FORT LAUDERDALE, FL-Sometimes it’s enough just to be near a Publix. Brookside Square, a 21,200-square-foot Publix shadow-anchored shopping center in Coral Springs, saw significant investor attention. The asset traded for $2.43 million.

Barry Wolfe, a vice president of Investments in Marcus & Millichap’s Fort Lauderdale office, had the exclusive listing to market the property on behalf of the seller, a personal trust. Wolfe also secured the buyer, a limited liability company.

“Everything is more challenging and more time consuming right now in terms of operating and leasing,” Wolfe tells GlobeSt.com. “Some investors who have been in the business for 20 or 30 years are starting to cash in their chips and move on, particularly folks who have equity.”

Such was the case with the seller of Brookside Square. The shopping center is located at 10611 Wiles Rd.—a strong demographic area shadow anchored by two of the nation's most successful retailers—Publix and CVS.

“The property is located along a heavily traveled corridor and is in the heart of one of South Florida's best neighborhood communities,” Wolfe says. “As a result, the buyer should be able to achieve success leasing the vacant units in a reasonable time frame, thereby achieving significant sweat equity and subsequently achieving a double digit return.”

Wolfe reports an uptick in the Broward County retail market. He is currently working about half a dozen retail deals in Coral Springs alone, ranging from $1 million to $14 million—both single and multitenant.

“The lending market is freeing up a bit and at the same time I’ve seen a couple of deals with seller financing,” Wolfe says. “Buyers are aggressively pursuing opportunities. If they feel like a deal is still an opportunity or priced right there’s definitely capital out there right now.”