More Than 350 Buyers Make the Move to Tradition; DiVosta, Hanover Homes Ring Up Estimated $80 Million in Sales During Grand Opening Founders Weekend Events.

Business Editors/Real Estate Writers

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 28, 2003

After receiving more than 3,500 inquiries from interested homebuyers over the last two weeks, Core Communities had a good idea that its newest master-planned community was going to be successful.

Now, following Founders Weekend events in which DiVosta and Hanover Homes rang up an estimated $80 million in sales at a clip of nearly one home sold per minute, it's official ... the Town of Tradition is a hit. The 360 homebuyers who will now become the first residents - or "Founders" - of Tradition are sure to agree.

"I don't believe there has ever been a more successful community launch in Florida," said Core Communities President Pete Hegener, noting that approximately 12,000 people attended the Founders Weekend Celebration. "Demand was so high that each homebuilder held a lottery drawing to give buyers equal opportunity to choose homes, and when hundreds of people began lining up in the pouring rain Saturday morning for the DiVosta drawing, we knew this was the start of something special."

Hundreds more lined up Sunday morning to participate in the Hanover Homes drawing, eagerly anticipating their chance to become residents of the Town of Tradition. By Sunday afternoon, thousands were enjoying a festive, carnival atmosphere on the Tradition grounds, as hundreds more crowded around a topographic model of the community in the Tradition Welcome Center.

Homebuyers had a wide range of home styles from which to choose, as DiVosta and Hanover Homes plan two very different communities, something which Hegener believes highlights the unique mix of neighborhoods that will be developed within the Town of Tradition.

DiVosta homebuyers will move into a conventional gated community - The Lakes at Tradition - that will include a wide mix of homestyles and amenities such as two swimming pools, basketball court, tennis courts and fitness center.

Hanover Homes is building one of the first Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) areas in the region, with a mix of homes and townhomes built around communal village greens and tree-lined walkways.

"Tradition will offer a huge variety of neighborhood designs and home styles, but what will truly set it apart from any community in Florida is the concept of connectivity," said Hegener. "Home, school, work, play ... all will be connected through an innovative network of parks, trails and waterways, as well as high-tech fiber-optic connections that will make this one of the first 'wired' communities."

The Town of Tradition is the latest master-planned community from the developers of acclaimed St. Lucie West, the 8th best selling community in the nation in 2002.

Phase 1 plans call for 800 residences on 580 acres, a 78,500 square foot corporate park, 75,000 square feet of retail and commercial space and an innovative, mixed use school and civic site. Home construction is expected to begin within the next 30 days, with the community's first residents calling Tradition home by Fall 2003.

A limited number of townhomes and single-family homes are still available from Hanover Homes. For more information or to speak with representatives from Hanover Homes or DiVosta, visit the Tradition Welcome Center (M-F, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat/Sun, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.). For more information about the Town of Tradition, visit the community's Web site at http://www.traditionfl.com or call the Tradition hotline at (800) ST-LUCIE.