An Overnight Success

To use basketball parlance, the Deer Creek development in Tampa, Fla., was a slam-dunk. Plans for marketing the project, which included a series of newspaper ads in addition to local signage, were completely superceded by an unanticipated level of early interest by real estate agents. This translated to a near sell-out prior to the June 12 grand opening, notes company president Andrew Berger. The first phase of 52 homes is already spoken for and the second and final phase of 54 homes has a waiting list of 200. "We put one painted plywood sign in front of the project and within hours we started receiving telephone calls from prospective buyers," says Berger.

A central location seems to have figured prominently in the initial interest from buyers who are overwhelmingly local move-ups of all kinds - empty nesters, families and some retirees. According to company vice president David Pelletz, many of the early buyers are real estate agents who saw the only roadside sign.

"Tampa is adding about 55,000 new jobs per year so when we conceptualized this house, we anticipated a large relocation market,’’ says Berger. "We were surprised when Deer Creek proved so popular with the local market."

Also See:
New Old World

Small Volume Success

Mesquite Suits Buyer Tastes

Modern Main Line

Happy Trails At Ladera Ranch

Market Focus Demands Focused Marketing

Ladera Ranch Information