Carroll Organization and Starwood Capital Group Announce Acquisition of 360-Unit Property in Houston













Carroll at Shadow Creek Ranch


Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) February 16, 2012

Carroll Organization, a multi-faceted enterprise focusing on the ownership and operation of multifamily real estate, and Starwood Capital Group, a leading private investment firm focused on real estate, are pleased to announce the acquisition of a 360-unit Class A apartment community located in a highly desirable submarket of Houston, Texas. The community, which will be rebranded as Carroll at Shadow Creek Ranch, is perfectly situated in Shadow Creek Ranch, a master–planned community which features over 900 acres of glistening lakes and community parks.

Carroll at Shadow Creek Ranch features one-, two- and three-bedroom garden-style apartment homes with direct access to one or two car garages. Community amenities include a high tech cardio strength training facility, an 1100+ square foot playground for children, a billiard room and a resort style pool. Additional amenities include lofty 9-foot ceilings with crown molding, custom wood cabinetry, full sized washer and dryers, black appliances and large walk-in closets.

Built in 2010, Carroll at Shadow Creek Ranch is located just eight miles south of Texas Medical Center, the largest medical complex in the world and Houston’s largest job generator. Citywide amenities and retail centers such as Pearland Town Center and Shadow Creek Town Center are also within close proximity of the community. Additionally, the fifteen minute commute into Downtown Houston allows easy access to dining, entertainment, shopping and nightlife.

“With this transaction, Starwood Capital Group has now invested in 22 multifamily properties totaling 5,770 units over the last two years as part of its ongoing and successful strategy to acquire and develop well located properties in markets with strong fundamentals. This acquisition brings our multifamily portfolio to a total of 8,760 units,” said James Kane, a Vice President at Starwood Capital. “We look forward to working with the Carroll Organization and expanding our presence in this dynamic market.”

Commenting on the announcement, Patrick Carroll, CEO of Carroll Organization said, “We are very pleased to expand our footprint into the Houston market with the acquisition of Carroll at Shadow Creek Ranch. Not only does this acquisition fit perfectly in our strategy to continue to invest in Class A assets, but it also allowed the opportunity to invest in a market that has consistently maintained impressive economic, population and job growth. All indicators predict that this market will continue to thrive for the foreseeable future. We plan to source additional opportunities in the Houston market.”

About Carroll Organization

Carroll Organization is a multi-faceted enterprise focusing on ownership and operations of multifamily real estate. This integrated approach makes the organization an attractive investment partner and has attributed to the rapid growth and success of the firm. Since 2004, Carroll Organization has grown significantly through acquisitions. Today we manage over 15,000 multifamily units in 12 states, have 8 regional offices, and employ over 400 people through subsidiaries. Additional information about Carroll Organization can be found at http://www.CarrollOrganization.com

About Starwood Capital Group

Starwood Capital Group is a private, U.S.-based investment firm with a core focus on global real estate. Since the group’s inception in 1991, the firm, through its various funds, has invested over $ 10 billion of equity capital, representing over $ 29 billion in assets. Starwood Capital Group currently has over $ 18 billion of assets under management. Starwood Capital Group maintains offices in Greenwich, Atlanta, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and affiliated offices in London, Luxembourg, Paris, Mumbai and Sao Paulo. Starwood Capital Group has invested in nearly every class of real estate on a global basis, including office, retail, residential, senior housing, golf, hotels, resorts and industrial assets. Starwood Capital Group and its affiliates have successfully executed an investment strategy that includes building enterprises around core real estate portfolios in both the private and public markets. Additional information about Starwood Capital can be found at http://www.StarwoodCapital.com.

Media Contact:

Ansa Okon

ansa.okon(at)carrollorganization(dot)com

(404) 812-8286

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Phoenix Auction to be Hosted by Auction Systems Auctioneers & Appraisers Inc., Featuring Confiscated & Forfeited Property













Phoenix Auction House – Auction Systems Auctioneers & Appraisers, Inc.


Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) January 31, 2012

A Phoenix auction, hosted by Auction Systems Auctioneers & Appraisers, Inc., will feature jewelry, tools, city surplus, school district supplies and equipment, electronics, appliances, computers, commercial equipment, restaurant equipment, sporting goods, household items, furniture and much more on Saturday, February 4, 2012.

Items of interest for this Phoenix auction include: a Sony 50″ Plasma Television, Maurice Wideman “The American Collection” figurines, group of purses including Coach, Louis Vuitton and Michael Kors, autographed Paul McCartney and George Harrison photograph, Sony PSP, Garmin GPS navigator, Marge and Maggie Simpson 73″ fiberglass statue, Giant Rincon black mountain bike, Samsung home theater sound bar, Dagger Vengeance 93″ kayak, Denmark wood hutch, Hardt Inferno 3000 gas double deck rotisserie oven, Lang double stack commercial oven, group of five Panasonic CF-29 Toughbook laptops, plus much more.

“Phoenix auctions have a well deserved reputation for providing buyers a lot of bang for the buck” on all kinds of items,” said Deb Weidenhamer, CEO of Auction Systems. “With a wide selection of unique and appealing items, this upcoming Phoenix auction is no exception.”

The auction will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. at Auction Systems located at 951 W. Watkins in Phoenix, AZ. All of the items listed in the auction may be previewed and inspected by interested bidders on Thursday, February 2, 2012 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Friday, February 3, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and Saturday, February 4, 2012 from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. one hour prior to auction.

Items will also be available for preview and online bidding beginning Saturday, January 28, 2012. Interested parties can visit Auction Systems’ Phoenix auction schedule, to preview and sign up for online bidding.

About Auction Systems Auctioneers & Appraisers, Inc.

Auction Systems Auctioneers & Appraisers, Inc. is the Southwest’s most active auction and appraisal company. Auction Systems features live and live simulcast auctions and appraisals of stolen and confiscated Police and personal product including cars, tools, electronics, jewelry, sporting, coins and surplus, as well as auctions of commercial and heavy equipment, real estate, antiques, guns, estate and business liquidation and bankruptcy.

Based in Phoenix, Arizona and an INC. 500 company, Auction Systems is one of the fastest growing privately held companies within the United States. Additionally, Auction Systems is an ICIC INC. 100 company and is ranked as the #1 fastest growing woman-owned business and the fifteenth fastest growing business overall within the inner cities of the United States.

Auction Systems Auctioneers & Appraisers, Inc. can be found on the web at http://auctionANDappraise.com.

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VerticalCloud Moves Closer to Beta Release of Highly Anticipated VerticalCloud for Landlords Online Property Management System











Test Drive any Product Free for 14 Days!


Columbus, OH (PRWEB) January 21, 2012

VerticalCloud, a provider of complete cloud-based business solutions, announced today that it has achieved another milestone in the development and testing of VerticalCloud for Landlords, its highly anticipated online property management system expected for release to the public in June 2012. With laser focus on the user experience, the development team has engineered VerticalCloud with a keen eye for efficiency. In typical enterprise-Cloud IT development fashion, the owners of VerticalCloud have engaged residential property managers, landlords, and investors to participate in the user experience design of the software. The “voice of the property manager” drives the VerticalCloud for Landlords development and testing efforts.

The VerticalCloud for Landlords cloud-based platform was originally designed for the small rental portfolio owner, but was recently expanded to accommodate property management firms of all sizes.

Key features of VerticalCloud include:

Rental Advertising
Automated Rent Payment Processing (EFT, Credit Card, or Check Processing)
Tenant Screening & Background Checks
Management of Real Estate Documents
Dashboard View of Rental Properties
Tenant Portals and Community (“Meet your Neighbor!”)
Work Order Management Workflow
Email alerts and automated reminder phone calls to tenants
Landlord and Property Manager Community – Learn from one another!
Customizable Reports
24/7 Customer Support

“VerticalCloud for Landlords was designed to be the most user-friendly property management platform on the market today,” says Matt Angerer, CEO and Co-Founder of VerticalCloud. “We are able to offer more affordable price plans because our overhead is significantly lower than other property management software providers,” adds Angerer. “We have self-financed the development of VerticalCloud for Landlords without the need to take on outside investors. Therefore, we can pass the savings onto our customers – landlords and aspiring property management firms,” explains Angerer.

VerticalCloud and JMA Rentals LLC were unofficially formed in 2006 as a father/son venture to help market and advertise a small portfolio of family-owned rental properties. In early 2011, JMA ramped up its expansion efforts by bringing together technology leaders who have deep experience in online business software. “Our family was frustrated with the high cost of online property management systems on the market today,” explains Matt Angerer who owns and operates rental units with his father in Erie, Pennsylvania. “VerticalCloud for Landlords is a result of our frustration with high-cost, moderate quality property management systems. Our mission is to offer the most user-friendly system on the market at an affordable price point with the best customer service that a company can offer – 24/7,” adds Angerer.

“Small rental portfolio owners like me are expected to be on-call 24/7,” explains John Angerer. “I am the typical do-it-yourself type of landlord. I can’t afford to spend big bucks on property management systems that have 200 unit minimums or price gouge you on the ACH processing fees for online rent payments,” adds Angerer. “VerticalCloud provides the much needed balance that the rental property investment industry has been long awaiting in an online property management system. It is exactly what I needed and I’ve recommended RentCloud to anyone who owns rental properties,” concludes Angerer.

Balanced Web-based rental property software

VerticalCloud for Landlords, the first JMA Rentals SaaS product, has been designed to accommodate a myriad of rental property owners. The LandlordCloud was specifically designed for small and mid-sized do-it-yourself landlords. At $ 0.50 cents per unit, VerticalCloud for Landlords is the most affordable Web-based rental property software on the market today. It gives the do-it-yourself landlord exactly what he needs to get the job done. The best part is that it’s affordable and easy to use!

VerticalCloud for Property Managers is specifically designed for residential and commercial property managers. At $ 1.00 per unit, VerticalCloud for Property Managers balances all aspects of a property managers core functions like financials, reporting, tenant management, and work order requests. It’s familiar design and intuitive user experience puts landlords and property managers at the helm of their ship. Drill down reporting and customizable metrics define transparency for the property manager. You’ll find that VerticalCloud isn’t heavy on some system features and light on others. It is exactly what landlords and property managers need: balanced Web-based rental property software, in the cloud.

Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, JMA Rentals LLC and VerticalCloud were founded by a team of technology and real estate practitioners with proven real-world experience in rental property management and online business software development. The synergy realized between the founders has resulted in the most affordable, balanced, easy to use, software-as-a-service known to rental property managers: VerticalCloud for Property Managers.

http://www.verticalcloud.com

http://www.jmarentals.com

http://www.rentcloud.net

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Rick Otton Answers Rent To Buy and Rent To Own Property Investment Questions In Free Podcast













Property Investment Strategies, Rick Otton


Sydney, Australia (PRWEB) November 02, 2011

Property investment expert, Rick Otton, is known internationally for his creative approach to real estate. Always the innovator, Otton often leaves those involved in traditional property transactions in his wake. In a new, free, podcast, he candidly answers questions about his rent to buy strategies.

Earlier in 2011, Rick Otton launched his creativerealestate.com.au website as a free resource for those looking to discover if there are secrets of real estate investment that don’t require bank negotiations, a hefty deposit and impeccable credit record. The no-obligation website uses free podcasts to deliver up-to-the-minute information – a further example of the creative approach Mr Otton takes to business.

In creating his recently released Q&A podcast, he asked the general community to submit their questions about implementing his strategies, and the answers, Rick Ottin says, go a long way to overcoming the mindset barriers that have been, he believes, wrongly instilled in us all.

“We received questions from a variety of people, including from real estate agents wanting to understand how to become involved in the growing rent to buy market” said Mr Otton.

He continued, “In what has been described as a ‘challenging real estate market’, the real estate industry is suffering. Learning and embracing new strategies could open up new and lucrative markets for agents.”

In the podcast Mr Otton answered questions that got into the nitty-gritty of:

> How his strategies work for all types of property, including houses, commercial and rural

> How it is possible to purchase a house without a huge deposit

> If and how titles are transferred

> How retirees can secure income streams through rent to buy property investing

> Some secrets of real estate investment of which most people are unaware

“There is no doubt that rent to buy strategies, for home purchase particularly, are here to stay.” said Mr Otton. “The fact that this is one of the options offered as answers to a question about home ownership in the 2011 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census form, proves that it has become mainstream.”

Mr Otton’s Creative Real Estate Q&A podcast can be accessed, at no charge, at creativerealestate.com.au

About Rick Otton

Rick Otton is an original pioneer of creative property strategies. He is founder and CEO of We Buy Houses, a leading property enterprise which operates in the property markets of the United Kingdom, New Zealand, USA and Australia.

In 1991 he uncovered an innovative strategy of buying and selling real estate and went on to amass a portfolio of 76 properties in his first twelve months of active investing.

Since 2001, Rick has taught over 30,000 students to buy, sell and trade residential property without banks, debt or risk. By employing these same strategies many of Rick’s students have made over a million dollars a year in cash and equity, using little or none of their own money, year after year.

In 2008 Rick revealed his strategies in the United Kingdom and became the creator of ‘Houses for a Pound’.

He has appeared in the following Australian TV programmes: 2004 ABC documentary ‘Reality Bites’ and on Today Tonight, Insight and A Current Affair. In October 2007 Rick gave a way a house on national TV during 2 episodes of Channel 9’s Hot Property.

Rick Otton has also been featured in Your Property Network, Australian Property Investor, Lifestyle Trader Magazines and in the books: The Secrets of Property Millionaires Exposed!, Ideas: Original Perspectives On Life and Business From Leading Thinkers, Think and Grow Rich in Property, Insider Property Secrets, and Walking With The Wise.

Mr Otton’s free Creative Real Estate Q&A podcast can be accessed at creativerealestate.com.au

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Commercial Property Appraisers Can Now Increase Their Visibility and Sales by Joining the Industry’s First Commercial Appraiser Directory at CommercialPropertyAppraisal.com

Los Gatos, Calif. (PRWEB) July 10, 2007

CommercialPropertyAppraisal.com today announced the industry’s first commercial appraiser directory designed to increase commercial appraisers’ visibility and sales.

The commercial appraiser directory helps appraisers attract new business, as well as making the arduous process of finding local, licensed commercial appraisers easier for Fortune 500 international corporations, investors, commercial developers, commercial lenders, property managers, and other businesses of all sizes.

The directory’s #1 ranking on Google, MSN, Yahoo and other major search engines, ensures that commercial appraisers listed in the directory are seen by the website’s 2,900+ daily visitors.

“Our first appraisal request was for an apartment complex that brought in $ 7,500,” said recently listed commercial appraiser Ethan Murray.

Commercial real estate appraisers that list in the directory receive a free profile page, unlimited updates, one year of coverage in the states and counties they choose, real-time visitor statistics and commercial appraisal requests emailed directly to them.

Commercial property appraisers that list in the directory before July 31, 2007 also receive $ 1,200 in free online marketing services that will help their company’s website rise in the major search engines.

While some competitors charge up to $ 9,000 per year per city, CommercialPropertyAppraisal.com’s pricing starts at just under $ 800 per year for coverage in up to five different counties. However, commercial appraisers wishing to list in the directory should do so before July 31, 2007, when prices are scheduled to rise.

Commercial appraisers wishing to join the directory may do so at http://www.commercialpropertyappraisal.com/join.

About CommercialPropertyAppraisal.com

CommercialPropertyAppraisal.com is the only company in the industry that provides a directory devoted exclusively to licensed commercial appraisers, as well as instant, online commercial real estate valuation reports to real estate investors, appraisers, mortgage brokers, financial institutions and real estate agents throughout the world. Learn more at http://www.CommercialPropertyAppraisal.com.

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Vocus©Copyright 1997-

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Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.