“I would say the last two years have been as rewarding as any I’ve seen in 15 years,” grinned Lee Arberg, Senior Vice-President of Sales for Reynolds Plantation Properties when asked to provide a recap of Reynolds Lake Oconee’s sales and development in 2014. “With the books closed on 2014, I am more proud than ever of Reynolds Plantation Properties performance and really tickled about the changes on the horizon.”
The Reynolds Lake Oconee sales team had 154 transactions, comprised of 103 resale properties and 51 developer-owned properties. “We exceeded our budgeted targets at underneath our budgeted costs, while maintaining a healthy balance between resale properties and new properties,” said Arberg. “In fact, the percentage of resales to developer-owned properties was consistent with last year,” he went on, ““two-thirds of what we sold was resale property in the form of existing Reynolds owners moving up, downsizing, and in some cases, moving on. The balance of sales – one third – was developer-owned property. On balance it was a terrific year for the Reynolds team both in resales and in developer-owned property, and we view each category to be of equal importance.”
The affable Arberg, who has been at the helm for Reynolds Plantation Properties for 15 years, was happy to elaborate when asked to. “Our team has a familiarity that comes from working and representing only Reynolds Lake Oconee, and in most cases also living within the community. We feel that this daily expertise is one key to our long term success, and frankly, we don’t want to try and figure out everything from one corner of the Lake Country to the other. We like what we have just fine, feel we know it best because of that singleness of purpose, and feel that this provides efficiency for new customers as well as existing owners who recognize the value of living in Reynolds Lake Oconee.”
“Equally important to new customers and existing Members also is the working familiarity with new developer-owned offerings.” Arberg continued, “in the last couple of years, these sales of developer-owned real estate have helped provide the financial momentum to rebuild golf courses, halfway houses and restaurants, and add new facilities like the soon to open National Golf Village and Tavern. This Spring, we will continue with the popular Villas at The Landing, open some terrific model homes in the Creek Club area and are putting the finishing touches on new roads for the first time in a long time for a Spring release of homesites on the Lake out at Horseshoe Bend.”
“It’s great to see red dirt again!” beamed Arberg, and after a pause, “and those things are all directly connected to the developer-owned property sales we did this past year.”
By this point Arberg is in a full lather and is nearly pacing about the room. “But you know,” he said, “with all that’s been sold and all that’s been built, to me perhaps the best thing is what’s been rebuilt over the last couple of years. It’s that rhythm of Reynolds Lake Oconee's pride again; that Reynolds spirit; and that healthy and happy swagger!” he crowed
And with that, he bounded past me, grinning and bouncing along, making no apologies for the need to get back to work…
