Someone's always buying
You know the expression, “if you want something done give it to a busy person,” well how about my favorite saying, “if you want to sell something, market to the people with the money.” Even in this economy there are plenty of people with money, and if you were paying attention towards the beginning of the year you know who they are.
A good friend who works for a very prominent New York City real estate firm e-mailed me a Newsweek article at the end of January. Her company was quoted in the piece several times which she was very proud of and was of course great public relations for the company. But what really interested me was the content of the article titled “The Bonus Babies Are Back.”
In case you haven’t put together Manhattan and bonus yet, the babies Newsweek is referring to are the Wall Street brokers and bankers who in January were just starting to cash their end of year bonus checks. The real estate agent interviewed for the article indicated that 90 percent of her clients work in financial services and she was gearing up for a busy bonus season.
Apparently nothing is stopping the bonus babies from looking at Manhattan apartments in the $3 to $5 million range as well spending money on all the horns and whistles that go along with multi-million dollar purchases. The value of many other luxury items, like boats and second homes, has also come down considerably resulting in those with the means to do so taking a serious look.
In spite of the negative opinion many people in the country have regarding Wall Street bonuses, which are expected to match or exceed pre-recession levels, the reality is that these bonuses are pumping money into the economy. In particular, New York City is hoping that Wall Street money will help to lift them out of their nasty recession. And even if Wall Street’s buying mood is a little more conservative and a little less self indulgent than in 2005, we’re still talking a lot of people with a lot of money sitting on the sidelines.
So here we are sunning ourselves on the beautiful Anna Maria Island beaches wondering why the rest of the world hasn’t found this place yet. We may not want the entire world, but we could sure use some of that bonus money trickling down I-95, and the way to do it is to market ourselves to the people with the money. Anyone who has lived north of the Mason Dixon line during the winter knows the allure of warm weather and beaches. Right now waterfront on Anna Maria is priced so well it may be the best deal in Florida and possibly the entire southern east coast.
Potential buyers from sophisticated areas like New York City also need to know that although we’re still a sleepy little town, we have acquired an ever increasing urbane and classy edge. You can see it and feel it in the restaurants, shops and services being offered. There aren’t too many places where you can get a suntan on a secluded beach during the day and dress up for the opera at night. All of these attributes need to be conveyed by the local chambers, real estate companies and media outlets working together.
Fast and efficient marketing is the key to selling everything from your used digital camera to your beachfront home. So let’s kill two birds with one stone, since the babies with the bonuses are also likely to be the busiest buyers in the marketplace, don’t give them any excuse not to look at what we have to offer.
