Business Briefs

Sharon Voss of Watson Realty was recognized for her professionalism and commitment to the Orlando Regional Realtor Association and to the real estate industry with the association’s 2012 Realtor of the Year award, the highest honor bestowed on an ORRA member. The honor was presented during the 13th annual ORRA awards program, which this year was part of the ORRA Red, White and Groove awards and inaugural gala.

The Orlando Regional Realtor Association has inducted Steve Merchant of Global Realty International as 2013 chairman of the board of the 8,800-member organization. Installation ceremonies took place on Jan. 11 during ORRA’s Red, White and Groove Installation and Awards Gala. Merchant steps into the position previously held by Stephen Baker, RE/MAX Central Realty, who remains on the ORRA Board of Directors as immediate past chairman of the board.

NAI Realvest recently negotiated an expansion lease for 2,206 square feet of industrial space and a lease renewal for 2,206 square feet at Goldenrod CommerCenter, 1468 N. Goldenrod Road in east Orlando. Michael Heidrich, principal at NAI Realvest, brokered the transactions representing the landlord, COP-Goldenrod, LLC of Maitland. The tenant in the Goldenrod CommerCenter who renewed Suite 220 and expanded into adjacent Suite 230 bringing total occupancy to 4,412 square feet is Black Forge, LLC.

Ashton Woods Homes Orlando division reports a major jump in home sales in 2012, more than doubling sales of the previous year. Michael Roche, vice president of sales and marketing for Ashton Woods Homes, said the homebuilder sold 318 homes last year in five communities in the Orlando region, which is 212 percent more than 2011 when 102 homes were sold.

The United States Green Building Council’s Central Florida Chapter has awarded Valencia College a “Building of the Year LEEDership Award” for 2012 for the college’s University Center, a joint-use facility that Valencia shares with University of Central Florida on Valencia’s West Campus.

Attorney Drew Sorrell, and partner with Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed, P.A., has been elected to the Central Florida Information Technology Society (CFITS) Board of Directors for the 2013 term. CFITS, with approximately 1,700 members, was formed to bring IT and MIS professionals together and provide the best possible data management for Central Florida businesses.

Mortgage Lender FBC Mortgage recently released The 2012 Florida Mortgage Report.

The report shows that in 2012 purchase prices averaged $210,000, an increase of nearly $20,000 from 2011, and average loan amounts were up 13.5 percent year over year averaging $177,000 in 2012.

Mercantile Capital Corporation announced that 2012 was a record year for the nearly 10-year-old company, which specializes in providing commercial property financing for small business owners via the U.S. Small Business Administration 504 loan program.