International Arrivals

In April, combined home sales for Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte Counties hit its second highest mark in history.  In fact, closed transactions fell just shy of besting the region’s all-time record of 2,702 closed sales in a single month—set exactly ten years ago in April 2004. Pending sales were similarly robust, turning in the region’s fourth best performance on record.  (Source:  Trendgraphix) What made April’s sales even more remarkable is that they occurred at a time when most buyers are opting to pay cash; or must meet the most stringent set of mortgage qualifiers in recent memory.   Distress sales throughout the region are at their lowest levels in four years, home prices are beginning to moderate to sustainable levels; and our market appears on the threshold of normalcy. Tourism and Home Sales Hand-in-hand with these elevated levels of home sales, area tourism is also cruising at record high levels.  The synergy between tourism and home sales can never be underestimated, as many of today’s buyers first discovered the region as tourists; or were referred here by trusted brokers in their home markets. Now that summer has arrived, one of our most dependable sources of buyers won’t be far behind.  International buyers—particularly those from Canada and the U.K.—have long fancied Southwest Florida’s housing market for both its lifestyle amenities; and as a safe place to invest in second homes or income-producing properties.  Indeed, it was their confidence in buying here that helped sustain our market through the most protracted real estate correction in U.S. history. Bringing International Buyers to our Market At Michael Saunders & Company, our 38 years as an independent, locally-owned and regionally-focused brokerage gives us the knowledge and flexibility necessary to hand select only those brokerage partners known for steering the most international buyers to our market. They presently include Christie’s International Real Estate, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, Luxury Portfolio International and Mayfair International Realty. Each of these affiliations—which collectively include 200,000 of the world’s top real estate agents working at the leading brokerage firms in some 50 countries—are chosen for the strategic function they perform.  Christie’s International Real Estate and Luxury Portfolio International target only those high net worth individuals worldwide with the proven ability to purchase properties over $1 million.  Leading Real Estate Companies of the World is chosen because its affiliates sell more properties and refer more buyers annually than any other national real estate organization.  Moreover, its member firms are ranked #1 in more top U.S. and Canadian markets than any other U.S. chain or franchise brokerage.  Lastly, Mayfair International Realty’s London-based network of brokers includes over 300 individual real estate offices throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.   As such, it effectively operates as something of a London Bridge to Southwest Florida—linking buyers who live in (or visit) the U.K. with properties listed by agents from Michael Saunders & Company. What country the next owner of their home comes from is of little concern to most home sellers.  But they should be concerned that the brokerage they choose to sell it leaves no stone unturned in maximizing the number of buyers—both nationally and internationally—who are ultimately exposed to the property. In a market where a significant number of purchases can ultimately be traced back to strategically-placed overseas referrals, make sure the company you choose has made a genuine commitment to capturing the most international buyers.