Verandah's sales soar in 2008

COURTESY PHOTO Verandah's neighborhoods are immersed in nature, brushing against preserves, lakes and the undulating fairways of the community's two championship golf courses, designed by Bob Cupp, Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II. Home and homesite sales in Verandah in 2008 outpaced projections and exceeded the prior year's sales by 139 percent, said Gary Dumas, vice president for Bonita Bay Group, which is developing the 1,456-acre masterplanned community along a 1.75-mile stretch of the Orange River in Fort Myers.

Sales of homes and homesites hit 67 last year, compared to 28 in 2007.

"Everyone knows it's a tough real estate market," Mr. Dumas said, "but homebuyers continue to see the value of purchasing in a master-planned community like Verandah. With the prices being offered and incentive packages in place, our buyers literally jumped in — more than a third bought within 30 days of their first visit."

Dumas said buyer surveys indicate that the community's mature amenities were a compelling factor in homebuyers' decisions. "When you have two championship golf courses, including one by Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II, along with nine miles of trails, a fitness center, riverfront restaurant, kayaks and a dog park, it's easy to see the depth of the value in purchasing a Verandah home," Mr. Dumas said

Sales volume for 2008 topped $22.5 million and included homesites, estate, custom and traditional single-family homes, villas and coach homes offered by a number of the region's preferred homebuilders.

Bonita Bay Group created Verandah as an environmentally friendly and sustainable community and has earned environmental accolades for its emphasis on green building and preservation, its respect for the land and its comprehensive approach to sustainability. Since being named Florida's first green land development by the Florida Green Building Coalition in April 2003 — two months after sales began — Verandah has received the Council for Sustainable Florida's 2007 Best Practices Award for green building, the Florida Urban Forestry Council's Trees Florida 2007 Award, Project EverGreen's Because Green Matters Award, and the Florida Association of Realtors' 2006 Environmental (ENVY) Award.

The community has also been named by Where to Retire magazine as one of "America's 100 Best Master-Planned Communities" in 2007 and was named Community of the Year by the Lee Building Industry Association in 2005 and 2008. Whispering Oak, Verandah's second 18-hole championship golf course, was named by Golf Inc. magazine as one of the top five new private courses in the country in 2007.

Verandah offers estate, custom and traditional single-family homes, villas and coach homes with home and homesite packages priced from the low $200,000s to more than $1 million. For a limited time, Bonita Bay Group is underwriting a limited number of buyer incentives that include club memberships along with master association fees through 2010 for contracts signed by April 30. For additional information, contact the Verandah Information Center at (888) 877-7430. The Verandah Information Center is located two miles east of Interstate 75 on State Road 80, or visit www.Verandah. com.