London Bay Homes

London Bay Homes’ new Eloro villa model now open for viewing – and immediate occupancy

lbh — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:04:37 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (April 30, 2013) – The Eloro, a new fully furnished luxury villa model built by London Bay Homes, is not only open for viewing, it’s also available for immediate occupancy – an option that has become increasingly appealing to buyers in Mediterra, Naples’ seven-time community of the year.

During the past two years, nine model homes in Mediterra have sold either prior to completion or immediately upon opening.

The Eloro is located in Lucarno, an intimate lakefront neighborhood of maintenance-free villas with pool service, lawn care and landscape maintenance provided by the homeowners association. The three-bedroom home features clean-lined furnishings, graphic prints and a palette of bright tangerine, vibrant aqua and kiwi green throughout its 3,380 square feet of air-conditioned living space. Designer Melissa Allen of Romanza Interior Design also punctuated the décor with yellow and oriental accents.

The model offers a study, great room, wine pantry and full outdoor kitchen with grill and under-cabinet refrigerator. It has three full baths, a powder room and an enlarged laundry area.

The Eloro also features a free-form pool and spa accented with glass tile and the convenience of remote-controlled roll-down lanai screens around its outdoor living room. The model offers upgraded interior details and finishes, including a floor-to-ceiling racking system in the wine pantry and a wood floor and aqua-painted beadboard ceiling in the kitchen.

The open floor plan is emphasized by volume ceilings in the great room, an oversized space offering dining and gathering areas that flow into the adjoining kitchen and outside through pocketing sliding glass doors to the covered living area.

The kitchen also offers a free-standing island/breakfast bar with dishwasher and double sinks, white cabinetry, granite countertops and multiple pantries.

The master suite has a dual-entry walk-in closet, a secluded bedroom overlooking the pool, and a black and white bathroom accented with tangerine accessories, a pinwheel-patterned floor and beadboard surrounding a free-standing tub. The bath also features his and her vanities, a shower and private water closet.

The model has 4,031 total square feet, including a two-car garage, outdoor living area and an entry portico. It is priced at $1,693,460, fully furnished.

London Bay Homes is the exclusive builder in Lucarno, a European-inspired village with cobblestone streets and 71 luxury maintenance-free villa homes. Seven two- to five-bedroom floor plans offer 2,500 to more than 4,000 square feet of interior living space. Each plan is designed with numerous options that allow buyers the opportunity to customize their home by extending lanais and garages, adding bedrooms, dens or studies, and selecting indoor and outdoor fireplaces, summer kitchens, loggias, porticos and wine cabinets.

Home and homesite packages in Lucarno are priced from the $600,000s.

London Bay Homes, a leader in the Naples luxury home market for more than two decades, was one of only two companies named America’s Best Builder by Builder Magazine in 2008.

The 1,700-acre master-planned Mediterra community is the seven-time winner of the Collier Building Industry Association’s Sand Dollar Award for Community of the Year. Mediterra offers an array of lifestyle amenities, including the member-owned Club at Mediterra with two Tom Fazio-designed championship courses and the private 10,000-square-foot Beach Club on the Gulf of Mexico, featuring an elevated swimming pool, casual dining with a full bar, and valet service for beach chairs, umbrellas and beverage and food menus.

Mediterra’s onsite amenities include themed neighborhood parks; eight miles of walking and jogging trails; a fitness complex with tennis and bocce courts, swimming pool and spa services; and the 25,000-square-foot clubhouse offering formal and casual dining prepared by a staff of award-winning culinary experts.

Mediterra’s Golf Learning Center offers indoor and outdoor hitting stations, video equipment with launch monitor, a 2.5-acre short game practice complex with three greens, and a staff of certified PGA professionals. Membership opportunities at Mediterra are limited to just 225 members per 18 holes.

Planned for fewer than 950 homes, Mediterra’s master plan includes more than 1,000 acres dedicated to open space with golf, parks and nature preserves. All of the community’s amenities are membership-owned.

Since December 2009, London Bay and affiliates have managed all new home sales and marketing for the luxury community. London Bay recently expanded services by adding Mediterra Realty, which lists resale properties throughout Mediterra.

Available home designs in Mediterra include single-family estate homes and single-family maintenance-free villas priced from the $700,000s to more than $7 million.

For more information about Mediterra, visit www.ExperienceMediterra.com, call toll-free 866-954-8939, or visit Mediterra, located on Livingston Road, two miles north of Immokalee Road and west of I-75. The award-winning Mediterra Sales Gallery is open daily.

Business Observer: Land Advantage

lbh — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:46:42 +0000

Better to be early than late.

Mark Wilson may have been early when he acquired the remaining home sites at two signature luxury communities in 2009 and 2010: Mediterra in Naples and The Founders Club in Sarasota.

But Wilson raised cash in 2008 by selling 20% of his company, London Bay Homes, for $17.5 million to an undisclosed private investor. That cash came in handy when opportunities arose to buy premium lots at steep discounts during the downturn. “The good news is we bought at the end of 2009,” says Wilson, president of London Bay.

While the residential real estate recovery didn’t get under way in earnest until 2011, it’s now in full bloom in luxury markets such as Naples and Sarasota. “Both markets are good,” says Wilson, whose homes start at $600,000.

Meanwhile, rival homebuilders who waited are now scrambling to find lots in prime locations that have spiked in value. “The private-equity guys didn’t start until 2010,” Wilson says.

Wilson declines to share his own firm’s revenues, but he says London Bay sales rose 60% from 2011 to 2012 and may rise another 50% this year. At Mediterra, for example, builders wrote $50 million in contracts in the first quarter, already half of the $100 million they sold in all of 2012.

Most of Wilson’s buyers pay cash for luxury homes. Many of them are entrepreneurs who are looking for a second home on the Gulf Coast. “The wealthy guy still in business is finding it’s a good time to buy,” he says, noting that 20% of buyers are Canadian.

Because of strong demand and declining inventories, Wilson says he’s been able to raise home prices 10% this year. But some of that has been offset by inflation in labor and materials. For example, drywall prices spiked 30% in January, he says. “Our trade partners are reaching capacity,” Wilson says. “Having a good estimating department is critical right now.”

Wilson raises cash from private investors such as wealthy individuals or family investment offices to build speculative luxury homes, generating returns in the high teens to 20% range. Wilson’s Mediterra and Founders Club acquisitions were his first forays into larger-scale development, and the company still has more than 100 lots on which to build. “We’ve got excellent land positions,” he says.

Now, Wilson is scouting future opportunities for Naples-based London Bay, which has operated for 22 years. “We’re definitely looking at what we’ll do five years from now,” he says. “The bargains are gone.”

While Wilson has only acquired developed lots in the past, he’s now considering buying raw land, particularly in tight markets such as Naples and Sarasota. “I don’t think there’s an alternative,” he says.

The lack of large tracts of developed land could steer Wilson to building condominiums or townhomes, too. “It’s definitely in the mix as a consequence of us running out of land,” he says.

Wilson is also investigating other areas of the state. He says he’s intrigued by areas of the Florida Panhandle near the new airport in Panama City. Orlando is also appealing.

Still, while Wilson says the outlook for housing is promising through 2015, he’s cautious about the likely prospects of another real estate downturn. He speculates another downturn within the next four to seven years is likely because of economic cycles, though it probably will not be as severe as the most recent one. “Can you manage through another down cycle?” he asks himself.

You can view the original article by the Business Observer here.

London Bay Homes begins construction on new Mirella model home in nearly sold-out Mirada

lbh — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:19:05 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (April 25, 2013) – Construction of a new four-bedroom, two-story model home in The Estuary at Grey Oaks in Naples leaves only one vacant homesite available in the Mirada neighborhood. London Bay Homes is the exclusive builder in Mirada, an intimate neighborhood of 16 single-family estate homes with panoramic views of golf, lakes and nature preserves.

The model, known as the Mirella, will overlook the second-hole tee box and the edge of a lake along the Bob Cupp-designed Estuary golf course, one of three championship 18-hole courses enjoyed by members of Grey Oaks Country Club. The adjoining homesite is the last available in Mirada, a neighborhood that also offers the fully furnished four-bedroom Chianti III model by London Bay Homes.

The Mirella will offer 5,939 square feet of air-conditioned living space, four bedrooms, a study, great room, family room and a second-story leisure and entertainment lounge. It also will have four full baths and a powder room. The floor plan is designed with multiple al fresco areas, including a covered lanai, wrap-around outdoor living area with a fully-equipped summer kitchen, and second-floor balconies.

The home will have 8,812 total square feet, including a one-car and two-car garage on each side of a motor court.

The model’s architecture, like all homes in Mirada, will capture the imagery of homes found in Tuscan and Mediterranean villages, with arched windows and openings, wrought-iron balustrades and pergola over an outdoor area off the master bedroom.

Inside, the Mirella has beamed and tray ceilings in select rooms, stone flooring in main areas, and walls of sliding glass doors opening to outdoor spaces: pocketing glass doors in the great room, zero-corner sliding doors in the family room, and a combination of sliding glass and double French doors opening up two walls of the second-floor game room.

The kitchen will feature gourmet appliances, an oversized free-standing island/breakfast bar and an adjoining office and walk-in pantry.

The master suite will offer his and her walk-in closets and a bathroom with a tiled shower and built-in seat, a free-standing tub set into an alcove of windows and two vanities, hers with a dressing table.

The second story, accessible by staircase or elevator, offers three bedrooms, each with a private full bath and walk-in closet, and an open leisure lounge with a media and game area.

The model is expected to be completed summer 2003 and will be priced at $4,295,000.

London Bay Homes, a leader in the Southwest Florida luxury home market for more than two decades, earned a 2013 Silver Award for Best Architectural Design of a One-of-a-Kind Home during The Nationals, sponsored by the NAHB. Its affiliate, Romanza Interiors, earned a Gold Award for Best Interior Design of a Custom Home in the same competition.

London Bay Homes was one of only two companies named America’s Best Builder by Builder Magazine in 2008. The company builds custom and semi-custom homes and intimate village neighborhoods from Marco Island to Sarasota priced from the $600,000s to more than $10 million in many of the region’s most exclusive neighborhoods and communities.

For more information about London Bay Homes models in The Estuary at Grey Oaks, call 866-918-3354 or log onto www.ExperienceTrueLuxury.com.

London Bay Homes’ new website enhances luxury builder’s success

lbh — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:58:49 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (April 25, 2013) – London Bay Homes’ newly relaunched website uses state-of-the-art internet technology to provide lightning-quick connections and create a more user-friendly, easy-to-navigate experience that has increased the luxury homebuilder’s leads by 200 percent.

LondonBay.com provides interactive, detailed information about the company’s communities, available homes and pricing, customization options and special incentives.

The website’s home page features a mosaic of black-and-white photos that pop with color, and links to communities and homes. Pull-down menus provide multiple destinations with ready navigation back to the original page.

Visitors can easily compare community floor plans without a click. Home details, including square footages and number of bedrooms and baths, pop up instantly as a cursor skims over each color photograph.

Browsers can also search blogs and news releases, explore photos of fully furnished model homes, and download an interactive brochure showcasing London Bay’s commitment to luxury living and attention to detail.

The redesigned LondonBay.com was spearheaded by The Bokka Group, a Denver firm specializing in digital marketing and communications strategies for top builders. LondonBay.com was recognized in January as a Silver Award recipient for Best Website for a Builder by the National Association of Home Builders National Sales & Marketing Council.

London Bay Homes’ home page mosaic design also was replicated in the builder’s new brochure.

“LondonBay.com was redesigned to focus on optimizing the luxury home shopping experience for the discerning buyer who values the finer details,” said Paula Huggett, vice president/client services director for The Bokka Group. “The new website is a truly successful strategy in elevating a luxury brand, with user-friendly experiences and a conversion-centric design that encourages subscribing. Within six months of its relaunch, the new website increased leads by more than 200 percent.”

The redesign also involved MilesDNA, a Denver company that established London Bay’s unique brand traits incorporated by The Bokka Group into the design process.
Although technologically sophisticated, LondonBay.com’s management system isn’t, allowing nontechnical users and London Bay personnel to easily update information and post blogs and news content.

To learn more about London Bay Homes and its commitment to Private Label Living, call 866-918-3354 or log onto www.LondonBay.com.

Mediterra reports more than $50 million in first-quarter sales

lbh — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:17:22 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (April 24, 2013) – Home and homesite sales at Mediterra topped $50 million for the first quarter, surpassing half of all 2012 sales in only three months.

“Sales at Mediterra signify the strong return of luxury homebuyers to Southwest Florida,” said Mark Wilson, president of London Bay Homes, which manages new home sales and marketing at the 1,700-acre master-planned community.

The market rebound was confirmed in recently released sales figures from the Naples Area Board of Realtors, which reported double-digit increases in closed and pending sales in the area’s $1 million to $2 million range from first-quarter 2012 to the first three months of 2013.

“NABOR also noted the continuing decline in inventory and an increase in home prices, which we believe were a major influence for buyers this season,” said Wilson. “Luxury homebuyers realized that the Naples market is past its bottom and decided now was the time to make their purchase. They tell us they bought in Mediterra because the incomparable amenities add value to their home and add enjoyment to their lifestyle.”

NABOR reported the median sales price for homes in the $1 million-to-$2 million and $2 million-plus categories increased by $35,000 and $187,000, respectively. In February alone, pending sales were up 23 percent in the $2 million-plus range.

Available home designs in Mediterra include single-family estate homes and single-family maintenance-free villas priced from the $700,000s to more than $7 million.

*Image of London Bay Homes’ Capriano model under construction in Lucarno

Mediterra members approve major clubhouse improvements

lbh — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:31:19 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (April 19, 2013) – Members of The Club at Mediterra overwhelmingly approved a two-phase, $8.9 million, 12,500 square foot clubhouse improvement project that will significantly expand indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, enlarge the ballroom and introduce intimate multifunction rooms. Upon completion, it is believed that Mediterra will be the first clubhouse in Southwest Florida to offer the unique ability to convert an entertainment stage and dedicated dance floor to “open air or under chandeliers” depending upon weather. Pocketing French doors provide the conversion of this special new event space to an indoor or outdoor venue to suit member needs.

The improvement project, to be completed over the next two summers, was approved by 93 percent of those who voted. Eighty-one percent of Mediterra’s eligible members weighed in on the proposal. Carl Dill, president of The Club at Mediterra Board of Governors, called the results “a remarkable show of support and unity. This provides us with great momentum as we go forward, knowing that the membership shares the same vision for the future.”

Dill noted the $8.9 million price tag includes $3.2 million in replacement work and $5.7 million in new features to improve member enjoyment of the 12-year-old facility and to attract new members and homebuyers. The member-owned club will fund the project by leveraging savings. There will be no assessment to members or residents. When completed in December 2014, “the new clubhouse amenities will further enhance Mediterra as Naples’ most desirable address,” stated Dill.

“One of the driving factors for the improvements was the clubhouse’s kitchen, which members toured during a series of focus groups,” said Club General Manager and CEO Tom Wallace. As part of the kitchen expansion, a chef’s table and exposition kitchen will be added to the Grille Room. The Grille Room, the club’s main dining room, will be redesigned with beamed wood-clad ceilings, bleached wood-paneled walls and a distressed wood floor for a more casual feel. Existing fixed windows will be replaced with bi-folding doors leading out to a new terrace. According to Wallace, “Members expressed a desire for additional room inside the bar and more outdoor tables like we offer at the Tavern. Clearly, there is a desire for more outside dining, given very heavy Tavern demand.”

The Tavern on 18, the clubhouse’s most popular gathering spot, offering flat-screen TVs, a large bar and terraces overlooking the finishing hole of the South Course, will also undergo an expansion to include an extended terrace with a fire bowl encircled by comfortable chairs, additional al fresco seating closer to the golf course, and a pub table – a version of the “community table” concept popular at restaurants – to accommodate groups of 12. The glow of new coach lighting and the fire bowl will add to the ambience inside the Tavern as well. The Club also just recently added a summer kitchen to the Tavern complete with a brick pizza oven serving artisan pizzas, seasonal salads and open-air grilled entrees.

Construction of a two-story addition will expand the building’s northern footprint, enlarging the ballroom from its current 2,500 to nearly 3,700 square feet. The project will create several intimately scaled areas, including the private-dining Garden Room and the Atrium Room, a covered terrace/tower where a band and dance floor will flow outside to the new open-air Atrium Terrace. The terrace, overlooking the North Course’s 18th hole, will offer sweeping staircases wrapping around a tiered fountain leading down to the golf course. It will feature a more formal design similar to the clubhouse’s piazza and porte-cochere. Doors will connect the new rooms to the ballroom for larger functions. The interior design of the Atrium Room will echo the Tavern and have clerestory windows for natural sunlight, as well as acoustical plaster and wood-beamed ceilings reminiscent of outdoor loggias found in Italian Mediterranean buildings. Pocketing French doors will allow the space to be enclosed and function as a separate private room for more intimate gatherings.

The clubhouse’s existing lobby/living room will be enlarged and remodeled to expand seating and pre-function space. The project will also call for an enlargement and redecorating of the golf locker rooms and increased bag storage. Administrative offices will also be expanded and remodeled and allow the club to offer a dedicated employee lounge and cafeteria.

The Club, member-owned for more than three years, is among the top 10 percent of financially healthy clubs nationally according to auditors, said Dill. “These improvements are fiscally responsible and yet will give Mediterra a competitive advantage with new amenities that will differentiate our club and create even more appeal to new real estate and member prospects. It is affordable, and we need it.”

The majority of construction will be timed for the slower summer months, across two years. Mediterra’s Beach Club, the Tavern and summer kitchen will extend days of operations to accommodate members during construction.

The project was designed by Peacock + Lewis Architects of Fort Pierce, Fla., and will be built by D. Garrett Construction, the Naples company that built the Tavern. Atlanta-based Ferry, Hayes & Allen Designers will handle the interior design.

“We have already received inquiries about the project from visitors to the Mediterra Sales Gallery,” said Mark Wilson, president and CEO of London Bay Homes, which manages all new home sales and marketing for the luxury community. “The enthusiasm is incredible. The Club at Mediterra is already known for being among the best in the region. These enhancements will catapult the club to the top of the list.”

Mediterra is Naples’ premier golf and beach club community. It offers an array of lifestyle amenities, including the club and the private, 10,000-square-foot Beach Club on the Gulf of Mexico, featuring an elevated swimming pool, casual dining with a full bar, and valet service for beach chairs, umbrellas and beverage and food menus.

Available home designs in Mediterra include single-family estate homes and single-family maintenance-free villas priced from the $700,000s to more than $7 million.

Designer details unveiled for London Bay Homes’ Delfina model at The Founders Club

lbh — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 19:58:21 +0000

SARASOTA, Fla. (April 10, 2013) – A pop-up TV separating the leisure room and game room, volume ceilings with layered trays, painted beams and detailed crown molding, and a secluded guest room created as a cabana retreat are among the design elements that will be introduced in the Delfina, a four-bedroom single-family model home under construction by London Bay Homes in The Founders Club.

The builder has chosen Jennifer Stevens of Romanza Interior Design to showcase the versatility and livability of the 4,287-square-foot floor plan, which also offers formal living and dining rooms, a study, breakfast nook, four full baths and a powder room.

The model will feature a transitional design theme with a blend of clean-lined wood, stone, metal and glass furnishings. It will have tumbled walnut-hued travertine flooring set in an ashlar pattern in main living areas and grayed wood floors in the study, game room and cabana.

One of London Bay Homes’ newest floor plans at The Founders Club – Sarasota’s premier golf community – the Delfina offers 5,961 total square feet, including a three-car garage and an outdoor living area and verandah that wrap around the back of the home. The model also will have a swimming pool, spa and an outdoor kitchen with grill, polished solid surface countertop and tiled backsplash.

The focal point of the model will be the integration of the game room into the adjoining leisure room to create a large area for family gatherings and entertaining. The space will offer a billiards table, an oversized TV, lounge seating and corner sliding glass doors opening to the large outdoor living area. A pop-up TV will be placed between the rooms, Stevens said.

The designer will also incorporate cabinetry and bookshelves into the living room and study to create a custom look. The dining room’s large tray ceiling will feature two chandeliers.

Beamed ceilings will accent the leisure room and adjoining kitchen and breakfast nook. The kitchen will have golden jade leather granite countertops and low-sheen artic white cabinetry. It will offer two free-standing islands, a walk-in pantry, mosaic glass backsplashes and a glass canopy stove hood.

The adjoining living room will expand the openness of the Delfina’s floor plan with its pocketing sliding glass doors that access the covered rear verandah.

A third set of sliding glass doors opens the master bedroom to the verandah. The suite will have a dedicated sitting area in the bedroom, his and her walk-in closets, and its bathroom will feature a tub set into a window with tile wainscoting, a separate shower and his and her vanities with brown linen-glazed cabinetry and honed Calcutta gold marble tops. Her vanity will also provide a dressing table.

The cabana guest room is located to the rear of the house near the great room and will have a tall pitched ceiling, light walls and the gray wood floor. The bathroom will feature maple cabinetry with a toffee stain and honed Saturnia countertop and a shower with real pebble accents.

The model’s additional guest rooms will have private full baths with glass tile accents.

The Delfina is expected to be completed in July 2013.

London Bay Homes owns a majority of homesites and controls development of real estate sales and marketing for The Founders Club.

London Bay Homes, named America’s Best Builder by Builder magazine in 2008, offers single-family homes, golf cottages and one-of-a-kind estate homes at The Founders Club. Reserve Collection homes, available on fairway homesites, range from 2,800 to more than 4,600 square feet of living space. Home and homesite packages are priced from the $700,000s. Cottage home and homesite packages are priced from the $600,000s and offer 2,119 to more than 5,000 square feet of living space, including landscaping maintenance for a lock-and-leave lifestyle. Estate home and homesites packages are priced from $1 million, and offer a wide range of customization and designer options.

Several homes are available for immediate occupancy.

A traditional private golf and social club community, The Founders Club is located within 700 acres featuring intimate neighborhoods with homes nestled along lakes, fairways and nature preserves. The community’s amenities are designed to foster camaraderie among residents and a connection with nature. Miles of winding boardwalks and paved walkways meander throughout the community, which is punctuated by palm trees, pines and moss-covered oaks.

The member-owned Founders Golf and Social Club offers 18 holes of championship golf by Robert Trent Jones Jr., with the area’s only traditional caddie program. Golfers are allowed to walk the course, and membership is limited to just 275 to ensure members enjoy year-round golf with no tee time required.

Training facilities include two putting greens, a short game area and state-of-the-art TrackMan radar technology offered through Florida Golf Performance Center.

The 24,000-square-foot Golf Hall, overlooking an oak hammock and the 18th hole, offers a main dining room, bar and grille, outdoor verandah and private dining room for casual and fine dining. The facility also has a professionally staffed and fully stocked golf pro shop, state-of-the-art fitness center and men’s and women’s locker rooms and lounges.

The club offers a vibrant, active social calendar and recently introduced an in-season reciprocal partnership with Sarasota Yacht Club.

The Founders Club Sales Center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is located at 3001 Founders Club Drive, three miles east of I-75 on Fruitville Road, exit 210. Furnished model homes are open daily. The community is just minutes from Sarasota’s famed Gulf of Mexico beaches as well as the shops, acclaimed local restaurants and arts and cultural venues of downtown Sarasota.

For more information about The Founders Club, call 866-711-3132 or visit www.ExperienceFounders.com.

To learn more about London Bay Homes and its commitment to Private Label Living, log onto www.ExperienceTrueLuxury.com.

Amy Nease of Mediterra Realty wins superior award from Women’s Council of Realtors

lbh — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:59:11 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (April 3, 2013) – Amy Nease, a sales executive with Mediterra Realty, was honored with a Superior Award (over $10 million) for the Developer On-Site Sales Category during the Top Producer and Annual Awards presented by the Women’s Council of Realtors, Naples-on-the-Gulf Chapter.

Nease, the only award recipient in the over $10 million category, joined Mediterra Realty in December 2003. Mediterra Realty is based in the Mediterra Sales Gallery and lists resale properties throughout the community.

Mediterra is the seven-time winner of the Collier Building Industry Association’s Sand Dollar Award for Community of the Year. The 1,700-acre master-planned community offers an array of lifestyle amenities, including the member-owned Club at Mediterra with two Tom Fazio-designed championship courses and the private 10,000-square-foot Beach Club on the Gulf of Mexico, featuring an elevated swimming pool, casual dining with a full bar, and valet service for beach chairs, umbrellas and beverage and food menus.

Since December 2009, London Bay and affiliates have managed all new home sales and marketing for the luxury community, including Mediterra Realty.

Available home designs in Mediterra include single-family estate homes and single-family maintenance-free villas priced from the $700,000s to more than $7 million.

The Women’s Council of Realtors, Naples-on-the-Gulf Chapter is a network of successful Realtors empowering women to exercise their potential as entrepreneurs and industry leaders. For more information, visit www.wcrnaples.com.

London Bay Homes’ Alezio villa in Matera at The Lake Club wins during Parade of Homes

lbh — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 19:58:31 +0000

LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. (March 29, 2013) – The kitchen and master suite of London Bay Homes’ Alezio, a maintenance-free luxury villa model in the Matera neighborhood at The Lake Club in Lakewood Ranch, were named the best in their category during the Home Builders Association Manatee-Sarasota Counties’ 2013 Parade of Homes.

The model, which emphasizes a connection between indoor and al fresco areas – including entry and interior courtyards and outdoor living areas – also was named best floor plan by the area’s future building and construction professionals.

Local high school students, members of the association’s Future Builders of America, toured Parade of Homes entries before bestowing the best floor plan award on the Alezio, designed with numerous options that allow buyers to customize their home to their lifestyle. The model, located in Matera at The Lake Club, a neighborhood of 35 lakefront homes built exclusively by London Bay, is shown with an optional second-floor bedroom and a full summer kitchen.

The floor plan can be built with two to four bedrooms, 2.5 to 4.5 bathrooms and 3,105 to nearly 4,000 square feet of living space.

The model’s sunny yellow kitchen, with its light wood flooring and white cabinetry, received the Parade of Homes’ Best Kitchen Award in its price range. The master suite, with a canopy bed and spa-like bathroom, won the parade’s Best Master Suite Award.

The Alezio is one of five customizable floor plans available in Matera. The model is priced at $1,350,000, fully furnished, and can be toured in person or online via the homebuilder association’s virtual tour at http://paradeofhomesinfo.com/models.aspx?pid=39.

The Home Builders Association Manatee-Sarasota is a professional trade organization of local builders and associated businesses involved in the homebuilding industry. The 2013 Parade of Homes, offered Feb. 23 to March 10, featured 66 single- and multi-family homes throughout Sarasota and Manatee counties.

London Bay also builds single-family estate homes at The Lake Club, offering numerous customizable floor plans with 2,850 to 4,600 square feet of living space.
To learn more about London Bay Homes and its commitment to Private Label Living, call 866-918-3354 or log onto www.ExperienceTrueLuxury.com.

The Founders Club showcased during 2013 Parade of Homes; one model home wins five awards

lbh — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 19:35:02 +0000

SARASOTA, Fla. (March 29, 2013) – Members of the public had an opportunity to go behind the gates at The Founders Club during the recent 2013 Parade of Homes sponsored by the Home Builders Association Manatee-Sarasota Counties.

The Laurel, one of The Founders Club’s fully furnished model homes featured during the parade, swept all five best-of categories to be declared the overall winner in its group. The three-bedroom, three-bath maintenance-free cottage built by London Bay Homes received the parade’s Best Curb Appeal, Best Kitchen, Best Master Suite, Best Floor Plan and Best Architectural Detail awards. The judges then recognized the Laurel with the Best Overall Award in its price range.

The Laurel offers 2,505 square feet of living space, a study, great room and three-car garage. It is priced at $995,000, fully furnished.

The 16-day, multi-site Parade of Homes showcased new-home communities and 66 fully furnished model homes throughout the two-county region.

The Founders Club is a traditional private golf and social club community featuring intimate neighborhoods with homes nestled along lakes, fairways and nature preserves. Parade of Homes visitors discovered The Founders Club’s unique lifestyle, with amenities designed to foster camaraderie among residents and a connection with nature. Miles of winding boardwalks and paved walkways meander throughout the700-acre community, which is punctuated by palm trees, pines and moss-covered oaks.

Training facilities include two putting greens, a short game area and state-of-the-art TrackMan radar technology offered through Florida Golf Performance Center.

The club offers a vibrant, active social calendar and recently introduced an in-season reciprocal partnership with Sarasota Yacht Club.

The Laurel can be toured in person or online via the homebuilder association’s virtual tour at http://paradeofhomesinfo.com/models.aspx?pid=48.

The community is just minutes from Sarasota’s famed Gulf of Mexico beaches as well as the shops, acclaimed local restaurants and arts and cultural venues of downtown Sarasota.

For more information about The Founders Club, call 866-711-3132 or visit www.ExperienceFounders.com.

More than 600 guests visit Mediterra’s Model Home Showcase and VIP events

lbh — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 19:13:31 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (March 29, 2013) – More than 600 guests visited Mediterra during the community’s Model Homes Showcase, including a VIP preview event and public model home tour. The showcase, which raised $2,000 to benefit the Guadalupe Center, included a VIP event with De Beers Diamond Jewellers at Waterside Shops and live music under the stars. The public event featured a tour of six fully furnished luxury villa and single-family estate model homes during a rare opportunity to get behind the gates of Mediterra, Naples’ luxury golf and beach club community and seven-time Community of the Year winner. Brand new luxury automobiles from Jaguar Land Rover Audi Fort Myers were showcased at four all-new, designer-furnished model homes. The homes, built by London Bay Homes, Harbourside Custom Homes, Kingon Homes and Stock Construction, include between 3,000 and 5,100 square feet of living space and are priced from $1.5 million to $2.6 million. Floor plans throughout Mediterra are designed to take advantage of views of neighborhood lakes, golf courses and nature preserves. The 1,700-acre master-planned community offers an array of lifestyle amenities, including the member-owned Club at Mediterra with two Tom Fazio-designed championship courses and the private 10,000-square-foot Beach Club on the Gulf of Mexico. Available home designs in Mediterra include single-family estate homes and single-family maintenance-free villas priced from the $700,000s to more than $7 million. For more information, call toll-free 866-954-8939 or visit www.ExperienceMediterra.com.

Mediterra expands Clubhouse Tavern for enhanced outdoor dining

lbh — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 23:14:30 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (March 27, 2013) – A recent expansion at The Tavern Bar & Grill at The Club at Mediterra added a summer kitchen and – along with the enhanced space – an expanded menu of gourmet brick-oven pizzas, seasonal salads and open-air grilled entrees.

The Tavern opened to club members in January 2011 after a membership survey revealed the desire for casual gathering areas outside the 25,000-square-foot clubhouse. The venue offers a large cypress and granite bar, flat-screen TVs and multi-tiered seating with views of the Tom Fazio-designed South Course’s finishing hole. Canvas and roll-up windows provide shade and breeze-welcoming openness.

The Tavern quickly became a hit with Mediterra’s club members, necessitating the expanded facilities, according to Tom Wallace, general manager and CEO of The Club at Mediterra.

“Our members enjoyed getting together at a casual, outdoor location where they could experience our great weather with good friends,” Wallace said. “Now we can offer an expanded menu for the 2013 season.”

Mark Wilson, president of London Bay Homes – which manages homes sales for Mediterra – said the amenities are a significant part of the reason the community has been named seven times as the Collier Building Industry Association’s Community of the Year.
“Mediterra offers one of the most comprehensive amenities packages in Southwest Florida,” Wilson said. “It has two challenging Fazio golf courses, its own beach club on the Gulf of Mexico, and a beautiful clubhouse. The club is member-owned and financially secure. People buy a unique lifestyle at Mediterra that is complemented by unique homes and intimate neighborhoods.”

London Bay Homes, a leader in the Naples luxury home market for more than two decades, was one of only two companies named America’s Best Builder by Builder Magazine in 2008.

In addition to The Club at Mediterra and the 10,000-square-foot Beach Club, the 1,700-acre master-planned community, offers an array of lifestyle amenities, including themed neighborhood parks; eight miles of walking and jogging trails; a fitness complex with tennis and bocce courts, swimming pool and spa services. The club features formal and casual dining prepared by a staff of award-winning culinary experts.

Available home designs in Mediterra include single-family estate homes and single-family maintenance-free villas priced from the $700,000s to more than $7 million.

The Lake Club, London Bay Homes welcome guests at exclusive model home tour

lbh — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 19:45:04 +0000

LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. (March 22, 2013) – London Bay Homes hosted more than 100 guests at The Lake Club for “Elegance Defined,” an exclusive model home showcase with poolside festivities on March 17. The event featured a tour of London Bay Homes’ fully furnished estate home, the Avena, as well as two maintenance-free luxury villa models in the Matera neighborhood. Guests also viewed new Porsche and Audi models provided by Suncoast Motorsports. London Bay Homes, a leader in the Southwest Florida luxury home market for more than two decades, was one of only two companies named America’s Best Builder by Builder Magazine in 2008. The company – which recently contracted to build the largest home in Lakewood Ranch at 16,000 square feet – builds custom and semi-custom homes and intimate village neighborhoods from Marco Island to Sarasota priced from the $600,000s to more than $10 million in many of the region’s most exclusive neighborhoods and communities. For more information, call 866-918-3354 or log onto www.ExperienceTrueLuxury.com.

Angelina’s, London Bay Homes team up to create memorable charity wine dinner

lbh — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:44:16 +0000

FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 13, 2013) – Style and substance aligned in perfect harmony at an exclusive wine dinner held Friday, Feb. 22, in a luxurious London Bay Homes model in Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club.

Three dozen guests savored five courses crafted by Angelina’s Ristorante executive chef Greg Scarlatos, paired with the wines of Husic Vineyards during the benefit dinner that was part of the Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest. The two-day event raised a record $7.5 million for The Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, as well as other health-related charities.

Gemma and Mark Wilson, president and CEO of London Bay Homes, hosted the $1,000-a-plate Mediterranean Magic dinner, along with Miromar residents Kathy and Larry Courtnage.

“We are honored to have an incredible group of friends and supporters gathered here tonight for what we all recognize is an extremely important cause for our community,” Mark Wilson said. “London Bay is honored to help the Children’s Hospital become a reality.”

The guest list included wine fest signature vintner Frank Husic and his wife, Julie; Angelina’s owners Don and Angela Smith; and the founding chairman of the event, Steve Machiz and his wife, Esther. Wine fest trustees David Contreras and Brian and Maureen Schwartz also attended.

The Courtnages live in Omaha, Neb., and spend the winter months in their Miromar Lakes home. In past years, they have served as trustees of the festival and have held wine dinners at their home. They were delighted to co-host this year’s dinner.

“The reason behind the Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest is the children,” Kathy Courtnage said. “That’s why we are involved.”

According to her husband, “The Golisano Children’s Hospital cares for 700 premature babies each year. It needs the money we raise to care for them and the many other children who need medical treatment,” Courtnage said.

The dinner took place in the London Bay Homes Bardolino model in Portofino, a 3,343-square-foot home ideally suited for effortless entertaining Florida-style. Guests entered through a lush courtyard into the high-ceilinged foyer. From the entry, it was a short walk through the well-appointed den to the central courtyard with its soothing fountain and trellised bougainvillea and jasmine. The centrally located courtyard provided an intimate setting for champagne and hors d’oeuvres, including herbed zeppoli with mission fig tapenade and lump crab with hot and sour radish salad.

Armed with a flaming baton, fire dancer Ikaika lured guests to the expansive outdoor living area, with its summer kitchen, fireplace and pool framed by tall palm trees that had small white lights strung between them.

At five tables situated around the pool, guests dined on spiced citrus swordfish, marinated and blackened ostrich, Darjeeling-rubbed Peking duck, cocoa-rubbed wild boar chop and a lemon Bavarian mousse, all created by Scarlatos and his culinary team, who worked with dedicated precision in the home’s spacious kitchen making full use of the dramatic black granite countertops and Wolf/Sub-Zero appliances. Each savory course was accompanied by one of Husic Vineyards California wines. Husic moved from table to table talking with guests about his wines.

Greg Davison, Angelina’s director of operations, kept an eagle eye on the food preparation and service and was happy with what he saw.

“I’m very proud of the Angelina’s culinary team,” Davison said. “The members are not only talented, they are passionate about food and ensuring that guests enjoyed an incomparable dining experience.”

During the dinner, Machiz told diners that if the next day’s auction raised $2 million, as it did last year, Naples philanthropist Tom Golisano and Benovia Winery owner Joe Anderson were prepared to match that amount, meaning the event could raise $6 million.

“If you’d asked me a couple of years ago, I would never have thought this would be possible,” said Machiz.

In the end, the event raised even more, resulting in a grand total of $7.5 million.
Serving classic Italian cuisine, Angelina’s Ristorante features a 30-foot wine tower with more than 4,000 bottles of domestic and international wine. Committed to excellence, the 210-seat restaurant is ideal for a romantic meal or a private party for up to 50. Private meeting rooms are equipped to handle audiovisual presentations with state-of-the-art technology and customized menus with the help of a courteous and professional staff.
Angelina’s Ristorante is open Monday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. Live piano music is performed in the lounge Wednesday through Saturday from 7:30 to 10 p.m.

Locally owned and operated, Angelina’s Ristorante is located at 24041 South Tamiami Trail, one mile south of Coconut Point in Bonita Springs. For more information or to make a reservation, call 239-390-3187 or visit www.angelinasofbonitasprings.com.

London Bay Homes, a leader in the Naples luxury home market for more than two decades, earned a 2013 Gold Award for Best Interior Design of a Custom Home for a private residence during The Nationals, sponsored by the NAHB. It was one of only two companies named America’s Best Builder by Builder Magazine in 2008. London Bay Homes builds custom and semi-custom homes and intimate village neighborhoods from Marco Island to Sarasota priced from the $700,000s to more than $10 million in many of the region’s most exclusive neighborhoods and communities.

To learn more about London Bay Homes and its commitment to Private Label Living, call 866-918-3354 or log onto www.ExperienceTrueLuxury.com.

Mediterra open to the public for one-day Model Home Showcase benefiting Guadalupe Center

lbh — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 21:57:03 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (March 11, 2013) – Southwest Florida residents and visitors have the opportunity to view six luxury model homes while getting a peek inside Mediterra, Naples’ luxury golf and beach club community and seven-time Community of the Year winner. The one-day Model Home Showcase takes place Sunday, March 24 from 1 to 4 p.m.

The event, which benefits the Guadalupe Center, is open to the public and will feature six fully furnished luxury villa and single-family estate model homes throughout the 1,700-acre gated community. The model homes, built by four of Naples’ top homebuilders, offer 3,000 to more than 5,100 square feet of living space and are priced from $1.5 million to $2.6 million. Floor plans are designed to capture the lifestyle residents enjoy at Mediterra and take advantage of views of neighborhood lakes, golf courses and nature preserves.

Brand new luxury automobiles from Jaguar Land Rover Audi Fort Myers will be showcased at each of four all-new models during the event.

A suggested $5 donation benefits the Immokalee-based Guadalupe Center, dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty for children and families through educational, social and cultural enrichment programs.

Showcase guests will receive a map at the gatehouse directing them to the six model homes:

•   London Bay Homes’ three-bedroom, three-bath Isabella II, offering 3,009 square feet of living space in the Serata neighborhood;
•   The Ravello, also in Serata, built by Harbourside Custom Homes and featuring four bedrooms, four and one-half baths and 3,359 square feet;
•   Stock Construction’s four-bedroom, four-and-one-half-bath Regency II in Buonasera with 3,699 square feet;
•   The three-bedroom, three-and-one-half-bath Girona built by London Bay Homes and offering 3,526 square feet of living space in the Cortile neighborhood;
•   The Royal Floridian, built by Kingon Homes in Celebrita, with four bedrooms, four and one-half baths and 5,126 square feet; and
•   London Bay Homes’ Eloro, a three-bedroom, three-and-one-bath luxury villa with 3,380 square feet in Lucarno.

The Guadalupe Center of Immokalee is a privately funded nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty in the region’s most disadvantaged community.

Now in its 31st year, it provides academic and cultural enrichment from cradle to career, including early childhood education, after-school tutoring, high school mentoring and college scholarships programs. The center’s programs have earned national recognition, including the top four-star rating by Charity Navigator, America’s leading independent charity evaluator.

Mediterra is the seven-time winner of the Collier Building Industry Association’s Sand Dollar Award for Community of the Year. It offers an array of lifestyle amenities, including the member-owned Club at Mediterra with two Tom Fazio-designed championship courses and the private 10,000-square-foot Beach Club on the Gulf of Mexico, featuring an elevated swimming pool, casual dining with a full bar, and valet service for beach chairs, umbrellas and beverage and food menus.

Available home designs in Mediterra include single-family estate homes and single-family maintenance-free villas priced from the $700,000s to more than $7 million.

Construction begins on London Bay Homes Annalisa estate model in Mediterra

lbh — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:58:34 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (March 7, 2013) – London Bay Homes has started construction of the four-bedroom Annalisa, a new maintenance-free single-family estate model home in the Cortile neighborhood at Mediterra. Offering 5,277 square feet of air conditioned living space, the Annalisa will be the largest model home when it opens in April within Naples’ premier golf and beach community.

Cortile residents enjoy a maintenance-free lifestyle, with pool service, landscaping and lawn care covered through the homeowners association.

The Annalisa offers a great room with a fireplace, a family room featuring a sloped ceiling and zero-corner sliding glass doors, study, breakfast nook, attached two-car garage, and a second two-car garage connected by a trellised walkway, within the home’s more than 7,800 total square feet.

The floor plan is designed with many of the signature features that have made London Bay one of Southwest Florida’s leading luxury homebuilders: a kitchen with an oversized island breakfast bar, walk-in pantry and home office, a tech center, and multiple outdoor living areas, including an entry courtyard, loggia, porch and an al fresco living and dining room with a summer kitchen.

The Annalisa also offers a butler’s pantry with refrigerator and icemaker, wine room with a barrel ceiling, powder room and three guest suites with walk-in closets and private full baths.

The model will feature stone floors throughout the main living areas, beamed and stepped ceilings, and wood flooring in the master suite’s two walk-in closets and bedroom, where sliding glass doors open to the loggia. The master bath will have a stone floor and offer his and her vanities, a tub and separate shower with a built-in seat.

The Annalisa’s pool and outdoor living areas will overlook golf and preserve in Cortile, a neighborhood of 46 maintenance-free luxury villas and single-family estate homes. Home and homesite packages in Cortile are priced from $1.3 million.

London Bay Homes, a leader in the Naples luxury home market for more than two decades, was one of only two companies named America’s Best Builder by Builder Magazine in 2008.

Available home designs in Mediterra include single-family estate homes and single-family maintenance-free villas priced from the $700,000s to more than $7 million.

Mediterra welcomed Realtors to exclusive model home showcase

lbh — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:31:39 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (March 5, 2013) – More than 100 Realtors gathered at Mediterra’s exclusive model home showcase on Feb. 6. The event featured tours of new fully furnished model homes and the community’s lifestyle amenities, which include the member-owned Club at Mediterra with two Tom Fazio-designed championship courses, several themed parks, bocce courts, and a sports and fitness club with a new stadium tennis court. The 1,700-acre master-planned Mediterra community is the seven-time winner of the Collier Building Industry Association’s Sand Dollar Award for Community of the Year. Available home designs in Mediterra include single-family estate homes and single-family maintenance-free villas priced from the $700,000s to more than $7 million. For more information, call toll-free 866-954-8939 or visit www.ExperienceMediterra.com.

The Founders Club welcomed Realtors to exclusive model home showcase

lbh — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 23:16:25 +0000

SARASOTA, Fla. (Feb. 26, 2013) – The Founders Club hosted more than 100 Realtors at an exclusive model home showcase on Feb. 7. The event featured a tour of the community and its fully furnished model homes. Linda Driggs with Michael Saunders & Company won the Realtor Raffle – a cruise on the QEII. London Bay Homes, named America’s Best Builder by Builder magazine in 2008, offers single-family homes, golf cottages and one-of-a-kind estate homes at The Founders Club. Reserve Collection homes, available on fairway homesites, range from 2,800 to more than 4,600 square feet of living space. Home and homesite packages are priced from the $700,000s. Cottage home and homesite packages are priced from the $600,000s and offer 2,119 to more than 5,000 square feet of living space, including landscaping maintenance for a lock-and-leave lifestyle. Estate home and homesites packages are priced from $1 million and offer a wide range of customization and designer options. For more information, call 866-711-3132 or visit www.ExperienceFounders.com.

Designer named for new Capriano villa model at Mediterra

lbh — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 23:07:16 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (Feb. 26, 2013) – Jennifer Stevens of Romanza Interior Design will create a tropical-transitional design for the new four-bedroom Capriano luxury villa currently under construction by London Bay Homes at Mediterra. Grey-washed beams and furniture pieces mixed with deep, rich woods and a palette of bright turquoises and merlots against neutral taupe and white backgrounds will convey the design theme throughout the model home’s 4,402 square feet of living space.

The fully furnished model, located in the European village-inspired neighborhood of Lucarno, is expected to be completed in April.

Lucarno residents enjoy maintenance-free living that includes pool service, landscaping and lawn care covered through the homeowners association.

The model will feature a tall great room ceiling accented with distressed wood beams, a gated wine room and a second-floor media room with a private walk-out sundeck overlooking the pool. The home will also have a library and four bathrooms and will be shown with an optional fourth bedroom and outdoor fireplace.

Additional design features will include wood flooring throughout the model’s main living areas and grass textured-raffia ceilings in the foyer, great room and kitchen niches.

Multi-colored glass tiles above the range backsplash will sparkle against the kitchen’s white cabinetry. The room’s oversized free-standing island will have a granite countertop and breakfast bar, dishwasher and divided sink. Solid surface countertops will be used around perimeter cabinetry.

The Capriano’s master suite will offer an oversized walk-in closet, a secluded bedroom and bathroom with smoky stained his-and-her vanities and light travertine counters accented with sea-glass blue. The bath will also have a water closet, separate garden tub and shower.

The first floor guest room will feature white painted paneled walls and a wood floor.

The model will offer 5,974 total square feet of living space, including a two-car garage and an outdoor living room with a summer kitchen and fireplace.

The floor plan with a homesite is base priced from $1.11 million.

London Bay Homes is the exclusive builder in Lucarno, a neighborhood of 71 luxury maintenance-free lakefront villa homes offering seven two- to three-bedroom floor plans ranging from 2,500 to more than 4,000 square feet of interior living space. Each plan is designed with numerous options that allow buyers the opportunity to customize their home by extending lanais and garages, adding bedrooms, dens or studies, and selecting indoor and outdoor fireplaces, summer kitchens, loggias, porticos and wine cabinets.

Home and homesite packages in Lucarno are priced from the $800,000s.

London Bay Homes, a leader in the Naples luxury home market for more than two decades, was one of only two companies named America’s Best Builder by Builder Magazine in 2008. Its affiliate, Romanza Interior Design, earned a 2013 Gold Award for best interior design.

Available home designs in Mediterra include single-family estate homes and single-family maintenance-free villas priced from the $700,000s to more than $7 million.

London Bay Homes introduces two new floor plans at The Founders Club

lbh — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:44:56 +0000

SARASOTA, Fla. (Feb. 25, 2013) – London Bay Homes’ two new floor plans at The Founders Club are designed with large outdoor areas for enjoying the Sarasota golf community’s fairway, lake and nature preserve views.

The Delfina and Belita floor plans offer studies, formal dining rooms and three-car garages and showcase London Bay’s signature kitchens with oversized islands, walk-in pantries and architectural interior and exterior archways framing adjoining rooms and outdoor areas.

A single-family home, the four-bedroom, four-bath Delfina (pictured above) offers a game/bonus room, leisure room and formal living room within its 4,287 square feet of living space. Sliding glass doors in three rooms, including zero-corner sliders in the leisure room, open the back of the Delfina to its outdoor, covered living area. The floor plan offers a summer kitchen, pool and spa within 5,961 total square feet.

The Delfina’s master suite has his-and-her walk-in closets, a dedicated sitting area in the bedroom and a bathroom with his-and-her vanities, separate bathtub and shower.

Additional highlights include a secluded guest room with a pyramid ceiling and multi-level ceilings in the octagonal dining room and study and in select rooms.

The Belita, a maintenance-free golf cottage home (pictured below), has three bedrooms, three baths and 3,090 square feet of living space. Its kitchen provides a café for casual dining and a home office next to the pantry.

The family room’s wall of sliding glass opens to the outdoor living area, which offers a summer kitchen and pool. The master suite includes his-and-her walk-in closets, and a bathroom with his-and-her vanities, separate bathtub and shower. The Belita also has an entry courtyard and covered verandah within its 4,475 total square feet.

London Bay Homes owns a majority of homesites and controls development of real estate sales and marketing for The Founders Club.

London Bay Homes, named America’s Best Builder by Builder magazine in 2008, offers single-family homes, golf cottages and one-of-a-kind estate homes at The Founders Club.

Reserve Collection homes, available on fairway homesites, range from 2,800 to more than 4,600 square feet of living space. Home and homesite packages are priced from the $700,000s. Cottage home and homesite packages are priced from the $600,000s and offer 2,119 to more than 5,000 square feet of living space, including landscaping maintenance for a lock-and-leave lifestyle. Estate home and homesites packages are priced from $1 million, and offer a wide range of customization and designer options.

Several homes are available for immediate occupancy.

The member-owned Founders Golf and Social Club offers 18 holes of championship golf by Robert Trent Jones Jr., the area’s only traditional caddie program and allows members to walk the course. Membership is limited to just 275 to ensure golfers enjoy year-round golf with no tee time required.

Training facilities include two putting greens, a short game area and state-of-the-art TrackMan radar technology offered through Florida Golf Performance Center.

The club offers a vibrant, active social calendar and recently introduced an in-season reciprocal partnership with Sarasota Yacht Club.

The Founders Club Sales Center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is located at 3001 Founders Club Drive, three miles east of I-75 on Fruitville Road, exit 210. The community is just minutes from Sarasota’s famed Gulf of Mexico beaches as well as the shops, acclaimed local restaurants and arts and cultural venues of downtown Sarasota.

For more information about The Founders Club, call 866-711-3132 or visit www.ExperienceFounders.com.

To learn more about London Bay Homes and its commitment to Private Label Living, log onto www.ExperienceTrueLuxury.com.

The Founders Club brings TrackMan golf technology to members, nonmembers

lbh — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:34:57 +0000

SARASOTA, Fla. (Feb. 18, 2013) – The high-tech training tool used by the world’s top professional golfers and coaches is helping players at The Founders Club improve their game. TrackMan, a golf radar system that measures and analyzes virtually every component of a golfer’s swing and shot, is now available through the Florida Golf Performance Center located at The Founders Club.

Terry Hanson, president of the performance center and a former European Tour coach, chose The Founders Club because of its commitment to the game and its top-flight training facilities. The club offers 18 holes of championship golf by Robert Trent Jones Jr. – including Sarasota’s only traditional caddie program – and allows members to walk the course.

The indoor performance center is located near the club’s practice facilities, which provides Titleist Pro V1 balls for use on its two putting greens, short game course and sand trap areas.

“The building is very private, which allows Terry to work one-on-one with his students,” said Hugh O’Donnell, general manager of The Founders Club, a traditional private golf and social club community. “We’re thrilled to offer TrackMan and Terry’s expertise to both member and nonmember golfers. Just Google ‘TrackMan’ and you see photos of Tiger Woods using it. That’s how top of the line this technology is.”

Hanson has been using the technology since its introduction nearly 10 years ago and offered TrackMan sessions at the club last winter. He moved his headquarters from Wales to The Founders Club earlier this year.

“Florida is the epicenter of golf, and as keen as I am on teaching and on golf, it’s the best place for me,” Hanson said. “The Founders Club is the most important part because it provides an ideal setting for golf.”

“We saw a lot of success with the limited time it was available last year at The Founders Club,” said O’Donnell. “Once members tried it, they liked it and told their friends. Every person who has used the TrackMan says it enhances their membership. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback.”

Club president Humberto Vainieri has seen a noticeable improvement in his game since testing the radar system last season.

“Terry fitted me for a driver and woods, and I was very pleased,” said Vainieri, a Founders Club resident since 2006. “I tried it again recently and Terry made a few tweaks. I’m getting additional distance and more accurate shots. This technology really does work.”

Hanson, a coach for more than 30 years, has worked with some of the European Tour’s top golfers, recording more than 40 tournament wins. He also coaches aspiring pros, amateurs and newcomers to golf and is affiliated with the West Florida Golf Tour, whose members train at The Founders Club.

He was introduced to TrackMan and how to interpret the data during his Tour tenure.

TrackMan, which claims accuracy of one foot at 100 yards, analyzes swing and shot using integrated video cameras. It measures more than a dozen components, including spin rate, club speed, smash factor and carry.

“In very basic terms, the TrackMan does three things: It tells us what the ball does, what the golf club does and what the player does with the club,” said Hanson. “Unlike other launch monitors that take a picture and provide calculations, the TrackMan tracks the ball on radar and provides an actual reading. It’s what we, as coaches and fitters, do with that data to adjust shafts or heads that makes a difference. TrackMan tells us where the leakage is. It’s a very truthful machine.”

The system measures and displays the actual three-dimensional trajectory of a shot and analyzes impact and ball flight information. Students can continue their training after a session by accessing TrackMan data and reports from a website upload.

“This technology is very helpful to our membership,” said Vainieri. “Terry trains a number of pros here, which is great because it showcases The Founders Club and our golf facilities.”
Membership at The Founders Golf and Social Club is limited to just 275 to ensure golfers enjoy year-round golf with no tee time required.

“We have a full golf schedule that really fosters camaraderie among our members,” said O’Donnell.

Social memberships range from $2,500 to $7,500; golf memberships from $4,375 to $20,000; and young professional memberships begin at $1,000 for ages 44 and under. For a limited time, new members receive half-price dues for the first year.

London Bay Homes owns a majority of The Founders Club homesites and manages the onsite sales center.

Several homes are available for immediate occupancy.

Additional facilities at The Founders Club include two Har-Tru tennis courts, basketball and sand volleyball courts, and a picnic pavilion. Fitness and wellness classes, educational and instructional programs and social gatherings are coordinated by a professional staff.
The Founders Club Sales Center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is located at 3001 Founders Club Drive, three miles east of I-75 on Fruitville Road, exit 210. The community is just minutes from Sarasota’s famed Gulf of Mexico beaches as well as the shops, acclaimed local restaurants and arts and cultural venues of downtown Sarasota.

For more information about The Founders Club, call 866-711-3132 or visit www.ExperienceFounders.com.

To learn more about London Bay Homes and its commitment to Private Label Living, call 866-918-3354 or log onto www.ExperienceTrueLuxury.com.

London Bay Homes starts construction of Capriano villa model at Mediterra

lbh — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:20:09 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (Feb. 18, 2013) – London Bay Homes has begun construction of the Capriano, a four-bedroom, four-bath luxury villa home in the European village-inspired Lucarno neighborhood at Mediterra.

The 4,402-square-foot model, expected to be completed in March, is one of seven floor plans available in Lucarno, which features cobblestone streets, fragrant gardens and a lakefront setting within Naples’ premier luxury golf and beach community.

Lucarno residents enjoy maintenance-free living that includes pool service, landscape and lawn care, and exterior maintenance covered through the homeowners association.

The two-story Capriano is designed around an open great room/kitchen floor plan with rooms oriented to al fresco areas, including a unique interior courtyard. The home has a library/retreat and game room within 5,974 total square feet, including a two-car garage, outdoor living area and second-floor sundeck and balcony.

The kitchen offers a freestanding island/breakfast bar, a home office and pantry.

The master bathroom has his and her vanities, a separate shower and tub, and a private water closet.

Each of London Bay’s maintenance-free villas in Lucarno is designed with multiple options that allow buyers to customize their home. Optional features in the Capriano include a three-car garage, the addition of a family office or wine cellar, up to five bedrooms and bathrooms.

Lucarno’s two- and three-bedroom base floor plans offer more than 2,500 to 3,800 square feet of living space and a lakefront homesite. Buyers can extend lanais; add indoor and outdoor fireplaces, loggias, porticos and wine cabinets; expand garages and al fresco spaces; or enhance storage closets as a family office or pool bath; and customize floor plans to more than 5,000 total square feet.

Home and homesite packages in Lucarno are priced from the $800,000s.

London Bay Homes, a leader in the Naples luxury home market for more than two decades, was one of only two companies named America’s Best Builder by Builder Magazine in 2008.

Available home designs in Mediterra include single-family estate homes and single-family maintenance-free villas priced from the $700,000s to more than $7 million.

*Image is of a previous Capriano model and may include luxury options.

Interior designer selected for London Bay Homes’ Eloro villa model at Mediterra

lbh — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:04:20 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (Feb. 14, 2013) – Melissa Allen of Romanza Interior Design will create a “classic design with a touch of surprise” for the Eloro model now under construction in Lucarno, a European-inspired village of luxury maintenance-free villa homes, cobblestone streets and lakes at Mediterra.

The three-bedroom, three and one-half bath villa model, built by London Bay Homes, will feature clean-lined furnishings mixed with graphic prints and a color scheme of bright tangerine, vibrant aqua and kiwi greens. The designer’s surprises will include pops of yellow and touches of oriental throughout the model’s 3,380 square feet of living space.

“The use of bright paint colors, especially the orange guest bedroom, will definitely be a memory point,” said Allen. “Visitors also will remember the wine pantry, with its floor-to-ceiling wine racks, and the meticulous repetition of arches, which frame the views and adjoining rooms from one end of the home to the other.”

The Eloro’s open floor plan combines the kitchen with an oversized great room that easily accommodates seating and dining areas. Volume ceilings heighten the openness, Allen said. The kitchen offers a freestanding island/breakfast bar with dishwasher and double sinks and will have granite countertops, a wood floor, white cabinets and bright aqua beadboard ceiling details.

The Eloro’s design places the master suite in a secluded wing with bathroom and dual-entry walk-in closet connected to the bedroom by a hallway with doors leading out to the pool courtyard.

Tangerine art and accessories will provide punctuation points in the black and white master bath, which has his-and-her vanities, a private water closet, separate shower and freestanding tub. Allen will accent the tub, positioned in a bay window, with beadboard and polished chrome. The floor’s black and white pinwheel pattern completes the design.

The Eloro also has a powder bath, and the model is being built with a study, a third bedroom and additional full bath.

The home’s outdoor al fresco areas include a covered outdoor living/dining area with a summer kitchen and entry, central and pool courtyards – all connected to interior spaces.

A wall of sliding glass doors in the great room showcases the pool and spa, both accented with aqua waterline glass tiles, and the villa’s lakefront setting at Mediterra, the 1,700-acre luxury golf and beach club community in Naples.

The Eloro has 4,031 total square feet, including a two-car garage and covered outdoor areas.

The model is expected to be completed later this month and priced at $1,693,000, fully furnished.

London Bay Homes is the exclusive builder in Lucarno, offering seven two- to five-bedroom floor plans ranging from 2,500 to more than 5,000 square feet of interior living space. Each plan is designed with numerous options that allow buyers the opportunity to customize their home by extending lanais and garages, adding bedrooms, dens or studies, and selecting indoor and outdoor fireplaces, summer kitchens, loggias, porticos and wine cabinets.

Lucarno residents enjoy maintenance-free living that includes pool service, landscaping and lawn care covered through the homeowners association.

Home and homesite packages in Lucarno are priced from the $700,000s.

London Bay Homes, a leader in the Naples luxury home market for more than two decades, was one of only two companies named America’s Best Builder by Builder Magazine in 2008.

Available home designs in Mediterra include single-family estate homes and single-family maintenance-free villas priced from the $700,000s to more than $7 million.

Sarasota Orchestra ‘Symphony of Kitchens’ includes London Bay at The Founders Club

lbh — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 22:07:42 +0000

SARASOTA, Fla. (Feb. 12, 2013) – London Bay Homes’ Isabella model home at The Founders Club is included in the Sarasota Orchestra’s “Symphony of Kitchens” event Friday and Saturday, Feb. 15 and 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Members of the public who visit the Isabella kitchen during the “Symphony of Kitchens” will enjoy private cooking demonstrations and tours of the model home, featuring interior design by award-winning Romanza Interior Design.

The Isabella, a Fairway Home designed with 2,880 square feet under air, features three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a den, great room-style floor plan with fireplace, formal dining room, oversized master suite with direct access to the outdoor living area, kitchen, pool and spa within 4,301 total square feet.

For more information or tickets, contact the Sarasota Orchestra at 941-953-3434 or 866-508-0611 toll-free, or visit www.sarasotaorchestra.org.

London Bay Homes, named America’s Best Builder by Builder magazine in 2008, offers single-family homes, golf cottages and one-of-a-kind estate homes at The Founders Club. Reserve Collection homes, available on fairway homesites, range from 2,800 to more than 4,600 square feet of living space. Home and homesite packages are priced from the $700,000s. Cottage home and homesite packages are priced from the $600,000s and offer 2,119 to more than 5,000 square feet of living space, including landscaping and pool maintenance for a lock-and-leave lifestyle. Estate home and homesites packages are priced from $1 million, and offer a wide range of customization and designer options.

Several homes are available for immediate occupancy.

In addition to the Golf and Social Club, facilities at The Founders Club include two Har-Tru tennis courts, basketball and sand volleyball courts, and a picnic pavilion. Fitness and wellness classes, educational and instructional programs and social gatherings are coordinated by a professional staff.

The Founders Club Sales Center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is located at 3001 Founders Club Drive, three miles east of I-75 on Fruitville Road, exit 210. The community is just minutes from Sarasota’s famed Gulf of Mexico beaches as well as the shops, acclaimed local restaurants and arts and cultural venues of downtown Sarasota.

For more information about The Founders Club, call 866-711-3132 or visit www.ExperienceFounders.com.

To learn more about London Bay Homes and its commitment to Private Label Living, call 866-918-3354 or log onto www.ExperienceTrueLuxury.com.

Lucarno villa neighborhood at Mediterra is 50 percent sold

lbh — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 15:32:54 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (Jan. 31, 2013) – Lucarno, a neighborhood of luxury lakefront villa homes in Mediterra, is more than 50 percent sold. The 71-home maintenance-free villa neighborhood, reminiscent of an intimate European village with cobblestone streets, lakes and gardens, recently recorded its 36th sale.

London Bay Homes is the exclusive builder in Lucarno, which offers seven two- to three-bedroom floor plans ranging from 2,500 to more than 4,000 square feet of interior living space. Each plan is designed with numerous options that allow buyers the opportunity to customize their home by extending lanais and garages, adding bedrooms, dens or studies, and selecting indoor and outdoor fireplaces, summer kitchens, loggias, porticos and wine cabinets.

Lucarno residents enjoy maintenance-free living that includes pool service, landscaping and lawn care covered through the homeowners association.

Home and homesite packages in Lucarno are priced from the $800,000s.

Two model homes are currently under construction. The four-bedroom, four-bath Capriano offers a library/retreat and a second-floor game room within its 4,402 square feet of living space. The 3,380-square-foot Eloro is being built with three bedrooms, three and one-half baths, a study and wine pantry; outdoor living area include a covered outdoor living/dining area with a summer kitchen and entry, as well as central and pool courtyards – all connected to the home’s interior spaces.

London Bay Homes, a leader in the Naples luxury home market for more than two decades, was one of only two companies named America’s Best Builder by Builder Magazine in 2008.

Available home designs in Mediterra include single-family estate homes and single-family maintenance-free villas priced from the $700,000s to more than $7 million.

London Bay Homes’ Girona model now open for viewing in Mediterra

lbh — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 21:04:01 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (Jan. 31, 2013) – The Girona, London Bay Homes’ newest furnished model home, is now open in Mediterra, Naples’ premier luxury golf and beach club community.

The three-bedroom villa home features interior design by Michael Scott of Romanza Interior Design in Naples and overlooks a marsh preserve in Cortile, a neighborhood of 46 estate and villa homesites. The floor plan is one of more than a dozen offered by London Bay Homes in the Cortile neighborhood. The maintenance-free villas in Cortile – which include pool service, landscaping and lawn care covered through the homeowners association – are now more than 60 percent sold.

The model features Leonardo travertine flooring, neutral background finishes and a color palette of sand, charcoal, rust and green accented with blue and coral in select rooms. Its Spanish architecture incorporates a terra cotta tile barrel roof, rustic brick paver walkway and an intimate landscaped entry courtyard featuring an Italianate fountain.

The Girona offers 3,526 square feet of air-conditioned living space, a dining room, great room and study. It has three full baths and a powder room and the model is shown with a pool, spa, full summer kitchen with a commercial-grade grill and optional three-car garage.

Scott introduces the travertine flooring at the home’s entry and continues it throughout the model’s main living areas and onto the pool deck. The technique emphasizes the Girona’s open floor plan as does its connection to al fresco spaces through sliding glass doors in the family room and nook and a French door in the master suite.

The great room features an eclectic mix of transitional furniture pieces in warm walnut brown wood tones and contemporary upholstery with medium-toned fabrics and leathers. A natural sisal area rug anchors the main seating area and floral draperies throughout echo the room’s sand, rust, green and grey hues. Wood beams accent the ceiling.

The kitchen offers a Sub-Zero beverage center and refrigerator, a 48-inch stainless steel Wolf range and a walk-in pantry. The room has Carrara granite countertops with a unique leather finish, light-toned wood cabinetry, a handmade tile backsplash above the range and a freestanding island.

The floor and furniture plans provide numerous gathering areas, accommodating four at the kitchen’s island breakfast bar, eight to 10 people at the dining room table and another six at the nook’s round table. Additional gathering spaces include the outdoor living areas and even the study, designed with a small sectional for late-night TV viewing and a walnut writing/computer desk.

The classic king-size four-poster mission-style bed in the master bedroom references the Girona’s architectural influences and has an upholstered headboard with bronze accents. Clay colored walls and a hand-finished hickory wood plank floor add warmth to the room; blonde woven raffia bedside chests and a sisal area rug introduce elements of nature, also echoed in shades of sea green, blue and sand.

The wood floor continues into his and her custom walk-in closets.

The English Victoria + Albert volcanic stone and resin tub, set in a windowed alcove, is the focal point of the master bath, which also has travertine floors, light wood stained vanities with polished Sicilian mocha-hued limestone tops, transitional crystal and metal light fixtures and a travertine-clad walk-in shower.

The Girona’s two guest suites have private full baths; one has a walk-in closet. One offers a queen-sized bed and a transitional design with a teal, rust and sand color palette. The second room has two twin beds and shades of pale green, coral and sand.

The model has 5,072 total square feet and is priced at $2,095,000, fully furnished.

Home and homesite packages in Cortile are priced from $1.2 million. Villa and estate floor plans range from 2,800 to more than 6,000 square feet of living space.

London Bay Homes, a leader in the Naples luxury home market for more than two decades, was one of only two companies named America’s Best Builder by Builder Magazine in 2008.

Available home designs in Mediterra include single-family estate homes and single-family maintenance-free villas priced from the $700,000s to more than $7 million.

Romanza Interior Design receives NAHB Gold Award at Nationals

lbh — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 18:37:26 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (Jan. 29, 2013) – The National Association of Home Builders National Sales & Marketing Council has awarded Romanza Interior Design and designer Michael Scott, interior designer, and Raul Garnil, interior architect, with a Gold Award for Best Interior Design of a Custom Home for a private residence in Grey Oaks.

Romanza Interior Design is a boutique interior design studio based in Naples and is affiliated with luxury homebuilder London Bay Homes. The Gold Award recognized the outstanding interior of the 8,423-square-foot custom estate in Grey Oaks, which also earned a Silver Award at Nationals for London Bay’s in-house architectural team for Best Architectural Design of a One of a Kind Home.

London Bay’s recently relaunched website, www.LondonBay.com, also was recognized at Nationals as a Silver Award recipient for Best Website for a Builder. The easy-to-navigate website provides interactive, detailed information about communities, available homes and pricing, customization options and special incentives.

The NAHB Nationals pay tribute to superior sales and marketing achievements for homebuilders and represent the nation’s largest competition for new home sales and marketing professionals and communities. The Gold Awards and Silver finalists were announced at the NAHB national convention last week in Las Vegas.

For more information about Romanza Interior Design and its award-winning, full-service residential and commercial interior design services, visit www.Romanza.com or call 239-596-1613.

London Bay Homes, a leader in the Naples luxury home market for more than two decades, was one of only two companies named America’s Best Builder by Builder Magazine in 2008. The company builds custom and semi-custom homes and intimate village neighborhoods from Marco Island to Sarasota priced from the $700,000s to more than $10 million in many of the region’s most exclusive neighborhoods and communities.

For more information about London Bay Homes and its commitment to Private Label Living, call 866-918-3354 or log onto www.ExperienceTrueLuxury.com.

Selecting your New Home Style Part 1 of 3- Maintenance-Free Living

lbh — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 22:14:57 +0000

London Bay Homes’ Private Label Living offers our commitment to ensure every new home we build is a perfect reflection of each client’s distinctive taste and individual personality, equating to limitless opportunities!

If the thought of infinite number of choices sounds overwhelming, don’t be alarmed. Our custom new homes have been divided into 3 appealing categories to assist in your decision-making. We will be describing each of these categories in more detail in our Blog Series: Selecting Your New Home Style. In Part 1 of the series, we discuss the maintenance-free lifestyle offered in one of our Villa Neighborhoods.

London Bay Homes Custom Villas are detached single-family homes that provide the convenience of a maintenance-free lifestyle that includes pool service, landscaping, and lawn care covered through the homeowners association. With ample opportunities to customize our villa floor plans to meet your style, the villa home collections are gathered into quaint neighborhood settings to fit the design of each featured community.

A diverse selection of floor plans is offered in each neighborhood in order to blend seamlessly with the ambiance of each community.

Intimate neighborhoods can be found throughout Southwest Florida, including Naples, Fort Myers, Sarasota, and Lakewood Ranch:

Cortile at Mediterra
Lucarno at Mediterra
Portofino at Miromar Lakes
Golf Cottages at The Founders Club
Matera at The Lake Clubb

If you’re interested in maintenance-free living in one of London Bay Homes’ Custom Villa home plans, contact us here and we’ll be happy to send you more information.

The Lake Club’s master planned community Lakewood Ranch among top-selling in 2012

lbh — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:00:18 +0000

The Lake Club’s master planned community Lakewood Ranch made the list of top-selling master planned communities for 2012. Lakewood Ranch was ranked number 9 on the national survey conducted by RCLCO with 573 total sales recorded for 2012, a 47% increase over 2011. You can view the full list here. Lakewood Ranch also boasts the designation of being the largest green certified development in the United States.

The Lake Club, one of the Lakewood Ranch’s nine villages, offers luxury living in a private community reminiscent of a small town in the hills of Tuscany with its scenic lakes and lush landscaping. London Bay Homes offers two styles of luxury living at The Lake Club: custom villas and custom estate homes.

The Villas at Matera at The Lake Club offer a maintenance-free lifestyle in one of London Bay’s custom villa home plans, with abundant opportunity for customization to fit your taste and style.

London Bay Home’s luxury estate homes, which can range from under 4,000 square feet to over 12,000 square feet, provide the ideal opportunity to build a one-of-a-kind home of your dreams. Or you may choose to expand on one of London Bay Homes’ Reserve Collection home plans.

Assisting in Lakewood Ranch’s national “green” recognition, The Lake Club is also a designated “green” area of Lakewood Ranch: every home built meets standards for energy efficiency, sustainability, and clean indoor air.

To learn more about The Lake Club at Lakewood Ranch, click here.

London Bay Homes Build Outs and Renovations

lbh — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 21:38:53 +0000

As if it weren’t enough that London Bay Homes builds custom homes and villas and one-of-a-kind custom homes in multiple communities throughout Naples and Sarasota, Florida, but did you also know that London Bay Homes does major build outs and renovations?

Our in-house team of designers, architects, and remodeling managers will work with you to assure your project vision comes to life on time and on budget while also using their expertise to integrate the latest design trends.

In fact, our London Bay “Building Science” quality construction integrates green building practices and technology to improve energy efficiency and sustainability. Our team assures we are using the most up-to-date technology and materials to improve the strength and quality of your home while simultaneously delivering the same exquisite design that London Bay Homes offers with our Private Label Living.

Complete home makeovers, insurance and code requirements, structural repairs, condominium build-outs; the possibilities are endless. View some of our completed remodel projects by visiting our Renovations and Remodel page here. If you have a question or want to learn more about our Remodeling division, call us at (239) 298-7605 or contact us here.

London Bay Homes’ Isabella II model opens at Mediterra

lbh — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 22:35:44 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (Jan. 14, 2013) – London Bay Homes has completed construction of its newest single-family model home at Mediterra in Naples. The three-bedroom, three-bath Isabella II is now open for viewing in Serata, a neighborhood of 36 lakefront homesites.

Featuring a soft spin on contemporary interior design by Jennifer Stevens of Romanza Interior Design, the Isabella II’s 3,009-square-foot floor plan offers a den, formal dining room and an open great room, kitchen and café. The model also has a swimming pool, a raised spa with a mosaic-tiled multi-tiered spillover, and an outdoor kitchen equipped with a grill and under-counter refrigerator.

Stevens’ design contrasts natural and textural elements with metal and glass surfaces and pops of bright pinks, reds and oranges. Niches are accented with grasscloth, wood furniture is embellished with woven and textural surfaces, and lamps and tables provide abstract references to coral and tree branches. A petrified block of wood serves as an end table in the great room.

The model features light travertine ashlar-set stone flooring in its main living areas, dark umber-stained maple flooring in the den and carpeted bedrooms.

The kitchen offers a large free-standing island with a light granite countertop, divided stainless steel sink and a dishwasher. White perimeter cabinetry contrasts Absolute black granite countertops and a glossy black tile stove backsplash. The room also has a four-burner stainless steel stove, side-by-side refrigerator-freezer and two pantries.

The master bedroom’s multi-level ceiling is accented by shallow trays and crown molding. The suite offers private access to outdoor areas, his and her walk-in closets and a bathroom with taupe vein-cut marble flooring, smoke-stained shaker-style cherry vanities, marble countertops and a dressing table. The bath also has a raised marble-clad tub, separate shower and water closet.

One of the two guest rooms offers a walk-in closet and private full bath.

The Isabella II has a three-car garage, a paver semi-circular driveway and a motorcourt and offers 4,444 total square feet.

The model is priced at $1,811,864, fully furnished.

The floor plan is one of more than a dozen offered by London Bay Homes as part of its Reserve Collection in Serata. Homesites are available in the high $200,000s with homes and homesites in Serata priced in the high $900,000s.

London Bay Homes, a leader in the Naples luxury home market for more than two decades, was one of only two companies named America’s Best Builder by Builder Magazine in 2008.

Mediterra, a 1,700-acre luxury golf and beach club community, offers an array of lifestyle amenities, including two Tom Fazio-designed championship courses and a private 10,000-square-foot Beach Club on the Gulf of Mexico, featuring an elevated swimming pool, casual dining with a full bar, and valet service for beach chairs, umbrellas and beverage and food menus.

London Bay Homes owns more than 100 homesites in the community and manages sales and operations.

Available home designs in Mediterra feature elegant single-family estate homes and single-family maintenance-free villas priced from the $700,000s to more than $7 million.

Potential homeowners are also served by Mediterra Realty, which lists resale properties in the community. The Mediterra Sales Gallery is open daily.

For more information about “Having it All” at Mediterra, visit www.MediterraNaples.com, call 239-949-8989 or visit Mediterra, located on Livingston Road, two miles north of Immokalee Road and west of I-75.

New Year brings More Restaurant Selections to Naples

lbh — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 21:59:20 +0000

As the New Year begins, Naples is full of excitement! Our seasonal homeowners are returning and enjoying everything that Naples and Southwest Florida have to offer, but there is something extra special this year. Not only does Naples have fantastic weather, world-class golf courses, and of course London Bay Homes, this year our local economy is seeing a significant number of new restaurants opening their doors.

New restaurants equal new experiences and more options, which is a win-win for Naples residents. Since London Bay Homes builds in communities throughout Southwest Florida you can rest assured a community in which we build is close to one of the many new restaurants available in Naples. Here are a few highly-anticipated additions, both newly opened and coming soon:

MERCATO

Masa – Chic Contemporary Mexican Cuisine
The Wine Loft – Wine & Tapas Style Dining
Tapas Bar & Lounge – Small Plate Dining
Le Macaron French Pastries – The name says it all

NORTH NAPLES

Bay House Village – Opening an Italian Bistro, small Brewery, & Bakery

OLDE NAPLES

Barbatella – Elegant Courtyard Dining on 3^{rd St.}
Osteria Tulia – Rustic Chic Farmhouse Dining
Chapel Grill – Florida dining with a flair

For a list of additional new restaurants that will be added to the Naples area in 2013, view the Naples Daily News photo gallery here.

Paul Schmidgall, Sales Executive, London Bay Homes

London Bay Homes purchases 23 additional homesites in Mediterra

lbh — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 18:32:31 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (Jan. 8, 2013) – Naples-based London Bay Homes has completed the purchase of 23 vacant homesites in Cabreo, a luxury villa neighborhood in Mediterra.

London Bay Homes manages sales and operations in Mediterra, the 1,700-acre master-planned community named seven times as Naples’ best community by the Collier Building Industry Association.

Square footages, exterior colors and landscaping designs for London Bay’s villa homes in Cabreo will be similar to the existing residences created by Taylor Morrison, which sold its remaining homesites in the transaction. Currently 16 of 39 homes are complete in the Cabreo neighborhood; London Bay expects its home and homesite packages to be priced in the $700,000s.

“Our team is excited about this acquisition for a number of reasons and particularly because of our passion for Mediterra,” said Mark Wilson, president of London Bay Homes. “The addition of Cabreo complements the Lucarno neighborhood in Mediterra’s Garden District, offering the best value for new villas in Mediterra.

“The villa homes are extremely popular with our homebuyers,” Wilson said, “so we’re pleased to have additional homesites to offer for 2013.”

Since London Bay Homes acquired Mediterra in January 2010, the community has enjoyed $228 million in home sales, topping $100 million in 2012 alone.

The featured builder in several neighborhoods, London Bay offers numerous furnished model homes available for viewing throughout the community and has a total of four new model homes currently under construction in Mediterra.

Mediterra offers custom single-family estate homes, maintenance-free villas and coach homes in several neighborhoods. New floor plans and pricing opportunities are designed to meet buyer’s demand for functionality, flexibility and competitive pricing, with luxury Naples homes ranging from the $600,000s to more than $7 million.

A 1,700-acre luxury golf and beach club community, Mediterra offers a variety of amenities including a private Beach Club on the Gulf of Mexico, themed neighborhood parks, eight miles of walking and jogging trails, a fitness complex with tennis and bocce courts, swimming pool and spa services, and a 25,000-square-foot clubhouse featuring formal and casual dining.

For more information about “Having it All” at Mediterra, visit the community’s sales gallery just inside its Livingston Road entrance, two miles north of Immokalee Road and west of I-75; log onto www.MediterraNaples.com; or call 239-949-8989.

Sarasota Herald: New home construction takes a holiday break but still looks strong

lbh — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:49:16 +0000

Sarasota, FL (December 19, 2012) — New home construction slipped across Southwest Florida in November, mirroring a national lull that saw builders winding down for the holidays following a busy year for the industry.

Despite the monthly hiccup, building of homes remains on track for its best year since the housing slump that halted development in Florida and dumped 350,000 of the state’s construction workers onto the unemployment rolls.

Housing analysts attribute the industry’s renaissance to a depleted inventory of existing single-family homes, pushing more consumers toward buying new — a trend expected to continue through spring’s peak real estate season.

“People have now put off their buying decision for up to five years, so there’s a natural, pent-up demand in Sarasota,” said Mark Wilson, president and chief executive of London Bay Homes. “It’s evident the market has bottomed out and is on the upturn.”

Builders in Sarasota and Manatee counties pulled 169 new residential building permits in November, a 21 percent drop from October but a surge of 88 percent from the same time last year, records show.

Led by areas like Lakewood Ranch and Parrish, Manatee County’s 121 new single-family permits issued last month reflected a drop of 26 percent from October but remained well ahead of the 65 permits issued in November 2011.

Similarly, the 48 new residential building permits in unincorporated Sarasota County fell a modest 4 percent but compare with only 25 permits a year ago.

Although just a shadow of the boom years, both counties remain on track through the first 11 months of 2012 for their most robust year since the recession took hold in 2008.

Click here to view full article. Written by: Josh Salman

Sarasota Association of REALTORS® Appreciation Event hosted at The Isabella at The Founders Club

lbh — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 15:03:19 +0000

The Founders Club in Sarasota recently had the very distinct pleasure of hosting a group of movers and shakers from the Sarasota Association of REALTORS® in London Bay Homes’ exquisite Isabella model home. Leadership being key at any association, these 2012 outgoing Board of Directors, committee chairmen, and vice chairmen certainly deserved the accolades presented to them by Sarasota Association of REALTORS® 2012 President Laura Benson and CEO Kathy Roberts.

It was an honor to watch as Laura so eloquently shared tribute after tribute and thanked each attendee for their year of servitude. In my time as a member (albeit only two short years), I have come to realize the bond that so many of the Sarasota REALTORS® and Affiliate members share. Working together for the good of the membership to accomplish the same goal makes for a successful Board.

London Bay Homes and The Founders Club congratulate each of you for your dedication to the Sarasota Association. To the incoming 2013 leadership….it goes without saying, London Bay Homes will support your efforts and will continue our sponsorship in the coming year!

London Bay Homes Isabella model, located in the prestigious golf community The Founders Club, provided the ideal location for this intimate event. You can view event photos here.

Terri Speach, Realtor Liaison/Concierge, London Bay Homes

London Bay Homes receives NAHB Silver Awards

lbh — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 20:15:10 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (Dec. 12, 2012) – The National Association of Home Builders National Sales & Marketing Council recently awarded London Bay Homes with three Silver Awards. Silver finalists are also eligible for the Gold Awards, which will be announced at the NAHB national convention in Las Vegas in January.

A 12,700-square-foot custom estate in Grey Oaks by London Bay Homes and designed by Michael Scott of Romanza received Best Interior Design of a Custom Home and Best Architectural Design of a One-of-a-Kind Home.

The company’s recently relaunched website, www.LondonBay.com, received Best Website for a Builder. The easy-to-navigate website provides interactive, detailed information about communities, available homes and pricing, customization options and special incentives.

NAHB is a trade association that helps promote the policies that make housing a national priority. Since 1942, NAHB has been serving its members, the housing industry and public at large. NAHB’s various groups analyze policy issues, work toward improving the housing finance system, and analyze and forecast economic and consumer trends. For more information, visit www.nahb.org or www.thenationals.com.

London Bay Homes, a leader in the Naples luxury home market for more than two decades, was one of only two companies named America’s Best Builder by Builder Magazine in 2008. The company builds custom and semi-custom homes and intimate village neighborhoods from Marco Island to Sarasota priced from the $500,000s to more than $10 million in many of the region’s most exclusive neighborhoods and communities.

For more information about London Bay Homes and its commitment to Private Label Living, call 239-254-8346 or visit www.LondonBay.com.

Construction Update: The Emilia at Portofino at Miromar Lakes

lbh — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 22:09:22 +0000

As 2013 draws nearer, London Bay Homes looks to add several new model homes to our Available Homes Portfolio throughout Southwest Florida in the Naples and Sarasota areas. One of the models whose completion is rapidly approaching is The Emilia model at Portofino at Miromar Lakes.

Expected to be completed in January 2013, The Emilia will offer maintenance-free living on the cobblestone streets of the Italian-style village of Portofino. The model just received its light fixtures and irrigation, and it is expected to receive final painting and landscape in the next week.

One exciting aspect that has occurred during the construction process of The Emilia at Portofino at Miromar Lakes is weekly image updates to a dedicated blog page. This blog has allowed followers to keep track of the progress of construction, and see the Emilia model come together week-by-week. You can take a peek at the blog at: The Emilia Model at Portofino.

The Emilia at Portofino is a 3 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom maintenance-free villa home plan with multiple signature features including a custom pool and spa package and dramatic 18-foot high great room ceilings. The model will be furnished by London Bay Homes’ in-house interior design studio Romanza, and is priced at $1.795 million. If you’re interested in more information about The Emilia model or the Portofino lifestyle, contact Calvin McLeod at (239) 825-4892 or calvinmcleod@londonbay.com.

The Founders Golf and Social Club kicks off 2012-2013 with record number of memberships

lbh — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:01:08 +0000

SARASOTA, Fla. (Dec. 4, 2012) – Total memberships at The Founders Golf and Social Club have reached a record total of 225 members, representing a 15 percent increase in the number of members in the past year.

Club General Manager Hugh O’Donnell said the increase in membership is due to the club’s vibrant, active social calendar, which will see even more activity during the 2012-2013 season.

Sarasota residents continue to recognize the value of The Founders Club, including world-class amenities, clubhouse camaraderie and activities to meet every lifestyle. As the Golf and Social Club continues to steadily expand, a more extensive list of activities – such as the recently added in-season reciprocal partnership with Sarasota Yacht Club – will be developed.

Social memberships range from $2,500 to $7,500; golf memberships from $4,375 to $17,500, and young professional memberships begin at $1,000 for ages 44 and under. As of Jan. 1, equity golf memberships will increase to $20,000. For a limited time, new members receive half-price dues for the first year.

London Bay Homes, named America’s Best Builder by Builder magazine in 2008, offers single-family homes, golf cottages and one-of-a-kind estate homes at The Founders Club. Reserve Collection homes, available on fairway homesites, range from 2,800 to more than 4,600 square feet of living space. Homesites are prices from the mid-$100,000s with home and homesite packages from the $700,000s. Cottages, with homesites beginning at $100,000 and home and homesite packages from the low-$600,000s have 2,119 to more than 5,000 square feet of living space and include landscaping and pool maintenance for a lock-and-leave lifestyle. Estate homesites are priced from the low-$300,000s with home and homesite packages from $1 million, and offer a wide range of customization and designer options.

Several homes are available for immediate occupancy.

The Founders Golf and Social Club offers the area’s only traditional caddie program and a state-of-the-art indoor training facility with Trackman technology. Membership is limited to only 275 to ensure golfers enjoy year-round golf with no tee time required.

The 24,000-square-foot Golf Hall, overlooking an oak hammock and the 18th hole, offers a main dining room, bar and grille, outdoor veranda and private dining room for casual and fine dining. The facility also has a professionally staffed and fully stocked golf pro shop, state-of-the-art fitness center and men’s and women’s locker rooms and lounges.

The Founders Club Sales Center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is located at 3001 Founders Club Drive, three miles east of I-75 on Fruitville Road, exit 210. The community is just minutes from Sarasota’s famed Gulf of Mexico beaches as well as the shops, acclaimed local restaurants and arts and cultural venues of downtown Sarasota.

For more information about The Founders Club, call 941-378-0900 or visit www.thefoundersclub.com.

To learn more about London Bay Homes and its commitment to Private Label Living, log onto www.londonbay.com.

London Bay Homes hosts market update for Realtors at The Founders Club

lbh — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 15:45:46 +0000

SARASOTA, Fla. (Nov. 29, 2012) – Realtors in the Sarasota area received updated data and projections about the housing industry in Southwest Florida at a Realtor Market Update at The Founders Club, hosted by London Bay Homes. The event drew nearly 80 participants.

Club General Hugh O’Donnell opened the presentation with an update about The Founders Club’s membership success and increase of activities. Memberships at The Founders Golf Club reached a record total of 226 members recently, representing a 15 percent increase in the number of members in the past year.

Michael J. Timmerman, CRE, SRA, market analyst with Fishkind & Associates, reviewed current conditions related to the increasing economic recovery as well as population, employment and real estate growth in 2012, concluding that he expects gradual improvement in the housing market in 2013. He added that home pricing is expected to realize a steady increase as existing inventory continues to drop and interest rates remain extraordinarily low.

Mark Wilson, president and CEO of Naples-based London Bay Homes, closed the presentation with an update on the company’s strong sales activity in Southwest Florida, including Sarasota and Naples. Wilson reported that an increase in construction material costs is an indicator that new-home construction is ramping up across the country, existing home inventory is dwindling and buyers can build comparably priced new homes that cater to their lifestyle. In The Founders Club, where London Bay Homes manages sales and marketing for the premier golf and country club community, Wilson added that four new models plus six new client builds are under way and more than 90 debt-free homesites are available.

A traditional private golf and social club community, The Founders Club is located within 700 acres featuring intimate neighborhoods with homes nestled along lakes, fairways and nature preserves. It is located at 3001 Founders Club Drive, three miles east of I-75 on Fruitville Road, exit 210. For more information about The Founders Club, call 941-378-0900 or visit www.thefoundersclub.com.

London Bay Homes, named America’s Best Builder by Builder magazine in 2008, is celebrating 21 years as a luxury homebuilder in Southwest Florida. For more information, visit www.LondonBay.com or call the sales center at 941-378-0900.

Naples-Marco Island ranked the 6th wealthiest metro area in the nation

lbh — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 19:54:36 +0000

There are countless reasons why the Naples area is a highly-coveted destination for both tourist and future residents alike. According to a new release by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Naples-Marco Island area ranked as the sixth most affluent metro area in the nation, with a personal income of $59,264 per capita. The national average was $41,560. Approximately 53% of personal income in the Naples area comes from dividends, interest, and rent, suggesting high involvement in investment and real estate (where the national average is approximately 16%). As mentioned in a report by Naples Daily News, this type of investing is common in areas with a higher percentage of seasonal residence and higher retirement population in which “passive wealth” is a source of additional income.

London Bay Homes has seen a steady increase in home building activity throughout the Naples and Southwest Florida area. With statistics like these continuing to fill our newspapers, it is difficult to ignore the benefits of investing in and building a luxury custom home in such a highly-desirable metro area. Visit our homes page to learn more about opportunities to build with London Bay Homes.

Dominus News: London Bay Homes Selects BEP Blue Barrier Air and Moisture Barrier System for Luxury Home Construction

lbh — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:18:51 +0000

Tampa, FL – November 29, 2012: Dominus Innovations, a provider of specialty building and marine construction products today announced that London Bay Homes (LBH), one of Southwest Florida’s leading builders of custom luxury homes has chosen BEP Blue Barrier as its preferred air and moisture barrier technology.

In a market where moisture and humidity are constant factors affecting the building envelope, London Bay in its continuing efforts to build the best quality, trouble free homes in this premium market has adopted the BEP Blue Barrier Air and Moisture Barrier System as a standard offering for all of its residential construction. BEP Blue Barrier, an industry leading liquid applied air and moisture barrier system creates a seamless, durable membrane over all applied building substrates to prevent air & moisture intrusion and associated mold growth.

Traditionally liquid applied weather barrier technologies have been reserved for commercial and industrial applications, however London Bay Homes in its ongoing efforts to lead the industry in a climatic region where moisture affected material deterioration and mold growth have been historic problems, has taken an industry leading position to adopt commercial building products and practices in their residential market.

Mark Wilson, President of London Bay Homes said: “We want to provide our customers with the peace of mind that our luxury homes will give them many years of enjoyment and trouble free living. Standardizing on this liquid applied commercial building envelope protection technology for our residential construction makes perfect sense in our Florida market.”

BEP Blue Barrier is a liquid applied, breathable weather barrier system available in a complete family of products for total wall and building envelope protection and for window and door installations.

Mark went on to say: ‘The ease of use for our applicators and the fact that Blue Barrier is a single part system, designed for application in wet and dry working conditions made it a logical choice for our business.”

About London Bay Homes: Since 1990, London Bay Homes has designed and built many of Southwest Florida’s finest luxury homes. The company’s “Private Label Living” building designs deliver true luxury of a tailored fit for every unique client’s home. For more information visit the London Bay Homes website at: www.LondonBay.com

About Dominus Innovations and BEP Blue Barrier: Dominus Innovations is a leading provider of specialty products, technologies and solutions for the building and marine construction industry.

BEP Blue Barrier is manufactured by Dominus Innovations. For more information visit Dominus Innovations at: www.DominusInnovations.com and BEP Blue Barrier at: www.BEPproducts.com

Click here to view original article.

Naples Daily: London Bay Homes’ new Emilia model will showcase interior design by Romanza

lbh — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 15:31:01 +0000

(November 25, 2012) Miromar Lakes — Romanza Interior Design will lend its award-winning talents to the new Emilia model in Portofino, a neighborhood in Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club featuring 20 lakefront luxury villas built exclusively by London Bay Homes. The three-bedroom model will offer a private dock and southwest views over Lake Maggiore.

The Naples design firm will enhance the Emilia’s 3,380 square feet of living space with a transitional design featuring clean-lined upholstery, simplified traditional furniture shapes and a palette of clear neutrals with bright turquoise, orange and deep chocolate browns.

“We’ll use green and some bright pinks in secondary rooms,” said Romanza’s Jennifer Stevens, who will create the model’s interior design. “This floor plan has beautiful architectural elements: an 18-foot ceiling in the great room and dramatic arches and openings throughout. The master bath’s garden tub is also framed by a deep arch.”

The Emilia offers a study, three full bathrooms, a powder room and 4,681 total square feet, including a three-car garage and covered lanai. The home will also feature a custom pool and spa, an outdoor kitchen, built-in surround sound system and Andersen storm-rated windows and doors.

The great room design of the floor plan creates a main gathering space with living and dining areas that connect to the kitchen through an archway and to the covered lanai through sliding glass doors. Stevens will accent the room’s ceiling with wide beams and a trio of chandeliers.

The kitchen will feature classic white cabinetry with bead-board accented base cabinets and a large center island offering counter-height seating for casual dining. The island’s black galaxy granite countertop will contrast the lighter Juperana millennium granite of the main countertops and the range backsplash. Upper cabinetry will flank a range hood, and transom windows, also used in the great room, will provide natural light.

Stevens said the Emilia’s ashlar patterned stone floor “will provide an inviting textural backdrop for area rugs and dark furniture pieces. Ceiling treatments will also be simple with crown molding in the master, study and foyer.”

A private hallway linking the master suite’s walk-in closet, bedroom and bath will provide access to the swimming pool and sun deck. The bathroom’s his-and-her free-standing vanities will have sinks floating in niches against fully tiled backsplashes with large mirrors. The room will have a free-standing dressing table. The tub, which overlooks a privacy garden from a bay window, will have glass and stone mosaic tile and tub skirt. A complimentary material will also be used in the shower.

“The real wow factor of the Emilia is the arches,” she said. “There’s an arched entry from the foyer and rows of arches accenting the hallways to the master suite and secondary bedrooms.”

The Emilia is expected to be completed in January 2013 and is priced at $1.795 million, fully furnished.

London Bay Homes offers four additional floor plans in Portofino, a neighborhood reminiscent of an Italian village with cobblestone streets and plazas. The home designs range from 2,800 to nearly 3,900 square feet of living space, and waterfront homesites allow buyers the option to add a private boat dock to access the community’s two connecting lakes.

Landscaping and pool maintenance provide Portofino residents with a carefree lifestyle, giving them more time to enjoy the amenities of Miromar Lakes, including more than 700 acres of contiguous freshwater lakes for swimming, boating, water-skiing and fishing; three miles of private white-sand beaches; golf; and fine and casual dining.

For more information about London Bay Homes, visit www.LondonBay.com.

Click here to view original article.

The Girona model embodies the concept of open living

lbh — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 20:57:19 +0000

Open floorplan design has proven to be a very popular trend, and London Bay Homes’ Girona model in Cortile at Mediterra manages to raise the bar. One of the many stunning features of the 3 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom Girona is the open concept that combines the open floorplan design seamlessly into the expansive outdoor living space.

The distinctive design of the 3,526 square foot, maintenance-free custom villa maintains the elements and style of a traditional European villa on the exterior while capturing the feel of a single-family home on the interior.

Currently under construction in Cortile at Mediterra in Naples, Florida, the fully furnished Girona boasts stunning lake views with western exposure, as well as multiple upgrades including a sparkling pool and 3-car garage.

To learn more about the Girona and additional luxury new homes in Mediterra, visit our available homes page. You may contact us directly for a private tour of any of our model homes or communities we build in.

Images above are not the actual home but exemplary of the new model under construction.

Florida Weekly: Sounds of Recovery

lbh — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:02:13 +0000

Sounds of Recovery: New home building is back

(November 2012) Shh. Do you hear it? It’s not quite the deafening cacophony of six years ago but the chug-chug of construction machinery and the thunk-thunk of hammers are returning to a neighborhood near you. Virtually silenced during the lingering recession years, homebuilders are starting to, well, build homes again as foreclosure deals and rock-bottom pricing for existing homes become a thing of the past. A dwindling supply of resale homes, an uptick in prices and prolonged bidding wars are proving advantageous to builders. Buyers who held off purchasing that Southwest Florida home can now build a home of their own — and not inherit someone else’s problems or dirt — at a cost comparable to a resale and with a warranty.

“Days on the market and inventory are down while prices are beginning to rise,” says Mark Wilson, president of London Bay Homes in Naples, who recently attended a two-day conference of the country’s top 12 private builders. “We’re starting to see some urgency. It’s not just in Naples but across the country. All of the builders at the meeting, the best in their markets, are seeing increasing sales and demand. Housing starts are expected to triple by the end of 2015.”

Trend setting

Nationally, new-home construction starts increased 15 percent in September — the largest jump in four years — while second-quarter prices for existing homes posted their largest gain in seven years. In Naples and Collier County, pending third-quarter sales posted a 12 percent increase compared to 2011 and in September alone rose to 22 percent, according to the Naples Area Board of Realtors. Thirdquarter inventory declined 12 percent and the median closed price rose 10 percent, indicating the pendulum is beginning to swing to a seller’s market.

“Buyers have been sitting on the sidelines concerned about the economy and where it’s going. Now they’re making that investment,” says Cammie Longenecker, vice president of sales and marketing for Taylor Morrison’s west Florida division. “Prices are still affordable in the state of Florida and interest rates are at record lows. Some buyers have made an offer on a home with multiple bids only to be unsuccessful and realize they could have built a home instead of waiting.”

Sales of newly built single-family homes rose 5.7 percent in September — the fastest pace since April 2010, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Despite a small increase in new-home inventory on the market in September, the total number of completed new homes hit at an all-time low. September’s supply was the tightest since October 2005.

The build-or-buy, now-or-never mentality fueling new construction helps with unemployment rates, creating three new jobs for each new home built.

“It’s good news: Everyone is getting back to work,” says Leslie Weed, executive officer for the Charlotte DeSoto Building Industry Association. “Builders are getting exciting and their attitude is positive.”

Ronald Oskey is one of those builders. During the association’s recent expo his Punta Gorda-based Harbor Home Builders landed two contracts — one for an existing spec home and another on-your-own-lot job. Mr. Oskey and his two business partners launched the company a year ago.

“We were noticing as the foreclosure market died off, people were still buying if the home was priced right,” he says. “We figured if we could build the right home at the right price it would sell. The homes that were selling in Punta Gorda before the market fell all had the same thing — three bedrooms, two or three baths, a three-car garage, granite counters, wood cabinets, crown molding and 8-foot doors. It took us six months to pull it together at a price that would compete with the used market.”

The formula, so far, has proven a success. The company has several homes under construction or in the works in Cape Coral, Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte. The most popular floor plan has three bedrooms, three baths, a den and is priced at $285,000. Prices are slightly higher in Cape Coral because of impact fees, says Mr. Oskey. “There’s construction everywhere in the south Cape.”

Despite popular opinion, the housing industry is not the leading indicator of economic recovery, according to The Shinn Group, a Colorado firm that works with the country’s top homebuilders to improve performance and profitability. Its Nov. 1 “State of the Housing Industry” notes the industry accounts for only 2.3 percent of the gross domestic product. The report also concludes the housing market bottomed out in January 2009 and has been “scraping the bottom for three years.”

New home sales hit a historic low in 2011 with just 306,000 and median sales prices bottomed out at $214,300 last November. Prices have been steadily improving since, reaching $242,400 in September. The Shinn Group projects new home construction will return to normal activity by 2015 with 1.3 to 1.5 million starts.

Rising prices

Those increasing price tags are due in part to rising material costs. Builders survived the recession by reducing prices and slashing profit margins. So did vendors, says Mr. Wilson, who recently received notice of a 25 percent increase from his drywall supplier. “Material and labor increases — anywhere from eight to 20 percent — are inevitable. These upward trends in the real estate market will allow vendors to raise their prices to generate more profit.”

“We had to get prices in line with resales. If you wanted to be in business, you had to reset your expectations,” says David Fry, president and CEO of WCI Communities, the Bonita Springs-based company that emerged from bankruptcy protection in 2010 and launched its nearly sold-out Manchester Square community the following February. “Now, construction costs have gone up four percent just in the last 10 months and we are expecting even higher costs in 2013. On the flip side, we’ve raised the sales prices of our new homes. People looking for the bottom have missed it.”

WCI sold 267 new homes in its seven South Florida communities in 2011. Its 2012 sales to date number 400.

Return of the community

New master-planned communities — those gated neighborhoods with community fitness centers, swimming pools and tidy little neighborhoods of multi- and single-family homes — are also making a comeback, although on a less grandiose scale. WCI, once one of Florida’s leading luxury builders and planned-community developers, took baby steps, re-entering the market with the 35-acre Manchester Square and its 117 attached villa and singlefamily homes priced from $220,000. Today, with fewer than 25 homes remaining, entry level pricing has increased to $224,900 and one ready-to-move-in spec home is just under $500,000.

Taylor Morrison, which has 20 active communities from Tampa to Naples, is planning two new Collier County launches, says Ms. Longenecker. One is reportedly the former 1,800-acre Mirasol development three miles east of I-75 on Immokalee Road. The community will have a golf course, lighted tennis courts, a swim center and 799 homes, touts the company’s web site. The second project, on 152 acres off of Collier Boulevard adjacent to Physicians Regional, will offer 443 villas and singlefamily homes.

Taylor Morrison also builds new homes in Lucaya and Tortuga, both in Fort Myers. It purchased the remaining homesites at Sandoval from the Bonita Bay Group last December and recently broke ground on the Cape Coral community’s final 100 acres.

Mr. Wilson made a similar move, purchasing the remaining at Mediterra in Mediterra. New and existing homes sales this year surpassed all 2011 sales months ago and Mr. Wilson expects the community to end the year over $100 million.

“My logic in taking over Mediterra is that is one of the leading luxury communities in the area. The golf courses are fabulous, it has great amenities, its own beach club and the golf club is secure and sold out and there’s a waiting list. Mediterra is almost 80 percent sold out,” he says.

London Bay is currently building two single-family custom homes, each worth more than $3 million, and in the past two weeks has signed contracts for $3.5 million and $1.2 million projects. A model home recently sold for more than $3.5 million.

“We’ve had strong inquiries,” says Mr. Wilson. “We’re also seeing strong demand in the lower price point, the $1 million to $1.5 million range. People have sold their home up north and have cash available… The risk of pulling the trigger is not the same risk it was 12 to 18 months ago.”

Taylor Morrison also has a showcase home for sale in Mediterra and held onto more than 40 single- and multi-family lots in Treviso Bay, biding its time for a market rebound. Miami-based Lennar bought the community at a foreclosure auction last year. Although no plans have been formally announced, the community, home to the area’s only PGA Tour Tournament Players’ Club golf course, isn’t expected to be as grand as originally planned.

“We purchased homesites when Treviso Bay was launched and have been calculating the market return,” says Ms. Longenecker. “With the market decline we waited patiently.”

Since its return with Manchester Square, WCI has progressively relaunched new home sales in four other Southwest Florida communities, building up to the higher price points in Tiburón adjacent to The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples and The Colony Golf & Bay Club in Bonita Springs.

Mr. Fry says the timing was right for the reintroduction of The Colony and a neighborhood of three-story buildings offering three-bedroom penthouse condominiums priced from the mid-$400,000s.

“We held off because of the high-end nature of the community,” he says. “Homes priced at $700,000 were not selling as fast. We purposely delayed bringing The Colony back on line knowing the luxury market was not ready. Now, we are coming to market with homes under $500,000 and plan a second product release in a month priced from $600,000 to $700,000.”

WCI is regaining its confidence, thanks to sales at Manchester Square, which Mr. Fry says “sold beyond our expectations. We’re working on a couple of other land deals. One is in Collier County as a replacement for Manchester Square but on a little larger scale with 350 homes and a little higher pricing.”

As other housing markets enter their slower selling seasons, Southwest Florida is poised for prime time, the Novemberthrough April “high season,” when northerners, vacationers and seasonal residents flock to our shores.

Mr. Wilson expects a banner year.

“Most people spent the last four or five years watching the market downturn,” he says. “If you’re 60 to 65, it was a big deal putting off a decision on a future place to live, knowing you’ve lost those years. The economically informed are absorbing all the information out there. They’re seeing inventory coming down, fewer days on the market and construction costs going up.”

Increased visitor traffic at sales center is also another harbinger of a profitable season.

“Guest visits are a leading indicator,” Mr. Fry says. “A year ago we were averaging 120 a week at our seven sales offices. This year we’re seeing 180 a week. We’re cautiously optimistic.”

“We’re confident about the future,” says Mr. Wilson. “We believe by March or April next year, there will be an acute shortage of product in the luxury market. Continued increase in demand and in pricing, national statistics and pretty consistent projections from economists show we’re onto three or four years of steady and high-level growth.”

Click here to view the original article from Florida Weekly. Written by: Nancy Theoret

Autumn décor in Southwest Florida

lbh — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:26:14 +0000

Here at London Bay Homes, we believe in attention-to-detail when it comes to home design. With the Thanksgiving holiday weekend upon us, you can never have too many inspirational ideas to keep your home design appropriately autumn themed. An article on Houzz.com, Decorate with Autumn’s Bests offers simple ideas to integrate autumn themes into your current home décor. And while here in Naples and Southwest Florida we don’t always have the autumn seasonal changes in weather, it doesn’t mean there’s a lack of festive spirit. The article suggests integrating deep harvest colors, natural fibers, and even comfort foods like apples into your current home design. Even though we live in Southwest Florida where the weather feels tropical almost year-round, we can always embrace the fall season and holiday through decorating and festivities!

More autumn decorating ideas can be seen in the full article here. While you’re there be sure to check out London Bay Homes’ Houzz.com business page. Be sure follow us to stay updated as we regularly add signature images of our luxury custom homes.

We hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday.

Naples Daily: London Bay Homes’ new Emilia model will showcase interior design by Romanza

lbh — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:06:24 +0000

(November 15, 2012) Romanza Interior Design will lend its award-winning talents to the new Emilia model in Portofino, a neighborhood in Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club featuring 20 lakefront luxury villas built exclusively by London Bay Homes. The three-bedroom model will offer a private dock and southwest sunset views over Lake Maggiore.

The Emilia offers a study, three full bathrooms, a powder room and 4,681 total square feet, including a three-car garage and covered lanai. The home will also feature a custom pool and spa, a summer kitchen, built-in surround sound system and Anderson storm-rated windows and doors.

The kitchen will feature on-trend classic white cabinetry with bead-board accented base cabinets and a large center island offering counter-height seating for casual dining, Stevens said. The island’s black galaxy granite countertop will contrast the lighter Juperana millennium granite of the main countertops and the range backsplash. Upper cabinetry will flank a dramatic range hood, and transom windows, also used in the great room, will provide natural light.

A private hallway linking the master suite’s oversized walk-in closet, bedroom and bath will provide access to the home’s swimming pool and sun deck. The bathroom’s his-and-her free-standing vanities will have sinks floating in niches against fully tiled backsplashes with large mirrors, Stevens said. The room will have a free-standing dressing table. The tub, which overlooks a privacy garden from a bay window, will have glass and stone mosaic tile and tub skirt. A complimentary material will also be used in the shower.

The Emilia is expected to be completed in January 2013 and is priced at $1.795 million fully furnished.

For more information about London Bay Homes call 239-254-8346 or visit www.LondonBay.com.

Click here to view the full article.

Naples, Florida added to List of Improving Housing Markets

lbh — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 21:00:13 +0000

The National Association of Home Builders most recent List of Improving Housing Markets added an additional 22 markets to its list, bringing the total to 125. London Bay Homes is eager to point out that Naples, Florida is one of the 22 latest additions to the list.

The Improving Markets Index measures three key components over a period of six months to evaluate market strength. The measures include the growth of single-family housing permits, employment growth as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and housing price appreciating from Freddie Mac. In the November 6th press release, NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe suggests the robust and continual increase in the number of improving markets solidifies the momentum gained over the last year. To give you an idea of the momentum the national market has seen in this time, only 30 markets made the list in November of 2011 compared to the current 125.

London Bay Homes is a testament to these promising numbers, as we have recognized the increase in activity over the last year, and continue to see growing activity in the luxury home construction market throughout both Naples and all of Southwest Florida.

To view the complete November 2012 List of Improving Housing Markets, visit the First American Improving Markets Index page on the National Association of Home Builders website.

Source: NAHB, List of Improving Housing Markets Expands to 125 in November

Gulf Coast Business Review: The Founders Club records $2.5 million in sales for Reserve collection homes

lbh — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:59:13 +0000

Sarasota, FL (November 8, 2012) In less than 30 days, two popular Traviata floor plans have sold at The Founders Club, recording nearly $2.5 million in sales.

The fully furnished Traviata model, a single-family home from London Bay Homes’ Reserve Collection, recently sold for $1.49 million and remains open for viewing through January 2013.

Located along the Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed championship golf course at The Founders Club, a second Traviata home is expected to be completed in May 2013. Based on the model floor plan, the homeowners customized the Traviata to reflect both the functionality and design of the owners’ dreams.

The Traviata is a four-bedroom, four-and-one-half-bath estate offered as part of London Bay Homes’ Reserve Collection of 16 popular floor plans that can be customized to each homebuyer’s needs. Reserve Collection homes, available on fairway homesites, range from 2,800 to more than 4,600 square feet of living space and are priced from the $600,000s.

The Traviata offers formal living and dining rooms, cafe area, study and a family room within 4,040 square feet of living space. It has a three-car garage, a covered lanai, an outdoor living area with a summer kitchen and 5,620 total square feet.

The floor plan features tray ceilings in select rooms, columns, art niches and furniture recesses, a living room fireplace and walls of sliding glass doors that open the living and family rooms to al fresco spaces.

The Traviata’s master suite offers his-and-her walk-in closets and a large bathroom with separate tub and shower and a vanity with dual sinks. Two of the guest rooms are designed en suite, with a private full bath and walk-in closet.

London Bay Homes, named America’s Best Builder by Builder magazine in 2008, also offers golf cottages and one-of-a-kind estate homes at The Founders Club. Cottages, priced from the high $300,000s, have 2,119 to more than 5,000 square feet of living space and include landscaping and pool maintenance for a lock-and-leave lifestyle. Estate homes are priced from $1 million and offer a wide range of customization and designer options.

Several homes are available for immediate occupancy.

The Founders Golf and Social Club offers the area’s only traditional caddie program and a state-of-the-art indoor training facility. Membership is limited to only 275 to ensure golfers enjoy year-round golf with no tee time required.

The Founders Club Sales Center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is located at 3001 Founders Club Drive, three miles east of I-75 on Fruitville Road, exit 210. The community is just minutes from Sarasota’s famed Gulf of Mexico beaches as well as the shops, acclaimed local restaurants and arts and cultural venues of downtown Sarasota.

For more information about The Founders Club, call 941-378-0900 or visit http://www.thefoundersclub.com.

To learn more about London Bay Homes and its commitment to Private Label Living, log onto http://www.londonbay.com.

Click here to view the article.

Beautiful Weather and Open Homes

lbh — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 16:38:50 +0000

Now that summer’s grip is loosening on Southwest Florida, it is time to open the doors and windows and enjoy the wonderful weather. Did you know that London Bay luxury custom homes are designed with cross ventilation in mind? In fact, some of our most popular floorplans are open concept design. We want you to have a home designed to perfectly suit your wants and needs, while also providing the ultimate amount of comfort for you and your guests.

What could be more perfect than spending time relaxing in your home with a gentle breeze off of the Gulf of Mexico passing through? This is the luxurious Florida lifestyle at its finest, and it is as important to us as it is to you. We devote countless hours of design time to provide you with a custom floor plan that will allow you to take advantage of the wonderful gulf breezes. There are countless opportunities throughout the communities we build in to design a custom home tailor-suited to your lifestyle.

Paul Schmidgall, Sales Executive, London Bay Homes

Sarasota Herald: Lakewood Ranch model home tour sheds light on high and low ends

lbh — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 13:47:12 +0000

(November 3, 2012). The Lakewood Ranch tour of model homes that’s going on now through Nov. 18 is a useful way to explore 48 model homes at various price points, and to ascertain what buyers are asking for when they can pay $1 million or more — or something closer to $200,000.

Browsers or serious potential buyers will discover that some lifestyle trends are the same in the expensive homes as in the budget-friendly ones — open-concept floor plans, generous outdoor living spaces, at least three bedrooms and a big, walk-in shower instead of a tub in one of the bathrooms.

…

Top of the tour

Maintenance doesn’t seem to be a concern for potential buyers — a completely separate market — of the Avena model by London Bay Homes in the exclusive and private Lake Club. The owners here have “people” for that.

This exclusive, gated neighborhood of rustic rock grottos, a “vineyard,” fountains, pergolas, sculptures, a stone bridge, winding roads and lavish landscaping is the developer’s fantasy of an ideal Tuscan village. It’s a bit over-the-top Disney-esque, but no one is going to deny that it’s pretty. Mansions in the Mediterranean mode line the perfectly manicured lanes, and when you’re standing on the balcony of one, you have the impression that your estate is the only one in the neighborhood. The Lake Club is impressive, and so is the Avena, a two-story home that has 4,682 square feet with four bedrooms and five and a half baths. Factor in the outdoor living space and you’ve got an estate that tops 8,000 square feet.

The home is opulent and beautiful, promising both aspirational buyers and fully qualified ones a pampered lifestyle of gracious Florida living. What’s the biggest trend that sales executive Therese Masseo observes about London Bay Homes’ Avena? “It’s the number of people who pay cash for this model,” she said. Masseo worked for London Bay Homes in Naples, where the company has a prized reputation (they are among the companies to receive the “America’s Best Builder” designation by Builder Magazine), and recently moved to Sarasota when her husband took a job in this part of Florida. Now, she is reunited with London Bay Homes as the company seeks to become premier in the local luxury market.

One of the high-end trends that this home expresses is the uncaged swimming pool and a timed bug-spray system that mists the outdoor areas with eucalyptus, a scent that sends insects fleeing. The outdoor areas, some under cover, with a lavish outdoor kitchen, fireplace area, fountains, lounging and eating areas, are every bit as stunning and inviting as the rooms inside the house.

But the $1.35 million price tag for the Avena isn’t for this particular house, which has been a model since The Lake Club opened in 2007. It’s for the standard version on a standard homesite (this one is on water). With all the upgrades, the gorgeous Avena is quite a bit more expensive than $1.3 million. But at The Lake Club that doesn’t seem to be an issue. Luxury buyers can have what they want, and when they buy the Avena, they customize it to their personal tastes.

Click here to read the full article.

Gulfshore Life: What your money will buy

lbh — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 14:47:31 +0000

$3.1 million

Ansgar and Monika Klein, owners of this three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home in The Estuary at Grey Oaks, say the uncertainty of the European currency situation spurred their desire to invest elsewhere, and Florida real estate sounded right.

“We had been looking at property on both coasts, but Grey Oaks Country Club’s amenities, lifestyle and proximity to Fifth Avenue [South’s] sizzling life were very impressive,” Ansgar Klein explains.

The couple from Dusseldorf, Germany, zeroed in on the two-story home of 4,998 air-conditioned square feet that includes a rotunda entry with circular staircase, great room, study, and an arched outdoor living area with pool, summer kitchen and fireplace.

“The quality of the home and the reputation of the builder, London Bay Homes, were also key factors in our decision to buy,” Monika Klein adds.

European Sales Team co-selling agents Stefan Bolsen, broker, 5th Avenue Real Estate, and Gero Geilenbruegge, broker-associate at Coldwell Banker, report the Naples home, built in 2007 with 7,010 total square feet, sold in July for $3.1 million, furnished. Read more….

Realtor Event to be held at The Founders Club in Sarasota November 13th

lbh — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:49:15 +0000

“Moving” to a New Level… and Looking Ahead.

Today I am pleased to share great, correction make that FANTASTIC, news about an upcoming Realtor Event at The Founders Club in Sarasota! This “double-whammy” of an affair is not to be missed, Realtors. We are kicking off the 2013 Real Estate Season with flourish: drinks, hors d’oeuvres, door prizes, and certainly lively conversation with peers. And did someone say “$10,000 BONUS”? Be in attendance to learn how to earn it.

Our featured speakers of this momentous evening include Michael Timmerman, Senior Associate at Fishkind & Associates Inc., sharing a 2013 Market Analysis and London Bay Homes CEO, Mark Wilson, sharing an overview of the Southwest Florida new home market. Join us Tuesday, November 13th from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM at The Founders Club Golf Hall.

To RSVP, e-mail The Founders Club at info@thefoundersclub.com, and feel free contact me if you have any further questions. This is surely an event you won’t want to miss, and I look forward to see you there!

Terri Speach, Realtor Liaison/Concierge, London Bay Homes

Entertaining Made Easy at The Chiara

lbh — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:59:03 +0000

The season for outdoor entertaining has arrived! The temperature is cooling down, and everyone is outside enjoying the beautiful Southwest Florida weather. There isn’t a better place to do your outdoor entertaining than London Bay Homes Chiara model at Quail West in Naples, Florida.

The open floor plan of the Chiara was specifically designed with entertaining in mind. The kitchen and dining room overlook an oversized climate-controlled wine room that would satisfy even the most selective wine connoisseur. The central courtyard offers a custom fireplace where you and your guests can enjoy cool evenings in one another’s company in front of a warm, roaring fire. The home also features a generous family room with custom built-ins that opens up to a large covered lanai and summer kitchen.

The outdoor living area is where the Chiara shines! The custom cedar trellis provides beautiful architectural detail sitting above the raised spa. The home also features a free form pool, plus ample space for the chaise lounges to relax poolside. This is a home where form and function come together in harmony. In fact, Chiara’s outdoor living received a significant amount of positive response as a feature on Houzz.com.

The Chiara is one of our flagship homes and if you haven’t had an opportunity see it, give me a call at (239) 280-7367 or e-mail me at PaulSchmidgall@LondonBay.com and we will set up a private viewing.

Paul Schmidgall, Sales Executive, London Bay Homes

Amendment 4: not just for Realtors®

lbh — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 19:38:52 +0000

If you are a REALTOR® you are no doubt very aware of Amendment 4 and its placement on the upcoming November ballot; however Amendment 4 is relevant to all of us, industry professionals and consumers alike. Amendment 4 would provide tax relief worth about $1.7 billion over four years, which could result in major tax relief for first-time homebuyers, owners of second homes, small businesses and large corporations, as well as, create thousands of new jobs while reinvigorating the state’s troubled housing market and save homeowners millions of dollars.

Specifically, real estate professionals should know that the Florida Association of Realtors® has tipped $3.5 million into the campaign to pass the amendment, with ads that key into homeowners’ frustration with property taxes. “Think of the savings to small business owners, and how much extra money they’ll have to hire more employees,” said John Sebree, Senior Vice President of Public Policy for the Florida REALTORS®, in a web ad. “The small business owners I talk to say they’re afraid to commit to new employees because they just don’t know how much their property tax bill is going to be from year to year.” So be sure to get out and Vote YES on Amendment 4! Visit http://taxyourassetsoff.com/ to learn more.

Terri Speach, Realtor Liaison/Concierge, London Bay Homes

Construction Update: The Emilia at Portofino at Miromar Lakes

lbh — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 16:21:52 +0000

London Bay Homes’ Emilia model under construction at Portofino at Miromar Lakes is right on track for its anticipated completion December 2012! This 3 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom Emilia model boasts several signature features include 18-foot high great room ceilings, a custom pool and spa, built-in sound system, and gorgeous sunset lake views with the ability to build a private boat dock off of your own backyard. The home is currently in the insulation and drywall installation stages and the stucco has been completed around the garage. We are really be able to watch the home take shape from this point.

To stay up to date with the construction progress of The Emilia, follow our weekly picture updates at http://www.emiliamodelatportofino.com/. If you would like more information on The Emilia or any of London Bay home plans available at Portofino at Miromar Lakes in Fort Myers, Florida, contact me via e-mail at calvinmcleod@londonbay.com or call me directly at (239) 825-4892.

Calvin McLeod, Sales Executive, London Bay Homes at Portofino at Miromar Lakes

London Bay Homes wins three awards at 2012 Sand Dollar Awards

lbh — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 18:01:15 +0000

London Bay Homes is pleased to announce our recognition at the Collier Building Industry Association’s 2012 Sand Dollar Awards Gala that took place at the Waldorf Astoria this past weekend in Naples, Florida. We accepted 3 awards, including:

Product Design of the Year, Single Family Homes Over $3,500,000: London Bay Homes Custom Home at Grey Oaks
Best Sales Center: Mediterra Sales Center
Best Special Event/Promotion by a Builder: Mediterra Model Homes Showcase, C’mon and Gallery Exhibit Event

Images of the Grey Oaks Custom Home can be viewed online at London Bay Homes Houzz.com Profile.

We would like to congratulate and thank all of our team members that work hard to maintain London Bay’s reputation as a Naples luxury home builder. If you would like to stay up to date with London Bay Homes news and events, sign up for our newsletter at: http://londonbay.com/brochure-request/.

Realtor® Update – Expos and Trade Shows

lbh — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 17:56:59 +0000

From Marco Island to Sarasota and beyond, Southwest Florida REALTORS® are “gearing up” for season! This was substantiated by the presence of hundreds of area REALTORS® from the Marco Island Area Association of REALTORS®, the Naples Area Board of REALTORS© and the Sarasota Association of REALTORS® respective EXPOs and Trade Shows. London Bay Homes supported each Board event with the sponsorship of a booth manned by our Sales Executives, enthusiastically touting their respective communities! If you were unable to attend your Board’s event and would like copies of our most recent Realtor package, please contact me at terrispeach@londonbay.com and I would be happy to provide it for you.

Additionally, London Bay Homes would be pleased to host your company’s sales meeting at one of our communities throughout Southwest Florida. If you believe your Broker would be interested, please give me a call at (239) 298-6272. Be sure to visit the Realtor section of our website to sign up to become a Preferred Realtor.

Terri Speach, Realtor Liaison/Concierge, London Bay Homes

Builder hopes to start trend London Bay Homes betting the courtyard concept will take off

lbh — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 17:29:38 +0000

July 7, 2012 (Naples FL) When you start touring model homes, many of them start to look alike. There’s the entry into family room that leads to a lanai and pool area with bedrooms on the sides. With the new Cianti III it is a totally different look. This model home is built around an interior courtyard that features a pool and gardens in a very private setting. When the sliding glass doors on all sides of the courtyard are open it’s like a giant indoor/outdoor living space. The design is so new that right now there is only a model and one home currently under construction, but London Bay Homes hopes the concept will take off and soon they will be building more of this unique design.

“We wanted to bring something different to the marketplace,” said Dan DiComo, head architect for London Bay Homes.

London Bay worked with Scheurer Architects of California to create the new design.

“Even though we have our own architects, we look for others to bring new styles,” DiComo said.

The new style includes a family room that not only opens onto the courtyard, but the backyard, giving it views and open living space in two directions.

“From the moment you walk inside the house it’s like being outside,” DiComo said. “It’s a very livable house.”

DiComo said the spread of indoor/outdoor space makes it great for entertaining.

“You can have 100 people in here and it’s not crowded,” he explained. “It makes the house three times larger just opening up all the doors.”

The upstairs is just as unique as the lower level. Instead of one big second level area, the house is divided into little upstairs nooks. For example, one staircase leads to a big recreation room and balcony. Another staircase leads to a bedroom.

The $4.2 million, 6,000-square-foot home is DiComo’s favorite design. It features three or four bedrooms, an office, game room and 4½ baths.

“The plan inside to outside is the best we have,” he said.

The house can be customized for buyers. The Cianti III now under construction off Gordon Drive is 8,500 square feet and features two guest rooms in a casita and a media room.

Nikki Weston, marketing manager for London Bay homes, says the Cianti III is also one of her favorites. She likes the privacy of the upstairs rooms and the uniqueness of the floor plan.

“I love the third story overlook,” she added. “It’s definitely not your typical floor plan.”

Read online version

Home Design: London Bay Homes. Wide open spaces Upper-end residences are trending toward screenless lanais.

lbh — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 13:53:23 +0000

Naples FL (June 16, 2012) A little waterfall cascades into a crystal-clear swimming pool. Below the 4 feet of water not a leaf can be seen. Standing around the pool in the sticky summer there are no bugs. Yet this pool and many others like it have no pool screens.

Screenless lanais are becoming a trend in upper end homes in both Collier and Lee counties.

“For the last seven to eight years 90 percent of our homes are without pool cages,” said Dan DiComo, head architect for London Bay Homes.

Residents like the unobstructed views and the open architecture. Now with new technology in bug control and attention to what plants and trees are nearby people can have their pools in the open without the typical problems.

“It’s this view,” DiComo said as he walked through a home at Grey Oaks, pointing to the view from the living room that stretches to the pool and beyond to the golf course. “The outdoor area is like part of the inside of your house. It’s all view.”

One of the reasons many people screened in their pools was to keep the bugs away. But DiComo said there is a better way.

“We use natural pest control,” he said.

DiComo designs the homes with a sprayer built into the gutters and plant beds. Twice a day the sprayers mist a natural spray such as chrysanthemum that repels bugs.

Another problem to overcome is leaves in the pool. DiComo said this is solved by planting trees and bushes that don’t shed much.

“We pay attention to what we plant,” he explained. “Pygmy palms work well because they don’t drop a lot and when they do it’s a palm frond.” We have plants that don’t make a mess.”

Another invention helping the trend is roll-down screens. Many of the lanais are designed with shaded sections near the pool. Under this roofed section are outdoor kitchens and posh patio furniture. Wide archways keep this area cozy while not limiting the view. At the push of a button screens roll down in that section, giving residents the extra protection when needed.

“It’s kind of the best of both worlds with the roll- down screens,” DiComo said. “I think the retractable screen relieves any reservations.” Don Correll is having a home built in Mediterra that will have a screenless pool.

“We have a golf course lot and the views are very good and we didn’t want to obstruct the view,” Correll said. “When you look at the home or any other home in Cortile from the golf course, the architectural features in the back of the homes are almost as nice as the front of the homes, and I didn’t want to obscure that with the pool cage.”

Correll said he’s seen how the chrysanthemum spray works so he’s not concerned about bugs

“It really does work,” he said.

DiComo began noticing the trend after 2005 when two years of hurricanes destroyed many screens.

“Many people did not replace them,” DiComo said.

Homes are still required to have safety features so DiComo designs a 42” high fence around the pool and a gate door with a latch.

“Code requires us to protect it,” DiComo says.

Josh Graeve, general sales manager for Pulte homes, said screenless lanais are a trend that began on the east coast of Florida.

“On the east coast it has become more popular,” Graeve said. “Maybe they are out in front of us and it is working its way to this coast. We’ve tried it on this coast and found the majority of people who are seasonal still prefer low maintenance and still prefer the screens. I think once you get up in the $1 million homes here you see more of the no screen.”

Read online version

Naples Daily: London Bay’s Girona model at Mediterra offers outdoor living, water features

lbh — Sun, 06 May 2012 13:01:02 +0000

Water and a connection to the outdoors have long appealed to Southwest Florida homebuyers. The Girona, a three-bedroom villa model built by London Bay Homes at Mediterra, introduces both — before visitors even pass through its front door.

A landscaped courtyard entry with a low wall and raised fountain welcomes guests, creating a sense of intimacy that continues throughout the model’s 3,526 square feet of living space. The open floor plan’s large gathering areas are balanced by private retreats — a study, a separate guest wing and the master suite’s al fresco sitting area under a bougainvillea-wrapped pergola.

The Girona single-family villa is located in Cortile, a neighborhood of 14 single-family villas and 18 estate homes that overlook nature preserves and fairways along Mediterra’s Tom Fazio-designed North and South golf courses. The Girona overlooks the first hole of Mediterra’s North course.

Mediterra is the 1,700-acre master-planned community in North Naples recognized seven times as Collier Building Industry Association’s Community of the Year.

The Girona floor plan offers a study, formal dining, great room, three full baths and a powder room within 5,072 total square feet, including a three-car garage, covered entry and outdoor living space.

Fully furnished and finished by Romanza Interior Design, the model features strand bamboo and natural stone flooring, and polished marble and granite countertops.

The Girona’s contemporary design scheme is brought to life with curved modern furnishings, cylindrical light fixtures and a contrast of light and dark — off-white backgrounds, walls and upholstery against dark wood furniture and the warm chocolate of the strand bamboo flooring, used throughout its main living areas. The floor’s rich hue is juxtaposed by beamed ceilings, painted white, above the dining room, foyer, great room and kitchen.

The Girona’s open floor plan is revealed in the foyer, which flows into the adjoining dining room and across a hallway to the great room, providing glimpses of the kitchen and breakfast nook.

The great room’s sliding glass doors add to the openness, showcasing views of outdoor gathering areas, a raised circular spa floating within the pool and the golf and nature setting beyond.

The kitchen offers a free-standing island with a wide work surface, breakfast bar, a divided stainless steel sink and stainless steel dishwasher. Its dark walnut-stained cabinetry has a sable glaze, while the countertops and backsplashes, some with sculpted edges, are polished Giallo light granite.

Additional stainless steel appliances include a side-by-side Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer, Wolf six-burner stove, double oven and microwave.

An adjoining office provides a built-in desk and access to a walk-in pantry.

The bamboo floor shifts to honed natural stone in the breakfast nook, which has a beadboard ceiling with crown molding and a trio of sliding doors leading to the covered outdoor living room.

This al fresco space offers an outdoor kitchen with a stainless steel Wolf grill, sink, granite countertop and backsplash, and an under-counter refrigerator and wood cabinetry doors. Arched openings frame views of the pool, preserves and fairways.

The study, powder bath and master suite are to the right of the foyer. The powder room has a white pedestal sink, stone floor and crown molding. The bamboo flooring continues into the study, accessed through a single glass door.

A hallway inside the master suite’s private vestibule offers entries into the master bedroom or past his-and-her walk-in closets to the bathroom, framed by an archway. The bedroom’s tray ceiling is accented with two tiers of crown molding, and a glass door flanked by sidelights opens to the pergola.

The bath has his-and-her walnut vanities with a dark-stained finish and sable glaze and polished marble countertops. Her vanity also has a dressing table. The honed natural stone gray floor is set on the diagonal and repeated in the floor of the frameless glass-enclosed shower, which has linen-hued porcelain tile walls. The bathroom ceiling is accented with white beadboard and crown molding.

The separate tub cantilevers from the main wall and overlooks the motor court.

Each of the two guest bedrooms is shown en suite, with private full bathrooms with porcelain tile floors, glazed tile shower and tub walls, polished marble countertops and shaker-style maple cabinetry in a chocolate finish. One bedroom offers a walk-in closet; the other has dual closets.

The laundry room has a front-loading Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer, a utility sink, white cabinetry and travertine countertops.

The Girona is priced at $2.295 million fully furnished and is open for viewing.

Mediterra, a luxury golf and beach club community, is off Livingston Road, two miles north of Immokalee Road and west of Interstate 75 in Naples. The community’s sales gallery is open daily.Online at www.MediterraNaples.com.

Read online version

Sarasota Herald: Market snapshot: Founders Club in Sarasota

lbh — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 20:02:27 +0000

April 29, 2012 (Sarasota, FL) When The Founders Club opened in October 2005, it was one of the first luxury golf communities east of Interstate 75. Eight miles from downtown Sarasota on Fruitville Road, it features 262 home sites along a five-mile perimeter road loop that winds among beautifully manicured golf greens and picturesque vegetation...read more

Naples News: London Bay Homes offers private label living

lbh — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 19:54:50 +0000

April 29, 2012 (Naples, FL )

Experience the luxury of private label living at the fully furnished Castello model home in Grand Arbors at TwinEagles.

The Castello offers three bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths, a den and two-car garage and is priced at $995,000.

Originally priced at $2.35 million, the Castello features custom furnishings by Romanza Interior Design that showcase the views of the lake and a private nature preserve in TwinEagles’ most exclusive neighborhood of Grand Arbors… read more

Naples Daily: London Bay Homes’ Girona model opens at Mediterra

lbh — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 19:52:30 +0000

April 29, 2012 (Naples, FL) The Girona villa model built by London Bay Homes is now open for viewing at Mediterra. The fully furnished model is located in Cortile, a secluded neighborhood of 46 estate and villa homesites.

The Girona offers three bedrooms, three full baths, a study, formal dining room, great room and a powder room within 3,526 square feet of living space… read more

Market momentum is building in Sarasota County.

bokka — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:12:20 +0000

Excitement was in the air as over 100 attendees gathered to hear the latest updates from Mark Wilson, President of London Bay Homes and Michael Timmerman, Senior Analyst at Fishkind & Associates about Southwest Florida luxury real estate and The Founders Club in Sarasota.

Market momentum is building and sales statistics from January 2012 reveal the following localized trends for luxury properties over $1 million in Sarasota County:

January 2012 sales up 25% compared with January 2011.
January “pendings” were up sharply, finishing 44% ahead of December; and 33.3% ahead of January 2011.
The inventory of $1 million+ homes decreased by 15.4% compared with January 2011.

The Sarasota Association of Realtors® also reported that property sales in 2011 jumped by 8.2 percent to 8,224, achieving the highest level since 2005. This dramatic resurgence represents a 44 percent increase over the low point of the downturn in 2008.

“As one of our premier communities, The Founders Club is uniquely positioned to capitalize on Sarasota’s upward trending luxury market”, said Wilson. “We are seeing a tremendous increase in activity here.”

VIEW AVAILABLE HOMES AT LONDON BAY HOMES >>

Naples Daily: London Bay Homes’ new Avena estate model home references Italy, luxury

lbh — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:16:19 +0000

April 23, 2012 (Naples FL) A luxury model home, the Avena single-family estate is located in Cortile at Mediterra, a secluded neighborhood of 46 estate and villa homesites. Accented with rustic wood, weathered hardware and stone, the Avena seems more like a centuries-old home in the Italian countryside… read more

Naples Daily: Sweet Art Gallery event at Mediterra showcases original artwork

lbh — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:12:13 +0000

April 23, 2012 (Naples, FL) VIP guests recently attended a reception at the new Giulia model home by London Bay Homes in Mediterra, showcasing original artwork from The Sweet Art Gallery and complemented by hors d’oeuvres and a wine tasting presented by David Contreras of Bottles in Naples. Guests also enjoyed live musical entertainment… read more

Naples Daily: Only two homesites left in Mirada at The Estuary at Grey Oaks

lbh — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:40:20 +0000

Naples, FL (Apr 17, 2012)

London Bay Homes’ sale of a homesite on April 1 signaled the imminent sell-out of Mirada, a neighborhood of single-family homes at The Estuary in Grey Oaks – leaving only two homesites available for purchase.

Mirada, built exclusively by London Bay Homes, is an intimate neighborhood of 16 maintenance-free villas overlooking long lake-to-golf views and offering floor plans that emphasize a connection between indoor and outdoor spaces…. read more

Gulf Coast Business Review: London Bay Homes captures two ‘Overall Excellence in Design’ awards

lbh — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:27:49 +0000

London Bay Homes captured two of the highest honors awarded during the Collier Building Industry Association’s 2012 Parade of Homes. Both award-winning homes are located in Mediterra.

The three-bedroom Girona, a single-family, maintenance-free villa built by London Bay Homes in Mediterra’s Cortile neighborhood, won “Overall Excellence in Design” in the $2 million-$2,499,999 million category. The fully furnished model, decorated by Romanza Interior Design, offers a study, formal dining room, great room, three full baths and a powder room within 3,526 square feet. The home overlooks an oval swimming pool with a raised, free-standing circular spa, nature preserves and fairways along Mediterra’s Tom Fazio-designed North and South golf courses… read more

Naples Daily: London Bay Homes hosts market update at Mediterra for Realtors

lbh — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:45:34 +0000

Naples, FL (Mar 26, 2012) A market analyst, chief economist and real estate industry leader recently presented updated data and projections about the housing industry in Southwest Florida at a recent Realtor Market Update at Mediterra, hosted by London Bay Homes. The event drew more than 150 participants… read more

Isabella II Single-Family Model Home Opens for Viewing at Mediterra

lbh — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:14:23 +0000

NAPLES, Fla. (March 26, 2012) – London Bay Homes has recently completed construction of the Isabella II, a three-bedroom, three-bath single-family model home now open for viewing at Mediterra.

Mediterra is the 1,700-acre master-planned community named seven times as Naples’ best community by the Collier Building Industry Association.

The Isabella II, one of several available floor plans offered in the builder’s Reserve Collection, is located in Serata, a neighborhood of only 36 homesites. The model overlooks a large lake throughout much of its 3,009-square-foot of interior living space and outdoor living areas.

With custom furnishings and finishes by Romanza Interior Design, the Isabella II offers a formal dining room, great room and den, complemented by a pool, spa, covered entry and outdoor living areas, plus a three-car, two-door garage for a total of 4,330 square feet.

The kitchen features dark wood-toned cabinetry, Venetian gold granite countertops and a gloss tile backsplash above the four-burner stainless steel range. Additional stainless steel appliances include a refrigerator, cabinet-mounted microwave and a glass-and-stainless stove hood. The room also offers two pantries and an oversized center island with double sinks, dishwasher and breakfast bar for in-room dining.

The master bedroom and den have tray ceilings, and layered crown molding accents several rooms. Woodwork creates a grid above the kitchen and adjoining café.

The den overlooks the pool area and lake and has a natural walnut floor and sliding glass doors to the outdoor living area.

The model’s outdoor living space offers seating and dining areas plus a summer kitchen with stainless steel appliances – grill, refrigerator and sink – and stainless cabinetry doors. Finishes include a granite countertop and bamboo-motif tile backsplash.

The master suite offers his-and-her walk-in closets, a separate tub and shower, and vanity with dual sinks and dressing table.

Each of the guest bedrooms has walk-in closets; one is offered en suite with a private full bathroom that has a mocha Caesarstone vanity top.

The laundry room offers a front-loading washer and dryer, granite countertops, sink and upper and lower cabinetry.

The fully furnished model with pool, site premium and other upgrades has sold on leaseback for $1.57 million, and a replacement model is underway on a nearby homesite.

Homes in Serata begin just under $600,000, with homesites available in the high $200,000s.

Mediterra, the luxury golf and beach club community, offers an array of lifestyle amenities, including two Tom Fazio-designed championship courses and a private 10,000-square-foot Beach Club on the Gulf of Mexico, featuring an elevated swimming pool, casual dining with a full bar, and valet service for beach chairs, umbrellas and beverage and food menus.

Mediterra offers a Golf Learning Center with indoor and outdoor hitting stations, video equipment with launch monitor, a 2.5-acre short game practice complex with three greens, and a staff of certified PGA professionals. Membership opportunities at Mediterra are limited to just 225 members per 18 holes.

London Bay Homes, named America’s Best Builder by Builder magazine in 2008, owns more than 100 homesites in the community and manages sales and operations.

Available home designs in Mediterra feature elegant single-family estate homes and single-family maintenance-free villas priced from the $500,000s to more than $7 million.

Potential homeowners are also served by Mediterra Realty LLC, which lists resale properties in the community. Mediterra Realty is located in the sales and information center just inside the community’s Livingston Road entrance, two miles north of Immokalee Road and west of I-75.

Mediterra’s Sales Gallery is open daily. For more information about Mediterra, visit www.MediterraNaples.com or call 239-949-8989.

News-Press: March madness hits Mediterra in Collier county

lbh — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:48:14 +0000

Naples, FL (Mar 24, 2012) Five homes priced at more than $1 million were sold in just five days in Mediterra this past month, and eight contracts for homes were signed in just 15 days… read more

Naples Daily Reports: London Bay Homes’ Girona model opens at Mediterra

lbh — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 12:56:49 +0000

Naples, FL (Mar 18, 2012) The Girona villa model built by London Bay Homes is now open for viewing at Mediterra. The fully furnished model is located in Cortile, a secluded neighborhood of 46 estate and villa homesites. Read Story

Sarasota Patch: Parade of Homes Winners Announced

lbh — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 13:30:02 +0000

Sarasota, FL (Mar 10, 2012) Luxury custom-home builder, London Bay Homes, was honored at this year’s Parade of Homes with seven awards for its Isabella and Alezio single-family home designs. Both models are located in two of the region’s premiere, gated communities: The Founders Club and The Lake Club. The awards received for each model home include… read more

Estate Homes at Lakewood Ranch

bokka — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:09:22 +0000

An exclusive Tuscan-inspired private club community featuring scenic lakes, decorative bridges, and a unique one-mile long park. The Lake Club is designated a “green” area of the Ranch, meaning that all homes, including the luxurious Capriano, meet strict standards for energy efficiency, clean indoor air and sustainability.

Homes at the Estuary at Grey Oaks

bokka — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:56:41 +0000

Members of Grey Oaks and The Estuary enjoy three championship golf courses with an 18-hole putting course. The centerpiece of Grey Oaks is the 62,000-square-foot main clubhouse and the separate Estuary Clubhouse that together offer five separate dining experiences. With over 5,500 square feet of fitness facilities, Grey Oaks and The Estuary provide state-of-the-art fitness equipment, extensive personal training services, eight lighted Har-Tru tennis courts and a lagoon-style swimming pool with the Patio Café.

Sarasota

dallas — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:24:27 +0000

Sarasota is one of those special locations. It offers remarkable white sand beaches, prestigious country club communities and a vibrant downtown district with world-famous cultural institutions. Whatever location is most attractive, you will find that London Bay can help you create the architecture and design perfectly suited to your style.

Naples

dallas — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:20:04 +0000

London Bay has created luxurious homes all along the magnificent Gulf Coast of Southwest Florida. We can build your personal masterpiece within such prestigious addresses as Port Royal, Bay Colony, Grey Oaks and Aqualane Shores, or in downtown Naples, along its beachfront, and in many other elegant locations.

Serata at Mediterra

dallas — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:04:48 +0000

Serata embraces the attractive Mediterranean theme of the community with homes ranging from almost 2,900 to more than 3,500 sq. ft.

Lucarno at Mediterra

dallas — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:02:21 +0000

All of Lucarno’s appealing maintenance-free villas homes include lakeside views and include floor plans ranging from 2,500 over 4,000 sq. ft.

Cortile at Mediterra

dallas — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:00:17 +0000

One of the most scenic enclaves in Mediterra, Cortile includes both villa and estate homes ranging from 2,800 to more than 6,000 sq. ft.

Matera at The Lake Club

dallas — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:55:59 +0000

Matera is located within the The Lake Club at the renowned Lakewood Ranch community near Sarasota. This Tuscan-inspired private club community is a perfect complement to Matera’s refreshing Old World comfort and charm. Its Italian-inspired architecture and lush landscaping palette includes 35 maintenance-free home sites with dramatic lake views.

Mirada at the Estuary at Grey Oaks

dallas — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:50:44 +0000

Its village-like intimacy reflects an architecture reminiscent of Tuscany and the Mediterranean. Casual. Relaxing. Friendly. Majestic homes are framed by mature landscaping and picturesque scenery. With only 16 homes and now nearing completion, Mirada will transport you to a different world defined by a panorama of exquisite golf, lakes and nature preserves.

Mediterra

dallas — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:09:14 +0000

Mediterra captures the beauty and character of the Mediterranean region of Europe, with homes that reflect the inviting architecture of the Italian countryside. Intimate neighborhoods are carefully placed among 1,000 acres of preserves, lakes and parks, allowing just 950 homes within its 1,697 acres. The member-owned community includes 36 holes of Tom Fazio-designed golf and a private Beach Club.

The Founders Club

dallas — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:04:29 +0000

The Founders Club is nestled upon a site where majestic moss-covered oaks frame the community’s fairways, part of the signature Robert Trent Jones, Jr. golf course. This elegant golf club community in Sarasota, Florida includes just 262 home sites. You can select from comfortable Golf Cottages, dramatic Fairway homes, or luxurious Estate Homes.

On Your Lot

dallas — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:01:51 +0000

The Lake Club at Lakewood Ranch

dallas — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:56:12 +0000

The Estuary at Grey Oaks

dallas — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:54:04 +0000

Quail West

dallas — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:52:04 +0000

Quail West is a 1,180-acre luxury golf community in Naples surrounding 36-holes of Arthur Hill-designed golf. This elegant country club community is set amongst sparkling lakes and nature preserves where London Bay has built two distinctive custom homes, the Chiara and the Ashley.

Portofino at Miromar Lakes

dallas — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:47:44 +0000

The award-winning Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club is a residential waterfront resort community with over 700 acres of contiguous aquamarine freshwater lakes, three miles of private, white sandy beach and “signature” championship golf, all within one luxurious setting. Miromar Lakes offers endless opportunities for in-lake swimming, boating, sailing, water-skiing and fishing.

Gulf Coast Business Review: Mediterra Model Home Showcase opens to public

lbh — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:29:25 +0000

Naples, FL (Feb 23, 2012) On five consecutive Sundays beginning March 4, members of the public are invited behind the gates of Mediterra in Naples for a Model Home Showcase featuring original artwork from four of Naples’ finest art galleries.

The event benefits the Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, with a portion of event proceeds supporting the museum … read story

Sarasota Herald: Mansions Making a Move in the Market Again

lbh — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:33:31 +0000

Sarasota, FL (Feb 21, 2012) They are not moving like during the boom — and probably never will. But mansions — homes of 10,000 square feet or more — are seeing a resurgence, a rarified sign that the market might have found its footing… read more

Florida Weekly features the Bardolino at Portofino of Miromar Lakes

lbh — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:07:57 +0000

Naples, FL (Jan. 20, 2012) – Gracious outdoor living areas distinguish this waterfront home in Portofino at Miromar Lakes. A front entry courtyard introduces owners and guests to the calm, clean design of this London Bay Home. Another courtyard off the kitchen offers an outdoor respite with a serenity fountain and covered trellis. Full Story

London Bay to Introduce Three New Model Homes at Mediterra

lbh — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:05:09 +0000

A great deal has changed in the local real estate market during the past five years and these new homes reflect many of the things today’s buyers are looking for in a luxury home,” said London Bay President Mark Wilson. “Our customers are telling us they want a more functional floor plan that includes the luxury items that are important to the way they live. They also recognize the value in the marketplace and are shopping for new homes that are priced accordingly,” Wilson added.

London Bay is introducing its new models in three different neighborhoods within Mediterra, where the company manages the community’s sales and marketing programs. In Cortile, a secluded neighborhood with just 46 Estate and Villa home sites, London Bay is building the Girona, a three-bedroom, three-bath, maintenance-free Villa home with 3,526 sq. ft. including a study and three car garage. With its outdoor living areas and other spaces the Girona features more than 5,000 sq. ft. of total area. The Girona also offers numerous opportunities for buyers to customize the floor plan to accommodate their individual lifestyle. The fully furnished model home, with pool, site premium and many other upgrades is priced at $2.2 million. Homes in Cortile start at just over $1 million with home sites beginning in the $300s.

The new Isabella, part of London Bay’s popular Reserve Collection of homes, is being built in the Serata neighborhood where all 36 home sites are positioned against one of Mediterra’s many lakes. The Isabella is a three-bedroom, three-bath floor plan with 3,009 sq. ft. of living space in the home’s 4,444 sq. ft. design. The Isabella features a large master suite that occupies one side of the home. The Great Room design also includes a café area that opens onto the outdoor living space. The fully furnished model with pool, site premium and other upgrades is priced at $1.57 million. Homes in Serata begin in the $800s with home sites available in the high $200s.

The Giuilia is also new to London Bay’s maintenance-free Villa Collection. The model is being built in Mediterra’s Lucarno community where again, every home site provides lakeside views with a strong European influence permeating the community’s architectural design. The Giuilia features a Great Room floor plan with three bedrooms, three baths and a study or bonus room included in the 2,534 sq. ft. design. Overall, the home includes more than 4,000 sq. ft. of total area. The fully furnished Giuilia model with pool, site premium and upgrades is priced at just under $1 million. Homes in Lucarno begin in the $700s with home site available in the high $100s.

“We have been studying the changing trends among the home buying public and have found a large segment of buyers who are searching for homes in the 2,500 to 4,000 sq. ft range in the area’s higher-end golf communities,” Wilson said. Our in-house architects have designed all three of these homes to provide the owner with floor plans that serve their personal and entertainment needs, and still deliver the fine interior options that have always been popular with this market. I think our concentration on how the home functions and creates spacious interior and exterior spaces in a seamless manner will be quite evident and popular with today’s luxury home buyers,” Wilson added.

On any of the three new models buyer can also utilize the services of London Bay’s architectural team or its Romanza interior design studio, whose professional staff can assist with product selections and design recommendations. “As a large custom home builder we have access to a wide range of luxury products for the home,” Wilson said. “Many of our clients find it very convenience to use London Bay as a one-stop shop for all of their custom home needs. It also allows us to build in a much more efficient manner and in a time frame that pleasantly surprises a lot of people.”

Mediterra, located along Livingston Road in north Naples, is a 1,700-acre master planned community with a maximum of 950 homes. More than 1,000 acres in the community are dedicated to golf, parks and nature preserves. The community includes two 18-hole Tom Fazio-design championship golf courses, limited to just 225 members per 18-holes. Other amenities include a private Beach Club with dining and a second-story pool located on the Gulf of Mexico, a 25,000 sq. ft. clubhouse with two restaurants, Sports Club with tennis, fitness and spa facilities, and more than eight miles of bicycle and walking paths connected to three distinctly themed community parks. All of the amenities are membership owned.

London Bay Homes is celebrating its 22nd year in the Naples market and has developed its reputation building custom homes in many of the area’s most exclusive neighborhoods and communities. In 2008, the company was one of just two companies that earned recognition as “America’s Best Builder” from the industry’s leading publication, Builder Magazine. The company builds custom, semi-custom and intimate Village neighborhoods from Marco Island to Sarasota priced from the $500s to more than $10 million.

Limited-Time Membership Opportunities Now Available at The Founders Club

lbh — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:16:57 +0000

This summer, the Club’s equity members approved a plan that allowed them to become fully membership owned while also strengthening the Club’s financial position. Today there is no debt encumbering the golf course and Club facilities. The plan allows for the sale of a limited number of Golf Equity memberships for $15,000 and a limited number of Social Equity memberships for $5,000.

Club President Humberto Vainieri says the offering was initially formulated for non-member homeowners at The Founders Club, but that it has now been expanded to allow members of the public to join the Club. “The Founders Club offers one of the best golf experiences in the region, but there are many other lifestyle amenities available that add to a member’s enjoyment,” he said.

Among the offerings at the 24,000 sq. ft. Golf Hall are fine and casual dining, a bar and grille with outdoor verandah, a fully equipped fitness facility, golf shop, and men’s and women’s locker facilities.

Vainieri says that the Founders Club golf experience is what truly distinguishes the community among its peers. The Founders Club is offering just 275 Golf Memberships allowing for a no tee-time policy for its members. The Robert Trent Jones, Jr. signature-designed course also features the area’s only traditional caddy program, allowing members the pleasure to walk the course if they desire.

PGA Professional and Director of Golf Jim Owens oversees the Club’s teaching programs that include The Florida Golf Performance center with a high-tech indoor training facility featuring private instruction on the area’s only Trackman® swing and ball flight analysis systems.

In addition to the Equity Membership programs, The Founders Club is also offering three levels of Non-Equity memberships that include a Golf membership for $7,500; an Associate membership for $3,750; and a Social membership for $2,500.

“Every one of these membership programs offers an incredible value for prospective members and there is great flexibility among the offerings to allow people to purchase a membership that is perfectly suited to their lifestyle,” Vainieri said.

Many local golf enthusiasts who have had the opportunity to play at The Founders Club say it is a course that would be difficult to replicate today. The 18-hole design is set among gently rolling terrain against a backdrop of moss-covered centuries-old oaks, pines and palm trees, highlighted by a buffer of lush natural landscape.

The Founders Club course is reminiscent of a traditional Scottish Links course that features a “core” design where golfers cross no roads during play and where the homes are carefully set back from the field of play.

“The Founders Club has a very friendly membership and the community itself is located in a very serene setting, but yet it’s only 20-minutes from all the activity of downtown Sarasota,” Vainieri said.

The Founders Club is located east of I-75 on the recently expanded section of Fruitville Road. For additional membership information visit www.thefoundersclubgolf.com or call Club General Manager Hugh O’Donnell at 941-371-9720 x. 302.

For information about homes and home sites visit www.thefoundersclub.com or call 941-404-3107. Home and home site prices start in the $500s.

London Bay Homes Names Shelton Director of Sales-will oversee sales operations from Naples to Sarasota

lbh — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:22:38 +0000

Shelton brings more than 30 years of home sales experience to his position with London Bay. Prior to joining London Bay, Shelton served more than four years as Director of Sales for The Cliffs communities, private golf master-planned communities in North and South Carolina. Locally, he directed sales at High Point Place in Fort Myers, a $200 million luxury waterfront residential tower community, and also served as Director of Sales at WCI Communities’ Gulf Harbour Yacht and Country Club.

At London Bay, Shelton will have sales responsibilities for London Bay’s two master planned communities, Mediterra Golf and Beach Club in Naples, and The Founders Club in Sarasota, as well as its local operations in The Estuary, Miromar Lakes, Quail West, The Quarry, Twin Eagles and the Lake Club at Lakewood Ranch in Sarasota. He will also oversee the company’s custom homebuilding sales operations which builds multi-million dollar homes on an owner’s home site.

London Bay President Mark Wilson said that Shelton’s years of experience and local market knowledge will be an important asset for the company. “Randy has consistently demonstrated his abilities in the high-end luxury market and is a great team leader and motivator. We are excited to have him as a member of our organization,” Wilson said.

Shelton is a licensed Real Estate Broker in Florida and North and South Carolina. He holds a degree in Political Science and served in the United States Army from 1971 to 1974. During the 1990s, Shelton owned his own brokerage company, The New Home Marketplace in Wilmington, North Carolina which had annual sales of more than $200 million.

Mediterra Named Community of the Year – Seventh Time in 11 Years for Community with Homes Above $1.5 Million

lbh — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:26:27 +0000

Since acquiring the remaining home sites and assuming sales and marketing responsibilities for Mediterra in December 2009, London Bay Homes has continued to invest heavily to communicate the benefits of the Mediterra lifestyle to affluent home buyers. Mediterra is also membership owned, and has recently added new amenities such as an expanded outdoor dining, additional tennis courts, and a new bocce area, all without any new assessment to its members.

Located along Livingston Road in north Naples, the community includes two 18-hole Tom Fazio-design championship golf courses, limited to just 225 members per 18-holes. Other amenities include a private Beach Club with dining and a second-story pool located on the Gulf of Mexico, a 25,000 sq. ft. clubhouse with two restaurants, Sports Club with tennis, fitness and spa facilities, and more than eight miles of bicycle and walking paths connected to three distinctly themed community parks. The 1,700-acre master planned community will have no more than 950 homes and offers over 1,000 acres dedicated to golf, parks and nature preserves.

London Bay President Mark Wilson said he was honored to accept the award which is judged by home building experts across the state of Florida. “Buyers are clearly recognizing the value and incomparable lifestyle of Mediterra. Since our acquisition and the membership’s purchase of the Club’s assets, almost $173 million in real estate has been sold, making Mediterra one of the best selling high-end country club communities in Southwest Florida,” Wilson said.

“For anyone who has not visited Mediterra recently, they need to take another look. The values, and selection of homes and home sites, are quite impressive,” he added.

Since 2009, London Bay has marketed the community through print and broadcast advertising, with a new website and collateral materials, and a newly re-designed sales and information center. “Mediterra’s lifestyle amenities are as fine as any in the region,” Wilson said. “Our job is to carry this message to prospective home buyers.”

The winding roads and lush landscaping of Mediterra are reminiscent of the European countryside, and its various neighborhoods each possess a unique character which honors the overall theme of the community. In addition to London Bay which is the community’s largest land owner, there are eight other luxury builders participating in Mediterra’s Preferred Builder Program. Homes in the community are priced from the $500s to more than $7 million and there are many professionally decorated model homes to tour.

Wilson praised Mediterra’s Board of Directors for their accomplishments in creating a financially strong club. “In this economy it is critically important to manage a club’s assets in a responsible manner. The club’s staff has also done a remarkable job of providing their members with a wide range of programs that appeal to people of all ages and creates a great sense of community,” Wilson added.

London Bay is celebrating its 21th year in the Naples market and has developed its reputation building custom homes in many of the area’s most exclusive neighborhoods and communities. In 2008, the company was one of just two companies that earned recognition as “America’s Best Builder” from the industry’s leading publication, Builder Magazine. The company builds custom, semi-custom and intimate Village neighborhoods from Marco Island to Sarasota priced from the $500s to more than $10 million.

Mediterra Homes Sales Remain Strong – Six-Month Sales Already Nearing Total for All of 2010

lbh — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 17:29:52 +0000

Mediterra, named Community of the Year with homes priced above $2 million by the Collier Building Industry Association in 2010, has reported 54 sales and pending transactions through the first six months of 2011. By comparison, the luxury golf community recorded 64 sales in all of 2010.

“Throughout this season we observed a much stronger level of interest among visitors to the community, said Mark Wilson, president of London Bay Homes, which is responsible for all sales and marketing activity at Mediterra. “People shopping for a new luxury home are realizing that inventory is being depleted and prices are starting to rise. For homes priced between one and two million dollars in Naples, prices have risen for 10 consecutive months and that’s good news for our local economy,” he added.

The 54 closed and pending sales reported through the first six months of 2011 totaled just under $70 million, compared to sales of $97 million in all of 2010 and $47 million in 2009. Wilson said that Mediterra’s preferred builders have seen growing demand for their homes. “During the last 18 months builders have sold nearly $50 million worth of new and inventory homes in Mediterra,” he said. “Many of these homes were move-in ready, so it certainly appears that those prospects who have spent the last few years on the sidelines have determined that now is the time to buy.”

Local real estate analyst Michael Timmerman, a senior associate with Fishkind & Associates concurs with Wilson’s assessment. “The luxury market continues to show improvement as we move through 2011, and it’s my opinion that improvement will continue through this upcoming season. Potential buyers are continuing to see an opportunity to purchase residential real estate in the best locations in Florida, of which Southwest Florida is one of the strongest,” Timmerman said.

London Bay Homes is celebrating its 21styear in the Naples market and has developed its reputation building custom homes in many of the area’s most exclusive neighborhoods and communities. In 2008, the company was one of just two companies that earned recognition as “America’s Best Builder” from the industry’s leading publication, Builder Magazine. The company builds custom, semi-custom and intimate Village neighborhoods from Marco Island to Sarasota priced form the $600s to more than $10 million.

News From…….London Bay Homes….

lbh — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:10:14 +0000

Q: A lot of homebuilders are no longer in business. What was the secret to survival during the last few years?

A: We were uncomfortable with the market’s position in 2007 so we began to scale back our operations and staffing early on. We ran a very lean operation until 2010, when we acquired Mediterra’s remaining home sites at the market’s trough. Timing is everything, there’s a lot to be said for experience.

Q: What kind of grade would you give the luxury housing market right now?

A: It depends. If you’re a buyer, it’s an “A” because pricing is way down from its historic peak, and prices are now starting to appreciate, even if it is at a modest rate. No one will ever find better pricing. From a builders perspective it’s a “C-” `because even though sales are improving, margins are way down and we’re starting to see some indications for material and labor increases.

Q: What does it take to move a home buyer off the fence and into a contract today?

A: Getting your pricing right. Buyers are very astute to the conditions in the market and they are looking for a great deal. We adjusted our pricing some time ago so we show them they kind of value they are getting with a London Bay home. We also try to educate them about what’s happening in the market right now. Knowledge goes a long way when it comes to making a decision.

Q: What was it about Mediterra that prompted you to buy the last residential home sites?

A: Mediterra has always been one of Naples’ most premier luxury communities. The amenities are unequaled, they are all in place, and there is a diminishing opportunity to buy into the community. It gives London Bay a very strong position in the high-end market and we can also price our home sites very competitively.

Q: What was it about the Sarasota market that convinced you to invest more capital there?

A: Our experience in The Lake Club at Lakewood Ranch showed us that Sarasota is one of those markets with high appeal and limited opportunity, especially in the upper end of the

market. We completed a thorough market analysis with RCLCO before we moved on the deal at The Founders Club. We realized that it represented a unique and timely opportunity to expand our business in a market that’s poised for growth.

Q: You say that there are limited opportunities in luxury master planned communities. Yet, there seems to be a lot of inventory when you really look at the market. Why do you say it’s limited?

A: First, there are no new communities in the pipeline. That limits supply. Second, a large part of the existing inventory is in communities that are still building their amenities or have other challenges. When you look at the inventory in established, stable, communities such as Mediterra, the opportunities are much more limited. People see it as a safe place to buy.

Q: What’s your take on home prices in Naples? What’s the trend line showing?

A: There is no doubt that the market has already hit its bottom. In fact, that occurred in 2009. Since then, prices have stabilized and in some locations, they are actually starting to rise. I don’t expect that we’ll see double digit appreciation for a while, but it will happen again. When the economy recovers, we’re going to find that inventory has been depleted against a backdrop of pent-up demand. I can’t say when, but it will happen.

Q: How has this homebuilding recession changed London Bay Homes?

A: I’ve seen my share of housing and economic recessions and I hope that I come out of them a little smarter every time. This recession was a lot different and much more extended, especially in the home building sector. What’s changed the most at London Bay is that we’ve moved with the market to design some smaller luxury homes that deliver a lot of value for the dollar spent. That’s what buyers are looking for today.

Q: Will we ever see real estate boom like it did in 2005-2006?

A: I hope not. The market in 2005 and 2006 was significantly overheated and that’s not a good thing. I think we have all learned some valuable lesson about real estate investing and that in itself will help us avoid the mistakes of the past. Our region hit 35,000 housing starts in 2005 when the 30-year average was less than 10,000. I’d be happy there with 5% annual housing appreciation.

Q: What’s the most important lesson you learned in the last five years?

A: To succeed in the good times and survive in the bad times you have to be a student of the market. If you make your decisions based upon empirical data, with a modicum of experience tossed in, you’ll do OK. Never get caught up in the euphoria of the moment or base you decisions on instinct. There’s too much at stake.

News From London Bay Homes…Model Home Mania!

lbh — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:34:08 +0000

During the last 90 days, London Bay Homes has sold or gone to contract on four of its fully furnished inventory homes. The sales have occurred at Mediterra, Portofino and Quail West. Add the sale of the Isabella model at The Founders Club earlier in the year and these transactions represent more than $10 million in sales.

It appears that those buyers who have been studying the market and waiting for the right time to buy have gained a fair amount of confidence in the Southwest Florida luxury home market. Their confidence has also reduced the inventory of luxury homes priced above $1 million by about 25% during the last 12 month.

As inventory declines, prices rise and that’s the case in this buyers market. For homes priced in the $1-$2 million range, prices have risen every month for the last 10 months according to the Naples Area Board of Realtors. London Bay still have a good selection of fully furnished inventory homes available…take a look and see if any of these homes fit your lifestyle.

Luxurious Homes Made Easy – London Bay’s Reserve Collection Offers Value, Simplicity, Selection

lbh — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:21:12 +0000

Throughout this downturn, London Bay Homes has been keeping a keen eye on home buyer preferences. They believe those people who want to build a luxury home have three things in mind. Value, simplicity, and urgency. So to address these prerequisites, their architects have revamped the company’s popular Reserve Collections of homes with new designs that deliver surprising value and a lot of design options that can be delivered in about eight months.

The Reserve Collection has featured many of the most popular floor plans that the company has built during its 21 years in Naples. To the original nine home designs that comprised the collection, London Bay has recently added four new floor plans and re-priced the others to address current market conditions. As a result, the price per square foot now ranges between $181 and $240…significantly below the average price of $275 from five years ago.

“The sentiment of buyers today has changed dramatically from those of the 2005-2006 period,” said President Mark Wilson. “People are now much more practical and even frugal when it comes to building a home. You have to deliver value that’s on par with similar product in the resale market or you just can’t compete,” he said.

The collection’s 4,651 sq. ft. Liana home is a perfect case in point. With a price of $181 per sq. ft., the spacious Liana can be built for less than $850,000. That’s a lot of home for the dollar according to Wilson, and savings of more than $400,000 from the market’s peak. “For builders, this is the new reality,” he said.

Aside from their value, homes in the Reserve Collection also provide numerous opportunities for customization. Some of the plans allow buyers to consider more than a dozen different design options, including structural changes such adding a second floor, additional rooms, or expanding bedrooms. “The floor plans have proven to be very popular, but we also recognize the importance of allowing our clients to express their own personality and create a home perfectly suited to their lifestyle. With the design flexibility in this collection, we seldom create two homes that are identical,” Wilson said. A variety of architectural styles, from Traditional Florida to West Indies, and from Tuscan to Spanish designs are available.

In addition to flexibility, the process and time required to build these homes is greatly reduced. The homes have all the trademarks of a custom home with high-end products and finishes, but through careful planning, London Bay’s construction team is able to build and deliver these homes in record time. “We can sit with a client, design the home and be in the ground in less than a month,” Wilson said. With a true custom home design, that process could extend more than a year. There are a lot of people who just don’t have the patience for that process,” he added. Once construction has begun, clients are moving into their new luxury home in as little as eight months.

Floor plans in the Reserve Collection range from just under 3,000 sq. ft. to just over 4,651 sq. ft., but depending upon changes and options, the homes can grow to almost 8,000 sq. ft. of total living area. Base prices in the 14-home collection range from just over $700,000 to almost $900,000. The homes can be built in any London Bay community or on individual home sites anywhere between Marco Island and Sarasota.

The homes come with an impressive array of standard features such as granite and marble countertops, crown molding, Kohler plumbing fixtures, Bosch kitchen appliances, impact resistant windows, ceramic tile floors, a structured wiring and security system, concrete tile roofs, paver driveways and pool areas, landscape packages and a high-efficiency HVAC system.

Buyers can also access designers at the company’s Romanza Design Center to assist with planning, options and feature selections. Plus, the homes are more energy efficient than older homes in the resale market and come with a London Bay’s new home warranty.

Wilson said that in this economic environment, the Reserve Collection can prove to be a popular choice among new home buyer. “It delivers a luxury home experience at a very attractive price and in a very timely manner. The way the industry is moving right now, wise buyers can appreciate both of those attributes because costs are beginning to move up,” he added.

The Upside to the Housing Downturn – Price Declines of the Last Five Years Deliver Value to Home Buyer

lbh — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 21:24:39 +0000

We studied local market trends very carefully before pulling the trigger,” Wilson said of his purchase. “I also relied on my 20 years of experience managing London Bay through previous housing cycles, although this one is certainly different, he admitted. “In hindsight the purchase has proven to be very timely because we bought it at a low point in the market and on very favorable terms.”

Now, as the market continues its gradual ascent from the bottom, luxury home buyers are finding they can benefit from his business acumen. At the height of the housing boom, some home sites in gated luxury communities such as Mediterra were priced at upwards of $1 million. The market downturn has significantly reduced that number. And Wilson’s timely purchase gives London Bay even more flexibility to price its home sites at Mediterra very competitively.

Today, home sites at Mediterra start in the $130s with larger premium estate home sites still available for an average price of about $400,000. “The term buyers market may seem a bit overused today, but when you look at where prices were, and where they are today, there are definitely bargains in the market,” Wilson said.

Luxury homes sales in Naples slowed to a crawl during 2009. But during the first five months of 2011, 49 homes and home sites have been contracted or closed at Mediterra alone, valued at $49.2 million. “We have seen many people who have been considering a home purchase for several years now signing on the dotted line. They believe that home prices are going to start accelerating and they are locking in their best deals right now,” Wilson said.

During the last 30 days, London Bay has closed on lot purchases at Cortile in Mediterra, in Mirada at the Estuary at Grey Oaks, and in Matera at Lakewood Ranch in Sarasota. According to Wilson he’s in discussions with several other possible home buyers and he noted that he’s sold two model homes during this period as well. “The inventory of luxury homes in the Naples market is continuing to diminish,” Wilson said. Statistics show that 86 more homes price at $1 million and above sold during the most recent 12 month period as compared to the same period a year earlier. And, the average price showed a very modest increase during that period, confirming that price declines in the luxury sector have abated.

Calling upon his 20 years of experience in the Naples real estate market, Wilson now believes that the area is poised for another period of home appreciation. “When inventory declines, it has the effect of raising values and that’s what we are beginning to experience,” he said. An additional factor that could support Wilson’s belief is that there are currently no new luxury communities coming out of the ground. “The established communities such as Mediterra and Grey Oaks don’t have a large supply of home sites remaining. “If someone is looking for a custom home in a country club community where the lifestyle is already in place, limited inventory will drive prices up,” he said. “It simple economics.”

Another factor that’s working to the benefit of new home buyers right now is the principle of supply and demand. With new construction hovering around all-time lows, the cost of building materials and labor has declined by about one-third during the last five years. As an example, London Bay is now building luxury homes for as low as $181 per sq. ft. in the Naples market compared to about $275 at the market’s peak. In Sarasota, the price is even lower. But Wilson is quick to caution that those costs are beginning to rise.

In December 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s Producer Price Index for building materials registered its largest increase of the year — a 4.5% increase. Home building analyst Ivy Zelman is also seeing some sharp price increases in lumber and wallboard, with smaller increases in roofing, insulation and concrete. “For those people who have been waiting for the perfect time to buy, my advice is don’t wait much longer, or the opportunity will be gone,” Wilson said.

Experts believe that as the economy improves and baby boomers once again start looking for their retirement destinations, Florida will continue to be a major beneficiary. The Bureau for Economic and Business Research estimates that as many as 1.3 million baby boomers will relocate to Florida in the next 20 years. “While housing prices have certainly changed, the one thing that hasn’t is the beauty and allure of Southwest Florida,” Wilson said. He cites another recent report that showed after four straight years of decline, million dollar home sales rose on average 18.6% in the nation’s 20 major metro areas in 2010. “The appetite for luxury homes and lifestyles has not changed. Many people may have postponed their purchase, but as the stock market and economy continue to improve, it boosts the confidence of these people. Pent-up demand does exist,” he said.

As Wilson admitted, “this real estate cycle is definitely different.” It’s been deeper, longer and more unpredictable that any he has even seen. But he remains confident about his industry, the markets where he operates, and the future. “Bad things aligned to create this perfect storm, but sooner or later the clouds disappear and the sun comes out again. Right now, good things are aligning to create great opportunities for home buyers,” he concluded.

London Bay Homes Unveils New Home Sites at Matera – Lake Club Luxury Community Features Lakeside and Preserve Views

lbh — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 20:58:36 +0000

Matera features just 35 luxury home sites with each one featuring a desirable southeastern lakeside exposure or views of scenic preserve areas. The new home sites have been priced from $100,500 to $150,500 and will accommodate five detached Villa designs and the popular Belita model from London Bay’s Reserve Collection of homes. The homes sites are approximately 65’ x 130’ and include a maintenance-free lifestyle package that includes landscape and pool maintenance.

Two of the five Villa designs, the Alezio and the Emilia, are modeled at Matera, with interiors by Romanza, London Bay’s in-house interior design firm. The Alezio floor plan, starting at $650,000, features multiple design options which can accommodate from 2 to 4 bedrooms and 2 and one-half baths to 4 and one-half baths. With its many structural design options, including a second-level bedroom, the Alezio ranges in size from 3,105 to 3,995 A/C square feet and up to 5,343 total square feet. The model is available, fully furnished for $1.64 million.

The Emilia model starts at $570,000 and has multiple design options which can accommodate from 2 to 3 bedrooms and 2 and one-half baths to 3 and one-half baths. The Emilia ranges in size from 2,540 to 2,960 A/C square feet and up to 4,002 total square feet. The Emilia model is available fully furnished at $1.36 million.

“We have always provided our clients with a wide range of design options and in this market, these selections are proving to be important considerations for our buyers,” said President Mark Wilson. The homes feature an Italian-influenced architecture that opens into large and inviting outdoor living areas. Wilson says the ability to seamlessly merge the indoor and outdoor living spaces has proven to be very popular with his clients. “We are blessed with a climate that accommodates outdoor living on a year-round basis. We have designed these homes to create spacious and relaxing outdoor environments,” Wilson said.

Lush landscaping, pools and water treatments, fireplaces and large seating areas create an inviting space for entertaining around the summer kitchen. Tile flooring, skip trowel finish, eight-foot doors, granite countertops and custom-designed cabinetry are just some of the features that compliment the Tuscan and Mediterranean designs. Concrete tile roofs, sand-set pavered driveways, walks, entries and loggias add to the architectural detail.

“I think the greatest appeal of this Village collection is the design flexibility we provide for our clients,” said Wilson. “Our architectural staff can work with each individual client to create a home that is tailored to reflect their lifestyle and personality,” he said. “The design studio offers countless opportunities to customize the home and we can build and deliver these homes on a schedule that is very accommodating to our home owners.”

The models are available for viewing daily from 10 am to 5 pm. To obtain additional information about Matera call 941-556-1884 or visit www.londonbay.com.

London Bay Homes, named America’s Best Builder for 2008, was founded in 1990 and builds custom, semi-custom and Village communities in locations along Florida’s Gulf Coast ranging from Marco Island to Sarasota. Its homes are priced from the $500,000s to more than $10 million. The company also offers high-end renovation and remodeling service.

New Founders Club Sales Center Opens- London Bay Homes Continues Investment in Sarasota Golf Community

lbh — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 21:03:10 +0000

London Bay selected HRi Design to collaborate with its marketing consultant, Miles Strategic DNA, to assist with a complete remodeling of the old sale center. Both firms are headquartered in Denver, Colorado. HRi Design has won numerous design awards working with some of the country’s largest residential and commercial builders and resorts since it opened 30 years ago. “We wanted to bring in a company that would help us create a fresh and welcoming environment for The Founders Club,” said London Bay President Mark Wilson.

Wilson said the old sales center had some visually appealing aspects, but he wanted to provide visitors with a more engaging and informative atmosphere. Together with HRI, London Bay has done just that.

The news sales center is much brighter and attention-getting, moving away from the darker, masculine appeal that had been a Founders Club’s trademark. Wilson wanted to first educate his visitors about the local area and to accomplish that he created displays that highlight the many attractions and conveniences of Sarasota. “Sarasota offers a wide range of lifestyle opportunities and magnificent natural attractions. It’s important that we highlight those attributes, especially for our out-of-state visitors,” Wilson said.

The next element of the new sales center helps visitors understand the lifestyle offerings at The Founders Club. The center vividly presents the beauty and playability of the Robert Trent Jones, Jr. golf course, the elegance and offerings at the 25,000 sq. ft. Golf Hall, and the miles of pavered walking and running paths that wind past lakes and wetland preserves.

The final destination within the new sales center provides a detailed display of the community’s available home sites and its product offerings. Floor plans and elevations of the community’s Cottage Homes, Fairway Collection, and Estate Homes allow visitors to easily identify the home style that suits their particular lifestyle.

According to Wilson, HRi Design brought its experience and creativity to the task of redesigning the center. “The people of HRi Design are professionals. They know what works and what will not. I think the flow of the sales center and the attractiveness of the displays helps us create a very good first impression with our visitors,” Wilson said.

The Founders Club is a private, gated enclave with only 262 home sites on its 700 acres that includes miles of pavered walking and biking trails. It includes a Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed golf course with caddie program and a 24,000 sq. ft. Golf Hall that provides fine and casual dining, fitness and tennis facilities.

The sales center is located just outside the gate of The Founders Club at 3001 Founders Club Drive. The center is open from 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5 pm on Sundays. For more information visit www.thefoundersclub.com or call 941-404-3107.

Karen Sweatlock Earns London Bay Award – Realtor Wins Transatlantic Cruise for Two

lbh — Fri, 06 May 2011 21:30:10 +0000

“We’re very excited for Karen,” said London Bay Homes Realtor® Concierge Terri Speach. “I’ve known Karen a long time and I’ve watched her work incredibly hard for her clients. She’s knowledgeable, energetic and consummate professional. I know she’s looking forward to her trip,” Speach said.

Every year London Bay creates a program that provides special incentives to any Realtor® who sells one of its homes. Karen’s name was drawn from all of the Realtors® who sold a home in 2010. In addition to the transatlantic cruise, there are also multiple sales awards that pay a $5,000 cash bonus for a Realtor’s® second London Bay sale in a single year, $10,000 for the third, and $20,000 for the fourth sale and any other that year.

“Realtors® are a very important part of our business,” said Speach. “My job is to make sure they know everything about London Bay, our programs, homes and communities. I will do everything I can to help a Realtor® make a sale. All they have to do is call,” she added.

London Bay is currently putting the details together for its 2011 Grand Prize. Speach said it will most likely be another cruise, but added that the destination has not yet been determined.

Realtors® can access more information about London Bay and its Realtor® programs by clicking on the “Just for Realtors” tab at www.londonbay.com.

London Bay Homes builds luxury homes priced from the $500s to more than $5 million in seven luxury communities from Naples to Sarasota. It also builds custom homes on individual sites in many of the region’s most exclusive communities, on beachfront property, and in downtown districts ranging up to $10 million. It also operates remodeling and interior design divisions and was named America’s Best Builder in 2008.