Real Estate in Northeast Florida and Around the World

Tuesday is caravan day in my Watson Realty office in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.  A Realtor caravan is when agents visit earmarked listing inventory, so to get a better perspective of each house's characteristics, floorplan and attributes.

This tradition is dying.  Very few offices actually participate in caravan today, with so much information available on the internet, many agents find this to be a waste of time and gas.  I on the other hand, find this to be a highly-valued activity in my week.  One cannot understand the feel of a neighborhood, walk a floorplan, see find details in craftsmanship or smell awkward smells from the internet.  More times than not, the house I see (and my customers see) on the internet turn out to be so much different, both good and bad, in person.  My customers trust my judgment, and if I can preview a house and give it a thumbs up or down based on my buyer's needs, it saves both of us time and energy.  For my listing customers, I have to understand what is on the market, to clearly discuss their competition and help them price their home at the best price yet stay competitive.

Two hours per week is the minimum amount of time that I spend in viewing inventory.  How can I claim to have expertise in my field if I do not understand my product?  Have I seen every house in our inventory - heavens no, as I would have to spend all of my time running in and out of houses, which leaves no time for what I really love to do - meeting the needs of my customers.

So - tomorrow is caravan day - if you see me in your neighborhood, give me a wave!