At The Real Deal’s seventh annual Miami event on Nov. 10, brokers at the top of the residential market sparred over the best strategies for snagging clients and listings in an inventory crunch.
The panel, sponsored by Sabal Luxury Builders and moderated by TRD’s Katherine Kallergis, featured Douglas Elliman brokers Dina Goldentayer and Oren Alexander, Dora Puig of Luxe Living Realty, Corcoran’s Julian Johnston, and Jeff Miller of One Sotheby’s International Realty. The five agents regularly sell multimillion-dollar homes to the hordes of high-net-worth individuals flocking to Florida for tax, lifestyle and Covid reasons. Increasingly, those homes are off the water as waterfront lots become unavailable, and brokers have had to get creative.
And while the group seemed to acknowledge that it’s important to get along, it was clear that the competition is tough in such a hot market. Panelists were quick with jabs and willing to get cutthroat. “I don’t think that kindness is that important right now,” Goldentayer said.
With limited inventory, buyers are willing to purchase homes sight unseen. “There is just no inventory,” Johnston said. “I’ve had 20 brokers come up to me asking, ‘Do you have anything?’” The agents noted the importance of both pocket listings and even the old art of door knocking.
Now that the U.S. travel ban is lifted, the panelists acknowledged that they expect a renewed surge in buyers from Latin America and Canada, as well as a continued influx from New York and even California. With so little inventory, where will all those new Floridians go? Watch the video above to find out.