Homebuilders and Realtors® in the news July 30, 2011
Seagate, CBV Resort Homes, Watson Mortgage, Re/Max Heritage, Adams Cameron
Palm Coast, FL – July 30, 2011 – Several Palm Coast area homebuilders and Realtors® have been active recently. Here are a few making the news:
Watson Mortgage:
Valerie Clymer is a recipient of an award for her work with first-time homebuyers in 2010. Given by the Florida Housing Finance Corp. at a recent awards banquet, Ms. Clymer was the only loan originator from Flagler County to receive this award. The first-time homebuyers program assists borrowers that qualify with down payments and closing cost assistance according to their income. These awards are given based on the number of homeowners that each loan originator, lender and underwriter processes to get into a home. In total, Watson Mortgage Corp. walked away with 10 Awards, including the No. 1 Underwriter for the Florida Bond Program.
Allen LeBeau – Re/Max Heritage:
Palm Coast Plantation was left in the lurch when their developer walked away from the Intracoastal gated community. The residents inherited the homeowners association, but no developer sales staff remained on-site to promote new home construction or to handle sales of existing homes and lots. The owners association picked up the ball and solicited the Realtor® community to propose a plan that would trade an on-site sales office in the community center for a commitment to staff the office and actively promote the community.
The association selected Allen LeBeau of Remax Heritage Realty. Allen has begun in earnest. The Flagler Chamber of Commerce conducted an open-house and ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday to reacquaint Chamber members and local public officials with Palm Coast Plantation.
GoToby.com was informed that Palm Coast Plantation’s Homeowners Association is in excellent fiscal shape and new homes can be seen under construction.
Adams Cameron:
Edson Grahm has joined the sales staff of Adams Cameron’s Ponce Inlet office located at 4600 S. Atlantic Avenue.
SeaGate Homes:
Palm Coast’s largest homebuilder recently opened The Sabal model a new Palm Coast Model Center located on the corner of Bayside Drive and Belle Terre Pkwy. The 2,049-square-foot, four-bedroom, two-bath furnished model – which was professionally decorated in a British West Indies style and features an airy kitchen with bay windows in the large breakfast area – is for sale with a lease-back option and is priced at $178,000, according to Michael Sawdai, SeaGate’s vice president of operations.“The Sabal was designed to meet the demands of today’s discriminating homebuyers,” Sawdai said. “The model showcases features, such as granite countertops, ceramic tile floors, upgraded appliances and a stone-front exterior with concrete pavers in the driveway that would cost extra in many other homes.”
The model also has a large master closet, an oversized great room and a fourth bedroom that works well as a den, home office or guest quarters, he said.
CBV Resort Homes:
Flagler County custom builder, CBV Resort Homes, has been selected as the exclusive 2011 Featured Builder of The Year for Northeast Florida by American Builder TV. This 30 minute feature presentation will film this summer and air in the fall. The nationally aired show has been seen on Fox, Ion and the CW networks and will highlight the unique and successful rise of the CBV Family of Companies, featuring CBV Resort Homes, and including Cinnamon Beach Realty and Cinnamon Beach Vacations.
GoToby.com will be running a weekly update on local happenings in the world of homebuilders and real estate practitioners. Please send any news for possible inclusion to Toby@GoToby.com
Congratulations to All!
It is so refreshing to hear people being rewarded for their hard work again! Congratulations Valerie, I know you have worked hard to get first time homebuyers into homes!
Allen will do a great job with Palm Coast Plantation and we look forward to seeing its successes!
The SeaGate Model is beautiful and I am delighted that new models are being made available again! Congratulations SeaGate on your continued commitment to our community!
CBV Homes~ I cannot wait to see your show! Your homes are beautiful. Congratulations on your successes!
Watson Realty~ Congratulations, you are obviously doing things right!
Great article Toby, it made me smile!
CBV homes buyer be ware!!!!!
Beware!!!! Under the guise of a charismatic first class custom builder is a bully, liar, thief and narcissist. We entered into contract with Leonard Giancola (of CBV homes) to build us a small model home ($299,900) on property we owned outright. We entrusted him with our cash life savings and did not use an escrow account. This gave him total and complete power and control over our lives for many long months. He would not make corrections to the plans which contained dozens of errors. He promised with assurances that his builder “Eric could fix any thing”. On the contrary, Eric is either incompetent or negligent in his duties as a licensed contractor when he did not get the required permits for my mini split air-conditioning system, did not get amended plans nor the required re inspections on 4 separate structural screw ups on my cement block walls and wood framing. He provided no oversight or quality control with the 24 sub contractors working on the home, leaving my home with abysmal workmanship.
Leonard and Eric violated Articles 5.1, 6.1, 6.2, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 8.1, 10.1 of our contract and (if not broke, bent) these laws, 501.204, 501.2077, 489.126, 489.113, 489.129 (1) (h) (2) (h) (o) (q), 489.1425, 817.034, 812.014, 806.13. Leonard on 4 separate occasions has refused to give us a copy of our signed contact. He has refused to provide receipts for the moneys I gave him. He called my 65 year old wife a “LIAR” when she was locked out for many days and could not inspect work completed. Meanwhile Leonard demanded the trim draw of $40,000 way before the job was done. This event also resulted in them locking us out of our house and not communicating with us for 6 days until they received the check. We paid the draw and latter discovered none of our doors were installed with shims (which are required per masonite door manufacture) rendering many of them unable to close and or latch properly including the Fire rated door to the garage.
Leonard realized he could extort any amount of money from us because, if we didn’t pay, no big deal for him, the house would sit. He knew we were desperate to get into our new home. Our rental lease was coming due and we were going to be homeless.
I did finally open an escrow account with a law firm for the final draw payment of $29,000 (to be paid at the issuance of the certificate of occupancy). Forty minutes after notifying Leonard of this account, he stated “I was in breach of contract and he was going to sick his team of attorneys” on us. There was NO breach of contract! This Bully knew he would have to explain all the extorted moneys at the closing. So he abandoned the job by removing the dumpster and the required portable toilet, locked the doors (for which we did not have keys) and kept the doors locked for 36 days. Six days latter he sent us an email. In this document he demanded we give him “the entire Last $29,000 draw payment in cash and he would finish our home in good faith”, this was a breach of contract. Or he would take this lawsuit before a judge and it would take ”several years, meanwhile the house would sit”. Or he would let me finish it as owner builder and we could use his sub contractors to finish the home.
We had been under his total control for so many months we would sign anything to get this evil man out of our lives. We chose the owner builder option, knowing that the subcontractors would be required to return and fix all their lousy work man ship.
Leonard went behind our back and told all the subs the job was done and they did not have to return to fix anything. Out of the 24 subs only 4 did return to fix a few things.
For the privilege of giving CBV $305,000 we acquired a home 80% done and in a state of total disrepair.
In addition to the $20,000 extorted from us we incurred $13,000 in costs fixing the defects in my home and $33,000 in labor costs for the 1400 hours required to get the home habitable for the CO. The total loss to me is $66,000 and there is nothing that can be done to recover this theft in the state of Florida. The builders lobby has paid their way to total immunity for immoral conduct.
I did call Flagler County building department (Ed Rodriguez ) and he said, this wasn’t part of his job at code enforcement, then what is code enforcement. They did not care about the dangerous structural defects. I sent a short email to the DBPR expecting them to ask for additional information and investigate this builder. Without any follow up at all they ruled Eric had done nothing wrong but if I feel they had, I should proceed with a civil case against them. I sent a letter to (Eric Phillips) , at the Flagler Home Builders Association with no reply. I sent a 190 page packet of information and photographic proof to the Attorney Generals office in Tallahassee and she wanted me to go to the sherifs office and file criminal complaints against them.
At this point we have not done so and are not sure if we have the fortitude to go through a lengthy legal process. My wife has had marked fluctuations with her health (she has had serious complications with cancer treatment) dealing with this evil. Leonard, has no empathy for any one and we are very fearful of his anger, spite and retaliatory personality. Moreover, Len has made it quite clear that I would suffer complete financial ruin if I pursue this in court.
We will however be filing the insurance claim against CBV and all the subcontractors for the structural defects hidden in our walls. I would suggest to any one who has had cbv build their home, have a good inspector look over for hidden defects. Also, if paying cash get a great lawyer and escrow your money.