Home Builders Association sells office to real estate firm

Jim and Becky Todd, who opened real estate brokerage firm Family & Friends Realty on May 9, are purchasing the HBA’s 2,500-square-foot office at 1200 E. Woodhurst Drive, Ste. R-300, for an amount close to the $298,000 asking price, Becky Todd said. The building was listed through Greg Huntsman of Jim Hutcheson Realtors.

The HBA already has found its new home; the organization bought the 6,345-square-foot Building D in Corporate Village, 636 W. Republic Road, on Sept 5. The building, purchased from Corporate Village LLC for $550,000, is undergoing infill under lead contractor Sam Bradley of Sam Bradley Homes, who is working with Shannon Lee of Rock Solid Construction to get the office ready. It should be finished in late February or early March.

In the meeting, Liberty Bank is allowing HBA to use three offices at its 4021 S. Campbell Ave. location free of charge until the organization can move into its new space.

“It’s a temporary situation, and it turned out that we had the space available, and they had the need,” said Steve Hamm, an HBA board member and vice president at Liberty Bank. “It’s right around the corner from where the new office is ... so it worked out really good for them.”

HBA Executive Officer Matt Morrow said that originally, HBA staff members planned to be mobile, working from home during the moving process. They decided, however, that that wouldn’t work.

“The biggest reason why we couldn’t go completely mobile during this time ... is that we’ve got the Home Show coming up” the last weekend in January, Morrow said. “People need to be able to come somewhere and look at maps, and weigh their options on locations for the show. (And) I think it’s good to have some place where people can come in if they want to meet with us about different things.”

Hamm, who handles construction lending at Liberty Bank, said the bank is glad to help.

“We’ve had a very good relationship with the HBA over several years and this is just another opportunity to continue our involvement with them,” he said.

The Todds have seven team members providing real estate services through Todd Family & Friends LLC. Initially working out of basement offices in the Todds’ Emerald Park home, the company had been looking for office space since opening shop.

Beyond what she called an “excellent location,” Todd said there are several reasons they chose the HBA’s building.

“They had ... in the last few years, done a major remodel of the property, and comparing it to the new properties that were available and were structure only and would require infill ... the additional costs per square foot didn’t justify buying new,” she said, noting that she doesn’t anticipate having to make any changes to the Woodhurst building before moving in.

“We don’t have the energy or the time to put into either a remodel or to do the infill on a new property, and that’s what’s so appealing ,” Todd added. “It gets us set up and ready for the new year,” Todd added.

Todd Family & Friends LLC has closed $21 million in sales in 2006 as of Oct. 11.[[In-content Ad]]