Real Estate Office Comes Full Circle ...

When Andy Center made the decision to move his real estate
business to the mountain, he was captivated by the turreted
building on Highway 173, just outside Lake Arrowhead Village.

The building, built decades ago by the Lake Arrowhead
Development Company, which, as its name implies, developed the
community.

Center had made an offer on the building 17 years ago but then
another opportunity arose.

?I had the chance to buy AAA Rentals,? he said. ?The owner
suggested I move into his building.?

Center did just that, opening Prudential California Realty in a
building just inside the boundaries of the Village. He ran his two
companies from that building, which he leased, for the last 16-1/2
years.

His business life has come full circle with his purchase of the
Lake Arrowhead Development building. He has moved his two
businesses to the second-floor space, which he has renovated to
meet his needs.

The location is ideal, he said, as ?we are the first real estate
business visitors see as they come into town.

?I have loved this building since I first looked at it,? Center
added.

When he and his wife, Vicky, moved to Lake Arrowhead in 1992,
Center was commuting to Los Angeles three to four days a week. ?It
didn?t feel good,? he said. ?I missed the kids, the beauty of the
mountain, the blue sky.?

He decided to semi-retire and the rest, as they say, is
history.

The rental company?which lists both vacation rentals and
full-time homes?has been in business for 27 years.

?This is a very special community,? Center said. ?I?ve never
heard of any other place like this.?

He is putting his love of the area into action through two new
projects: the Arrowhead Charity Taskforce and a new Lake Arrowhead
Visitors Association.

?I?m very good at marketing,? Center said. He will put those
skills to work for the mountain charities and the community as a
whole. He hopes to create a central calendar where charities can
list their fund-raising events, which he will promote by hanging
banners on the side of his building.

The goal of the visitors association will be to draw more people
to the area. Center sees it as a partnership between the county and
the local lodging establishments.

Currently the county allocates a certain percentage of the
so-called bed tax to the various chambers of commerce, including
Lake Arrowhead. Under this new plan, Center said, the tax would be
raised from 7 to 10 percent, with the additional 3 percent going to
the Lake Arrowhead Visitors Association.

The association?s board?which will be made up of a county
employee, a chamber representative and others from the lodging
establishments?will use the $350,000 Center estimates they will
have access to to market Lake Arrowhead and the surrounding
area.

?We?ll include Snow Valley, as well as Twin Peaks, Rimforest and
Skyforest,? he said. ?We?ll point people to Lake Gregory, where
they can enjoy the water, as well as other points of interest.?

Ecotourism is huge right now, Center pointed out, so the
visitors association will include hikes and snow play on the list
of 50 to 100 things to do they plan to develop.

Those outdoor activities are part of the reason Center enjoys
the mountain as much as he does.

?Old fashioned is a good way to raise kids,? he said. ?This
reminds me of when I grew up: The kids play outside, dive in the
lake, catch fish and frogs. It?s a throwback to the good old
days.?

Center can be reached at (909) 337-6157.

Article source: http://www.mountain-news.com/business/article_5dee6b2a-c436-11e0-b92f-001cc4c03286.html

Source: http://realestateinvestmentcalifornia.com/real-estate-office-comes-full-circle/

first citizens bank mitt romney danielle staub pga golf pga golf orca bret michaels