Real Estate Veteran Mark Pordes Launches New Firm

MIAMI, April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- For more than two decades, Mark Pordes has been the developers' go-to guy for tough projects and tough markets.  He created the first-ever South Florida real estate affiliate offices in Brazil ... pioneered the hotel-condo sales concept with Terremark ... reinvigorated Ugo Colombo's Santa Maria condominium project ... and sold out Turnberry, Ltd.'s previously halted Oceania V.  

Now, in the midst of an exceptionally difficult market, Pordes has launched his own company, Pordes Residential, which is providing strategic on-site sales and marketing services for residential real estate projects -- with special emphasis on challenging condominium assignments.

Currently, Pordes oversees sales for Turnberry's condo-hotel The Reef Residences at Atlantis, Paradise Island in The Bahamas and is working with a private equity firm from New York that relaunched two defaulted Boca Developers' projects, Peninsula II in Aventura, Fla., and The Marina Grande Club & Residences in Palm Beach County.  Recently, the Pordes team was retained by developer BH III LLC, another private equity fund, which purchased Terra Beachside 6000 Collins, a 117-unit, six-story contemporary condominium in Miami Beach.  

"Mark has an unrivaled reputation in the industry and we have great confidence that the Pordes team will generate tremendous results for Terra Beachside," said Daniel Lebensohn, a Partner at BH III, which owns the project.  

The company works not only with traditional developers, but also banks, investment funds, equity partners, lenders and other entities, many of which have reluctantly found themselves in the real estate business.

"Right now, it's all about maximizing asset values," Pordes said.  "My team has the ability to evaluate and reposition projects by examining their past marketing efforts, demographics and appeal to the end-user.  We create a new plan, identifying the proper markets and most cost effective ways for quick absorption based on client needs."

He illustrated his point with two recent deals he has secured – bulk sales at Peninsula II and Fontainebleau III Ocean Club, another condo-hotel tower he oversaw for Turnberry.

"The real estate industry has changed dramatically," Pordes said. "Anyone still using sales tactics from three or five years ago is kidding themselves and their clients."

Since the late 1980s, he's led dozens of sales teams and created profitable systems for developers across a variety of domestic and international markets, products and price points.  

A Vice President of Sales for Turnberry, Ltd. the past 10 years, Pordes led sales and marketing efforts for Fontainebleau II condominium-hotel in Miami Beach; Turnberry Village, Porto Vita and Turnberry on the Green in Aventura; and Oceania V in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla.  

"Oceania was a unique challenge," he said.  "Prior to Turnberry's takeover of the project, construction on the tower had stalled, generating considerable negativity in the broker community and with existing contract holders  We were successful in relaunching and repositioning Oceania, overseeing a quick sell-out of the remaining units.  And, that was before the real estate market boom."

Pordes, who has won numerous awards from the Builders Association of South Florida, began his career at Mystic Pointe in Aventura in 1986.  At the Trump Group's upscale condominium enclave, Williams Island, Pordes opened affiliate offices across Brazil and secured hundreds of buyers for the property.    

He also handled the close-out for Ugo Colombo's Santa Maria on Brickell Avenue, pulling the project out of a year-long dry spell.  Additionally, Pordes served as Vice President of Residential Development at Terremark Worldwide.  There, in addition to helping pioneer condominium-hotel sales, he led numerous projects, including Fortune House on Brickell, Fortune House Fort Lauderdale Beach, Bentley Beach, Bentley Bay and Segovia Tower, which was controlled by Ocean Bank after going into receivership in 1999.  

Pordes said the transformation of the condominium residential real estate industry of late has been a remarkable mix of both challenges and opportunities.  

"The key to success in today's real estate market is being able to adapt to any situation and being unique and targeted in your marketing efforts," he said.  "Developers and newly formed entities that find themselves in the real estate market are looking to experienced professionals to lead the way, and I'm very excited to be launching Pordes Residential.  We offer tremendous value and a fresh start for existing and dormant projects."

Pordes Residential launches with a team of experienced real estate professionals.  Mindy Pordes, who has worked with her brother Mark for 20 years, oversees business development.  She was broker and owner of Elite International Properties for 15 years.

Michael Sadov heads up the company's operations and Michael Internoscia, a condominium sales veteran for more than 20 years, is the team's Sales and Marketing Director.

Pordes Residential is located at 1900 Bayshore Drive in Miami.  For more information, call 786-245-8379 or visit www.pordesresidential.com.

SOURCE Pordes Residential