New vision for Tampa's Channelside: 24-hour health and wellness TV channel,Brokered by Teresa Williams/ Prospera Realty

New vision for Tampa's Channelside: 24-hour health and wellness TV channel

By Drew Harwell, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Real Estate Brokered By: Teresa Williams/Prospera Realty
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/retail/new-vision-for-tampas-channelside-24-hour-health-and-wellness-tv-channel/1246865

Drew Nederpelt, left, and partner Randy Gruber stand in their prospective TV studios for the Health & Wellness Channel.
	[WILLIE J. ALLEN JR. | Times]

TAMPA — The minds behind what could be the Channel District's next big thing stand in a cavernous wasteland of dirt and concrete pilings, pointing out their sets.
Here, above the tread tracks, will be a future green room and makeup salon. There, a massive TV studio, with windows facing the cruise ships and the Towers of Channelside.
"We want to have that 'wow factor. TV is sexy,' " said Drew Nederpelt, a budding TV executive. "We're going to have celebrities flying in, coming here. . . . This will be the crown jewel."
Nederpelt's vision is the 24-hour Health & Wellness Channel, a TV network — part fitness, part home shopping — targeting the eyes and wallets of the fit and diet-minded.
On Monday, he stood in the fledgling network's planned headquarters: a 60,000-square-foot space, half the size of an average Target, on the ground floor of a two-towered condo complex, Grand Central at Kennedy.
When the four studios here open next summer, beaming programming to satellite networks like DirecTV, the station will likely employ around 100, many of them locals. Later, Nederpelt said, could come the holy grail: a spot on cable TV.
It's no coincidence the network will be across the bay from HSN, which its daytime product Marketplace will emulate. Several Health & Wellness executives cut their teeth at the Clearwater giant, as well as the Golf Channel. Nederpelt, too, is at home in the aisles, having overseen the development of Wal-mart brands like Great Value from the mega-retailer's Arkansas headquarters.
But this network of original programming would be deeply Tampa-based, with shows taped in nearby gyms and hosted by local yogis. Infomercial king Tony Little and '90s Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback Jeff Carlson will face the cameras, and downtown audiences could gather at the windows to watch the shows taped live.
That Nederpelt, the owner of a New York publishing house, would choose here for his mini-Hollywood could say something about the industrial-born Channel District, its once-barren condos now shaking off the dust.
With Channelside Bay Plaza fielding interest from big names like Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, and downtown awash in the spotlight for the Republican National Convention, Nederpelt said the district's business capacity is set to soar.
"Hopefully," Nederpelt said, "we'll be a big part of that boom."
• • •
Here's what the network has to offer: Morning exercise shows like Spin the World, a first-person cycling ride through scenic routes like the Great Wall of China. Daytime talk and cooking shows like Grocery Aisle Ambush, where shoppers are taught the error of fatty foods.
But wait, there's more: During primetime, the station will offer a medley of game shows, relationship advice and reality TV. One, a competition show likely in the vein of The Biggest Loser, is called Drop & Give Me Everything.
In the middle will be the Marketplace, five hours of models and salespeople hawking workout gear, juicers and "nutraceuticals" like vitamins and herbal cleaners. Bestsellers will be rebroadcast in that trademark of retail TV: the early morning dead zone between 2 and 5 a.m.
The key to the network's revenue is what Nederpelt calls the "cross-pollination" (and what others call product placement) of shows and stuff to buy. If viewers like a meal being cooked, they can call (now) to order not just the ingredients, but the blender, too.
"Everything they're utilizing, we sell," vice president of television operations Randy Gruber said. "Television ends up becoming a means to a sale."
Shows, Nederpelt said, will be toned toward the baby boomers, the TV-weened generation Nielsen Research predicts will soon command 70 percent of the country's disposable income. The calls to action and impulse buys that worked for HSN could no doubt help in a network many might feel healthy just turning on.
• • •
Nederpelt is clearly confident about the idea — Oprah native Dr. Mehmet Oz, he said, called it "brilliant" — but its execution is still a ways away. Building the headquarters from the dirt, including sound dampeners for nearby train tracks, will cost about $3.5 million and take half a year.
And where that money will come from remains a sticking point. Nederpelt said his network, now self-funded, is considering four investment offers to fund the operation. He turned down a $40 million investment from a New York fund in April, he said, believing it wanted too much control.
Standing between the proposed dressing rooms and editing bays, near the "Kitchen" studio and the actual kitchen and the Health Desk with sights of Channelside, Nederpelt doesn't back down on his network's ambitions of grandeur.
"We want to spread the gospel of living long, healthy lives," he said. "We want to save lives, frankly. We want to change the world."

83 degrees:Health, Wellness Network To Move Into Grand Central At Kennedy, Tampa

83 degrees:Health, Wellness Network To Move Into Grand Central At Kennedy, Tampa

Brokered By Teresa Williams, Prospera Realty
TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2011

HEALTH, RETAIL, TOURISM TAMPA Health & Wellness Network -- parent company of Health & Wellness Channel (HWC) -- is moving to the Channel District.

A one-stop-shop for all things life, love and longevity,HWC will develop a 60,000-square-foot space in the Grand Central at Kennedybuilding in Channelside into its new headquarters. The space is expected to include four separate television studios, a 22,000-square-foot mezzanine for offices and 38,000 square feet of studio space, production offices, engineering and storage forMarketplace products.

According to HWC Founder Drew Nederpelt, the location also comes equipped with a street level studio space, Studio B, which can be viewed from the street much like the Today Show set-up in New York City.

“Just like in Rockefeller Center, there's a courtyard at Grand Central that we can use for concerts, fitness demonstrations, cooking contests and the like,” Nederpelt says. “There will be at least one morning each week that we'll have a celebrity in town for some type of event in the courtyard, which will bring people to the area.”

Joining tenants such as Channelside Bay Plaza, Powerhouse Gym and the Tampa Bay Times Forum, HWC is expected to bring in 85 employees in its first year of operation at the new location, as well as several hundred in the following years.

“We will not only increase demand for housing in the area, but also raise existing homeowners' investment values,” Nederpelt says. “Our ultimate goal is to make the Tampa Bay area the center of health and wellness in the United States. We're interested in helping along Channelside's current march toward a vibrant and bustling residential and entertainment destination, choosing to open up not only our studio, but also our Master and Studio Control to the viewing public in hopes that it will imbue the residents of the area with a sense of pride and ownership in the network and the overall health and wellness movement.

The network is slated to be in place at its new location by the end of 2012.

Writer: Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Drew Nederpelt, HWC

8 of the Top 10 Turnaround Towns in the United States are in Florida: Miami is #1.

Prospera Realty & Property Management is proud to be serving Florida for over 12 years.  If you are thinking or buying, selling or are interested in Property Management contact Prospera Realty & Property Management today!

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RENT YOUR PROPERTY FOR THE NATIONAL CONVENTION

THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION IS IN TAMPA THIS AUGUST, 2012! PROPERTY OWNERS DON’T MISS OUT ON RENTING YOUR PROPERTY FOR THE CONVENTION. CALL PROSPERA PROPERTY MANAGEMENT TO RENT AND MANAGE YOUR PROPERTY DURING THIS EVENT. THE TIME TO CASH IN IS NOW!
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How Buying a Home Is Likely to Change

Prospera Realty closing FHA 203k Stream Line Sales

Teresa Williams, Broker for Prospera Realty & Property Managment has closed several of the 203k Rehabilitation Home Loans in the past year.  As featured in the St Petersburg  times this type of loan assist buyers in purchasing homes that need work without buyers needing large amounts of cash up front for home repairs.  Prospera Realty is experienced with the procedures and equipped with the lenders to assist their clients with the FHA 203k Stream Line program.

St. Petersburg Times:  “The little known and once seldom used program backed by the Federal Housing Administration has caught fire as of late. In 2006, just two people used the program to buy property in the Tampa Bay area. Last year, the number jumped to 135. Nationally, the numbers increased nearly 700 percent. The program, officially called 203k Rehabilitation Home Mortgage Insurance, started decades ago. The FHA insures the loan, including the additional money for renovations and repairs. The government-backing encourages banks and other lenders to green light the loan.

The loans require only a 3.5 percent down payment and come with lower income and credit restrictions than conventional loans. The loan insurance program is HUD's primary option for rehabilitating and repairing single family properties. The loan limit is $292,500 and can be used only for owner-occupied houses. Investors cannot apply. Properties with four or fewer units can be financed using the program as long as the repair money is used for the owner's unit. The renovations must meet HUD standards for energy improvements like heating and air conditioning, window caulking and weather stripping. Buyers can even use the loans to make cosmetic upgrades, including new floors and appliances. HUD offers several levels of financing depending on the cost of renovations. After the loan closes, money for repairs and renovations is deposited into an escrow account and monitored by a Federal Housing Administration consultant. Contractors cannot access the money until they complete the work. The program has an additional benefit: Buyers often walk into a home with instant equity, thanks to completing repairs on an undervalued home.

Program details

. The program allows for purchases and refinancings up to $292,500.

. Homes must be owner occupied. Investors are not eligible.

. Pools, hot tubs, BBQ pits and outdoor kitchens cannot be included in the loan but up to $1,500 can be used for pool repairs.

. FHA insures the loan, but buyers still must find a lender who uses the program and then meet that lender's financing requirements including income and credit scores.

. Lenders can also have their own restrictions or options for repairs and renovations.”

Government Intervention

Government intervention in housing could prolong the residential real estate downturn by as long as two years, Wells Fargo Securities Senior Economist Mark Vitner told a gathering of real estate executives in Bonita Springs.
Vitner, speaking to a meeting of the Urban Land Institute recently, says the first-time homebuyer tax credits was a temporary salve and the states’ attorneys general action against lenders in the foreclosure process will further delay housing’s recovery.
“Most builders are going into survival mode again,” says Vitner, a longtime observer of the Florida economy. “Housing prices are likely headed lower.”
By contrast, the government hasn’t interfered as much in the commercial real estate market, allowing market forces to clear problems more quickly. “I feel much better about commercial real estate than residential real estate,” Vitner says.
The big price declines in commercial real estate have already occurred and a variety of sectors are already seeing improvements in vacancies and rents, from apartments to hotels, offices and warehouses. “The attitude of the leaders in the industry was more upbeat than anytime I can recall,” Vitner says of a recent meeting with commercial real estate leaders in New York City.
The delayed recovery in the housing markets means construction jobs won’t be returning soon. Florida’s large supply of low-skilled workers will have to be retrained for other jobs, so it probably will lag the nation in employment creation.
But don’t look for health-care jobs to pick up the slack in real estate, Vitner cautions. Government health care reform won’t help Florida because legislators’ demand for greater efficiency and lower reimbursements means providers won’t hire as many people. “Health care reform will limit job growth here,” he says.
Two areas that show promise are exports and international tourism, which explains why Miami and Orlando are faring better than other parts of the state. Vitner says retail sales in those two areas are now rising above pre-recession levels.
The consequences of the real estate bust are far reaching. For example, loans will continue to be difficult to obtain in Florida because most of the collateral is real estate. The real estate collapse wrecked Floridians’ balance sheets and lenders are reluctant to make loans if the future of the real estate collateral is uncertain, Vitner says.
“If you think debt is hard to get now, wait until after Dodd-Frank takes place,” Vitner says, referring to the financial reform legislation passed by Democrats last year. “Credit trends are still pretty weak.”
However, the improvement in commercial real estate may provide some cushion. “We’re very near the end of the price declines,” Vitner says. That could temper concerns about the wave of commercial real estate loan refinancing that has worried economists in recent years.
The problem with commercial real estate in this recession wasn’t oversupply. Rather, lack of demand caused its troubles. “That shoe’s already dropped,” Vitner says.
While fears of a dip back to recession have been eased by monetary intervention by the Federal Reserve, many challenges conspire to make business owners uneasy about spending money on new equipment and employees. Uncertainty over future tax rates, budget deficits and inflation are big worries, Vitner says. “The reason companies are holding cash is they see the economy is risky,” he says.
 

Tampa Home Prices - New Lows

TAMPA - Tampa and seven other major metropolitan areas hit new lows for home price in November. Prices are at their lowest levels since prices peaked in 2006.
Home prices in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area fell 0.8 percent from the previous month and 4.0 percent from the same period a year ago, according to Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller, 20-city home price index, released Tuesday.
That follows October's "new low" for the area, when prices fell 0.9 percent from the previous month and 3.6 percent from the same period a year ago.
Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Las Vegas, Miami, Portland, Ore., Seattle and Detroit also hit new low. Detroit saw the largest drop at 2.7 percent from the previous month.
Overall, the 20-city home price index fell 1 percent in November from October. All but one city, San Diego, recorded monthly price declines. Four of the major metros - Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. - showed yearly gains.
"With these numbers, more analysts will be calling for a double-dip in home prices," said David Blitzer, chairman of S&P's Index Committee.
The data is not surprising. Economists have said the end of the year remained sluggish for real estate.
Millions of foreclosures nationwide continued to force prices down. Some buyers still held off, waiting for prices to bottom.
Many analysts expect Tampa area home prices to keep falling through the first half of the year and bottom during the third quarter

Skypoint tower's retail space fills up

TAMPA - Downtown real estate executives are celebrating after filling up the ground floor of the Skypoint condo tower.
Taps, Five Guys, the Point, Kurdi's Fresh Mediterranean Grill and Pizza Fusion have moved into the tower, and the 9,700 square feet of space for the tenants has been sold to a group of local investors.
Lane Witherspoon & Carswell Commercial Real Estate Advisors brokered a deal to sell the retail spaces as a group from Skypoint developer Novare Group Holdings to Hachem Investments Inc. of Tampa for an undisclosed sum.
"This sale reflects confidence in the ongoing growth of downtown Tampa in general, and the River Arts District in particular," said Lane Witherspoon's director of retail sales Paul Royak.
Completed in 2007, the 32-story Skypoint tower was one of the few condo towers in Tampa Bay to sell most of its residential units.

Office Deals Continue

As year-end deals continue to close out, more real estate buyers are announcing that they have spent millions of dollars on Tampa Bay area office space and surrounding property. In New Port Richey, California-based Jefferson-Pilot Investments bought the Trinity Village Center for $9.5 million. The property is a 71,990-square-foot shopping center, with Crispers, Five Guys Hamburgers and Bonefish Grill among its tenants. At the time of closing, the center was 78% leased.
In Tampa’s Westshore submarket, Raleigh, N.C.-based Highwoods Properties Inc. bought 44 acres of land for $17.6 million. The purchase is composed of two parts: $4.9 million spent on 33 acres of undeveloped land, and $12.7 million for a 117,000-square-foot vacant office building on 11 acres.
With the transaction, Highwoods now owns or has an interest in 14 Westshore office buildings, representing 2.2 million of the submarket’s 11.2 million square feet of office space.

Weathering the Storm

TAMPA/ Fox News - Kit Robertson is sprucing up his Tampa home, and there's a $325,000 reason for it. He's hoping is he can sell it early next year.
"We actually own this out right, so we can weather through the storm. But some people will be forced into short sales and foreclosures," Robertson said.
But Kit may have a tough time getting top dollar for his water front home. In fact, Tampa along with four other cities, saw a fourth straight month of decline in home prices. And bankruptcy attorney Scott Rosin says, sadly we haven't seen the bottom yet.
"It's not good. It's not good at all. It affects everyone, everywhere," Rosin said.
Market analysts say 2010 is on pace to finish as the worst for home sales in more than a decade.
A high unemployment rate coupled with a lack of credit have really prevented people from buying homes.
And with foreclosures and short sales expected to remain high in 2011, the market will suffer even more.
"The market, like I said, is so flooded with foreclosures and these homes for sale that it’s very difficult to sell your home at a good price. It's a buyer’s market right now. If you have the money it's a great time to buy a house," Rosin said.
And if you're a seller, the real estate forecast isn't much better for the next the six months.
Experts say home prices will likely drop another 5 to 10 percent. But Kit is banking on snow birds whose love of sunshine will have them digging deeper in their pockets.
"Our baby boomers are getting older, and many have cash in their pockets, and Florida is an excellent place to be where it’s nice and warm and good place to live," Robertson said.