1) What is the most common hiccup you encounter when trying to find the perfect home for a client, and what is your typical approach to overcoming it?
We’re very lucky here in Vero Beach. We have beautiful weather just about all year round. Our small community has been named one of the best small towns in Florida, one of the best places to live in Florida, one of the safest communities in the state and a perfect community for an executive lifestyle by various magazines and media outlets. Our economy is strong and vibrant, our work force is healthy and our standard of living is high. Our community is clean, with good infrastructure and we have wonderful cultural and leisure activities. We also have a good, strong educational system.
If there is a common hiccup when buying and selling real estate in Vero Beach, I would have to say it’s the somewhat limited inventory. Our market moves quickly here and homes tend to stay on the market for far less time than in other areas. In addition, luxury home owners in Vero Beach tend to stay in their homes longer and don’t move around a lot.
My typical approach to overcoming this problem is to prepare my clients to react quickly if they love a home. I also stay on top of what’s coming on and going off the market.
1) Real estate agents are expected to be absolute experts on their respective regions. What steps do you take in order to ensure you know positively all that you need to in order to keep your clients well informed?
I’ve been buying and selling luxury real estate in my market for over 35 years now, so I know this area better than anyone else. I am absolutely habitual about reading daily sales, what’s under contract and new listings. I go to weekly sales meetings and talk to everyone. I am intimately involved with nonprofit and business organizations in my community, so I can stay on top of new companies and new business opportunities. And I reach out through social media, read the daily papers and go online for local news and market trends. I also maintain great relationships with previous clients. It requires a lot of effort to do all this but the only way to keep my clients well informed is to be well informed myself.
