Bob Hawley has worked as a site agent for Sid Higginbotham Builders in Magnolia Point Golf and Country Club for a year.
HIS HISTORY WITH MAGNOLIA POINT?
Hawley has been selling lots and pre-sales houses in Magnolia Point for 15 years. The original developer sold the remaining lots to Mitch Montgomery of Montgomery Land who then sold them to builders. “Sid Higginbotham called me and said he was thinking about buying lots there and would I be interested in selling for him. So, that’s how I came to work for him.” He also sells in Romeo Point in Orange Park.
HIS HISTORY
Hawley was self-employed from 1976 to 1981. He owned five Schaefer’s Sandwich Shops and Delicatessens. He sold them in 1981 and got his real estate license. He then went to work for Biskits, a home-style chicken and biscuit chain. “We built 43 restaurants in Florida.” The company was bought in 1984 by the company that owned Bojangle’s Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits. “They had no presence in Florida. Our style was country style chicken and biscuits and theirs was hot and spicy. They were really after some of Popeye’s market.” Hawley said that in the course of one year, they changed all the restaurants into hot and spicy type chicken, changed the name and consequently put themselves out of business. “Instead of having nine hot and spicy chicken places and nine country style chicken places, there were now 18 hot and spicy type chicken places. Basically, they went out of business. When it was sold, I was vice president of personnel.”
BEFORE THE FOOD BUSINESS?
He was a newspaper reporter during and after high school for four years. He then joined the Air Force for the next four years. He met his wife and went to work for her father who was in the Italian baking and deli business while he was in college. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Sacred Heart University and then opened his sandwich shops in Florida in 1976.
REAL ESTATE CAREER?
After he sold his sandwich shops, he decided to get into real estate and joined Coldwell Banker Walter Williams Realty and sold general real estate. He then joined Re/Max for a short stint. In 1989, he joined Magnolia Point.
HOW HAS YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELPED YOU IN REAL ESTATE?
“Restaurants are a service business. I think Realtors provide a service. We are a service-type business and I don’t think any of us would survive if we didn’t give good service to our customers.”
WHAT MADE HIM GET INTO SITE SALES?
He bought a piece of property in Magnolia Point and built a house there. “I liked it there, so I called them up and told them I would like to sell lots for them. I really like getting people out on a lot, get them in the middle of it and show them how the house is going to look and what orientation it will have. I really got into it. I really think that is what helped me be successful in just selling land like that. I was the only male in the sales company there. They actually voted to see if they even wanted a male to join the sales team.”
MAGNOLIA POINT?
The community is about 1,100 acres. It started in late 1986 and was slow to take off in popularity. “It’s remote and at the end of Clay County. There was so much activity in the Eagle Harbor area that we really didn’t get a lot of Realtor participation. It’s easy for Realtors to sell when they have a lot of inventory and an area they know. It took a little while.” He said they changed the marketing strategy and brought in the Don Evans Group who came up with a couple different types of golf course homes. “They came up with golf villas on golf course lots, which no one was really doing. They then went after the retirement market and we started getting a lot of response to the advertisements.” Currently Sid Higginbotham has 25 lots in Magnolia Point, with 15 available. “The community has room for 960 home sites. The original developer only did 560, so when Montgomery bought it, he had the potential to develop another 400 home sites. His initial phase was 145 home sites and that’s where we bought 25.” Hawley said they would definitely be buying more lots in the future phases. Average price for a Sid Higginbotham house and lot in Magnolia Point is $350,000. Amenities in the community include a 27-hole golf course, clubhouse, pool and tennis courts.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT YOUR JOB?
“A lot of site agents sit in a garage. I don’t do that. I sit at the kitchen counter with my laptop. When people come in the door, I like to greet them. I don’t like them to go through the house without ever meeting me. I enjoy meeting with people. One thing I really like about my job now is the people I work for. The Higginbotham’s are just absolutely wonderful people. It is a small company and I feel like I am part of a family.”
WHAT HAS HELPED YOU MOST TO GET YOU WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
“My wife has always been successful in her career and it has allowed me to be self-employed for all these years. She has been a driving force to allow me to stay in a business like this for as long as I have.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“Not to pre-judge young couples. I’ve found that a lot of young couples make a lot of money and they can afford your market. Just because they walk in with a few children on their arm, don’t pre-judge them. I don’t pre-judge anyone. Another thing that I have learned recently is to not get upset over a situation that I have no control over. It has really helped me in sales because there are so many ups and downs in this business.”
HOW ARE GENERAL REAL ESTATE AGENTS IMPORTANT TO YOU?
“They probably generate 50 percent of my sales. Sid had a good following of agents who know what he does, what his product is, how he backs his product and they enjoy selling his product.”
UNIQUE MARKETING?
There are two other builders in his model center and usually when that is the case, they do not market together. But, at Magnolia Point, things are different. “We do a lot of marketing together.” American Home Builders, Cordele and Sid Higginbotham Builders sponsor Realtor caravans, Southwest Council After-Hours mixer and the Southwest Realtor Fun Day Golf Tournament luncheon. “We are doing a lot of things jointly, where normally builders would not do that.”
ADVICE FOR A NEW SITE AGENT?
“Be patient. Listen to the people and see what they really need. Try to not qualify them money-wise, but see what they want in a lifestyle and in a house. You have to sell the community. I have an advantage in Magnolia Point, because I know the community and the golf course. If you sell the community, you have a chance at getting a sale.”
HOMETOWN
Stratford, Conn.
RESIDES
Magnolia Point.
WHAT DOES HE LIKE TO DO WHEN NOT WORKING?
Play golf and visit St. Augustine. He enjoys going to the Art Walk in St. Augustine the first Friday of every month.
FAMILY
He has been married to Patricia, a pharmaceutical sales representative, for 35 years. They have two children, Robert, 34 and Lauren, 32.
FAVORITES
A movie he recommends is “Field of Dreams.” He really enjoys any movie Kevin Costner or Mel Gibson star in. “There’s a movie, ‘Tequila Sunrise’ that Mel Gibson is in that is a great movie.” When relaxing at home, he enjoys tuning into “Sopranos.” Restaurants he frequents are Gypsy Cab Company, A1A Ale House and La Pentola in St. Augustine. When traveling, he and his wife like to take long weekends. “We always try to go places we’ve never been. I loved San Francisco and San Diego.” He also loves to visit Florence, Italy and Munich, Germany. His favorite book is “Caravans,” by James Michener.
- by Michele Newbern Gillis