When marketing mansions, it pays to be creative

When it comes to marketing mansions, brokers have to pull out all the stops. From scented brochures to a limited edition Rolls Royce, selling ultra-luxury real estate requires creativity.

“I requested that we absolutely have a scented brochure so when you opened it you had the feeling of the tropics and scent of coconut,” said Bill Hall, founding principal of the Island Group with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services in Stuart.

The scented brochure was invented to help sell an ill-timed condo hotel in Orlando that had a sellout price of more than $1 billion, according to the Palm Beach Post. Ultimately, the deal fell through when the housing market collapsed, but the brochure was a hit, Hall said.

To market another luxury Palm Beach home, broker Jonathan Postma hosted a swimsuit fashion show during one of his open houses and parked 15 Lamborghinis at another. “Some people just like to go big,” he said.

And Douglas Elliman’s Senada Adzem caused quite a bit of buzz when she convinced the owner of $12.7 million listing in Boca Raton to include his limited edition Rolls Royce Phantom with the home.

“People build these amazing homes then a buyer comes along and it’s a single guy with no needs and he puts in three movie theaters, two bars and a stripper pole,” Postma said. “You never know what people are going to do to another person’s vision.” [PBP] – Christopher Cameron