WETHERINGTON ADDS TO TEAM
Lee Wetherington Homes has hired Jan Carl Hansen as a building superintendent. Peter Mason, vice-president of sales and marketing for the company, said the hiring reflects increasing sales and a “market that keeps improving.”
Hansen has 20 years of experience as a superintendent. “It’s a great experience seeing the process from beginning to end, and then you get to hand them the keys to a great home,” he said of working with buyers.
ROSEDALE BUILDING MODEL
Rosedale Construction has broken ground on a model home in Rosedale Links, a new phase of Rosedale Golf & Country Club off State Road 70 east of Interstate 75.
The Pristine VI will have 2,395 square feet of air-conditioned living space with two bedrooms, a great room, dining room, eat-in kitchen, den, covered lanai, laundry room and two-car garage with golf-cart parking. Standard features will include granite counter tops, designer floor tile, impact-resistant windows and doors, a brick paver driveway, crown molding, 42-inch self-closing kitchen cabinets, decorative niches and GE appliances.
Two spec homes are under construction in The Links — another Pristine VI and a slightly smaller design called the Rosa, with 1,993 square feet of air-conditioned area. It includes a kitchen and breakfast nook overlooking a spacious great room and nearby dining room. A private master suite features double closets and vanities, while a guest room, den and second bath round out the home.
The Pristine VI model will be open by Oct. 31, according to company officials.
GOLDMAN PREDICTS MODEST PRICE INCREASE
Venice realty agent Robert Goldman of Michael Saunders & Co. expects modest growth in South County home prices over the coming year.
“Pending sales continue to outpace new listings, resulting in persistently low inventory, currently a three-month supply,” Goldman wrote in his newsletter. “Since January 2012, sold prices have risen approximately 15 percent. The question looms: Will prices continue to escalate, and if so, at what pace?
“The economy remains weak, relying upon stimulus programs from the Federal Reserve, against Congressional and executive inaction to implement real solutions to the systemic economic issues we face. Considering this backdrop, there is no reasonable basis to believe that prices will increase beyond the historical 100-year average of 2 to 5 percent annual price increases. In fact, that is a good thing. Anything more would portend another bubble/bust.”
Goldman notes that the average sold price per square foot in Venice was $124 in July, close to the $125 average for the first seven months of 2013. The average sold price was $197,000 in July, and also $197,000 for the seven months. The median price was $158,000 in July, lower than the seven-month average of $165,000.
“The current trend supports my position that prices are stabilizing, and are likely to increase no more than 5 percent over the next year,” he wrote.
