by Miranda G. McLeod
Staff Writer
Beverly Brandenburger sits at her desk and, with a quick Southern drawl, says, “I’m not looking for quantity, I’m looking for quality. I can sell anything, but I’m not trying to sell the world.”
But she is selling the world on Jacksonville’s million-dollar properties.
Jacksonville has more million dollar properties than it has million dollar buyers, and Brandenburger says her company is the only one with global exposure to the most affluent buyers in the world.
Brandenburger is the president of Manormor, a small boutique broker franchise of Sotheby’s International Realty.
Manormor is in a different arena than other real estate agencies, said Brandenburger. “We are affiliated with the most prestigious network in the world.”
Brandenburger started in real estate 32 years ago. She bought the Manormor franchise of Sotheby’s International Realty last year.
Previously, Manormor was an independent firm and the exclusive affiliate of Sotheby’s International Realty marketing program in Northeast Florida. Now, all the firm’s listings are marketing within the brand network under Manormor Sotheby’s International Realty. The majority of properties listed are more than $1 million.
She sells a variety of coveted properties. One, the “Rich Man’s Toy,” was only listed for three and a half weeks. It was a large parcel of property on the Suwanee River that included all-terrain vehicles and pontoon boat.
“I would take 100 of those kind of properties,” she said, because it sold so quickly.
Brandenburger also handled Sen. Bill Nelson’s 2.75-acre estate in Tallahassee, one of the first properties there to sell for more than $1 million.
“When you get a call from Sen. Bill Nelson, you do pay attention,” she said, again with a quick southern draw.
One of the more prominent sales Brandenburger was involved with was the Osborn Center. She was the Realtor of record for the transaction between the City and Lee McIlvaine, who owned the train station, which has been turned into a convention center.
Locally, Brandenburger sells homes located along the St. Johns River, including San Jose, San Marco, Mandarin and the Ortega area. The company also specializes in homes at the Beaches and Ponte Vedra.
“The Sotheby’s International Realty name gives us instant recognition as a luxury real estate firm,” said Brandenburger. “We have seen first hand how the powerful Sotheby’s International Realty name helps to generate more leads and buyers for our clients’ listings. Having all of our properties part of the Sotheby’s International Realty network is an incredible advantage that benefits our clientele.”
Brandenburger started her career as a school teacher and left to work in real estate. She said, however, in a way she’s still teaching. Educating the homebuyer is important and the best thing the company has is its reputation, she said. “There is no gray area.”
She calls the firm an ongoing personalized service and has gone out of her way for clients.
She has babysat birds, picked up poodles from the airport and picked up client’s children when they were running late.
Brandenburger says it’s about pleasing the clients but more about the satisfaction she feels when everything runs smoothly.
“We do it because we can and we want to,” said the 69-year-old grandmother of two. “I’ll work till I die. What else will I do? I get excited about what I do.”
Brandenburger said it’s the thrill of the making the sale work and the client satisfied that keeps pulling her back.
“I love to put the deal together,” she said.
But the main reason Brandenburger continues to work is so she can travel with her grandchildren, Marisa, 13, and Brewer, 11. She said she wants to see the world through their eyes, because she’s already seen it.
“My grandchildren are the light of my life,” she said. “The older they get, the smarter I become.”
Her office is decked with photos — she stands in front of the Taj Mahal, kisses the Blarney Stone and climbs the pyramids of Egypt, among others.
Articles also deck her walls and her most memorable transactions are document there.
There are 18 agents in her office and she’ll admit they are all more technically savvy that she. There is no computer on her desk, only a Roledex and telephone, and there’s still a typewriter in the office.
“I don’t do machines,” she said. “But I can (hand)write the most sophisticated financial contract you’ve ever seen in your life.”
And she has — once on the back of a receipt, she said.
Gayle Washnock is an agent in the Manormor office and has worked with Brandenburger for nearly 10 years. She said Brandenburger is one to play by the book, and that she’s a perfectionist in every since of the word.
“People say ‘You can do business with Beverly on a handshake,’ and it’s true,’” said Washnock. “Beverly treats everyone the same. It doesn’t matter what they’re buying or selling. She gives each client the same kindness.”
Sometimes, Brandenburger says, she gets hung-up on the grandfather clocks.
“Many times the items inside a house are worth just as much as the house is,” she said. “Buyers often ask, ‘Does the oriental rug come with the house?’ or ‘What about the grandfather clock? If it doesn’t, then I won’t sign.’”
But Brandenburger works through the different personalities that buy and sell houses. She said she’s found that the nicest people are the very wealthy or the very poor.
To prevent theft and avoid any risks associated with showing a house, Brandenburger has developed the ABC system. If she doesn’t know the buyer, or can’t clarify information, she ensures that have a letter from an attorney, banker or certified public accountant that affirms they can afford to spend the money on one of Manormor’s listings.
“My clients know that if I bring someone to their home, they’re qualified,” said Brandenburger.
“We only have one lockbox,” said Washnock.
“We don’t run pictures in the paper and we don’t hand out trophies. But go online and you’ll see just what it is we do,” said Brandenburger.