by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
Two busloads of Realtors and Northeast Florida Builders Association’s Sales and Marketing members got a good feel for what the Town of Nocatee has to offer their customers when they visited last month on the SAM Tram.
As you enter, the first thing that is really noticeable is the landscaping and Portland Stuart of the Parc Group said that they spent $9 million, including buying 7,500 trees.
The first community visited by the SAM Tram was Austin Park, where Cornerstone and American Home Builders are building $350,000-500,000 homes.
Next, the group heard about The Palms by Ryland Homes from Sheryl Vaughn of Ryland Homes. She said they should start selling in the community in the fall of 2008 and that the community will have 208 single-family homes and 72 townhomes. Home prices will start in the high $200,000’s and townhome prices in the low $200,000’s.
As the group traveled to the next community, they could see where the Town Center and Aquatic Park would be.
“We should break ground on the Town Center at the end of the year,” said Stuart. “And it should be open in the summer of 2009.”
The next community visited was Willowcove where Centex Homes is building models ranging from $401,990 to over $600,000. Lennar is also building in Willowcove.
The tour bus did a drive-by of Pulte’s condominium community, Tidewater. Prices in Tidewater rang from $150,000 to $211,990. There will be 160 homes in that community.
Coastal Oaks by Toll Brothers had 11 models for the visitors to see. Prices in that community start around $350,000 and go over $500,000, which includes town houses and single family homes.
Toll Brothers is offering four different collections of single-family homes including the Estate collection, Signature collection, Ambassador collection and the Legacy collection. Prices for single-family homes start in the low $400,000’s.
“There is something for everybody,” said Steve Priola, a site agent at Coastal Oaks.
Next the group visited three carriage homes offered by Toll Brothers, The LaVerra, The Capella and The Bayview, which started at $350,000.
The last stop on the tour was Riverwood, a Del Webb adult community that will offer single family homes, carriage homes and condominium homes. Prices for single-family homes start in the high $200,000’s. Carriage homes start in the low $200,000’s and condominiums start in the low $200,000’s.