In New Hampshire's White Mountains, the South Peak Resort at Loon Mountain in Lincoln is now in TerraMesa's hands. It has 300 developable acres, 28 finished single-family lots, 17 condos in a true year-round, ski-in/ski-out resort with a recently finished quad lift at the heart of the land tract.

Macfarlan believes South Peak presents the greatest value-add. "I'm really excited about that being a really unique experience in the Northeast," he says.

And Macfarlan believes the crown jewel is the Hollows, which earned the top ranking for its one mile of lake frontage and in-place infrastructure to produce finished lots on the remaining 300 acres.

The hospitality circuit had whispered last fall that Centex Destination Properties, a division of Dallas-based Centex Homes, was shopping its portfolio, but the rumor couldn't be confirmed. Macfarlan says talks began 14 months ago for select resorts in the 10-asset portfolio. Florida wasn't part of the pursuit due to the "difficult market," he explains.

What Macfarlan did pick are "great assets with existing platforms that allow us to scale quickly" as he games out a plan to target buyers in the $300,000 to $650,000 price range in prized locations. He says the elite property sweep was based on resorts that he felt would translate into memory-making vacations for families. "I've always traveled to make memories and I return to places to create memories for my family," he says.

Macfarlan Capital Partners will own the real estate and the TerraMesa Resorts & Hospitality Group on behalf of a sponsored fund fueled by US investors. "The chance to acquire exceptional assets with the execution team in place doesn't come along very often," Macfarlan says. Debt was placed with Colonial Bank and Bank of the Ozarks.

Scott Covington, the buyer's COO, has been named president of TerraMesa Hospitality Group. The plan is to keep the existing property names as they build a multi-faceted brand that could include an exchange program among owners at the various properties, but not in a timeshare or fractional share sense--at least not at this time. What is clear is Macfarlan is not done buying. "We're definitely looking to add more investments," he says. The investment group has been funding hospitality loans nearly five years. It also is in a joint venture for a property in Italy.

"We do have some experience that made us confident in this space. But, we're realists. The slowdown has affected all aspects of real estate ownership and our properties won't be immune," Macfarlan explains. "We are investing for the long haul and believe the underlying value of these resorts will create significant appreciation for our investors. Despite market fluctuations of for-sale properties, the underlying land values, we believe, will protect our downside."

Instant Insights /

Macfarlan Seeds $1B Plan With Centex Resorts

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