Industry News

Luxury Home Market – Boom Anticipated

Friday March 15th, 2013

Category: Real Estate & Property Development, Industry Information, Members in the News

Stephanie Pfeffer, Executive Vice President of Luxury Portfolio International, was a featured speaker at a reception hosted by Bahamas Realty earlier this week. She feels The Bahamas is poised to benefit from “pent-up demand” for luxury second homes, saying “real opportunities” are coming to The Bahamas and wider region. “We have a huge inventory problem in the United States at the moment. For instance, San Francisco has only 12 days of inventory.” To qualify for the Luxury Portfolio marketing program, a property must be valued at or about $1 million or more, and meet other requirements. Mrs. Pfeffer said Luxury Portfolio has more listings over $1 million than any other real estate franchise, with 83 per cent of its listings offered at more than $1 million.

Bahamas Realty President Robin Brownrigg, recently returned from the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World Convention in Las Vegas, pointed out “The US is expecting a boom by the end of the year. In The Bahamas, we usually follow the US market - up or down - by about 6 to 12 months.”

Andrea Brownrigg, a Director of Bahamas Realty and listing agent for the multi-million dollar Ocean Club Estates home at which the Luxury Reception took place, noted that the affluent, more than ever, demand craftsmanship and high quality in the homes they buy, and are more resourceful than ever in finding it, on and off the Internet. She added, “Agents who represent such properties have to become true authorities on the luxury real estate marketplace, addressing the distinctions which speak to this increasingly sophisticated buyer’s passions.”

Bahamas Realty is affiliated with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRe) and Luxury Portfolio International, providing unequalled global reach. CEO Larry Roberts says “The luxury consumer demands, first and foremost, that his or her agent be reputable among his peers and in his community; knowledgeable about their market, with a track record for selling million dollar homes; and supported by an agency with global reach and websites as elegant as the properties represented.”