Sold! $9.16M 4,071-acre Ranch in Highlands County

Closed this month was the 4,071- acre ranch in Hardee County. Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM represented the seller. Marty Wohl, sales associate with Heartland Real Estate in Sebring, FL, represented the buyer. The sale was $9,161,842 for 4,071 acres.

The Hardee County ranch, just south of Zolfo Springs is crossed by Charlie Creek, Fish Branch Creek, and two smaller creeks and is covered with native Florida vegetation and wildlife habitats. The entire length of Charlie Creek, which empties into the Peace River, provides the property with 4-miles of frontage on both sides. The ranch is a blend of pasture, farmland, native land, and woods. The property will remain in its present state and will be used for recreation.

For more information, contact Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM at 863.648.1528.

Marketing Strategist, Matthew E. Wengerd Joins CBC Saunders Real Estate and CBC Saunders Ralston Dantlzer Realty

Matthew E. Wengerd of Lakeland, FL recently joined Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate and Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Ralston Dantzler Realty as Marketing Strategist. Wengerd will be leading the state-wide marketing efforts for the land real estate brokerage and the commercial real estate brokerage, both located in downtown Lakeland.


Wengerd’s previous work for the Polk Museum of Art and the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce brings excellent business perspectives, marketing strategies, and design initiatives to the companies. “I’ve been involved in marketing and promotion efforts for non-profits, research pro¬grams, and businesses,” Wengerd says. “I’m incredibly interested in the process of moving someone from stranger-to-friend-to-customer by using new media and the internet, utilizing its power to connect companies to their audience in real-time.”

Wengerd is owner of A Fine Press, a hands-on artisan business where he works with clients to design and create one-of-a-kind custom stationery boutique products. He is a well-known Jazz musician within the local community, who performs Jazz at events all over Central Florida. In addition, he has been an on-air host at WUSF 89.7 radio.

Wengerd graduated from the University of South Florida (Tampa, FL) with a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies and from Southeastern University (Lakeland, FL) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education.

Dean Saunders, Recognized by Two Central Florida Realtors® Associations – Just Announced

Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM, founder of and broker for Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate in Lakeland, FL, received multiple Hallmark awards and one Pinnacle award from the Central Florida Commercial Association of Realtors® (CFCAR)) and the Florida Gulf Coast Association of Realtors® (FGCAR).

• FGCAR Pinnacle Award - #1 Sales Professional National - Land

• CFCAR Hallmark Award - Overall Top Producer - Land

• CFCAR Hallmark Award - Overall Top Producer by Volume

• CFCAR Hallmark Award - Top Producer - Polk County

Richard Dempsey, ALC, Earns 2011 CBC Top 2% Recognition for Sales

For the third time, the top 2% award goes to Richard Dempsey, ALC, Realtor®, and sales associate at Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate (CBCSRE) in Lakeland, FL. 

      He has been recognized as a member of the Coldwell Banker Commercial (CBC) Top 2% earners of 3,000 associates in the Coldwell Banker Commercial network. The CBC “Top 2%” category has an elite membership recognized from the worldwide CBC brokers and agents network and is based upon the 2011 sales year.

For 2011, Dempsey also earned the CBC Circle of Distinction Bronze award. He has earned four other Circle of Distinction awards at various levels since 2006.

Dempsey has been associated with Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate  since 2000 and specializes in large acreage tracts, citrus groves, and development properties. His real estate career began in 1984 as an appraiser for the Polk County Property Appraiser’s Office and thirteen years as a state certified general appraiser with an agricultural lender appraising a wide variety of properties. His experience includes small residential tracts up to 25,000-acre groves, along with various types of commercial properties all over the state. Having sales and appraisal experience throughout Florida, Dempsey is knowledgeable about the diverse aspects of today’s real estate market.

He has received numerous industry awards for outstanding sales in real estate, including twice in the top 25 worldwide sales associates in the global Coldwell Banker Commercial (CBC) affiliate network and top #2 rank in the region for sales performance by FGCAR (Florida Gulfcoast Commercial Association of REALTORS®), among others.

Dempsey was voted Realtor® of the Year in 2011 by the Lakeland Area Association of Realtors® (LAR). He is past president of LAR and the current chairman of the RPAC Committee. He is also the Florida Realtors® District 10 Vice President and serves as the Federal Political Coordinator for U.S. Congressman Dennis Ross.

Dempsey is a Lakeland native. In addition to his service to the Lakeland Association of Realtors®, he has served on the corporate Coldwell Banker Commercial technology council.

CBC Saunders Real Estate Welcomes W.C. “Boo” Graves IV as Sales Associate

W.C. “Boo” Graves, IV, recently joined Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate, as Sales Associate. Living in Vero Beach, FL, he covers the east Florida coast. He is a native Floridian, and a third-generation Indian River County citrus grower.

He has been a Florida real estate broker since 1982, specializing in agricultural land and farmland real estate. Previously, he worked for his family's citrus business that included groves, a packinghouse, and a retail fruit stand. His background includes ownership of a company specializing in agricultural and farm properties and co-ownership of an international citrus brokerage firm.

Boo has held positions on the Board of the Indian River Citrus League, the Indian River County Agricultural Advisory Committee, and the Board of Supervisors of the Indian River Farms Water Control District. He was also on the board of the Indian River National Bank for 20 years.

Boo obtained a bachelor of science degree in Citrus Business from Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL. He is a member of the Lakeland Association of Realtors® and the Realtors® Association of Indian River County.

Five CBCSRE Land Professionals Attend 2012 RLI Denver Land Conference

Five of Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate's land professionals from Lakeland, FL recently attended the Realtors® Land Institute’s (RLI) 2012 National Land Conference in Denver, CO.

The CBCSRE Land real estate professionals who attended were:  Clay Taylor, ALC; Brian Beasley CCA, CNLM; David Hitchcock, ALC; William“Boo” Graves; and Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM. We are proud of our sales associates, who continually pursue excellence through accreditation and education in their specialties.

For more information about the company, visit www.saundersrealestate.com.

(photo l-r: Clay Taylor, Brian Beasley, Boo Graves, David Hitchcock, Dean Saunders)

For Sale: Beautiful Drew Plantation- 516 +/- Acres in Lake County

Drew Plantation is a nice mix of improved pasture and wooded pasture with woods that are primarily large grandfather live oaks with some scrub land.


This parcel would make an ideal large-acreage rural subdivision for horse enthusiasts or for someone who just wants more space around them. It also would be ideal for a weekend recreational retreat. It is very conveniently located to most any place in Central Florida!

Contact Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM at 863-648-1528

www.saundersrealestate.com 

Dean Saunders is Three-time Winner of Coldwell Banker Commercial’s #1 Global Sales Professional Award for 2011

Dean Saunders earns the CBC #1 Global Sales Professional Award for the third time.

Commenting on his sales success in challenging markets, Saunders says, “As John D. Rockefeller once said, ‘the major fortunes in America have been made in land.’ The variable market challenges will only shift the buyer’s demographics but not the ability to get land sold. Right now, strong commodity pricing is affecting farmland and is where investors are placing their money. A real estate broker needs to know their market as it relates to the repositioning of buyer demographics to be successful in all economic times.”

In 2011, the firm’s year-end totals were $107 MM in land sales, 79 transactions, and 22,771 acres sold. The company’s success rests in the expert knowledge of the 15 broker associates and agent land professionals

Summary - Coldwell Banker Commercial Awards

Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM has earned the following awards for the sales year 2011 from Coldwell Banker Commercial:

·         #1 Sales Professional Global and North America (3^rd Time – 2011, 2010, 2008)

·         #1 Sales Professional in Florida

·         #1 Sales Professional in Land Category

·         #1 Sales Professional in Sales Category

·         Top 2% Sales Professional (2006-2011)

·         Circle of Distinction – Platinum

Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate Office has earned sales awards:

·         The Commercial Elite Office Award (#2 Office in Top 15 Globally) -2011, 2010, 2008, 2007, 2006

·         #1 Office in State of Florida

Florida’s Top Land Brokerage, CBC Saunders Real Estate Named to “America’s Best Brokerages” 2011 List

The “America’s Best Brokerages” 2011 list by The Land Report includes Coldwell BankerCommercial Saunders Real Estate of Lakeland, FL for the second year in a row, along with 73 land brokerage firms nationwide that represent the best from across America. In the Southeast’s 12-state region, CBC Saunders Real Estate was one of only 16 land brokers in the region selected for the list.

The $107 MM year-end for the firm was highlighted by the $24 MM transaction for the Fisheating Creek conservation easement, brokered by Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM. The 14 seasoned land professionals, many with specialty credentials, cover the state of Florida and are authorities on Florida land of all types.

 Contributing to the firm’s sales for 2011 were million-dollar closers,Richard Dempsey, ALC; Ben Gibson; Jeff Cusson, CCIM; David Goodlett; Clay Taylor, ALC; and David Hitchcock, ALC.

Sold: Ocala Development Land Closes for $2.839 MM for 284 +/ Acres

The recent sale of entitled lots developmentland located in Ocala, Florida were handled by  Clay Taylor, ALC and David Hitchcock, ALC.  The 284 +/- acres along a vast I-75 frontage sold for $2,839,802 and includes 589 entitled lots. The property is part of the Heath Brook PUD/DRI, where phase IA and IB are completed with 213 finished lots. The 284 acres, which sold, are Phase II & III. The property is nestled among scenic neighboring horse farms and upscale single family developments.

For more information, contact 863-648-1528 or visit www.saundersrealestate.com.