A Holiday Message from Pat Neal

Holiday Greetings,

As 2014 draws to a close and we celebrate our 45th year building homes at Neal Communities, Charlene and I can reflect back on not only a year of milestones and achievements, but also on four decades filled with families putting their trust in our company and our team.

It is with heartfelt gratitude and appreciation that I thank you, our friends and customers, for your continued support and for allowing us to become an integral part of building communities in southwest Florida.

Our company’s 45th year has been marked by extraordinary expansion and the completion of our 10,000th home – accomplishments only made possible by your belief in our team who strives to make a positive difference. A major focus this year has been creating additional communities of distinction, adding new, dedicated team members, and a continued emphasis on giving back to the community that has given so much to us.

One key founding philosophy here at Neal Communities, stemming from my own long-standing family values, is the belief that the strength of a company comes from its collective ability to contribute to the greater good. This is why we will always strive to support community causes, programs and organizations that contribute to our quality lifestyle, help educate residents and support historic and environmental preservation.

For example, we recently celebrated the 16th anniversary of the “My Favorite Home” art contest with our local elementary schools. During this contest, we select a student’s home design for the Neal Communities’ holiday card while supporting art and teachers in our exemplary area schools.

As we entered new markets in 2014, we were humbled by your recognition of naming Neal Communities “Best Builder” in the Venice Gondolier’s Best of Venice, and as a finalist for “Best Builder” in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s 2014 Reader’s Choice Awards. We rejoiced in earning our 50th Aurora Award for the design of Grand Palm in Venice and broke into the top 50 national homebuilder-ranking list by BUILDER Magazine.

In 2014 and looking ahead to the future, we look back upon our rich history while embracing new traditions and milestones yet to come. We hope you’ll join us on this exciting journey and continue to embrace our family and our firm as you have done for more than 40 years. From our family to yours, we wish you happy holidays and a healthy and prosperous New Year. Here’s to 2015!

Sincerely,

Pat Neal

Neal Communities Heads Into December with 808 Sales

LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. – Southwest Florida’s prolific and rapidly expanding homebuilder Neal Communities, heads into December with 808 year-to-date homes sales, which breaks all prior company records.

With 85 new home sales in November alone, Neal Communities’ CEO and president Pat Neal attributes the trend to a continued increase of active adults moving within Florida and to the Sunshine State from the mid-Atlantic and upper Midwest portions of the nation.

“With the market strengthening in other parts of the nation, such as the Midwest and the ‘Rust Belt’, and homes there finally selling, buyers are free to purchase homes in Florida,” said Pat Neal. “That coupled with historically low mortgage rates and 60 percent of home buyers paying cash, equals a strong southwest Florida market,” said Neal.

Additionally, the Lakewood Ranch-based Neal Communities has expanded its home choices and options and grown into new markets in 2014, adding several new communities in Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Lee and Collier counties.

The 85 home sales in November span across 16 communities, with 18 sales at Grand Palm, Neal’s master-planned community in Venice, Fla. Other top-selling communities included River’s Reach in Parrish with nine sales, Central Park in Lakewood Ranch with eight sales and Reflection Lakes in Naples and Sugar Mill Lakes in Palmetto with six sales.

Neal unveiled its new Coastal Series at Boca Royale and Grand Palm last month, featuring larger homesites for buyers. New communities opening soon include Woodland Trace and Magnolia Point in Sarasota as well as Neal Signature Homes’ Wildgrass in Sarasota.

About Neal Communities

Neal Communities was named one of 2012’s “America’s Best Builders” by BUILDER Magazine and voted the “2013 Best Residential Builder in Southwest Florida” in a readers’ poll sponsored by Gulfshore Business Magazine. The company is ranked No.1 locally by Metrostudy and by Hanley Wood Market Intelligence based on number of home sales and ranked No.50 nationally among homebuilders by BUILDER Magazine. To date, Neal has built over 10,000 homes in Southwest Florida. As the area’s largest and most established, locally owned and operated private builder, Neal Communities is continually striving for excellence in every aspect of the home building and development business. Neal Signature Homes, Neal Land Ventures, Charlene Neal PureStyle, Waterscapes Pools & Spas and Allegiant Title Professionals all contribute to the firm’s continued, record-setting local success. The company’s honors and accolades include 42 Parade of Homes 2014 awards, 50 Aurora Awards, 5 Best in American Living Awards and hundreds of local and regional industry awards.  For more information, please visit www.nealcommunities.com.

Neal Communities hosts 19th annual art contest at Taylor Ranch Elementary School

During this year’s annual My Favorite Home art contest by Neal Communities, the top 10 student finalists in each grade level at Taylor Ranch Elementary School in Venice were recognized for their artistic abilities at the event on Friday, Nov. 14, which was attended by school officials and guest judges from around the community.

This year marks the 19th year that Neal Communities has held the My Favorite Home art contest, featuring a different community school each year in Manatee or Sarasota Counties.

“We had a great time working with a variety of art mediums in each grade level, and I know the students truly enjoyed the process,” said Robyn Ferraro, art teacher at Taylor Ranch Elementary School. “I am so proud of the creativity displayed by our students, and we thank Neal Communities for their generosity in supporting our art program.” 

Neal Communities donated $1,500 to the school’s art program at the event. 

“We are extremely thankful to Neal Communities for this contribution, which we will use toward the purchase of technology for the art department,” said Dr. William Bolander, principal at Taylor Ranch Elementary School.  

All students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade participated in the contest. The kindergarten students utilized markers and crayons while the first-grade students worked with construction paper to emphasize the landscaping and environment. Second graders applied shapes using stamping and print making, third graders used water color paints and fourth graders painted with metallic oil pastels. The fifth-grade students were able to use any medium of their choice. 

“I can speak for our entire team when I say that this is one of our favorite annual events,” said Pat Neal, CEO and chairman of the board at Neal Communities. “We are always inspired by the student artwork and commend the hard-working teachers and staff members who work tirelessly to educate our local students. Our teachers do a wonderful job, and it’s because of them that so many people seek out Sarasota County as a place to call home.” 

The students’ submissions were narrowed down to the top 60 entries – ten from each grade level. Six grade-level winners were chosen by a celebrity judging panel, including Sarasota County Commissioner Charles Hines, Sarasota County School Board members Eric Robinson and Jane Goodwin and Kathy Leon from SNN6. They were joined by Neal Communities’ team members from the company’s marketing, sales, purchasing and accounting departments. The homebuilder’s team will select two overall winners, whose artwork will adorn the cover of the 2018 holiday cards for Neal Communities and Neal Signature Homes.

Below are the grade-level winners listed in order:

  • Kindergarten – Meredith Liebeher
  • First grade – Lucy Vega
  • Second grade – Hampton William
  • Third grade – Mia Gadow
  • Fourth grade – Nevaeh Naberaall
  • Fifth grade – Dariana Colo’n

About Neal Communities

With over 40 years of building award-winning homes, Neal Communities has over 90 successful communities throughout southwest Florida. The Lakewood Ranch-based builder was named the Professional Builder 2015 “Builder of the Year” and was named one of 2012’s “America’s Best Builders” by BUILDER Magazine and voted the “2013 Best Residential Builder in Southwest Florida” in a readers’ poll sponsored by Gulfshore Business Magazine. The company is ranked No. 1 locally by Metrostudy and by Hanley Wood Market Intelligence based on number of home sales and ranked nationally among the top 50 builders by BUILDER Magazine.

To date, Neal has built over 13,000 homes in southwest Florida. As the area’s largest and most established, locally owned and operated private builder, Neal Communities is continually striving for excellence in every aspect of the home building and development business. Neal Signature Homes, Neal Land Ventures, Charlene Neal PureStyle, Waterscapes Pools & Spas, Neal Communities Funding, Fiducia Insurance and Allegiant Title Professionals all contribute to the firm’s continued, record-setting local success. The company’s honors and accolades include numerous Parade of Homes awards, 50 Aurora Awards, 5 Best in American Living Awards and hundreds of local and regional industry awards. For more information, please visit www.NealCommunities.com.