By Bob Koslow
bob.koslow@news-jrnl.com
NEW SMYRNA BEACH — When Jason Stanley, owner of Melbourne- based Stanley Homes, found himself running short of ready to- build house lots in Brevard County about two years ago, he looked north to Volusia County. What he found was Savannah Pointe, a ready-made but idle subdivision in Venetian Bay Town & Country Club. The master-planned New Smyrna Beach community fit with Stanley Homes’ experience of building $300,000 to $400,000 customized houses in golfing communities, but Savannah Pointe is a bit different.
Savannah Pointe was platted in 2004 for 92 villas, single-family homes on individual lots but that share a common center wall similar to a duplex.
“I like this type of master-planned community with the golf and the shops and amenities.
We have done several in Brevard,” said Stanley, a third generation homebuilder who started his own company in 2003.
“We had tried to buy other lots (in Venetian Bay), but were beat out so we ended up making the best offer here.”
Tiffany Homes began building homes in Savannah Pointe, but only completed 14 houses before the real estate market crashed in 2007 and the project was abandoned.
Canada-based Geosam Capital Ltd. bought Savannah Pointe in late 2011 before buying the Venetian Bay golf course and other undeveloped land in Venetian Bay to become the master developer in 2012.
Stanley Homes agreed in 2013 to buy the remaining 78 Savannah Pointe lots over a period of time and resume the project. It took Stanley Homes time to design new floor plans and get started, selling just 10 homes before the start of this year.
Since then, sales have taken off with 20 sales through the first half of this year, said Mary Ann Murray, broker for Venetian Bay Realty, the exclusive sales firm for Stanley Homes in Venetian Bay.
“We are attracting snowbirds… and also the empty nesters looking to downsize,” she said. “Stanley really found a niche with those demographics for a nice product in this community that has golf, a swim club and more.” Savannah Pointe owners pay a $150 a month homeowners association fee that covers landscape maintenance as well as exterior painting and outside building maintenance.
Savannah Pointe is at the low end of the Venetian Bay price range, but still has a significant place in the community, said Martin Pham, vice president of operations for Geosam Capital.
“The duplex residences by Stanley Homes have added to the array of residential options for people looking for a maintenance- free living space that fits their lifestyle.
Stanley Homes’ offerings complement what we continue to see as a very positive upswing in Venetian Bay,” Pham said.
Stanley Homes offers four floor plans in Venetian Bay, each just under 2,000 square feet. There are three- and two bedroom plans, some have a den. Each has two bathrooms and a two car garage, either a front entry or a rear entry off an alley.
Each house has a covered porch.
Prices start in the low $200,000s, and each plan can be personalized with a variety of options. “We like to have four to six inventory homes ready, but as soon as we start to build one, it gets bought before we finish,” Stanley said.
“There are also investment opportunities where someone can buy a house and we’ll lease it back and use it as a model until the owner is ready to move.”
Jason Stanley, owner of Melbourne-based Stanley Homes, has been busy this year building these duplex houses in the Savannah Pointe section of the master-planned Venetian Bay community in New Smyrna Beach. NEWS-JOURNAL/BOB KOSLOW