs.

 It offers 20-year, 25-year and 30-year fixed rate mortgages with conventional, FHA, VA and USDA loans. The program assists borrowers with credit scores down to 620, but for borrowers that lack credit, manual underwriting is available.

“Buying a home can be an exciting time for first-time homebuyers, but many are discouraged because they lack the capital they need for a down payment and closing costs,” said Mike Hardwick (top right photo), president for Churchill Mortgage.

“State programs like what the South Carolina State Housing Finance & Development Authority offers can be a great option for many borrowers, but many are unaware of them. We aim to raise awareness of these programs, and look forward to helping communities across South Carolina achieve their home ownership goals.”

For more information, borrowers should contact their local lender:

Contacts:

Kin Anderson

864-328-0060

Kin.Anderson@ChurchillMortgage.com

111 East Mauldin, St. Anderson, S.C. 29621

http://www.churchillanderson.com/

John Leuck

843-763-5666

John.Leuck@ChurchillMortgage.com

680-B St. Andrews Blvd., Charleston, S.C. 29407

http://www.churchillcharleston.com/

For Churchill Mortgage

 For more information about Churchill Mortgage, visit http://www.churchillmortgage.com./

Mary York, 407-371-0173

Otak, Inc. Awarded Five-Year Contract with General Services Administration

PORTLAND, OR.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Otak, Inc., an award-winning urban design, architecture, planning and engineering firm, announced that it has signed a Schedule 899 contract with the General Services Administration (GSA) to perform environmental services for a wide variety of federal agencies.

“This is the one of the largest and most sophisticated federal contracts we have earned as a firm,” said Tom Hamann, Principal, Otak, Inc. “We look forward to meeting, and exceeding, the expectations of our customers within the federal agencies we will be serving.”

The GSA‘s Environmental Services Schedule 899 is a one-stop shop for industry contractors providing support to federal agencies. Services under this Schedule are designed to help agencies meet their environmental requirements and can be accessed using a streamlined, cost-efficient contracting process.

 The initial term of Otak’s Schedule 899 contract is five years, with three five-year options. Professionals from all of Otak’s U.S. offices are expected to contribute to the work performed under the GSA contract.

For more information about Otak’s services and capabilities under the GSA contract, please visit www.otak.com/gsa, www.otak.com,  www.hmglobal.com

Contacts

Otak, Inc.

Courtney McFadden, 425-739-4211

courtney.mcfadden@otak.com

or

MAP Communications

John Mangan, 503-701-7503

john@map-communications.com

Colin Dunwoody to Manage Pittsburgh National Golf Club

GIBSONIA, PA.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, appointed Edinburgh Golf, L.P. as the manager of Pittsburgh National Golf Club (bottom left photo), effective immediately.

Edinburgh Golf’s principal is industry veteran Colin Dunwoody (top right photo) who owns and operates St. Jude Golf Club in Chicora, Butler County, consistently ranked as one of the 20 most challenging courses in Western Pennsylvania.

It is anticipated that Pittsburgh National will emerge from bankruptcy by the end of 2011, at which time Dunwoody will also become majority owner of the golf club.

With more than 30 years of experience in the golf industry, including many years as a consultant specializing in agronomics, renovation, course construction and golf club operations, as well as being a course superintendent/course manager in Europe earlier in his career, Dunwoody brings a wealth of acumen and the financial resources to help the club overcome challenges it has faced over the last few years.

“Pittsburgh National is a fantastic property with a great golf course that needs a bit of T-L-C and some financial investment to address the issues they’ve experienced,” said Dunwoody.

 While there have been some problems, I believe it offers tremendous upside potential to share and leverage resources with St. Jude and provides some economies of scale.

“ We’ve already begun to implement a number of short-term improvements and are planning for how best to achieve our longer term goals to bring the property back to its former glory. Our intention, in fact, is to make it even more exceptional than it was before.”

Contacts

Mary Ann Miller Communications, LLC

For Pittsburgh National Golf Club

Mary Ann Miller, APR,

(O) 412-366-6122 (c) 412-600-6367

maryann@maryannmiller.net

 www.pittsburghnationalgolfclub.com

Viejas Casino Unveils Plans for 150-Room Hotel East of San Diego, CA

SAN DIEGO, CA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Viejas tribal leaders and casino executives today unveiled plans to build a new 150-room hotel adjacent to the existing casino in Alpine.

The new hotel will include a pool, fitness room, business center and other amenities. It will be located on the east side of the casino building, where the Bingo Pavilion is now located. Bingo will be moved to another area of the casino.

The project also includes an expansion to the seating area of the Harvest Buffet. Groundbreaking is scheduled for the 1st quarter of 2012, with a grand opening scheduled for the 1st quarter of 2013.

The Viejas Casino hotel project is expected to create more than 400 construction jobs and additional local jobs for ongoing operations once the hotel is built.

Swinerton has been selected as General Contractor for the project. The company’s local projects have included construction of the Marriott Del Mar and Omni Hotel in downtown San Diego, as well as historical renovations at Hotel Del Coronado and the U.S. Grant in San Diego.

“A project like this takes on added significance in a challenging economic environment, where every new job means so much to local families and the local economy,” said Scott Alevy (lower right photo), CEO of San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce.

 “Beyond the local construction jobs, this new hotel will have a positive impact on local businesses that provide goods and services to Viejas Casino, the retail center and now the hotel. This is great news for our entire region.”

For more information, visit www.viejas.com or call 1-800-847-6537.

Contacts

Viejas Casino

Robert Scheid

Public Relations Director

619-922-9736

rscheid@viejas.com

Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. Names Bradley Willson to Vice President Capital Markets in Newport Beach, CA

 NEWPORT BEACH, CA, Aug. 31, 2011 –Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. (MMCC) has named Bradley Willson (top right photo) to the position of vice president capital markets.

The achievement of vice president capital markets status is one of the highest levels of recognition the firm awards its originators.

It represents tremendous market knowledge, superior transaction expertise and commitment to providing clients with excellent capital markets knowledge and advisory services, according to William E. Hughes, senior vice president and managing director of Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation.

Most recently, Willson held the position of associate vice president capital markets.

Willson began his career with MMCC in 1998.

Contact: Stacey Corso,  Public Relations Manager, (925) 953-1716

Jones Lang LaSalle Report Shows Lower Manhattan Resurgence Sets Stage for Next Great Transformation

 NEW YORK, NY, Aug. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Jones Lang LaSalle data demonstrates the groundwork has been laid for Lower Manhattan's next great transformation 10 years past the September 11 tragedy.

Having weathered a volatile economy and ongoing cycles of recovery, rebuilding and consolidation, Lower Manhattan is poised to capture demand not witnessed since the beginning of the previous century.

According to Jones Lang LaSalle's report, "Lower Manhattan 10 Years Later," although the historic district remains the home of Wall Street, local government, professional services, media and technology firms will occupy a greater share of Lower Manhattan office space going forward.

"The confluence of a number of encouraging trends will have a tremendous effect on Lower Manhattan in the next 10 years," said Peter Riguardi, president of Jones Lang LaSalle's New York region.

  "Along with the entire city, Lower Manhattan will continue to benefit from the continued migration of a highly educated, creative workforce to urban centers.

“In addition, the Lower Manhattan submarket has evolved beyond its traditional reliance on financial services to become the preferred home of creative industries and professional services firms, which are adding to the vitality to the area."

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

George Shea, mfaris@sheacommunications.com, or

Mark Faris, both of Shea Communications, +1-212-627-5766; or

Brooke Houghton of Jones Lang LaSalle, +1-312-228-2387, brooke.houghton@am.jll.com

Web Site: http://www.joneslanglasalle.com

Jones Lang LaSalle Completes a 93,522-SF Industrial Lease with SELCO Associates in Chino, CA

  

CHINO, CA,  Aug. 31, 2011 — Jones Lang LaSalle represented Selco Associates, a full service third party logistics provider, in a new lease for a 93,522-square-foot industrial building located at 14277 Ramona Avenue in Chino, Calif.  Selco Associates had been subleasing the space from Las Vegas Express for the past 15 months.

Jones Lang LaSalle’s Southern California Industrial Tenant Representation Team lead by Executive Vice Presidents Mike Fowler and Tim O’Rourke represented Selco Associates in the transaction.  Ownership was represented by Steve Belletti and Josh Hayes of Colliers International.

“Selco’s strategy to enter the West Coast market in 2010 has proven to be a successful one,” said Fowler.

 “Jones Lang LaSalle was able to negotiate favorable terms on a long-term lease commitment for Selco by leveraging the current economic conditions . The Inland Empire industrial market is one of the most active in the United States with rents expected to show upward movement in coming quarters as demand outpaces supply.”

 For further information, please visit our website, www.joneslanglasalle.com.

Contact:

David Ebeling

Ebeling Communications

(p) 949.861.8351

(c) 949.278.7851

david@ebelingcomm.com

Celebration Golf Management to Honor Course Marshall with Golf Course Monument

 ORLANDO, FL. – Ed Kelly loved golf. When he wasn’t playing, he volunteered his time as an ambassador — a course marshall who helped players and visitors at Celebration Golf Club.

When he recently passed away, Celebration Golf Club staff and managers decided to erect a special memorial.

“We’re going to build a special monument with a plaque,” said Celebration Golf Manager Tano Malentin.

Gene Garrote, president of Celebration Golf Management, which owns and operates Celebration Golf Club, said Kelly was well known by almost everyone who played the course.

“He was one of those characters whose charm, charisma and presence made everyone like him,” Garrote said.

For media information,  contact:

Gene Garrote, President, Celebration Golf Management, 407-566-1045

Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142

Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty's Commercial Division Negotiates sale of REO Strip Center in Clermont, FL for $979,000 to Chinese Consortium

ORLANDO, FL. – The Commercial Group at Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty recently negotiated the $979,000 sale of the Lakeridge Commons (bottom left photo) retail strip center on U.S. 27 north of Clermont to a Chinese Consortium.

 Roger Soderstrom, founder and owner of Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, said International Commercial Investment Specialist Anthony Bordonaro (top right photo) negotiated the sale representing the buyer, Shiang Suk Chiang.

 Lakeridge Commons includes 18 acres with two retail buildings that total 27,000 square feet of space and approvals to build four additional retail buildings that total 45,000 square feet.

Bordonaro said the buyer’s earlier offer of $3 million for the property was rejected by the developers.

When the developers later defaulted on their development loan, the property was taken over by American First Bank, which was subsequently taken over by the FDIC and merged with TD Bank N.A.

 TD Bank N.A. entered the property for auction, but the sale Bordonaro negotiated preempted the auction offering.

Lakeridge Commons is the second major real estate transaction Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty has negotiated in the last 30 days with Chinese buyers.

Earlier this summer, Stirling Sotheby’s negotiated the sale of the $3.3 million Joey Fantone estate on the Butler Chain of Lakes near Windermere to a Chinese family.

For more information, contact:

Anthony Bordonara, Sales Associate, Stirling Commercial Group  407-581-5550

Roger Soderstrom, Owner/Founder Stirling Commercial Group, 407-588-1260;

Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142 

Brookfield’s Back to School Sale Features Lower Prices, Higher Incentives for New Homes in San Diego

San Diego, CA --(PR.com)-- San Diego homebuilder Brookfield Homes has launched its Back to School Sale, offering extra upgrades and lower prices on select new homes for sale throughout the region.

Details of the Back to School Sale, which may include price reductions, flooring upgrades, builder options, landscaping, incentives, and low tax rates – are available online at http://bit.ly/BrookfieldSale. All San Diego new home locations by Brookfield Homes are included in the sale, from Carlsbad to Scripps Ranch to Chula Vista.

 For a complete copy of the company’s news release, showing all sale locations and prices, please contact

Scribe Communications,

Kathleen Klassen

858-452-8958

andie@scribecommunications.com

http://www.scribecommunications.com/

For more information, please visit our website at www.brookfieldrp.com.

Colliers International Completes a 5,612-SF Office Building Sale Totaling $3 Million in Los Angeles

 Los Angeles CA, Aug. 31, 2011 – Colliers International, the second largest global real estate services organization, has completed the sale of an office building located at 1536 N. Highland Ave. (top left photo) in  Los Angeles, Calif. The transaction is valued at $3,000,000.

 Built in 1962, this is a single-story office building with a total of 13,000 square feet of land.  It is located in the heart of Hollywood and is walking distance to Hollywood & Highland, Cinerama Dome, and the Metro stop.

 Kathleen A. Silver, CCIM, Senior Vice President, and Kay Thorpe, Associate, both based in Colliers International’s West Los Angeles office represented the private Sellers, Mher & Sossy Tavidian of Vartan Tavidian. The Buyer, Musicians Institute, Inc. was represented by Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc.

 “With very little product available of its kind, this was a unique, off-market opportunity successfully closed at the end of August,” said Silver. 

 “To find a commercial building in prime Hollywood area with 18+ parking spots is rare, but we were able to successfully come to terms with Musicians Institute, Inc. who already currently resides on Highland Ave.”

 Follow us at www.twitter.com/colliersgla.

Contact:

Angela S. Hwang

Regional Marketing Coordinator | Greater Los Angeles

Dir +1 213 532 3258 | Mob +1 310 867 4105

Main +1 213 627 1214 | Fax +1 213 327 3258

angela.hwang@colliers.com

Colliers International

865 S Figueroa St., Suite 3500 | Los Angeles, CA 90017 | USA

www.colliers.com

Silicon Valley Luxury Home Sales in California Down in July, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Reports

Los Gatos, CA, Aug. 31, 2011 --(PR.com)-- After a strong performance in June, the Silicon Valley luxury housing market took a breather in July with sales of million-dollar homes down from June and year-ago levels, according to a new market report by Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, the region’s leading provider of luxury real estate services.

“Like the overall market, the luxury segment of the Silicon Valley housing market took a step back in July after a robust June,” said Rick Turley (top right photo), president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

“It’s hard to put your finger on any single reason, but continued uncertainty over the economy and the geo-political events taking place, both in Washington and overseas, probably played a role. High-end buyers appeared to be sitting on the sidelines last month waiting for things to get sorted out.”

Turley said the same softness in Santa Clara County was seen throughout the Bay Area in July. According to DataQuick, the La Jolla-based information service company, 6,887 new and resale houses and condos sold in the nine-county Bay Area last month. That was down 13.9 percent from 7,998 in June and up 1.7 percent from 6,773 in July 2010.

A total of 208 homes sold for more than $1 million in Santa Clara County last month compared with 244 homes in July 2010. Sales were off sharply from the 284 homes sold in June, which represented the most million-dollar deals in Silicon Valley for any month in nearly three years.

 For more information please visit www.CaliforniaMoves.com or call 925.275.3085. DRE # 00313415.

Contact

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Stephen Maita

510.739.0620

samaita@yahoo.com

LockboxCombos.com Launches Mobile Website for Real Estate Agents and Brokers

Los Angeles, CA, Aug.31, 2011 --(PR.com)-- LockboxCombos.com has launched their mobile website for Real Estate Agents and Brokers.

This mobile app allows agents and brokers to upload their listings, assign combos to their listings, as well as access combos to other agent listings. No more waiting around for the listing agent to call back or not receiving a call at all.

 Bringing the old manual lockbox into the digital age, the Lockbox Combos mobile app provides a fast, completely secure and inexpensive way to retrieve the lockbox combos hassle free from mobile phone devices.

Simple and easy to use, there are no adapters or chargers needed and the service can be used with all compatible mobile phones and devices.

Agents can register on the web at www.lockboxcombos.com, then for quick access on the go they can retrieve the app from their mobile device by adding /m to the web address.

Lockbox Combos mobile app allows Real Estate Agents and Brokers to log in and store lockbox combos for all their listings. All agents will then have instant access to the lockbox combos. Listing agents can continuously view an access list and count of the agents who have requested their combos.

They will also receive e-mail notifications of these requests, which allows for easy follow up and for the security of knowing who is viewing each listing. The combos can be edited or deleted at any time. The app allows agents to access properties quickly and with ease.

Real Estate Agents will save time and money using this new mobile app to securely store all of their lockbox combos, allow access to other agents and track their requests. Agents are more accessible and so are their lockbox combos when they're on the road or unavailable.

Contact

LockboxCombos.com

Nina Plotner

310-490-0306

info@lockboxcombos.com

http://www.lockboxcombos.com

Tom Gammon of RE/MAX Classic Earns Distressed Property Designation

Novi, MI, Aug. 31, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Tom Gammon (top right photo) of RE/MAX Classic in Novi, MI recently earned the prestigious Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) designation, having completed extensive training in foreclosure avoidance and short sales.

 This is invaluable expertise to offer at a time when residential homeowners prepare for the next step of a possible short sale in lieu of the foreclosure process. Gammon specializes in residential home sales in Livingston and Oakland counties.

"As a Certified Distressed Property Expert, I specialize in working with homeowners who are 'upside down' in their homes and facing or are in the process of foreclosure. I am an advocate for families in need of a professional, knowledgeable Realtor to help them through the tough issues they are facing," Gammon said.

 A short sale allows the cash-strapped seller to repay the mortgage at the price that the home sells for, even though it is lower than what is owed on the property.

With declining property values, this can save many homeowners from foreclosure and even bankruptcy. More and more lenders are willing to consider short sales because they are much less costly than foreclosures.

.Contact

RE/MAX Classic

Lynn Dery

734-357-0110

ldery@remax.net

www.detroitmetrorealestate.com

Washington Real Estate Investment Trust Acquires Olney Village Center in Rockville, MD for $58 Million

ROCKVILLE, MD.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Washington Real Estate Investment Trust (WRIT) (NYSE: WRE) has acquired a 199,000 square foot grocery-anchored shopping center in Olney, Maryland for $58.0 million.

Olney Village Center (top left photo)is located in the heart of Olney, Maryland near the main intersection of Georgia Avenue (Route 97) and Sandy Spring Road (Route 108).

The property is anchored by Shoppers Food Warehouse and is 98.7% leased to 32 tenants, including national retailers T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, and SunTrust Bank. Olney Village Center was built in 1979 and underwent a major renovation in 2003.

 WRIT assumed a $22.6 million mortgage bearing interest at 6.37% per annum and maturing in 2023. WRIT funded the remaining balance of $35.4 million using available cash and its line of credit. WRIT expects to achieve a first year unleveraged yield of 6.7% on a cash basis.

“We are pleased to announce the acquisition of Olney Village Center, a well-established grocery-anchored shopping center in an excellent location,”. said George “Skip” McKenzie (middle right photo), President and Chief Executive Officer of WRIT.

“The surrounding area has a stable, affluent consumer base with significant barriers to additional development.

 “This is a great addition to WRIT’s retail portfolio and fits in with our stated strategy of investing in high quality retail properties in areas with strong demographics,”

Contacts

Washington Real Estate Investment Trust (WRIT)

William T. Camp

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 301-984-9400

Fax: 301-984-9610

bcamp@writ.com

www.writ.com

The Cheesecake Factory Opens in Danbury, CT

CALABASAS HILLS, CA.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE)  announced the opening of its newest Cheesecake Factory restaurant at the Danbury Fair Mall (bottom right photo)in Danbury, Connecticut.

The restaurant opened on August 29, 2011 and contains approximately 7,400 square feet and 180 seats.

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated created the upscale casual dining segment in 1978 with the introduction of its namesake concept.

The Company operates 167 full-service, casual dining restaurants throughout the U.S., including 153 restaurants under The Cheesecake Factory® mark; 13 restaurants under the Grand Lux Cafe® mark; and one restaurant under the RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen® mark.

The Company also operates two bakery production facilities in Calabasas Hills, CA and Rocky Mount, NC that produce over 70 varieties of quality cheesecakes and other baked products. Learn more about the company at www.thecheesecakefactory.com.

Contacts

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated

Jill Peters, 818-871-8342

jpeters@thecheesecakefactory.com

NAI Realvest Negotiates Lease Agreements at Three Orlando Industrial Centers

ORLANDO, FL – NAI Realvest recently negotiated three lease agreements for industrial space totaling 7,271 square feet at three Orlando centers.

 Michael Heidrich (top right photo), principal at NAI Realvest, brokered a renewal agreement at the Hanging Moss CommerCenter (top left photo) for Bottled Ocean, Inc. who renewed its lease of 2,605 square feet for another 25 months in Suite 130 at 6148 Hanging Moss Rd. COP-Hanging Moss, LLC is the landlord.

At Narcoossee Commerce Park,  Heidrich negotiated a new three-year lease for 2,475 square feet in Suite 400 at 8243 Narcoossee Park Drive.  The new tenant is Eugene A. Moreno d/b/a D.A. Total Car Care, LLC.  Mark Harkins of Harkins Realty co-brokered the transaction representing the landlord, Sanford-based BMH1, LLC.

Heidrich brokered a new lease of 2,191 square feet for 25 months at the Goldenrod CommerCenter.  Mobile Oval Auto Repair leased Suite 325 at 1476 N. Goldenrod Rd.  COP-Goldenrod, LLC of Maitland is the landlord.

For more information, please contact

Michael Heidrich, Principal, NAI Realvest 407-875-9989 or mheidrich@realvest.com

Patrick Mahoney, President, NAI Realvest 407-875-9989 pmahoney@realvest.com

Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142 lvershelco@aol.com

NAI Realvest Negotiates Lease Renewal at Oviedo Commerce Center

 ORLANDO, Fla. – NAI Realvest recently negotiated a lease renewal agreement for 9,600 square feet of industrial space at 2462 West S.R. 426, in Oviedo.

 George Viele (lower right photo), associate at the firm, brokered the transaction representing the Landlord, Oviedo Commerce Center, LLC based in Altamonte Springs.

The tenant is Oviedo-based Damage Control, Inc. who renewed its lease of Suites 1030, 1032 and 1034 in the Oviedo Commerce Center (bottom left photo).

For more information, please contact:

George Viele, Associate, NAI Realvest 407-875-9989 gviele@realvest.com  

Patrick Mahoney, President NAI Realvest, 407-875-9989 pmahoney@realvest.com

Beth Payan or Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142 

Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. Names Erik M. Rogers to Vice President Capital Markets in Ontario, CA

  

  

 ONTARIO, CA –Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. (MMCC) has named Erik M. Rogers (top right photo) to the position of vice president capital markets.

 The achievement of vice president capital markets status is one of the highest levels of recognition the firm awards its originators.

 It represents tremendous market knowledge, superior transaction expertise and commitment to providing clients with excellent capital markets knowledge and advisory services, according to William E. Hughes (bottom left photo), senior vice president and managing director of Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation.

Most recently, Rogers held the position of associate vice president capital markets.

Rogers began his career with MMCC in 2004.

Contact: Stacey Corso, Public Relations Manager, (925) 953-1716