Originally from the Detroit metropolitan area Ben Maltese worked in the family business from a very young age. Ben describes his love for the Naples luxury real estate market as well as commercial real estate as his passion. Upon graduating from college, he entered the general real estate business at the age of 23. Within 3 years he accepted a job offer with a real estate development firm in Genesee County, MI as director of sales for Chateau Du Lac a new luxury waterfront community on Silver Lake in Fenton, Michigan. The homes in Chateaux Du Lac were some of the most expensive to debut in the area, yet Ben found immediate success. In a very short period, Ben sold several new homes and was asked to work in the commercial arm of the same development firm.
After the success of identifying, assembling, anchoring and ultimately selling a approximately 100,000 SF retail strip center Ben learned of the next development project be to build, a hotel on a piece of raw land the firm owned. Ben and his partners selected the Holiday Inn franchise which he would contribute to the design, equip and later manage.
In only a few short years, the Holiday Inn Gateway
Center received the Torch Bearer Award as one of the top 25 Holiday Inn Hotels out of nearly 1,700 hotels worldwide. The award is given to hotels that have achieved only the highest level of excellence in all aspects of operation.
Ben attributes much of his success in residential real estate to providing every customer with a concierge level of service, which he feels was also a testament to the success his staff accomplished in his hospitality endeavor. Ben also served on the Board of the International Association of Holiday Inn Owners, as the Vice President of the Genesee County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and was involved in the Flint Rotary Club.
As a result of Ben accepting the position in Genesee County he met Michelle, his wife of 31 years. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Ben and Michelle were blessed with two beautiful children, and in 1994 they decided to search for a warmer climate to plant roots for their growing family. When they arrived in Naples, they both immediately fell in love with the area and made plans to make the move. Upon arrival, Ben immediately dove into real estate investment by purchasing homes and condos to remodel, as well as building two homes in Pelican Marsh where their family would reside for 13 years.
Shortly thereafter, Ben began buying waterfront homes in Punta Gorda as rental investments, and soon took note of an opportunity to build on a large scale in the area. He initially purchased 16 lots in Wildcat Run Golf & Country Club and joined forces with a local builder to complete the project. From there, Ben with past partners formed Maltese Developments and set his sights on larger parcels. The first was the Alico Crossings site at the corner of US-41 and Alico Rd. later to become the site of a Publix anchored retail strip center. Next was a residential parcel in Punta Gorda which became Rio Villa Lakes a 93 single family home community. Ben’s team partook in additional opportunities over the years, most notably a 123 acre parcel on the Peace River, where Ben and his partners sought and received entitlements to build 583 residences surrounding an internal harbor with approximately 140 boat slips.
In 2012, Ben began to work one on one with buyers and sellers again, and joined the Team at Gulf Coast International Properties in early 2016. He quickly found great success in his focus on the beautiful waterfront neighborhoods from Port Royal to Vanderbilt Beach, as well as select Naples and Bonita Springs neighborhoods and golf communities. In addition to his in depth knowledge of the many luxury communities Naples’ has to offer, Ben is a state certified general contractor. This offers him a well-rounded real estate understanding that he passes on to his clients.
When Ben isn’t listing, selling, or developing real estate, he enjoys playing golf, bowling and traveling with his wife. They also love to visit their daughter Rachael in Tampa Florida and their son Gabriel in Birmingham, Alabama, as well as their large families still located in Michigan.
For a private consultation, please contact Ben at 239.273.8700 or by email at [email protected].