Kathy Doyle, the director of sales and marketing for Rosewood Homes, pulls double duty while performing site sales in Orange Park’s new Paradise Moorings residential community.
HOW LONG HAS SHE BEEN WITH ROSEWOOD HOMES?
Doyle’s been with the company for about 12 months. Originally with Pulte Homes for about three and a half years, Doyle left after a personal offer was extended by Rosewood Homes president Roger Day to come to work for the company. Ironically, Rosewood Homes was building Doyle’s second home at the time.
PRIOR TO PULTE HOMES?
Doyle was a fulltime mom for about 15 years.
WHY BECOME A SITE AGENT?
“It was something that always interested me. My dad was very handy when I was growing up and he built the majority of homes that we lived in when we were growing up. I chose to be a site agent because I love the dirt. I love to see a community start with a vision, kind of progress and then find out who the pioneers are, who come in and buy into that vision. Then I like to to see the community grow and have a personality and, at the tail end of it, look back and ask, ‘Did the developer hit the vision? Are they really meeting the needs of the buyers that they thought they were going to in the first place? Just to see the whole thing come full circle is a rather an interesting experience.”
SITE SALES VS. GENERAL REAL ESTATE?
“[With general real estate] you don’t get to be part of the dirt and the vision. I think this is much more rewarding because you are dealing with new construction and the builder directly. You’ve got more of a hands-on thing where you can help the homeowner actually create their dream. I just really enjoy the dirt portion. You find some raw land and make something. You can always look back and say, ‘I had a part in that and helped these many families find homes,’ which is very rewarding.”
PARADISE MOORINGS?
Paradise Moorings will be a relatively small, gated community with only 92 home sites with 13 directly on Doctors Lake. It is located three miles west of SR 17 on CR 220. There are five builders in the BESTCON community including Rosewood Homes, Kicklighter Custom Homes, Steve Johnson Custom Builders, Higginbotham Builders and J.A. Long Inc. “For all intents and purposes, they are basically sold, so we are only dealing with the internal home sites. The neat part about Paradise Moorings is that anyone who does purchase within this community has access to the lakefront because there will be a common pier and boat ramp. So basically, you are getting the same privileges as those who live on the water without the $1 million price tag. Price ranges start at $315,000 and go over $1 million.” According to Doyle, homeowners are already in the community and she expects several more will be in by the end of the year. Doyle added she expects to be built out within two years.
WHAT WILL THE HOMES BE LIKE?
“The vision for the community is that of a low country style with nice, big Savannah porches where you can sit and sip your lemonade. It’s a very old fashioned, warm and welcoming community. There are sidewalks throughout the community where you can walk and say ‘Hi’ to your neighbors.”
WHAT HAS HELPED YOU MOST TO GET YOU WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
“The desire to learn more about the business. Personally, I’m not interested in knowing just one aspect. I’m motivated to try and find out everything. I want to find out why construction works they way it does, how the administration portion works and how the whole system works together as a team. I want to make sure we deliver and to understand that every person who is involved in the building process, whether they are in the office or in the field, touches that customer and affects what happens in the home. It’s for me to learn as much as I can so I can understand exactly what that process is. There is not a day that goes by that I haven’t learned something.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“To talk less and listen more.”
WHAT IS ONE BEST THING YOU COULD TELL A GENERAL REAL ESTATE AGENT?
“For them to understand that we are here to help and to support them. We are both trying to find the best fit and the best home for the family they are driving around town. For them to understand that we are here to support them and to help them find the best fit and the best home for the family, makes their job easier.”
BIRTHPLACE
Canada.
MOVED TO JACKSONVILLE?
About 10 years ago.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Doyle is a member of the Northeast Florida Builders Association’s Sales and Marketing Council and, in addition, is on the Clay County Builders Association’s board. “I just recently took on the position as head council for Builder’s Care for Clay County where I will be working with Bill Wilson, executive director of Builder’s Care. Through his guidance, I believe we can make the Builder’s Care Program work in Clay County.”
- by Michele Newbern Gillis