SARASOTA, Fla. (May 6, 2014) – The redesigned website for The Founders Club delivers the experience of living in Sarasota’s traditional country club community through images of its homes, amenities and beautiful setting within 100 acres of preserved old-growth live oaks and rolling golf fairways and lakes.
Designed for easy navigation that allows users to quickly identify areas they’d like to further explore, TheFoundersClub.com features imagery shot within the 700-acre community, its homes, plantation-style clubhouse and along the picturesque championship golf course created by Robert Trent Jones Jr.
The user-friendly website readily provides information online homebuyers are searching for, said Mark Wilson, president and CEO of London Bay Homes, which oversees community operations and marketing. “More homebuyers search on the Internet,” said Wilson. “Whether it’s on their home/office computer, mobile phone or tablet device, they don’t want to get bogged down by too much information. They want to easily find details about available homes and floor plans, prices and community amenities.”
A joint study by the National Realtors Association and Google revealed that 90 percent of homebuyers rely on the Internet as a primary research source and 52 percent start their house hunting online. Google real estate-related searches grew 253 percent in four years, with searches using mobile devices increasing 120 percent year-over-year from 2011 to 2012.
The Bokka Group 2013 Home Buyer Conversion Report, which included homeowners of The Founders Club, reported that digital tools of influence consisted of virtual tours, testimonials, messages from the builder, photo galleries, videos and a mobile-friendly interface – all of which are included in the new site.
From TheFoundersClub.com home page, visitors gain an immediate understanding of the community’s major selling points – golf, luxury homes and picturesque setting. They’re only a click away from exploring The Founders Club’s array of available cottage homes, Reserve Collection and estate homes or learning more about the club’s dedication to the origins of golf, its traditional caddie program and state-of-the-art golf instruction services.
The redesigned site also features a three-minute video highlighting the club and community lifestyle, its amenities and nearby Gulf of Mexico beaches and shopping at St. Armands Circle. The video walks visitors through the myriad of activities at The Founders Club. Homebuyers can view walking paths lined with 150-year old oak trees, fine or casual dining at the clubhouse, the Robert Trent Jones Jr. signature golf course, fitness studio and tennis courts and lush natural landscape.
Additional videos include designer tips from Melissa Allen, head designer at Romanza Interior Design, putting demos by head golf professional Chris Adams and wedding venue highlights.
Visitors also have the option to download an interactive brochure or click through to detailed information about homes, floor plans, move-in-ready homes and photos. Video model home tours are offered for select homes. Visitors can explore fully furnished model homes that showcase fabrics, furnishings and luxury upgrades and options that provide the homebuyer with a true sense of their dream home.
Guests can schedule a private tour of The Founders Club with just one click or take advantage of a dedicated online concierge that is ready to answer any questions.
Options take guests to community amenities, a homesite map, information about developer London Bay Homes, links to recent news items and model openings and blogs, and Sarasota’s founding father.
Photo galleries also showcase The Founders Club’s amenities, lifestyle and golf course and take visitors inside and out of existing fully furnished model homes. Each photograph is displayed in full screen view to ensure the visitor can see all the details. With a “back to site” button, the visitor is only ever one click away from the main gallery page.
A traditional private golf and social club community, The Founders Club’s amenities are designed to foster camaraderie among residents and a connection with nature. Miles of winding boardwalks and paved walkways meander throughout the community, which is punctuated by palm trees, pines and moss-covered oaks.
Golf cottage home and homesite packages are priced from the $650,000s and offer 2,000 to more than 4,000 square feet of living space, including exterior landscape maintenance for a lock-and-leave lifestyle. Offering golf and lake views, cottage homes are conveniently located within walking distance to the clubhouse.
Reserve Collection homes, available on fairway homesites, range from 2,800 to more than 5,000 square feet of living space. These single-family homes provide a variety of design options that can be customized to a buyer’s preference. Home and homesite packages are priced from the $800,000s.
Estate home and homesite packages, priced from over $1 million to more than $4 million, offer a wide range of customization and designer options. Floor plans feature dining and living rooms, studies, plenty of alfresco living spaces and large master suites with walk-in closets and spa-like bathrooms.
Several homes are available for immediate occupancy.
The member-owned Founders Golf and Social Club offers 18 holes of golf and the area’s only traditional caddie program. Golfers are allowed to walk the course, and membership is limited to just 275 to ensure members enjoy year-round golf with no tee time required.
Training facilities include two putting greens, a short game area and state-of-the-art TrackMan radar technology offered through Florida Golf Performance Center.
The 24,000-square-foot Golf Hall, overlooking an oak hammock and the 18th hole, offers a main dining room, bar and grille, outdoor verandah and private dining room for casual and fine dining. The facility also has a professionally staffed and fully stocked golf pro shop, state-of-the-art fitness center and men’s and women’s locker rooms and lounges.
The club offers a vibrant, active social calendar and recently introduced an in-season reciprocal partnership with Sarasota Yacht Club.
Additional facilities at The Founders Club include two Har-Tru tennis courts, basketball and sand volleyball courts, and a picnic pavilion. Fitness and wellness classes, educational and instructional programs and social gatherings are coordinated by a professional staff.
The Founders Club Sales Center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is located at 3001 Founders Club Drive, three miles east of I-75 on Fruitville Road, Exit 210.
For more information about The Founders Club, call 866-711-3132 or visit www.TheFoundersClub.com.