Alexis Day
You have been in the real estate business for 30 years, therefore,
you have seen a plethora of market highs and lows, and
change after change in the business as a whole from buying
and selling trends to marketing do’s, don’ts and musts. In my
research, I heard you mention that “print is dead, and homes
are bought online, end of conversation.” With over 300,000
affluent foreign buyers buying homes in the U.S. a year, you
have garnered a fair lion’s share of the business in that
market. Would you say that this is a prime online clientele,
and if so, how so?
Gary Gold
Foreign Buyers, like every other
buyer, source to find Real Estate
primarily by searching online
whether it is coordinated with an
agent or by themselves. When it
comes to Foreign Buyers they can
search for homes online as easily as
a buyer that lives in the US. It is very
easy to get a feel for areas and a
house. Initially foreign buyers could
be looking in multiple cities trying
to get a feel for where they want to
buy. If a Foreign Buyer is moving to
the US permanently they will more
likely have a reason like a job or to
be close to family, and the city they
move to will be already decided. I
provide as an added value to foreign
buyers information on everything
they need to know about buying a
home in the US. I’ll also correspond
with them on their time zone. It is
not unusual for me to be on the
phone at 11PM at night with Dubai
or Hong Kong. This gives me a big
advantage over other agents that
correspond via email with Foreign
Buyers when those buyers are asleep.