Private Equity Residence Club Ownerships Now Available at Catatoga

Lake Toxaway, North Carolina – September 28, 2009. . . Private equity residence club ownerships are now available at Catatoga, a 308-acre resort community near Lake Toxaway. The Residence Club at Catatoga offers one-eighth ownership, deeded interests in either a single-family residence on a private wooded home site or the Lake Lodge overlooking 22-acre Lake Catatoga. Both properties include full access to Catatoga Club’s extensive amenities including two miles of private trout fishing – with one mile designated as trophy brook trout water.

The single-family residence offering provides owners a beautifully and fully furnished three-bedroom, three-and-one-half bath home for just $125,000, while the Lake Lodge offers owners a six-bedroom, six-full and two-half bath fully furnished lakefront lodge for $350,000. The Residence Club at Catatoga offers unlimited, flexible use to owners all four seasons of the year (subject only to the club’s reservation policy and availability).

“The Residence Club at Catatoga allows buyers seeking a world-class mountain getaway the opportunity for home ownership at reasonable prices without the concern and complications of constant maintenance and upkeep,” says Steve Schneider, Merrill Trust Group’s Director of Sales and Marketing. “At Catatoga the club staff takes care of all your needs, including daily cleaning and housekeeping, concierge services, and maintenance. It’s an ideal vacation home solution.”

Catatoga is the perfect location for anyone seeking a serene getaway. In addition to its private lake and trout stream, the gated community is also close to fishing streams and extensive hiking opportunities in the surrounding Pisgah National Forest and Gorges State Park, which borders Catatoga on the south and west.

Nestled among stately hardwood and pine-covered mountains on a high plateau, Catatoga has two spectacular private waterfalls, a clubhouse with outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, Jacuzzi, steam room, sauna, fitness center, game room, bar and lounge, boathouse and dock, and miles of secluded hiking trails. The Outpost cabin—including a general store, outfitters shop and Day Spa—is expected to open this fall. 

There are also completed and fully furnished homes available at Catatoga, as well as home sites located in private wooded settings, some with lake and long-range views. Prices for fully furnished homes start at $595,000, and home sites are available for as little as $85,000. A limited number of Catatoga Club non-resident memberships are also available.

Merrill Trust Group, LLC, is a developer of private clubs and resort communities throughout the southeast. Merrill Trust communities include Foxhall Resort and Sporting Club, the nation’s first urban resort and sporting club residential community in Atlanta, Georgia; Sky Valley Resort and Country Club, the highest elevation community in Georgia; Catatoga, a private retreat in Lake Toxaway, North Carolina; and Daytona Beach Resort and Conference Center, an oceanfront resort in Ormond Beach, Florida.

For more information on Catatoga sales, call Jim Staton at 828-877-6270 or email him at jstaton@catatoga.net. For media information, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

Sky Valley Releases First New Developer Home Sites

Sky Valley, Georgia – September 1, 2009. . . Sky Valley recently released its first home sites since developer Merrill Trust Communities and Resorts, LLC, purchased the community in 2004. There are currently 12 new developer home sites available, most of them situated at 4,000 feet or higher with long distance views toward the mountains of northern Georgia and western North Carolina.

“This is a historic opportunity for new buyers to own some of the prime property in Sky Valley,” says Merrill Trust Group’s Director of Sales and Marketing Steve Schneider. “For the last several years, the only way buyers could find views like this at Sky Valley was to purchase a resale property. Now we have choice home sites available with some of the best views in the community.”

Established in 1969, Sky Valley is Georgia’s highest elevation community, originally established as the southernmost ski resort in the country. The community’s valley floor rests at an elevation of 3,200 feet while the surrounding forested ridgelines climb to elevations over 4,000 feet. One of North Georgia’s most well-established resort residential communities, Sky Valley has a newly redesigned golf course by Bill Bergin, one of Altanta’s premier golf course architects, as well as more than 600 single-family homes, plus condominiums and timeshare units.

The recently released high elevation home sites are one acre plus in size with prices starting at $125,000. In the last 10 weeks, Sky Valley has sold nine properties, showing a definite turnaround in the North Georgia real estate market. “I think people feel comfortable buying here,” says Schneider. “Many of our buyers have parents or grandparents who have owned here for years, and the community has a long history.”

Merrill Trust Group, LLC, is a developer of private clubs and resort communities throughout the southeast. Merrill Trust communities include Foxhall Resort and Sporting Club, an equestrian and golf resort residential community in Atlanta, Georgia; Sky Valley Resort and Country Club, the highest elevation community in Georgia; Catatoga near Lake Toxaway, North Carolina; and Daytona Beach Resort, an oceanfront community in Florida.

For more information on Sky Valley sales, call 800-437-2416, Ext. 3. For media information, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

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What’s Old is New Again: The Draw of Architectural Heritage at Homestead Preserve

Hot Springs, Virginia – June 23, 2009. . . Despite the slowdown in real estate sales and home construction nationwide, the mountain resort community of Hot Springs, Virginia, continues to draw well-to-do vacation home seekers, many of who have recently completed or are building second or third homes at the resort residential community of Homestead Preserve. Located adjacent to the landmark Homestead resort, Homestead Preserve has garnered much attention in recent years for its unusual commitment not just to environmental stewardship but to preserving the architectural legacy of the famed Warm Springs Valley, a centuries-old healing and health escape centered on natural mineral springs.

After more than two years of intensive architectural research, the developers of Homestead Preserve, all of whom were involved in the creation of the award-winning community of Celebration, Florida, began work on a 450-home community in Bath County, Virginia, designed to reflect the native historic architecture and landscaping of the Allegheny Mountains. Situated on 2,300 scenic acres surrounding the villages of Hot Springs and Warm Springs, the development’s homes feature four distinct styles of historic architecture, which include Highland Classical, Highlands Farmhouse, English Romantic, and Highlands Arts and Crafts.

“I believe we have risen to the occasion of a challenging opportunity to create neighborhoods that blend seamlessly into the already existing community of Bath County,” says Homestead Preserve Co-General Manager Don Killoren. “The homes we are building today reflect the architecture that is already here and which has developed naturally over the course of the last two centuries. Not many developers take that kind of care when creating communities to blend the new right in with the old.”

To date, there are more than two dozen completed homes at Homestead Preserve, and seven more are currently under construction. All Homestead Preserve residences have met strict historic architecture guidelines that ensure they blend into or complement the natural landscape. Working closely with Pittsburgh-based Urban Design Associates, Homestead Preserve has developed a Pattern Book that details the area’s rich architectural history, settlement patterns, and even native plants and trees appropriate for landscaping. Architectural firms who contributed to the Pattern Book included Versaci Neumann + Partners, Middleburg, VA; Robert Adam Architects, London, England; John Reagan Architects, Columbus, OH; Frazier Associates, Staunton, VA; Jim Samsel Architects, Asheville, NC; and Commonwealth Associates, Norfolk, VA.

Homestead Preserve has won numerous accolades for its commitment to both historic preservation and environmental and cultural heritage stewardship. Among them are the 2009 Valley Conservation Council Better Models for Development Award for “Excellence in Historic Preservation,” the 2009 Palladio Adaptive Reuse and/or Sympathetic Addition Award for its restoration of a 1920s agricultural complex into a community center, and the 2008 Outstanding Adaptive Use Award from the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities.

Situated on sites ranging in size from ½ to 13 acres, Homestead Preserve “historic” residences range in value from $1 million to over $4 million. They have been constructed of natural materials including wood siding, stone, brick, timber, and stucco. All homes have been served by underground utilities to maintain the historic character of the landscape yet still feature state-of-the-art advances, including new “fiber-to-the-home” technology.

Homestead Preserve developers and Celebration Associates partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren were instrumental in the design and development of Celebration, Florida, near Orlando, which was hailed as the “Most Advanced Community in the Country from 1996-1998” by The Guinness Book of World Records. Celebration Associates has for the past ten years been a partner in developing the community of Baxter Village in South Carolina, and is also a partner leading the real estate development projects at Bundoran Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Mt. Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire. Crosland, LLC, of Charlotte, NC is a financial partner in Homestead Preserve, Bundoran Farm and Mount Washington Resort. Crosland’s President and CEO Todd Mansfield was also directly involved in the development and success of Celebration, Florida. Crosland, LLC, is one of the Southeast’s leading and most diversified real estate companies.

For more information on Homestead Preserve sales, call 877-213-6491. For media information, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com

Homestead Preserve Receives 2009 “Best of the Mountains” Award

Hot Springs, Virginia – April 14, 2009. . . Homestead Preserve was one of six communities receiving “Best Preservation Practices” honors in Pinnacle Living Mountain Homes magazine’s 2009 Best of the Mountains Awards. The magazine cited Homestead Preserve’s conservation of more than 10,000 acres of land with The Nature Conservancy and Virginia Outdoors Foundation as well as its strict architectural guidelines as primary reasons for the award.

Pinnacle Living Mountain Homes also praised Homestead Preserve’s restoration and adaptive reuse of the Old Dairy Community Center in Warm Springs. In 2007, Homestead Preserve developers completed a $6 million restoration of the 1920s agricultural complex and community icon. Old Dairy is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a Virginia Historic Landmark.

“We are honored to be recognized for the fourth year running in Mountain Homes’ ‘Best of the Mountains’ awards,” says Homestead Preserve Co-General Manager Don Killoren. “The fact that we make the list year after year attests to our ongoing commitment to the environment and the community of Bath County.”

The five other communities honored for “Best Preservation Practices” this year include Balsam Mountain Preserve in Sylva, NC; Cold Mountain in Asheville, NC; Red Wolf Run in Asheville, NC; The Cliffs Communities in NC and SC; and The Preserve at English Mountain in Sevierville, TN.

Homestead Preserve developers and Celebration Associates partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren were instrumental in the design and development of Celebration, Florida, near Orlando, which was hailed as the “Most Advanced Community in the Country from 1996-1998” by The Guinness Book of World Records. Celebration Associates has for the past ten years been a partner in developing the community of Baxter Village in South Carolina, and is also a partner leading the real estate development projects at Bundoran Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Mt. Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire. Crosland, LLC, of Charlotte, NC is a financial partner in Homestead Preserve, Bundoran Farm and Mount Washington Resort. Crosland’s President and CEO Todd Mansfield was also directly involved in the development and success of Celebration, Florida. Crosland, LLC, is one of the Southeast’s leading and most diversified real estate companies.

For more information on Homestead Preserve sales, call 877-213-6491. For media information, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

All Property Amenities Complete at Homestead Preserve

Hot Springs, Virginia – January 27, 2009. . . With the fall completion of the Homestead Preserve Boarding Stables at Homestead Preserve, all promised amenities at the resort residential community adjacent to The Homestead are now complete. Equestrian owners will be able to reserve the six-stall stables for their horses beginning in the spring.

The boarding stables completion is the last in a list of promised resort amenities for Homestead Preserve owners, the first of which was the Old Dairy Community Center, completed in May 2007. Old Dairy, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, houses Homestead Preserve’s spa, convention hall, fitness center, recreational rooms, meeting space, country market, pool, and community offices.

Homestead Preserve also has a number of quiet gathering places completed within the community, including Quarry Hill Park and Old Camp Meadow, and roads and infrastructure for most available home sites have been completed with a few remaining fiber optic cables to be run this spring.

“The completion of our amenities is a major milestone,” says Homestead Preserve’s Director of Sales and Marketing Ian McIlvaine. “Owners and prospective owners can rest secure knowing they’ve made a sound investment here at the Preserve. They’re not going to have to wait for infrastructure or amenities to be completed before enjoying their homes here. We’ve provided these services on the front-end of our development. They’re paid for and available now.”

Homestead Preserve developers and Celebration Associates partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren were instrumental in the design and development of Celebration, Florida, near Orlando, which was hailed as the “Most Advanced Community in the Country from 1996-1998” by The Guinness Book of World Records. Celebration Associates has for the past ten years been a partner in developing the community of Baxter Village in South Carolina, and is also a partner leading the real estate development projects at Bundoran Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Mt. Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire. Crosland, LLC. of Charlotte, NC is a financial partner in Homestead Preserve, Bundoran Farm and Mount Washington Resort. Crosland’s President and CEO Todd Mansfield was also directly involved in the development and success of Celebration, Florida. Crosland, LLC. is one of the Southeast’s leading and most diversified real estate companies.

For more information on Homestead Preserve sales, call 877-213-6491. To schedule media interviews with Celebration Associates developers, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

Robert Mitchell Joins Celebration Associates as Partner

Hot Springs, VA – December 1, 2008. . . Bundoran Farm and Homestead Preserve developer Celebration Associates recently invited Robert Mitchell, CEO of Linger Longer Communities in Greensboro, Georgia, to join the firm as a partner in charge of Celebration Associates’ current and future projects in the Carolinas and Georgia.

Mitchell has served as President and CEO of Linger Longer Communities since 2006. Prior to that, he served as President and COO of the 14,000-acre golf community of Reynolds Plantation, which was selected as the number one golf community in America by the Robb Report. Mitchell has more than 30 years of experience in project development and resort management, including work with the Walt Disney Company and the Kessler Collection of Hotels in Florida.

“For as long as I can remember I have wanted to own my own company,” Mitchell says. “Joining Celebration Associates as a partner is going to give me the opportunity to do that in partnership with two of the southeast’s most respected real estate community developers.” Mitchell will assume his new leadership role with Celebration Associates December 1, and will be based in their office in the Village of Baxter.

Celebration Associates partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren were instrumental in the design and development of Celebration, Florida, near Orlando, which was hailed as the “Most Advanced Community in the Country from 1996-1998” by The Guinness Book of World Records.

Celebration Associates has for the past 11 years led the Clear Springs Development Company, owned by The Springs Company, in developing the community of Baxter Village in Fort Mill, South Carolina, and is also the managing partner leading the real estate development projects at Homestead Preserve in Hot Springs, Virginia; Bundoran Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia; and the Mount Washington Resort at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire. Crosland, LLC of Charlotte, NC, is a financial partner in Homestead Preserve, Bundoran Farm and Mount Washington Resort. Crosland’s President and CEO Todd Mansfield was also directly involved in the development and success of Celebration, Florida, and worked with Mitchell when they were both employed by the Walt Disney Company. Crosland, Inc. is one of the Southeast’s leading and most diversified real estate companies.

To schedule media interviews with Celebration Associates developers, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

New Amenities at Echota Include a Mountaintop Pool and New Clubhouse

Boone, North Carolina – October 20, 2008

Echota, the highest-selling resort community in the North Carolina High Country, has new amenities to offer owners this year. The community recently opened its Amenity Center on the Ridge, which offers a central gathering place for Echota and Echota on the Ridge owners with stunning views of the Blue Ridge skyline and Grandfather Mountain.

A timber frame clubhouse with rustic poplar bark siding, the Amenity Center features a billiard room, grand ballroom for parties and get-togethers, kitchen, and elevator access between floors. It also has state-of-the-art fitness equipment lined up in front of a big screen TV as well as two spa treatment rooms where owners can schedule a relaxing massage. An outdoor patio with fireplace and bar offer a lovely space for enjoying crisp spring evenings within view of the mountains.

The Amenity Center’s mountaintop pool also opened last summer, sporting a cascading waterfall feature with native plant landscaping and outdoor spa.

Echota is located about two hours from Charlotte and three hours from Raleigh-Durham. Echota Developer Mark Harrill is President of Foscoe Realty and Development. He is the leading developer of second home resort communities in the North Carolina High Country. He has been developing mountain property in the area for more than two decades and has demonstrated a commitment to blending architecture into the landscape. Echota properties range in cost from the $300,000s to $700,000.

For information on Echota sales, call 866-283-9420. For media inquiries, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

High Country Native Mark Harrill Honored as a “Visionary Developer” as Echota Sales Continue to Grow

Boone, North Carolina – September 11, 2008. . . Mark Harrill, Owner of Foscoe Companies, was recently named one of “5 Visionary Developers” in the 5^th anniversary issue of Mountain Homes Southern Style.

Harrill has been responsible for creating the North Carolina High Country’s highest selling resort community of Echota just outside Boone. Despite lagging real estate sales elsewhere in the country, Echota has closed on 66 real estate transactions in 2008, in keeping with its record last year of 107 closed sales.

“It was no surprise to the staff and owners here at Echota that Mark was honored as one of the southern mountains’ most visionary developers,” says Will Sears, Director of Sales for Echota. “As a native of the High Country, Mark understands the unique challenges of mountain development and has worked hard to build homes that both enhance and preserve the natural landscape.”

Echota offerings, which range from condominiums to large single-family homes, provide owners access to pools, fitness centers, spa amenities, and hiking trails in prices ranging from $300,000 to just over $700,000. “Our price point and the fact that we offer maintenance-free, turnkey homes is the reason we’ve kept selling in an otherwise slow market,” Sears adds. “And because all our amenities are in place and paid for, Echota has been extremely attractive to risk-averse buyers.”

Harrill shared space with several other visionary developers in the fall 2008 issue of Mountain Homes, including Jim Anthony of The Cliffs Communities in North and South Carolina and Mike Ross of the Rarity Communities in Tennessee.

Echota is located about two hours from Charlotte and three hours from Raleigh-Durham. Echota Developer Mark Harrill is President of Foscoe Companies. He is the leading developer of second home resort communities in the North Carolina High Country. He has been developing mountain property in the area for more than two decades and has demonstrated a commitment to blending architecture into the landscape.

For information on Echota sales, call 866-283-9420. For media inquiries, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

The Club Without the Course: Buyers Flock to Natural Amenities in the High Country

Atkins River Farm Conservancy at Echota

Boone, North Carolina – July 17, 2008. . . While the conventional vision of a second home often includes a view of the golf course, sales in the North Carolina High Country, where golf is rarely part of the amenity package, prove that more and more homeowners are seeking the club without the course. According to statistics from the National Association of Realtors®, more than 30 percent of vacation homeowners want to be close to the mountains or other natural scenery. Only about 20 percent consider a golf course an important amenity.

“With second and third home ownership becoming more common among increasingly affluent baby boomers, the breadth of amenities they want is expanding,” says Will Sears, Vice President of Sales and Development at Echota, the most successful second home community in the High Country. “The most important amenity to our buyers is the natural setting and access to hiking and walking trails,” Sears adds. “Everybody wants a view, and we definitely have that here at Echota with the profile of Grandfather Mountain framing our backyard.”

Despite lagging real estate sales elsewhere in the country, Echota has closed more than 50 real estate transactions in 2008, in keeping with its record last year of 107 closed sales. “The market is still hot in the High Country,” Sears says, “but then we’ve always been a place of consistent real estate growth. Buyers like that kind of security.”

Buyers also like the fact that they’re not paying for an 18-hole golf course they will never use. Instead, the typical Echota owner enjoys hiking on the resort community’s 25-acre riverside conservancy or along its linked roads and trails. In addition, Echota and Echota on the Ridge feature two clubhouses, each with swimming pools, fitness centers, and massage studios. The community also has on-site trout fishing ponds and close access to outdoor recreation on the Blue Ridge Parkway and in the Pisgah National Forest.

Echota is located about two hours from Charlotte and three hours from Raleigh-Durham. Echota Developer Mark Harrill is President of Foscoe Realty and Development. He is the leading developer of second home resort communities in the North Carolina High Country. He has been developing mountain property in the area for more than two decades and has demonstrated a commitment to blending architecture into the landscape. Echota properties range in cost from the $300,000s to $700,000.

For information on Echota sales, call 866-283-9420. For media inquiries, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

First Single-Family Home Under Construction at Versant Asheville

First Single-Family Home Under Construction at Versant Asheville

First Single-Family Home Under Construction at Versant

Asheville, NC – July 8, 2008. . . The first single-family home is currently under construction at Versant, the new luxury European style community north of Asheville. The 3,650-sq. ft. home is situated at just under 3,000 feet in elevation, offering Versant’s signature views of the surrounding Blue Ridge skyline.

“The construction of our first single-family home is a milestone event here at Versant,” says Developer Robert Richey. “We’ve spent the last two years and more than $10 million developing infrastructure for Phase I, and we’re excited to see all that hard work coming to fruition.” Richey says the first home will be completed by late fall, and its owners from the nearby community of Candler will be moving in soon thereafter.

Two weeks ago, Versant released its first townhomes for sale.

Shamburger Design Studio of Hendersonville designed the mountain villa style home, and the contractor is Morgan Keefe, one of Asheville’s finest luxury custom home builders.

Versant is a 400-acre community on the north edge of Asheville, overlooking the downtown skyline as well as the famed Grove Park Inn. The community offers single-family homesites as well as a variety of multi-family homes at elevations up to 3,000 feet. Versant is one of only 38 members worldwide of Audubon International’s Gold Signature Sanctuary Program.

For more information on sales at Versant, call 1-866-482-1924. For media inquiries on Versant or renderings of the townhomes, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

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