Real Estate Briefs

Suzanne Nichols to open new design center

Suzanne Nichols Design Group is opening a 3,000-square-foot, full-service design center in downtown Winter Park. Located at 631 W. Fairbanks Ave., the design center will provide one-stop shopping for furnishings and custom finishes and fabrics. Customers also will be able to consult with knowledgeable designers and sales staff. A grand opening is scheduled for Sept. 27.

Solar co-op program offers savings

Orange County homeowners looking to add solar power to their homes have an opportunity to do so at a discount through a new solar co-op program. The initiative is spearheaded by Orange County Government, the League of Women Voters of Florida, and Florida Solar United Neighborhoods (FL SUN), which is a local nonprofit working to organize solar co-ops across the state. According to the Florida Public Service Commission, 11,626 utility customers (less than 1 percent) in Florida have rooftop solar installed. In Florida, these co-ops have worked with nearly 340 homes and businesses across the state. Solar co-ops provide bulk discounts – up to 20 percent – for a group of homeowners who are interested in purchasing solar panels. As part of a solar co-op, citizens benefit from the educational process and each participant signs his or her own contract with the installer, and everyone gets the discount. All homeowners who reside in Orange County are eligible to participate in the co-op. Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs officially signed up for the co-op and she’s hoping other residents will consider joining as well.

Firm completes four lease agreements

NAI Realvest recently completed four long-term lease agreements for industrial space totaling 10,400 square feet in Monroe CommerCenter in Sanford and Goldenrod CommerCenter in Orlando. Michael Heidrich, a principal at NAI Realvest and Associate Patty Nolff represented local landlord Monroe South SPE, LLC, in a new lease for 2,000 square feet at Monroe South to Comic Central and in a lease renewal of 4,000 square feet at 655 Progress Way where Fastenal Company is a long time tenant. Heidrich also negotiated two lease renewals at Goldenrod CommerCenter – one suite with 2,206 square feet occupied by Dynamic Medical Systems, LLC and one 2,191-square-foot suite where Mobile Oval Auto Repair, LLC is the tenant.

Pulte Homes hosting grand opening for new gated community

Pulte Homes will host a grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 13, to showcase Reserve at Legacy Park – its newest gated community located off Seminola Boulevard east of Winter Park Drive in Casselberry. Lyndsey Patterson, director of marketing for Pulte’s North Florida Division, said the public is invited from 1 to 3 p.m. at 2310 Gratia Place in Casselberry. New homes at Reserve at Legacy Park, priced from the mid $200,000s, come in seven distinct floor plans with two to five bedrooms and two to four full baths. Living areas range from 1,821 square feet to more than 3,172 square feet with spacious home sites. Buyers can also choose from an array of optional features such as lofts, sunrooms, gourmet kitchens and extended lanais to name a few. Reserve at Legacy Park’s amenities include a community swimming pool and cabana, dog park and tot lot. The area boasts top-rated Seminole County schools, easy access to major arterial highways and minutes to major shopping centers. Patterson said Pulte will ultimately build 120 new homes at Reserve at Legacy Park.

E2 Homes takes home award

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced that E2 Homes, a Maitland-based luxury, custom homebuilder, has been awarded a 2016 Housing Innovation Award in the Custom Homes (for Buyer) category for its recently completed home on Lake Knowles Circle in Winter Park. Grand Winners in each category will be announced at the 2016 Housing Innovation Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at the EEBA Excellence in Building Conference in Dallas, Texas.

Association predicts homes readily for sale through September

According to the Orlando Regional Realtor Association, current inventory combined with the current pace of sales created a 3.03-month supply of homes in Orlando for June. This means with the current rate of purchases in the area, if there weren’t any houses added on the market, there would only be homes available for three months.

Phil Kean named ‘Builder of the Year’

Phil Kean was honored with the “Builder of the Year Award” from The Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects this past Saturday evening at their annual convention in Palm Beach. The award recognizes a firm in Florida who has exemplified a sincere and genuine interest in encouraging and affecting outstanding craftsman ship and workmanship on a specific project. The title was awarded based on Phil Kean Design Group’s work on The New American Home built in Winter Park.