PALENCIA HOME BY THE VINTAGE GROUP WINS FIRST PLACE IN ST. JOHNS COUNTY PARADE OF HOMES

St. Augustine, Fla. – Northeast Florida-based The Vintage Group is the proud recipient of a first place award in the 2007 St. Johns County Parade of Homes for the Barletta III in Palencia.

Nestled among 2,400 acres along the Intracoastal Waterway off U.S. 1 between St. Augustine and Jacksonville, Palencia is designed for 2,350 residences featuring a variety of housing options by lifestyle and price from the $200s to more than $4 million—including new innovative Village Center live/work units, cottages, villas, condominiums, single-family and pristine lots.

The St. Johns Builders Council is for builders, developers, re-modelers and other companies who have an interest in the construction industry, specifically in St. Johns County. Judging for The St. Johns County Parade of Homes was held in August and showcased dozens of the area’s best builders. New homes, remodels and re-sales were eligible to enter.

Jerry L. Linder, Jr and The Vintage Group are no strangers to building award-winning homes or honors. Multiple winners for floor plans and interior design, the firm is a perennial winner in the annual Northeast Florida Builders Association Parade of Homes and Sales and Marketing Council’s Laurel Awards.

The builder is one of the largest forces behind Palencia’s highly successful development. The Vintage Group has already built 43 homes in Palencia. The 13-year-old company has four homes under construction, three inventory homes available for purchase and 18 remaining lots available throughout the award-winning master planned community developed by Hines.

“We are honored to have been chosen in this year’s parade,” Linder said. “This award is a tribute to our company, our team and the design of this home.”

This five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath Barletta III home is located in Palencia’s Sebastian Square neighborhood and is priced at $675,000.

“The Barletta plan is one that has given us much success due to the flexibility it gives our buyers,” Linder added.

With over 3,100 square feet of living space, the Barletta provides separate living areas for all. The large master suite and two other bedrooms are downstairs, while the fourth and fifth bedrooms are upstairs. The kitchen is conveniently located in the heart of the home. Beautiful windows, an interesting roofline, paver driveway and courtyard garage add to the curb appeal.

Interior accoutrements include Bosch appliances with double ovens, granite countertops with tile backsplash, raised panel wood maple cabinets, custom baseboards, crown molding and a gas fireplace.

The Vintage Group’s exterior styles throughout Palencia include Mediterranean, Traditional and French Country, to name a few. Custom built homes can also be a combination of dozens of different floor plans, which range from 2,800-square-feet to more than 6,000-square feet.

Homebuyers can choose from several different Vintage Group styles of homes ranging from the half million-dollar mark to well over $2 million.

In addition to having the home of your dreams, the community itself is the first-of-its-kind in Northeast Florida. Neighborhood amenities include green spaces and nature trails, athletic parks with ball fields, pocket parks and playgrounds woven throughout the community and even a pirate ship playground.

The central gathering point of the community is Palencia Village, featuring the Palencia golf club, golf practice facility, swim and fitness center, the Village Green, tennis center and nearby athletic fields.

The Palencia Club, the community’s private championship golf club, features 18 holes of demanding and dramatic golf over the 7,017-yard course. The par-72 course was designed by Arthur Hills and attracts many homebuyers.

Linder, president of The Vintage Group is the proud recipient of several honors of distinction among the building community including Clay County Builder of the Year, the Dick Baker Award, Twelve Who Care and the Good Neighbor Award. Linder also served as president of the Northeast Florida Builder’s Association (NEFBA).

To visit Palencia take U.S. Highway 1 south to Palencia Village Drive, located east of International Golf Parkway in St. Johns County. The Information Center is located approximately one mile inside the entrance.

For more information about Palencia, call (904) 810-0500, or visit Palencia online at www.VivaPalencia.com. The Sales and Information Center, as well as model homes, are open seven days a week, Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.