SARASOTA, FL-Combined Capital Corp., a 25-year-old, locally based real estate investment firm is enjoying a banner year, chalking up a total $127 million in investment activity for the first nine months of this year compared to $65.6 million in the same period last year. That performance was up $61.6 million or 94%.

Real estate sales totaled $64.75 million, up from $29.4 million last year, an increase of $35.35 million or 120%. Real estate financing of $47 million is up from $23.75 million year-to-year--a $23.25 million increase or 98%. Equity investment in to-be-built joint ventures with commercial developers topped $15.5 million, up 24% from $12.5 million in the comparable 2004 period, according to the firm.

The $64.75-million sales production included the $47.5-million sale of the 135-acre Marbella tract in Orlando handled by Combined Capital Realty Services Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Combined Capital Corp. The Marbella transaction was reported by GlobeSt.com last week.

Combined Capital president Donald T. Regan Jr. expects additional investments for his company's clients through the end of the year "due to the strong commercial market, especially in the Southeast." Regan says, "There is still a strong appetite for well-conceived and structured projects, especially in areas such as Orlando, Atlanta and Charlotte."

Besides finding existing investment real estate properties for corporate and individual investors, the privately held Combined Capital arranges for equity and debt for joint ventures with developers in a mix of commercial projects, including shopping centers, office buildings and rental apartments. "Investments are not limited geographically," Regan says. "They are driven by market conditions."

The company's range for equity investment is $1 million to $15 million. Existing property acquisition range is up to $60 million. Regan is the son of Donald T. Regan, the late Secretary of the Treasury and former White House Chief of Staff in the Ronald Reagan administration.