November 24, 2015 0 Comment MasterKey
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Professional Builder Magazine: 2015 Builder of the Year: Neal Communities

There was something about Neal Communities that elicited curiosity from competitors.

Amid the doom and gloom inflicted by the worst recession to hit the construction industry since the Great Depression, Neal was succeeding and growing. The Lakewood Ranch, Fla., builder was not only busy selling homes, but co-founder and chairman Pat Neal was also amassing acres of land without piling up huge debt. While half of the state’s 2,500 home builders went out of business between 2007 and 2012 and many others were treading water in survival mode, Pat Neal, already a prominent builder around Bradenton and Sarasota, marched toward becoming the dominant player in Southwest Florida.

Neal Communities’ sales and closings this year are expected to hit 1,078 and 966 homes, respectively, compared with the company’s 2005 pre-recession peak of 386 sales and 261 closings. Annual revenue from 2012 to last year doubled to $278 million. Increases in units sold and closed and in annual dollar sales have averaged more than 30 percent a year since the company revamped its product in 2008 by scrubbing a townhouse plan in one community and within six months rolling out new and more affordable product that could sell in a down market.

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November 17, 2015 0 Comment MasterKey
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Neal Communities contributes to fire extinguisher safety

Neal Communities (NealCommunities.com), southwest Florida’s premier, private homebuilder, recently contributed $1,000 to East Manatee Fire Rescue for equipment to help with fire extinguisher safety courses for the community.

“We are extremely thankful to Neal Communities for this generous donation,” said Deputy Fire Marshall Alex Onishenko with East Manatee Fire Rescue. “These funds will help us train safer and more effectively and will support many business owners and residents in Manatee County,” he said.

The firefighting agency is raising funds to purchase a state-of-the-art fire extinguisher training device. Currently, firefighters require groups that request training to have several fire extinguishers on hand for sessions which include a short safety lecture and demonstration on how to use extinguishers.

“We bring participants to a safe area where a burn barrel is ignited using a mixture of gasoline and diesel fuel to experience what it is like to extinguish a live fire,” said Onishenko. “This process, however, includes expelling the extinguishing agent called mono-ammonium phosphate, a dry chemical that looks like yellow baking soda. It creates a small mess in the area in which it is used. The training device we are raising money for is a lot cleaner and safer to use.”

The new equipment is filled with compressed air and water and can be used multiple times without any residue or cost.

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 nationally among the top 50 builders 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, 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 44 Parade of Homes 2015 awards, 50 Aurora Awards, 5 Best in American Living Awards and hundreds of local and regional industry awards.  For more information, please visit NealCommunities.com.

November 10, 2015 0 Comment MasterKey
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Neal Communities on track to break 1,000 home sales by year’s end

Neal Communities (NealCommunities.com), southwest Florida’s premier, private homebuilder, sold 88 new homes in October, bringing its year-to-date total to 891 homes.

The builder is on track to break 1,000 home sales this year, which would represent a more than 25 percent increase from last year and an all-time company record.

“With 10 new community openings so far and Villages of Milano in Venice, Cypress Walk and Oaks of Estero still to come in Estero, we have grown tremendously in 2015,” said Michael Storey, president of the Lakewood Ranch-based new home building firm. “The summer season was strong for Florida real estate, and the environment continues to remain incredibly favorable for new home buyers right now. As we head into winter, we expect demand to remain high, especially as people continue to move south combined with the low interest rates,” he said.

To gear up for “season”, the builder has more than 50 inventory homes in 20 communities throughout southwest Florida and many additional opportunities to build new homes.

Notable communities in October include Eagle Trace near Lakewood Ranch and River’s Reach in Manatee County each with eight home sales, Grand Palm in Venice with six sales and Magnolia Point in Sarasota with five sales. Neal Signature Homes, the firm’s luxury division, sold 11 homes in October and added three new employees.

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 nationally among the top 50 builders 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, 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 44 Parade of Homes 2015 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.

November 3, 2015 0 Comment MasterKey
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Models Underway at Neal Communities’ Villages of Milano

Neal Communities (NealCommunities.com), the area’s largest and most established, locally owned and operated private builder, recently broke ground on the models at the Villages of Milano, a Tuscan-themed community that focuses on lifestyle and activities for its homeowners.

Coming soon to North Venice, Fla., Villages of Milano is a resort-style community with multiple amenities and a lifestyle director for an active social calendar.

The new neighborhood will feature six models, including the Crystal Sand, Liberty 2, Starlight, Tidewater, Victory and White Star floor plans, for interested homeowners to browse. Six of the 11 floor plans available at Villages of Milano are new. Homebuyers can choose from Neal Communities’ Celebration, Coral and Cruise Series.

With 2,233 square feet of living space, the Starlight model and sales center has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a den. The gated community will have a total of 969 single-family homes, villas and multi-family units after completion.

Located south of Laurel Road and just east of Interstate 75, more than half of the 368 acres at Villages of Milano is being designated as open space. The Villages of Milano will also feature a clubhouse with an activity and gathering room, catering kitchen, café seating area, covered outdoor seating area, pool and spa, bocce ball courts and a dog park. Homes will range from villas starting at 1,407 square feet up to roomy single-family homes at 2,233 square feet.

The sales center will be located at 252 Carlino Drive in North Venice.

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 nationally among the top 50 builders 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, 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 44 Parade of Homes 2015 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.