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PORT NECHES — After renting their office for almost 14 years, longtime realtors Jon and Rachel Carona of Advantage Real Estate now have a spot of their own.

Dubbed the “Carona Bldg,” the new office at 908 Port Neches Ave. sports two offices and two upstairs apartments.

“We had been paying rent and thought, let’s invest in our own place,” Jon Carona said. “And McFerrin (Insurance) was interested in coming on board being our first tenant.”

When looking for a place to build the new office, Carona came across a piece of property on the tax roll owned by the Port Neches Economic Development Corporation and purchased the land.

He then worked with Bert Lamson Design and LLB Construction for the building, where upstairs are two, 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartments.

Advantage Real Estate is in the process of moving into the new office this week, he said.

The local real estate market is doing well.

“I feel like we’re holding our own, though it has slowed down a little bit,” he said. “There seems to be transactions in the pipeline still flowing, and I expect business to pick up a lot in the coming week as, hopefully, the coronavirus slows down a little bit.”

Terry Schwertner of McFerrin Insurance started the move from his former location on nearby Nall Street last Thursday.

“It’s a really nice place,” Schwertner said. “It’s a real asset to the Avenue and Port Neches.”

It was time for a change for Schwertner, whose office was built in the late 1960s — plus he was ready to downsize, he said.