Many people come to Naples from different areas of the country (and the world) to buy a vacation home, a retirement home, a place to escape to from the day-to-day reality of their lives. For those of us who live here full time - we get it! Naples is a wonderful place to hang your hat, whether for a few days, a few weeks, or forever. The sun shines most days, the tropical breezes keep things comfortable year round, and the overall attitude is "life is easy".
However, many of those same people come here with the expectation that they're going to get a real "deal" on that dream home. After all, this is Florida. They contact a realtor, set up an appointment to go look at some properties and then, "Whoa, Nelly!" the reality of buying a place in paradise hits them. "You want how much for this?!?" You can hear the wheels spinning in their minds as they contemplate how much they could buy in their home state for the same amount of money. Sticker shock sets in and that's when the job for the true realtor begins.
Trying to justify the cost of living in Naples can seem a daunting task. How can you put a price tag on paradise?You can try to explain to them the comps for similar properties. You can tell them about the wonderful amenities that the community has to offer. But how do you convey to them in a way they will understand that owning a piece of paradise is not just an investment in real estate but an investment in their peace of mind, their sanity?
Sometimes they leave and never return, having decided that "Naples is over-rated and over-priced"; sometimes it takes several trips down here for them to see what all the fuss is about; each time coming a little bit closer to understanding that quality of life doesn't necessarily come at no expense. Once they understand that, your job becomes so much easier. Now you can concentrate on finding them that special place to call their own. And once they've lived here awhile, they can't stop "selling Naples" to their friends up North. Because now they "get it" too.
Comments(0)