A MEMORABLE HOME IS AS EASY AS ABD

In 1993, ABD (Applied Building Development Orlando), then just a year old, had its first Parade of Homes winner. Since then, the Davenport-based builder has been recognized more than 30 times with local, regional and national awards for excellence in planning, design, construction and marketing.

The awards range from Custom Homebuilder of the Year from the Orlando Business Journal — which the company has won five times — to Major Achievement in Marketing Excellence (MAME) awards from the Greater Orlando Builders Association.

Those accolades are impressive. Yet, they only tell part of the story. ABD Development has emerged as a leading builder of luxury homes in Central Florida not simply because of awards — but because it also continues to develop hot-selling neighborhoods that buyers love. 

ABD followed up a banner 2016 with more model upgrades across its communities, plus a new sales incentive. 

Upgrades include a custom Courtyard model in Heritage Green, located near the Orange/Polk county line, and a $5,000 closing-cost credit on move-in-ready homes. By the way, the hilly, lake-filled Heritage Green community has won its share of awards, too.

ABD’s success through the years hasn’t happened by accident. Innovative minds have led the way. Founder David Kohn earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering before starting the company a decade later. 

He served as president until 2012, when Yuval Botansky took over after managing numerous major infrastructure projects in Israel. Botansky had developed several large resorts in the Turks and Caicos Islands and Jamaica. He has a master’s degree as well as a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.

ABD has completed nine communities and built more than 1,200 homes, with annual revenues that now top $100 million. Its early communities included Vista Royal and Palma Vista in MetroWest. 

In the Dr. Phillips and Windermere area, it developed Bay Harbor, Magnolia Park and Lafayette Club — each of which quickly sold out.

Since 2005, the company has been developing Providence, a golf course community in the Horizon West area, in which it invited some of the region’s top builders to participate. There’ll be nearly 5,000 homes at buildout.

And Windsor Landing in Wyndham Lakes near Orlando International Airport continues to be successful with high-end lakefront homes. Luxurious estate homes are offered in Toscana, set in a pristine coastal hammock in Palm Coast.

While all these communities boast common elements — most notably, a commitment to excellence and a legacy of craftsmanship — the homes are largely built “unscripted.” 

There are existing starter plans, but homes are just as likely to be constructed based entirely on a buyer’s input. At the same time, some features are common to all ABD homes. 

The Sorrento model at Heritage Green, for example, has textured ceilings, rounded corners, upgraded baseboards and ceramic tile. Additionally, the use of well-known manufacturers and trusted, high-quality products are ABD staples.

Sometimes, the small stuff makes the biggest difference in homebuilding. For a quarter century, ABD has covered the small stuff and big stuff exceptionally well.