Rise at Nocatee celebrated its first anniversary in style Aug. 21. There was catered food, live music, balloon bouquets and most importantly: people.
About 70 attended the event at the 55-plus luxury rental community, 1200 Preservation Trail, Ponte Vedra Beach. Among them were residents, members of the community at large, company representatives and investors.
“It was an awesome event,” said General Manager Jerry Shafer.
He praised Lani Milton of Pour’d Perfections who handled the bartending.
“She’s great,” Shafer said. “She also did our ribbon-cutting ceremony. We liked her so much we actually had her back for our first anniversary.”
Among those attending were people interested in what Rise at Nocatee has to offer for themselves or for a friend.
Shafer, who lives at Rise at Nocatee himself and has been on site since the beginnings of its construction, reflected on the past year and how everything came together so well.
“It’s been an amazing adventure,” he said. “Having Jacksonville’s first 55-plus rental, it’s very exciting.”
As a new concept, and because those in the 55-plus demographic are largely settled into their own homes, one would expect a community like Rise at Nocatee to experience a kind of modest growth. However, it is already up to 56% pre-leased and 50% occupied.
That may be due to a realization by many that homeownership can get expensive. Something always needs repaired or replaced: the roof, the water heater, the air conditioning unit, etc.
In fact, once Rise at Nocatee residents get a taste of life there, they overwhelmingly choose to extend their residency.
“We are at that point where we’re having renewals because we’ve been open for over a year,” said Shafer. “Our average renewal percentage is 80%. … In this industry — in multi-family — having an 80% renewal ratio is phenomenal.”
Shafer said he really enjoys life at Rise at Nocatee.
“I’ve made a lot of great friends with the residents,” he said. “And it’s nice to see new residents moving in and how they get involved in the activities. They’re making a lot of great friendships here.”
Rise at Nocatee offers tours to anyone who is interested. Shafer said that, right now, anyone who takes the tour and signs a lease within 48 hours will be given two months free.
To learn more about Rise at Nocatee, go to risepontevedra.com.
