"It was an easy buy," says Cannuscio, citing Aron's knowledge ofLinear's investment profile and the center's various strengths,including favorable road orientation, a mix of national and localtenants, and efficient, well-constructed space. The sellers,Jonathan and Judy Holmes, developed the 21,000-sf complex in the1980s, and the couple has held onto the asset until this year.Linear was familiar with the property, says Cannuscio, aiding inthe swift commitment upon learning it was on the market.

"If there were a few more properties like this available, we'dbuy them right away," says Cannuscio, whose Burlington-basedcompany is backed by a $300-million fund focused onconvenience-oriented retail in southern New England. Linear'spartner is Principal Financial Group of Iowa. The fund has nowacquired more than $140 million of properties in 37 deals, withsales priced between $700,000 and $14 million. "It was right in ourstrike zone," Cannuscio says of the Raynham conquest, estimatingthe average deal size for properties acquired to date to be in the$7-million-to-$10-million range.

Located on Route 44, 325 New State Highway is 100% occupied bynine tenants, among them Hertz, Jersey Mike's Subs, Movie Gallery,Sherwin Williams and the Wireless Authority. The property is notonly well situated in a strong retail corridor serving southeasternMassachusetts and Rhode Island, it is also physically oriented tothe roadway to provide maximum visibility, according toCannuscio.