The amenity center at Grand Palm, a Neal Communities development off Center Road in Venice. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 4-11-2013.
Neal Communities will unveil its Grand Palm recreation and amenity center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 13, 2013.
The master-planned community is off Center Road east of Venice (Interstate 75’s River Road exit). Amenities include Palm House, Great Splash resort pool, two dog parks, athletics courts and an in-ground chalk board. Today’s activities include a children’s building demonstration, meat and cheese tasting, magic show and balloon art, face painting, fire truck tours and safety demonstratons.
Said Leisa Weintraub, vice president of marketing/creative director for Neal Communities, “We feel it is crucial to have amenities ready and waiting for homeowners right when they move in. It provides immediate reassurance of the great value at Grand Palm.”
Homeowners moved in to Grand Palm in March; more than 80 houses have been sold since September 2012. Priced from the mid-$100,000s, Grand Palm is the largest neighborhood Neal Communities has created in more than 40 years of building, with plans for 1,999 homes.
Neal Communities' design braintrust -- Leisa Weintraub, Charlene Neal and Kathy Fornash, from left -- at the Grand Palm amenities center. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 4-11-2013.
— Harold Bubil, Real Estate Today
JOHN NEAL GOES BIG WITH NEW MODEL IN LAKEWOOD RANCH
Believing that bigger is better, at least for his target market, John Neal has unveiled the largest model home in Lakewood Ranch.
The Barbados II model in the Highfield section of The Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club has a bit less than 5,000 square feet of air-conditioned area.
The splash park in the amenity center at Grand Palm, a Neal Communities development off Center Road in Venice. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 4-11-2013.
“This model is absolutely stunning in every way,” said Neal, president of the company and developer Pat Neal’s son.
From the gorgeous golf course homesite to the grand open floorplan and the meticulous design features inside, it has it all," said Neal. Highfield is within walking distance to the 44,000-square-foot clubhouse.
The Barbados II model, with “Italian villa” styling, has 4,968 square feet under air with four bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms, a den, club room and bonus room upstairs.
Michael Rego, John Neal Homes vice-president of building, said buyers are asking for oversized kitchens and gathering areas. “We highlighted this with the Barbados II. In addition, we bring the outdoors in with magnificent views.”
The Highfield neighborhood is the final section in the gated, golf-course community, with all houses being built by John Neal Homes. Pricing starts in the $900,000s.
— Harold Bubil, Real Estate Today
HOME ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND MORTGAGE RISKS
Do energy-efficient homes present a lower risk of mortgage default? Industry observers expect this would be the case because homeowners would pay less for utilities and have more income available for their mortgage payments. But few empirical studies have been conducted.
A recent study examined actual loan performance data obtained from CoreLogic. A national sample of about 71,000 Energy Star- and non-Energy Star-rated houses was constructed, accounting for loan, household, and neighborhood characteristics. The study, by the University of North Carolina’s Center for Community Capital, found that default risks are, on average, 32 percent lower in energy-efficient homes.
— Green Builder magazine
