News

BellalagoSM Resident Anglers are Hooked on Fishing

2010-03-09T21:11:00Z

KISSIMMEE, FL---Almost any day of the week it wouldn’t be surprising to find Gone Fishing signs hanging on the front doors of Dale Shinavar and Walter Dimick’s homes in the lakefront community of BellalagoSM.

Even though the gated residential community being developed by Avatar® Properties Inc. has 1.2 miles of shoreline on Lake Tohopekaliga (Toho), world-famous for its trophy bass, Shinavar and Dimick spend a lot of their time fishing for “the big ones” right at home.

Members of the BellalagoSM Fishing Club, Shinavar, Dimick and their fellow anglers have been landing trophy bass upwards of 10 pounds in the community’s 300-acre Lake Bellalago and 11 smaller ponds and interconnecting waterways, none of which are linked to Lake Toho.

“There are a great many outstanding bass fishing lakes in Central Florida, but this is truly a fisherman’s paradise. Fishing and boating are an integral part of the lifestyle here,” said Shinavar, an Illinois native and president of the BellalagoSM Fishing Club which has been stocking Bellalago’sSM lake and ponds with bass caught in Lake Toho for the past five-plus years.

Bellalago℠ anglers really have the best of both worlds; a world-famous trophy bass lake (Toho) right next door that can be reached easily via the community’s boat ramp and state-of-the-art boat lift, and Bellalgo’s℠ well-stocked lake and ponds. In fact, the fishing is so good at BellalagoSM that Shinavar and his fellow club anglers have started having fishing tournaments right at home.

Because fishing at home and on Lake Toho is an angler’s dream come true, Dimick considers BellalagoSM his paradise. “We’re in heaven here,” said the native New Jerseyan and avid angler whose home sports a front doormat that reads Welcome to My Paradise. “When we (wife Jayne and I) discovered BellalagoSM was on a bass fishing lake (Toho) it was a no-brainer. Now the trophy bass are right in our back yard.”

Fishing in BellalagoSM is strictly catch and release. “Catching big fish and releasing fish to be caught another day is all a part of the fishing experience,” said Shinavar, noting club members use typical bass baits such as soft plastics (frogs, worms, etc.), crankbaits and spinnerbaits on 10-20-pound test line.

“We don’t use live bait because the fish tend to swallow it, making safe release much more difficult.”

The BellalagoSM Fishing Club is as concerned about catching “the big one” as it is about working with Avatar® to conserve Bellalago’sSM environment and improve the community’s fishing habitats.

“Avatar® has been very helpful and amenable to what we’re doing to make everyone environmentally conscious about our lakes and ponds and the things we can do to prolong the life of the fish, as well as improving water conditions and our quality of life,” said Shinavar.

Toward that end, the club has created brush piles and added other submerged cover to provide additional habitats in which the baby fish can hide. Natural vegetation also serves as habitat for small fish and helps keep the water clean and filtered.

To keep vegetation such as the fast-growing, invasive aquatic weed hydrilla from choking out Bellalago’sSM lakes and ponds, the club worked with Avatar® to introduce 700 sterile carp to eat the weed that is on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s most wanted list. If left unmanaged, hydrilla can interfere with boating, harm fish populations, cause flooding during heavy rains, and affect the overall health of an ecosystem.

“We’re looking to increase our permit for additional carp both here and in the lakes and ponds at the Isles of BellalagoSM,” said John Corners, Avatar’s® vice president administration and lifestyles. To keep the carp under control, he said they are only introduced in lakes and ponds with hydrilla problems that have been screened off with netting from adjoining bodies of water.

Located on Pleasant Hill Road, five miles south of Highway 17-92, BellalagoSM features Club Vialago, a multi-million dollar amenity complex; Bellalago Academy, a unique K-8 charter school; and the Village Shops at Bellalago which is anchored by a Publix supermarket and includes retail shops, banks and several restaurants. To learn more, call (866) 372-3055 or (800) 249-9045, or log onto MyBellalago.com or AvatarHomes.com.

Solivita® to stage 8th annual Fall Festival on November 14th

2009-11-02T16:52:00Z

POINCIANA, FL---Central Floridians looking to get their holiday shopping done early will have an opportunity to see and purchase the work of 110 local artists and artisans at the 8th annual Fall Festival in the award-winning active adult community of Solivita® in Poinciana.

Open to the public free of charge, the Fall Festival will be held Saturday, November 14th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Solivita’s® Village Center on Village Drive, off Cypress Parkway.

A vast array of arts and crafts is expected to include handmade holiday decorations, floral arrangements, paintings, jewelry, home décor, greeting cards, ceramics, ladies hand bags, quilts, quilted jackets, stained glass, photography, horticulture, cook books, wood products and much more.

There also will be readings and book signings by Solivita® resident authors; art demonstrations by Solivita® residents and staff; two entertainment venues with live music and dance; balloon art and face painting for the kids; and a wide selection of foods and beverages for purchase.

In addition to viewing the work of 110 artists and artisans, the public can purchase raffle tickets to have an opportunity to win arts and crafts donated by each of the vendors. Proceeds will go to the Eastside Elementary School in Haines City.

For additional information and directions, contact the Solivita® Lifestyles Department at (863) 427-7125.

For directions, go to http://www.avatarhomes.com/communities/solivita/directions.html

Solivita® veterans are all about caring and support Veterans Day ceremonies planned at Freedom

2009-10-26T21:26:00Z

POINCIANA, FL---When our nation celebrated its 134th anniversary of the adoption of our country’s Declaration of Independence last July 4th, the Veterans Club of Solivita® signed a Community Covenant that is equally meaningful to active members of our armed forces and their families.

“Our mission is to provide meaningful and appropriate support on a personal level for an active duty unit serving our country and their families during their time of need,” said Commander Herman Velez, a U.S. Air Force veteran.

The Veterans Club has teamed up with the Association of Poinciana Villages and local businesses to propose support for the men, women and families of one of several units of our armed forces, including a Lake Wales-based National Guard unit that will soon deploy to Afghanistan.

On Veterans Day, November 11, the Veterans Club of Solivita® will honor all members of our armed forces, past and present, at its annual Veterans Day ceremonies at Solivita’s® Freedom Park which is adorned with commemorative stones bearing emblems of the various branches of the service, and sand from various combat theaters of operation including Iraq, Afghanistan and Iwo Jima.

Ceremonies will feature the raising of the colors by the club’s honor guard, the singing of the Star Spangled Banner by Gina Marie Incandela who has sung our National Anthem prior to many Orlando Magic basketball games, and a formation flyover by former U.S. Navy pilots from Tampa.

“One of the pilots happens to be the son of Bill Herman, one of our members and a former submarine commander,” said Velez, noting the Veterans Day ceremonies culminate with the formal Veterans Day Ball that evening.

The Veterans Day ceremonies and the Community Covenant are just two of the many meaningful programs undertaken by the Veterans Club and its 215 members representing every branch of the U.S. service and an associate member from Great Britain. Members are all U.S. Armed Forces veterans in good standing or veterans in good standing of an allied country during a time of war.

In addition to providing assistance to numerous area schools and churches throughout the year, the club visits hospitalized veterans at the Veterans Hospital in Orlando, and conducts various events that provide programs and support for its members and outside worthy causes.

The club also has established a Veterans Club of Solivita® Scholarship Foundation which grants scholarships to qualified high school seniors enrolled in a junior ROTC program. This year, seniors from Poinciana and Haines City high schools earned scholarships based on essays they wrote, their overall grades, and their extracurricular activities.

* * * * * * * *

The Veterans Club is one of 144 resident run clubs and organizations in Solivita® which has four consecutive times been named one of America’s 100 Best Master-Planned Communities for active adults by Where to Retire magazine.

The 4,300-acre community, located just 21 miles from Walt Disney World® in Orlando, includes 12 neighborhoods with detached and attached single-family homes priced from the $130s to $300s, two 18-hole championship golf courses at the Stonegate Golf Club, the 32,000 sq. ft. Riviera Spa & Fitness Center, The Palms with its 20,000 sq. ft. lifestyle center, the 17,000 sq. ft. Starlite Ballroom, a total of 18 lighted tennis and pickleball courts, two restaurants, and the Waterfront Galleries with a computer lab, billiards parlor, library, financial gallery, and studios for a variety of arts and crafts.

For more information about the Veterans Club of Solivita, contact Herman Velez at (863) 427-9409 or at eternals@cfl.rr.com. For more information on Solivita®, contact the welcome center at (800) 592-6099, or go to the community’s Web site at http://www.solivita.com.

There’s nothing soft about these Solivita® guys and gals

2009-09-16T20:52:00Z

POINCIANA, FL --- When Long Island native Bob Gaudioso and his wife Rosemarie first visited Solivita® in 2001, they turned to drive into the active adult community’s Village Center and one of the first things they saw was the championship caliber softball diamond in Freedom Park.

“As soon as she saw the softball diamond she said, ‘Oh, oh, we’re going to be buying here, aren’t we?’,” Guadioso recalled with a smile. Rosemarie was right.

Today Bob, an eight year resident in the award-winning active adult community by Avatar® Properties Inc. and past commissioner of the Solivita® Softball Club, is among more than 70 men who participate on four teams four days a week year-round in league and tournament play.

That wasn’t the case when the Club was formed in Solivita’s® infancy back in 2001. “In those days if we got 10 or 12 guys to play that was a lot,” recalls Al Quattrochi, the league’s first commissioner and a Chicago native who gets around the community in his Chicago Cubs-themed golf cart. “Now, during the slower summer months, we’ll get as many as three dozen guys showing up on a given day.”

To maintain parity, teams are selected by talent, and “believe me there’s plenty of it,” said Guadioso, a former shortstop who now plays second base. “In fact, one of our best pitchers is 75 years old and was a tournament MVP (Most Valuable Player).”

While the league “keeps getting better every year,” Guadioso emphasized it’s not without a lot of laughter and the ability to poke fun at each other. “We have an incredible amount of good-natured fun with each other. The only thing we take seriously is our personal performance.”

So do the players of the Diamond Women’s Softball Club, which earned a gold medal while participating in their very first Polk Senior Games earlier this year by knocking off the Tampa Sun City Vintage Babes and the Villages’ Diamond Girls.

With a roster of some 35 women, the Diamond Women’s Softball Club currently participates at Freedom Park on Tuesday and Friday mornings.

“We don’t play baby softball. The action is hot and heavy,” said Naomi Willey, former president of the Diamonds, one of 144 resident run clubs and organizations in the community which has four times been named one of America’s 100 Best Master-Planned Communities for active adults by Where to Retire magazine.

And playing softball is a great way to stay in shape, the gals claim. After 20 minutes of pre-game calisthenics and an hour and half game, the gals say you can often burn off more calories than participating in a fitness class at Solivita’s® two award-winning lifestyle centers.

The 4,300-acre community, located just 21 miles from Walt Disney World® in Orlando, includes 12 neighborhoods with detached and attached single-family homes, two 18-hole championship golf courses at the Stonegate Golf Club, the 32,000 sq. ft. Riviera Spa & Fitness Center, The Palms with its 20,000 sq. ft. lifestyle center, the 17,000 sq. ft. Starlite Ballroom, a total of 18 lighted tennis and pickleball courts, two restaurants, and the Waterfront Galleries with a computer lab, billiards parlor, library, financial gallery, and studios for a variety of arts and crafts.

For more information about the Solivita® Softball Club, contact club president Karl Lengle at (863) 427-6975. To learn more about the Diamond Women’s Softball Club, contact president Ingrid Bornstein at (863) 439-8430. For more information on Solivita®, contact the welcome center at (800) 592-6099, or go to the community’s Web site at http://www.solivita.com.

Entry statement speaks volumes at BellalagoSM / Isles of BellalagoSM

2009-07-06T17:28:00Z

KISSIMMEE, FL --- You may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but a residential community that reads poorly from the street will be anything but a best seller, especially in these tough economic times.

Case in Point: BellalagoSM/Isles of BellalagoSM, winner of over 30 design and marketing awards, including a pair of Best Master-Planned Community awards from the Florida and Metro Orlando Home Builder Associations.

Simply put, BellalagoSM/Isles of BellalagoSM has curb appeal and lots of it. And it all starts with its distinctive, Mediterranean-themed entry statement which speaks volumes about the community’s theme and standard of quality homebuyers can expect to find inside.

The entry features a landmark tower with tile roof and unique signage with the BellalagoSM/Isles of BellalagoSM mark featuring side-by-side green and blue sailboats to suggest boating, togetherness and tranquility. The name BellalagoSM means “Beautiful Lake”, while the sailboat colors suggest nature and water, respectively.

Those elements are complemented by a brace of decorative arbors and colorful landscaping that flank the entry to help establish an immediate sense of arrival, evoke a sense of place, and set the theme and lifestyle for the entire community. A Mediterranean-style gatehouse located just inside the main entry is manned 24/7 and provides a sense of exclusivity, privacy and security.

“The entrance is more than mere window dressing,” said Francesca Vereb, director of marketing for Avatar® Properties Inc., award-winning builder/developer of BellalagoSM/Isles of BellalagoSM.

“It provides a positive first impression for residents and guests alike by visually communicating the community’s unique waterfront personality, and establishes a uniform theme for the entire community,” Vereb explained.

BellalagoSM/Isles of BellalagoSM boasts a distinct water-oriented personality, having over one mile of shoreline on Lake Tohopekaliga (Toho) and over 400 acres of inland lakes and waterways that serve as a backdrop for many of the community’s neighborhoods where Mediterranean-style homes are priced from the low $200s.

All community signage is uniform in design, including entries to the various neighborhoods which are flanked by Mediterranean-style monuments that bear the individual neighborhood name.

In addition to all the water, the 1,695-acre community has two multi-million-dollar amenity complexes. Club Vialago overlooks Lake Toho and features a lifestyle center, state-of-the-art fitness center with cardio and strength-training equipment, and a multi-pool aquatic center comprised of a free-form heated pool with water slide, junior Olympic-sized pool, heated spa, children’s water park, and the poolside Sunset Terrace grille and pavilion where residents can enjoy a limited menu of freshly prepared dinners currently served four days a week.

Other Club Vialago amenities include tennis and volleyball courts, a children’s playground, a lakeside band shell, a multi-million-dollar boat ramp and lift on an inlet to Lake Toho, a boathouse, and a 1,300-foot-long boardwalk with gazebo on Lake Toho that affords residents a perfect venue for bass fishing or simply enjoying the scenic lake views.

Also available to residents is Club Isola which features a clubhouse with fitness center, free-form zero-entry pool, heated spa, an elaborate children’s interactive water park, and tot lot.

BellalagoSM/Isles of BellalagoSM also features Bellalago Academy, a unique K-8 charter school that earned an A grade for the 2007-2008 school year from the Florida Department of Education, and the new Village Shops at Bellalago which is anchored by a Publix supermarket with drive-thru pharmacy, and includes retail shops, banks and several restaurants.

BellalagoSM/Isles of BellalagoSM is located on Pleasant Hill Road, five miles south of Highway 17-92. To learn more, call 866 372-3055 or (800) 249-9045, or log onto MyBellalago.com or AvatarHomes.com.

Solivita® makes list of America’s best places to retire… again

2009-06-23T18:57:00Z

POINCIANA, FL---For the fourth consecutive time, Where to Retire magazine has named Solivita® one of America’s 100 Best Master-Planned Communities for active adults.

The editorial staff of the Houston, Texas-based publication evaluated several hundred communities in 29 states over a nine-month period before selecting its biennial honor roll of retirement communities that will appear in the July/August 2009 issue of the magazine.

“Retirees want more than a home. They want a vibrant lifestyle in a community with friendly neighbors, amenities to keep their minds and bodies active and now, more than ever, superb value. Solivita® is among an elite group of developments that offer today’s retirees a well-rounded, active lifestyle,” according to the magazine’s press release.

A development of Avatar® Properties Inc., Solivita® is Avatar’s® crown jewel in the 47,000-acre Poinciana planned unit development (P.U.D.) and winner of Builder magazine’s 2002 Grand Award as America’s Best Active-Adult Community. Solivita® also made Where to Retire’s prestigious biennial honor roll in 2003, 2005 and 2007, while Avatar’s® Villages of Rio Rico in Rio Rico Arizona made the magazine’s list for the third time.

“Master-planned developments offer the types of amenities that contribute to interesting, active and fulfilling lifestyles. Secure, well-maintained and with amenities like clubhouses, fitness centers and social clubs as well as golf and tennis, our ‘100 Best’ give retirees much more than a house,” said Karen Northridge, Where to Retire publisher.

“Our fourth consecutive recognition assures all of us on the development team that we’re creating the extraordinary lifestyle and living environment for our residents,” said Rick Woodley, Avatar® vice president and general manager of the gated community that has posted over 3,300 new home sales and earned over 75 major marketing and design awards in eight years.

The “Best 100” selections show “a continuing trend toward active retirement, with communities that have walking and biking trails, golf courses and amenity complexes enhanced with state-of-the-art gyms, spas, classrooms for yoga and Pilates, and learning centers to explore subjects from art history to wine appreciation,” according to the magazine’s press release.

“Developments are getting greener---setting aside acreage for preserves and parks and more commonly offering energy-saving features in homes. Many on the list have security in the form of
an entry gate or other types of access control. Several of the ‘100 Best’ also offer unique amenities such as equestrian facilities, dog parks, Internet cafes and community libraries,” noted the magazine’s press release.

Fronting Cypress Parkway in the Polk County portion of Poinciana, Solivita® is a gated community being developed around a Mediterranean-style Village Center just 21 miles from Walt Disney World® in Orlando. The community has 144 resident-run clubs and organizations, over 100 weekly activities, and a host of amenities including two 18-hole championship golf courses at the Stonegate Golf Club, the award-winning 32,000 sq. ft. Riviera Spa & Fitness Center, the 17,000 sq. ft. Starlite Ballroom, several restaurants, and Freedom Park which includes a championship caliber softball diamond, a total of 10 lighted tennis and pickleball courts, and a dog park.

Solivita® also features The Palms amenity complex highlighted by the award-winning, 20,000 sq. ft. lifestyle center with state-of-the-art fitness center, plus an outdoor heated lap and splash pool, two heated whirlpool spas, two championship Har-Tru tennis courts, two lighted boccie courts, and four lighted pickleball courts.

Solivita® currently offers 19 detached single-family home plans from the $130s to the $330s, and four attached single-family home plans in The Courtyards at Montelena from the low $200s. Seventeen furnished models are available for viewing in the community’s model home parks.

For more information about Solivita®, contact the sales and information center at (863) 427-7000 or toll free (800) 592-6099. Additional information can be found on the community’s Web site at http://www.solivita.com.

Husband and wife team join Avatar® Lifestyle Homes at Solivita®

2009-06-23T16:14:00Z

POINCIANA, FL---Avatar® Lifestyle Homes, the resale and rental division at the award-winning active adult community of Solivita®, has expanded its staff by adding the husband and wife team of Richard and Nikki Davies.

Nikki, a licensed broker with a master’s degree in finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, and Richard, a Realtor® with a wealth of experience in international sales and a native of the United Kingdom, join Pat Plumstead and Janice Dusette at Avatar® Lifestyle Homes which “is quickly becoming the office of choice when looking to buy, sell or rent in Solivita®,” said Marty Cohn, the division’s broker of record and new home sales director at Solivita® .

“Richard’s and Nikki’s extensive experience in finance and international sales will enhance our overall operation by better meeting the needs of our resale residents as well as Floridians, out-of-state residents, and international visitors seeking to purchase or rent,” said Plumstead, an experienced Realtor® with a systems background and the original sales associate with Avatar® Lifestyle Homes.

“The fact that we’ve all lived in Solivita® for a number of years and are actively involved in community clubs, activities and events gives us a decided advantage in assisting sellers in pricing and positioning their homes for sale or placing their homes in our rental pool,” said Dusette, a veteran Realtor® who’d been selling new homes at Solivita® for nine years before joining Plumstead at Avatar® Lifestyle Homes.

Rentals at Solivita® “allow renters to fully experience the community and get to really know the residents,” said Plumstead.

Winner of Builder magazine’s 2002 Grand Award as America’s Best Active Adult Community, and three times named one of America’s 100 Best Master Planned Communities for active adults by Where to Retire magazine, Solivita® is being developed by Avatar® Properties Inc. just 21 miles from Walt Disney World® in Orlando.

The community has a host of amenities including two 18-hole championship golf courses at the Stonegate Golf Club; a Mediterranean-style Village Center with three restaurants, the award-winning 32,000 sq. ft. Riviera Spa & Fitness Center, and Freedom Park which includes a championship caliber softball diamond and a total of 10 lighted tennis and pickle-ball courts; and The Palms amenity complex and 20,000 sq. ft. lifestyle center which has already earned a 50+ Housing Award from the National Association of Home Builders and a pair of Aurora Awards at the 2008 Southeast Building Conference.

Solivita® currently offers 19 detached single-family home plans in five collections at base prices from the $130s to the $330s, and four attached single-family home plans in The Courtyards at Montelena at base prices from the low $200s. Seventeen furnished models are featured in the community’s model home parks.

For more information about Avatar® Lifestyle Homes, contact Martin Cohn, broker, at (863) 427-7017, Richard and Nikki Davies at (863) 427-7013, Pat Plumstead at (863) 427-7025 or Janice Dusette at (863) 427-7003. For more information about Solivita® call (800) 592-6099 or visit Solivita’s® Web site at http://www.solivita.com, or go to http://www.AvatarLifestyleHomes.com.

Lots of reasons residents love living at TerraLargoSM

2009-06-18T18:45:00Z

LAKELAND, FL---While the age-old real estate mantra ‘Location, Location, Location’ is a big reason why homebuyers select one community over another, residents at the gated, lakeside community of TerraLargoSM have a long list of reasons why they chose to make their home there.

Lakeland Realtor and TerraLargoSM resident Paul Bulilan perhaps summed it up best. “This is absolutely the perfect place to live in Florida, hands down. We’re close to everything, yet we have the peace and quiet of a beautiful, resort-like setting in the suburbs.”

With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, let us count all the ways TerraLargoSM residents love this 640-acre community being developed by Avatar® Properties Inc.

Beautiful setting: TerraLargoSM features a rolling and lushly landscaped hillside terrain overlooking 29-acre Meadowview Lake where they can fish and operate non-motorized watercraft. The eye-catching setting helped earn TerraLargoSM a 2007 Beautification Award from the City of Lakeland.

Convenient location: Just ½-mile from the Lakeland Square Mall, five miles from downtown Lakeland, 1.5 miles from Interstate 4, and approximately 35 miles and 50 miles away via the Interstate from Tampa and Orlando airports and area attractions, respectively.

Affordable homes: A total of nine 3- and 4-bedroom Mediterranean-style single-family plans from two outstanding collections are available at prices starting in the low $200s, offering home buyers a wide variety of living accommodations of up to 3,162 sq. ft., plus optional bonus rooms.

Recreational amenities: A 5,000 sq. ft. clubhouse complex overlooking the lake serves as the community’s centerpiece and includes a state-of-the-art fitness center and business center, free-form zero-entry pool and spa embraced by landscaped courtyards, a shaded children’s playground, and boardwalk with gazebo on the lake. A YMCA with after-school programs for children is located within walking distance of TerraLargoSM.

Neighborhood schools: Sleepy Hill Elementary and Sleepy Hill Middle schools are located within a 5-minute walk from the TerraLargo’sSM gated main entrance, while a high school is just over four miles away and Florida Southern University is located in nearby Lakeland.

Security: A gated, card-activated entrance provides security and peace of mind for residents.

Located at 1775 Sleepy Hill Road, TerraLargoSM is one of five award-winning Central Florida communities being developed by Avatar®. Others are the gated lakefront communities of BellalagoSM and Isles of BellalagoSM in Kissimmee, the 47,000-acre master-planned community of Poinciana in northwest Osceola and northeast Polk counties, and the 4,300-acre active adult community of Solivita® on the Polk County side of Poinciana.

To learn more about TerraLargoSM, call (866) 261-4526 or visit MyTerraLargo.com or AvatarHomes.com.

Pickleball played with relish at Avatar’s Solivita®

2009-06-18T18:25:00Z

POINCIANA, FL --- The folks at Heinz and Vlasic had nothing to do with naming pickleball, one of America's fastest growing court sports.

A hybrid of tennis, badminton, racquetball and Ping-Pong, pickleball is certainly one of the most popular activities at Solivita®, the award-winning active adult community being developed by Avatar® Properties Inc. on the Polk County side of Poinciana. In fact, it is estimated that active adults make up nearly 40 percent of the nearly 600,000 pickleball players nationwide.

"The growth here has been absolutely phenomenal," said Bob Thies, president of The Smashers, Solivita’s® pickleball club which is the largest club sport in the community with 210 male and female resident members. Club members compete in men's, ladies' and mixed doubles leagues throughout the year, as well as daily open play.

"Pickleball is a good aerobic activity that has a similar skill set to racquetball that requires quick reflexes, shot placement, and strategy," said Thies, who moved to Solivita® six years ago from Rochester, New York.

The game with the unique name is played on a court the same size as a conventional badminton court (20' x 44') with a 3-foot-high net, and equipment that includes what look like overgrown Ping-Pong paddles and a baseball-sized plastic ball which is a seamless composite version of a wiffle ball, only 10-12 times more durable. Players serve underhanded diagonally, and either play the ball off the bounce or volley it outside the 7-foot non-volley zone on either side of the net. Teams score only when serving and games go to 11 points and must be won by two points.

"Because of the court size, pickleball is easier on the knees and back than tennis because you're not covering as much territory, and you can usually keep rallies going longer," Thies said.

Founded by Solivita® resident Shari Teeple, The Smashers is one of 144 resident-run clubs at Solivita®. The club plays on nine lighted pickleball courts: five at Freedom Park in the community's Village Center, and four at The Palms lifestyle center and amenity complex.

Because of Solivita's® ample pickleball facilities and the game's growing popularity, the community has hosted the Polk County Senior Games pickleball competition for the past several years which brings in over 100 players from all over Central Florida.

So where did the inventors of pickleball come up with that doggone name? As the story goes, the game was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island which is a short ferryboat ride from Seattle, according to its co-inventors U.S. Congressman Joel Pritchard, William Bell, and Barney McCallum. Pritchard's friends and family improvised a game on a badminton court using sawed-off badminton racquets and a lightweight, perforated plastic ball to replace their damaged badminton equipment. Pritchard's dog, a cocker spaniel named "Pickles", had a habit of running off with the loose balls, thus inspiring the name of the game that is now 44 years old and continuing to grow in popularity at all age levels.

For more information about The Smashers at Solivita®, contact Bob Thies at (863) 427-0815. For more information about Solivita's® resident-run clubs, activities and events, contact Solivita® Lifestyles at (863) 427-7125 or visit Solivita's® Web site at http://www.solivita.com.

Vendors sought for 8th annual Fall Festival at Solivita®

2009-06-01T16:43:00Z

POINCIANA, FL --- Artists and artisans are being sought for the 8th annual Fall Festival at Solivita® which will be staged November 14th in the Mediterranean-inspired Village Center of the award-winning active adult community in Poinciana.

The colorful pageant is expected to draw over 120 vendors specializing in handmade holiday decorations, floral arrangements, paintings, jewelry, home decor, greeting cards, ceramics, ladies hand bags, plants, quilts, quilted jackets, stained glass, photography, horticulture, cook books, wood products, and more.

The Fall Festival at Solivita® will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is open to the public free of charge.

Vendors interested in securing a 10' x 10' outdoor space for $50 or a 10' x 10' indoor space for $100 have until August 21st to register by calling Solivita® Lifestyles at (863) 427-7125. Applications received by July 13th receive a 10 percent discount.

Avatar has homes from the low $200s in a gated, lakefront community

2009-05-28T18:09:01Z

KISSIMMEE, FL --- Having just introduced new homes from the $70s in its master-planned community of Poinciana, Avatar® Properties Inc. has sharpened its pencil once again by offering new, luxury homes from the low $200s in its gated, lakefront community of BellalagoSM/Isles of BellalagoSM.

"We're not just offering new homes at a great price, but spacious homes on oversized lots in a gated, lakefront community that includes a pair of multi-million-dollar amenity complexes, an A-rated charter school, and neighborhood shopping," said Bruce Cole, Avatar’s® general manager of primary home building operations in Central Florida.

While many production home builders have downsized homes on postage stamp-size lots to maintain affordability and generate sales in the sluggish housing market, Avatar has stepped outside the conventional box to deliver affordably-priced single-family homes on 70-foot-wide by 125-foot-deep homesites in its award-winning, lakefront community.

"Homebuyers will be hard-pressed to find an incredible opportunity like this anywhere else in Central Florida. The location, the lifestyle, the homes and the amenities are second to none," said Cole.

Avatar® is offering "ready-to-go" Mediterranean-style homes from as little $207,939 in Stillwater Landing, one of nine neighborhoods in BellalagoSM/Isles of BellalagoSM which features over one mile of shoreline on Lake Tohopekaliga (Toho) and more than 400 acres of inland lakes and waterways.

The homes are from Avatar's® Classico Series which encompasses six 1- and 2-story plans offering 1,553 to 2,430 sq. ft. of air-conditioned living area. The $207,939 price tag will fetch a 3-bedroom, 2-bath Carrara with 1,789 sq. ft. of living area, while just $263,036 will deliver a 4-bedroom, 3-bath Pisa with 2,430 sq. ft. of living area, a 2-car garage, and a separate 1-car garage.

"Buyers know when they're getting the most bang for their buck," said Cole. "For homes this size on 125-foot-deep lots and an average of 25 feet between homes, it’s an exceptional buy."

Homes in the Classico Series feature tile roofs, brick paver driveways, walkways and entries, and also offer a broad range of floor plan designs that are practical, functional and have lots of visual appeal. Formal dining rooms, spacious great rooms, master baths with Roman-style tubs, designer kitchens, wood cabinetry with oak paneled doors, and ceramic tile in wet areas, are among the many architectural features offered.

Stillwater Landing is within walking distance of Bellalago Academy, a unique K-8 charter school that earned an A grade for the 2007-2008 school year from the Florida Department of Education, and the recently completed Village Shops at Bellalago which is anchored by a Publix supermarket with drive-thru pharmacy, plus several banks and restaurants.

The community, which has earned over 30 design and marketing awards, including two Best Master Planned Community honors in 2004, has its activities centered around two amenity complexes. Club Vialago features a massive lifestyle center, state-of-the-art fitness center, multi-pool aquatic center, children’s water park and tot lot, tennis and basketball courts, a children's playground, band shell, 1,300-foot-long boardwalk with gazebo on Lake Toho, the Sunset Terrace grille, and a boat ramp/lift at Lake Toho for powerboats up to 26 feet. Also available to residents is Club Isola which features a clubhouse with fitness center, free-form zero-entry pool, heated spa, an elaborate children’s interactive water park, and tot lot.

BellalagoSM/Isles of BellalagoSM is located on Pleasant Hill Rd., five miles south of Highway 17-92. For more information call (866) 372-3055 or (800) 249-9045, or visit the community's website at MyBellalago.com.

Avatar homes have “throwback” prices from the 1990s

2009-05-28T18:02:01Z

POINCIANA, FL --- Just 14 years ago Avatar Properties Inc. ran an ad for homes in its planned unit development (P.U.D.) of Poinciana that promoted ‘Homes and temperatures from the 70s'.

It was February 1995 when the award-winning builder-developer introduced its master-planned community of Crescent Lakes near Reedy Creek Elementary School with new homes priced from the $70s to low $100s.

"Sometimes the more things change, the more they really remain the same," said Bruce Cole, Avatar's® general manager of primary homebuilding operations in Central Florida.

Much like sports teams that periodically don "throwback" uniforms to acknowledge teams from another era, Avatar has acknowledged the plight of today's homebuyer in a tough economy by offering single-family homes in its Garden Collection and Community Series at "throwback" prices starting in the $70s.

"These are not lived-in homes at drastically reduced prices, nor are they bank foreclosures. These are new 3- and 4-bedroom homes on oversized homesites that come with a full Builder’s 2-10 warranty and are ready for immediate occupancy," said Cole, acknowledging that Avatar has championed the cause of cost-conscious homebuyers for over 40 years.

"We're opening the door of affordability even wider for first-time homebuyers, families and other market segments that until now have been unable to realize the dream of home ownership," said Cole, noting none of the homes are priced over $175,000. "And first-time buyers are eligible for an $8,000 Federal Tax Credit as well."

Five 3-bedroom plans in the Garden Collection are located on 80-foot-wide homesites in the Villages of Poinciana in Polk County. They are priced from the $70s and offer 1,015 to 1,518 sq. ft. of living area and 20-foot-deep, 2-car garages with ample space for storage.

Five 3- and 4-bedroom plans in the Community Series are available on 70-foot-wide homesites in Deerwood Estates on the Osceola County side of Poinciana. They are priced from the $120s and offer 1,620 to 2,777 sq. ft. of living area.

"The homes are indicative of the fact that the marriage of good design on large homesites in an outstanding community doesn’t have to carry a high price tag," Cole explained.

Available in two elevations per plan, Garden Collection plans offer great rooms, spacious master suites with walk-in wardrobes, master baths with dual-sink vanities (per plan), and kitchens with pantries, breakfast bars, dishwashers, self-cleaning ovens, and ranges with range hoods. The largest plan also includes a formal dining room, and all plans feature 2-car garages.

Available in three elevations each, the Community Series plans offer large family rooms; kitchens with breakfast nooks and breakfast bars; luxurious master suites with walk-in wardrobes; sumptuous master baths with dual-sink vanities, glass-enclosed showers and garden tubs; formal dining rooms; and a variety of options including 5th bedrooms.

Poinciana, a 47,000-acre P.U.D. in northwest Osceola and northeast Polk counties, was named one of America's 100 Nicest Places to Live in 2003 and 2005 by RelocateAmerica.com following a 5-year study of over 5,100 communities throughout the United States. The community currently offers residents 14 neighborhood schools (K-12), shopping and dining in five shopping centers in and around Poinciana Towne Center, a neighborhood YMCA, 18,000 acres of lakes and wooded preserves, 24-hour family medical clinics, and a host of multi-sports and recreation parks. And in the not-too-distant future a 60-bed, acute-care hospital will be coming to Poinciana.

Avatar® and its Central Florida communities have earned over 100 major design and planning awards, including the 2003 APEX Award from Big Builder magazine for America's Most Innovative Product Design.

There’s nothing Shakespearean about these ROMEOs

2009-04-30T16:03:00Z

POINCIANA, FL --- Although they call themselves the ROMEOs, there's nothing Shakespearean about these guys. Unless, of course, you consider what they do over lunch. Then it's sheer poetry in motion.

They are the Retired Old Men Eating Out (ROMEO), a group of 40 gastronomic gourmands from the active adult community of Solivita® who gather once a month for lunch in various Central Florida dining establishments.

"We've dined in everything from large restaurants and hotel resorts to some lesser-known holes in the wall," said David Lane, president of the club that he formed a little over a year ago when many of the members' wives were "literally pushing us out the door to do something" while they were attending their Red Hatters luncheons and events.

"We're the antithesis to the Red Hatters," said Lane, a retired program manager for the telecommunications industry and Solivita® resident for the past 3+ years. "Typically 20-25 guys will get together for lunch to discuss Solivita® happenings, world and national affairs, and tell a joke or two. But most of all, it's a great way to make new friends."

Sporting their bright red ROMEO baseball caps, club members have consumed a wide variety of ethnic foods offered in Central Florida.

"We've had everything from Italian, Chinese, Greek and Polish, to Mexican, Tex/Mex and popular American fare such as ribs, burgers, barbecue and Southern," he said. "And when we're done eating, we rate the restaurant on service, ambience, quality and value of food, and publish our ratings in Solivita's® Reflections newsletter."

While Lane originally intended to limit membership to 20, he said "we've grown exponentially because guys simply like to enjoy good food and fellowship."

The ROMEOs is just one of 144 resident-run clubs and organizations at Solivita® which is being developed by Avatar® Properties Inc. just 21 miles from Walt Disney World® in Orlando. The community also has over 100 weekly activities and a host of amenities including two 18-hole championship golf courses at the Stonegate Golf Club. Golf is complemented by the dynamic Mediterranean-style Village Center with three restaurants and the award-winning 32,000 sq. ft. Riviera Spa & Fitness Center, Freedom Park which includes a championship caliber softball diamond and a total of 10 lighted tennis and pickle-ball courts, and the brand new Palms amenity complex and 20,000 sq. ft. lifestyle center which has already earned a 50+ Housing Award from the National Association of Home Builders and a pair of Aurora Awards at the 2008 Southeast Building Conference.

Winner of Builder magazine's 2002 Grand Award as America's Best Active Adult Community, and three times named one of America's 100 Best Master Planned Communities for active adults by Where to Retire magazine, Solivita® currently offers 19 detached single-family home plans in five collections at base prices from the $130s to the $330s, and four attached single-family home plans in The Courtyards at Montelena at base prices from the low $200s. Seventeen furnished models are featured in the community's model home parks.

For more information about Solivita's® ROMEOs, contact David Lane at (863) 427-6939. For more information about Solivita's® resident-run clubs, activities and events, contact Solivita® Lifestyles at (863) 427-7125 or visit Solivita's® Web site at http://www.solivita.com.

“Be-backs” are Back and Buying at TerraLargoSM

2009-04-30T15:58:00Z

LAKELAND, FL --- While Florida's residential real estate market has been on the ropes for nearly two years, there are signs in one Central Florida community that consumers have begun to come out swinging again.

"It appears as though we've turned the corner and the waiting game is over for a good many homebuyers who've been sitting on the fence waiting for prices to drop or finally selling their existing home. People are beginning to take out their checkbooks and act now," said Ann Tonelli, sales director at TerraLargoSM, an award-winning gated, lakeside community of upscale Mediterranean-style homes being developed by Avatar® Properties Inc. in north Lakeland.

"Our qualified traffic is up considerably in the first quarter and we've already made four sales and another two are about to close which is 100 percent better than this time last year," said Tonelli, emphasizing that TerraLargoSM "has not had a single resale or foreclosure" since the bottom dropped out of the real estate market.

"What's really interesting is that nearly 60 percent of our qualified traffic is be-backs, some of whom first visited nearly two years ago and kept TerraLargoSM at the top of their list. The volume of be-backs is very encouraging and speaks volumes about what buyers think of TerraLargoSM," she said.

Two of those "be-back" buyers are relocations: one a couple from Coconut Grove in South Florida who teach at Florida Southern University in Lakeland, and the other a couple whose jobs brought them from Michigan. Both rented locally for more than a year until they sold their existing homes and purchased new homes at TerraLargoSM.

"While all our amenities have been in place from the outset (5,000 sq. ft. clubhouse with fitness center and meeting rooms, free-form zero-entry pool and spa, shaded children's playground, and boardwalk with gazebo on 29-acre Meadowview Lake) some of our be-backs simply wanted to wait for the community to grow and mature," said Tonelli, noting 40 families currently reside in the 640-acre community which earned a Beautification Award from the City of Lakeland when it opened in 2007.

And mature it has. The sales office has since moved out of the clubhouse which now houses an on-site events planner who arranges monthly resident activities and events and produces a monthly community newsletter, a visitor center with brochures of area attractions, and a business center where residents can purchase postage stamps, utilize fax and copier machines, and have access to a free Notary service.

One of five Central Florida residential communities being developed by Avatar®, TerraLargoSM offers nine 3- and 4-bedroom single-family home plans in two upscale collections at prices from the low-$200s. Three furnished models are available for viewing daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

TerraLargoSM is located at 1775 Sleepy Hill Road, just half a mile from the Lakeland Square Mall, one mile from Interstate 4, and only 500 feet from a neighborhood YMCA and Sleepy Hill Elementary and Sleepy Hill Middle schools.

For more information about TerraLargoSM, call (866) 261-4526, or visit MyTerraLargo.com or AvatarHomes.com.

Avatar and affordability go hand in hand at Poinciana

2009-04-22T15:51:00Z

POINCIANA, FL --- Avatar® Properties Inc., the award-winning builder that has championed the cause of cost-conscious homebuyers for over 40 years, has made affordability a whole lot easier for homebuyers in Poinciana by offering single-family homes in its Garden Collection and Community Series at prices starting in the $70s.

"These are not lived-in homes at drastically reduced prices, nor are they bank foreclosures. These are new 3- and 4-bedroom homes, none priced over $175,000, that come with a full Builder's 2-10 warranty and are ready for immediate occupancy," said Bruce Cole, Avatar's® general manager of primary homebuilding operations in Central Florida.

"We're opening the door of affordability even wider for first-time homebuyers, families and other market segments that until now have been unable to realize the dream of home ownership," said Cole.

"And it gets even better for first-time buyers who are eligible for an $8,000 Federal Tax Credit as well," Cole noted.

Five 3-bedroom plans in the Garden Collection are located on 80-foot-wide homesites in the Villages of Poinciana in Polk County. They are priced from the $70s and offer 1,015 to 1,518 sq. ft. of living area and 20-foot-deep, 2-car garages with ample space for storage.

Five 3- and 4-bedroom plans in the Community Series are available on 70-foot-wide homesites in Deerwood Estates on the Osceola County side of Poinciana. They are priced from the $120s and offer 1,620 to 2,777 sq. ft. of living area.

Available in two elevations per plan, Garden Collection plans offer great rooms, spacious master suites with walk-in wardrobes, master baths with dual-sink vanities (per plan), and kitchens with pantries, breakfast bars, dishwashers, self-cleaning ovens, and ranges with range hoods. The largest plan also includes a formal dining room, and all plans feature 2-car garages.

Available in three elevations each, the Community Series plans offer large family rooms; kitchens with breakfast nooks and breakfast bars; luxurious master suites with walk-in wardrobes; sumptuous master baths with dual-sink vanities, glass-enclosed showers and garden tubs; formal dining rooms; and a variety of options including 5th bedrooms.

Poinciana, a 47,000-acre master planned community in northwest Osceola and northeast Polk counties, was named one of America’s 100 Nicest Places to Live in 2003 and 2005 by RelocateAmerica.com following a 5-year study of over 5,100 communities throughout the United States. The community offers residents 14 neighborhood schools (K-12), shopping and dining in five shopping centers in and around Poinciana Towne Center, a neighborhood YMCA, 18,000 acres of lakes and wooded preserves, 24-hour family medical clinics, and a host of multi-sports and recreation parks throughout the community.

Avatar® and its Central Florida communities have earned over 100 major design and planning awards, including the 2003 APEX Award from Big Builder magazine for America's Most Innovative Product Design.

For more information, visit the Avatar® sales office at Cypress Woods in Poinciana, call an Avatar® sales associate at (407) 935-9006, contact Bruce Cole at (800) 755-0545, or log onto the company’s website at AvatarHomes.com.