Going 236 miles in one direction to show homes in the area that we do not know? Yep, we showed homes in Boynton Beach, Boca Raton and Pompano Beach. We were so close to Miami...driving from Daytona Beach 234 miles just to see the first home.
I do not care if it looks crazy, but after 11 and a half hours behind the wheel, 509 miles and $90.88 on gas and $65 on food and water, and coming back home 10 min past Midnight - I have to justify it anyway. Even if I 
can't. I know what you may think, so THIS WAS NOT ABOUT GREED. . WHEN WE TOLD THEM WE WOULD REFER TO A GOOD AGENT IN THE AREA, THE CLIENT SAID "NO".
Ivan & Lana (names changed) ran into Olga, who happens to be my wife for, let's see, a bit over 37 years. A few other agents they contacted left them skeptical. I think this is not because the agents are so busy. Ivan & Lana did not have the money, and were waiting for Lana's mom to sell something in the Ukraine. We all know what the chances are.
They have already looked at different places, came to see properties in Flagler County, and loved it. However, there is always a worm inside us, telling "go to Palm Beach, or to Boca Raton, or to Miami... That's where the money, that's where life is..." So, they felt they needed to check the other pastures to make sure they ain't really greener.
Turned out it was for real. Lana's mom closed on the deal and found the way to get the money here. So, when Ivan & Lana decided to go and check South Florida, they turned to Olga. I called Ivan to explain that we can refer him to another agent and how wonderful that would be. He cut me short. No other agents. He told me we do not need to come, he would go himseld and drive around. All he asked was to give him some addresses. And he said he would sign Buyer Broker Agreement with us, no problem.
Olga did not feel that it would be appropriate to have them go alone, and felt that she needed to see what they see. So, she got to a computer and pulled a bunch of listings. Without MLS, just with IDX, Zillow, Realtor.com and a few other sites, it was a heck of a job, and very frustrating. Of course, we did not have a SUPRA key for that area, so we needed to set some of the appointments to be able to show. I ended up as designated driver (got so much easy with GPS), and Olga was calling agents as we were on our way to South Florida.
After driving around and looking at properties and at the areas, our clients thought it would be cost them significantly more than in Flagler for the same quality of homes, and they can be better off spending less money upfront, and then, after they have established themselves, they can move on if they want to. So looks like they are back in our area. They are waiting for their mom to fly in, and we hopefully will see them quite soon.
WAS IT WORTH DRIVING 509 MILES AND SPEND THE MONEY AND TIME? Though they did not need the guidance, they speak English and have a pretty good grasp of the reality, still, they are from Brooklyn, and it is a totally different world. There are lot of small things that they clarified for themselves while talking to Olga. She did not steer them, she simply answered their questions.
And then they told us there was a terrific Kyojin Buffet (with Hibachi Grill). Wonderful assortment of sushi, sashimi, rolls and more, incredible price. For $19.95 you could have the freshest and the best. The variety is stunning. No wonder the place is always packed and there 
are people waiting to be seated all the time.
Of course, it is a bit far even for this buffet, but this was a terrific place to visit. Of course, too much stuff, and difficult to restrain yourslef.
Was it really crazy after all?
* I know that you can find terrific deals evrywhere, and this does not mean that there were no decent deals there, but there was another consideration as well. They need sizable Russian population for business.
Jon Zolsky, your Daytona Beach Connection
http://www.beautifulflorida.com/
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