Colliers International Central Florida Closes Auto Dealership Sale for $2.17 Million

ORLANDO, FL (March 15, 2012) – In an unusual case where an auto dealership property was purchased for its existing use, Colliers International Central Florida recently closed the sale of 53,662 square feet of enclosed space and 8,536 square feet of open covered space on 10.96 acres for $2,172,205.

Expanding Evolution Auto will move into the property at 2925 N Hwy 17-92 in Longwood, Fla., which was formerly occupied by David Maus Toyota.

Director Bill Parke (middle right photo), SIOR of Colliers International Central Florida represented the seller, FLTVT Dealership Property LLC, which owns numerous auto dealerships in Central Florida and nationally.

Director Sher Tolan (middle left photo) of Southern Commercial Real Estate represented the buyer, Ramy Properties.

The property includes four buildings, designed for showroom/office, service parts, body shop and used car office. The lighted parking lot can accommodate approximately 500 vehicles, and the property has excellent visibility and direct access from US 17-92.

 David Maus Toyota, which previously occupied the Longwood property, moved to a larger site on Rinehart Road in Sanford.

 “Finding a buyer for a vacant auto dealership in these challenging times is difficult because there are fewer auto dealers today than there were, say, four years ago,” said Parke. “It worked out well here that Evolution Auto was looking to expand and was interested in the property.”

 

“This location is a great fit for Evolution Auto,” said Sameer Asfoor (lower right photo), president of Evolution Auto. “We have great frontage on the road and find the area’s high density appealing. It allows us the long-term sustainability that we need to support our expansion plans.”

 Contact:

Noelle Anderson, APR

Principal & President

True Blue Communications

813.380.0314

Noelle@truebluetampa.com

 Evolution Auto’s long-term plans include creating a service center to recondition incoming inventory before it is sent out to satellite locations for retail sale, setting up a dedicated auction area for non-retail units, and opening a café with offerings beyond most auto dealerships’ typical coffee or sandwich bars.

 MIAMI, FL – HFF announced today that it has been named to market for sale a portfolio of three grocery-anchored retail centers totaling 276,143 square feet in suburban communities of Houston, TX,  Columbia, SC and Tallahassee, FL. 

 The properties are: Kleinwood Center, Murray Landing and Vineyard Shopping Center. HFF is marketing the portfolio exclusively on behalf of the seller.   

Individual property details are listed below:

Kleinwood Center (top left photo),  built 2003, 148,964 SF, 89.3% occupancy, anchor, HEB, Spring, TX

Murray Landing (lower right photo), 2003, 64,359 SF, 100%, Publix, Irmo, SC.          

              

Vineyard Shopping Center, 2002, 62,821 SF, 84.7%, Publix,Tallahassee, FL     

 According to HFF, “the scarcity of HEB and Publix offerings, coupled with desirable anchor lease term and strong sales performance, presents a rare and unparalleled opportunity to acquire three high-quality grocery-anchored centers in a single transaction.”

 Contact:

Kristen M. Murphy,

HFF Associate Director, Marketing

(713) 852-3500

krmurphy@hfflp.com

Urgo Hotels Adds Luxury Lake Placid, NY Resort to Managed Portfolio

  

BETHESDA, MD, Mar. 15, 2012—Urgo Hotels, a major operator, developer and owner of upscale and luxury hotels, today announced that it signed a long-term management agreement and now operates the Whiteface Lodge Resort  (top left photo) and Homeowner’s Association, a AAA four-diamond resort located in Lake Placid, N.Y. 

The resort brings to more than 30 hotels operated or owned by Urgo Hotels.

“Whiteface Lodge is a very special, award-winning resort that recreates a 21st century update to the great lodges of the Adirondacks,” said Kevin Urgo (middle right photo), principal and chief development and finance officer of Urgo Hotels.

 “We are particularly well-suited for this assignment because one of our key strengths is managing complex, one-of-a-kind resort properties and operating them to achieve their full market potential. 

“We look forward to working closely with the resort owner and the Homeowners Association Board to capitalize on Whiteface Lodge’s legacy of providing an authentic experience, renowned service and superior facilities and amenities.” 

Whiteface Lodge Resort offers 94 one-to-four bedroom suites along with a private residence club. 

The property features a 5,800 square-foot spa with six treatment rooms and a fully-equipped fitness center. 

The resort is ranked among the top US spa hotels by Conde Nast Traveller and also has been recognized for excellence by Travel+Leisure and Wine Spectator. 

Trip Advisor and Conde Nast readers also recommend the resort, which includes an indoor/outdoor swimming pool, an ice skating rink, 54-seat movie theater, bowling lanes, tennis courts, snowshoe/cross country trails and a private beach and canoe club.  The resort complex also has fractional and full-ownership units. 

‘’We believe there is a great opportunity for continuous improvement at the Whiteface Lodge,” said Serge Primeau (middle left photo), Urgo’s vice president of operations. 

 “We are committed to maintaining and enhancing the level of service while improving top-line performance and financial results. 

"We also are sensitive to the partnership with the fractional unit owners and have already started putting together programs that will enhance communications and make the Whiteface Lodge a memorable place to enjoy with their families.’’  

 Additional information about the company may be found at www.urgohotels.com.

  

 Contact:   

Jerry Daly or Chris Daly

(703) 435-6293

 Patrick Daly

Account Supervisor

Daly Gray, Inc.

patrick@dalygray.com

Office:  (703) 435-6293

Cell:  (703) 300-8289

Eagle Creek Golf Club to Host British American Chamber Golf Tournament to Benefit 'Dream Flight' Trip to Orlando, FL

ORLANDO, FL --- Eagle Creek Golf Club (top left photo) in East Orlando, a Celebration Golf Management course, will host more than 100 players for the annual British American Chamber of Commerce Tournament Friday, April 27, starting at 8:30 a.m. 

Gene Garrote (middle right photo), president of Celebration Golf Management, said the tournament will benefit Dream Flight, which treats seriously ill and disabled British children to the holiday of a lifetime at Orlando-area attractions.

“This is such a worthy cause that it draws players from all over,” Garrote explained, “We are pleased and honored to host the tournament this year,” he said.

Central Florida golfers interested in entering the tournament should contact The British American Chamber of Commerce (BACC) at 407-226-7251 or www.britishamericanchamberorlando.com.

For more information, contact

 Dorothy Benson, Sales and Marketing Manager, Celebration Golf Management 507-566.1045 ext 4613,  dbenson@cgmgolfproperties.com

 Scott Schmidtberger, Director of Golf, Eagle Creek Golf Club 407 273-4653; sschmidtberger@cgmgolflproperties.com

 Gene Garrote, President, Celebration Golf Management, 407-566-1045; ggarrote@cgmgolfproperties.com

 Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications 407 644-4142 or

407 461-3780 Lvershelco@aol.com

NAI Realvest A Major Winner At Annual NAIOP Awards

 MAITLAND, FL --- NAI Realvest was a major winner at the recent annual awards program of the Central Florida chapter of NAIOP, including a clean sweep of awards for the area’s top land brokers.

NAI Realvest Associate Chris Butera (top right photo) took first place as the region’s top land broker.  Principals Matt Cichocki (middle left photo) and Kevin O’Connor (lower right photo) shared second place and Managing Director Paul Partyka earned a third place award in the same category.

Cichocki and O’Connor also shared a third place award as the region’s top retail brokers for 2011.

For more information, contact

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

Beth Payan or Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications,

407-644-4142    

Lvershelco@aol.com

Foreclosure Activity Up in Half of Nation’s Largest Metros in February, According to RealtyTrac®

IRVINE, CA. – March 15, 2012 — RealtyTrac® (www.realtytrac.com), the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, today released its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report™ for February 2012, which shows foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — were reported on 206,900 U.S. properties in February.

That was a 2 percent decrease from the previous month and was down 8 percent from February 2011 — the lowest annual decrease since October 2010. The report also shows one in every 637 U.S. housing units with a foreclosure filing during the month.

“February’s numbers point to a gradually rising foreclosure tide as some of the barriers that have been holding back foreclosures are removed,” said Brandon Moore (top right photo), CEO of RealtyTrac.

“Although national foreclosure activity was pushed lower by decreases in a handful of larger states, 21 states posted annual increases in foreclosure activity, the most states with annual increases since November 2010.

“The foreclosure and mortgage settlement filed in court earlier this week will help pave the way to a properly functioning foreclosure process by providing a clear roadmap for necessary foreclosures,” Moore continued.

 “That should result in more states posting annual increases in the coming months. Not surprisingly, many of the biggest annual increases in February were in states with the more bureaucratic judicial foreclosure process, which resulted in a larger backlog of foreclosures built up over the last 18 months in those states.”

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

Media Contacts:

Christine Stricker

949.502.8300, ext. 268

christine.stricker@realtytrac.com

Michelle Schneider

949.502.8300, ext. 139

michelle.schneider@realtytrac.com

Order Custom Data:

Tyler White

949.502.8300, ext. 158

tyler.white@realtytrac.com