Cobblestone PUD
Provide disposition services for Regions Bank for an REO residential vacant land parcel.
The Challenge:
There was little demand for undeveloped entitled residential land in Lee County as new permit activity
and new starts had dropped to less than 20 units per month in the first quarter of 2010.
The availability of many comparable raw land entitled projects and partially developed projects put
tremendous downward pressure on land values.
Financing for acquisition and development for this type of project was almost non-existent and
reduced the prospective buyer universe to cashi nvestors / land bankers.
Our Impact:
Commercial Property Southwest Florida investigated the asset. The subject was a 50 acre parcel zoned for 216 dwelling units. We determined the current zoning ordinance is set to expire in the near term. We advised the client to extend the entitlements at minimal cost for two years and preserved the value of the asset.
The Outcome:
By successfully targeting alternative users (an ALF and a hospice) rather than builders, we were able to obtain two full price cash “quick close” offers. After qualifying both offers, we presented a recommendation to Regions which was accepted.
In spite of a very weak market and an out of favor product mix, we were able to successfully market the asset and as the client requested, close the transaction by the end of the first quarter of 2010.