Did you notice any difference in the amount of real estate business generated from The Players Championship since the tournament dates were changed from March to May?
“I saw no difference in the real estate interest. It may come later from people introduced to the area. What I saw by living in Ponte Vedra Beach was that the people were destination-oriented. They wanted to get there as fast as possible and leave in a traffic jam heading to J. Turner Butler Boulevard as fast as possible. I am not convinced that The Players Championship serves the Ponte Vedra Beach area. I think that it causes people to avoid the area for a week. The TPC is great but as far as it stimulating real estate, that is not happening. I held an open house in Ponte Vedra Beach during the week and not one person came. The traffic from the TPC probably kept a real prospect away. I held the same open house two weeks before the TPC and 12 people came. Go figure.”
- Sarita May, Country Club Real Estate of Ponte Vedra
“No, I have not noticed any change.”
- Danny Rushing, Coldwell Banker Walter Williams Realty
“I think Amelia Island is not as affected as Jacksonville would be. However, we had a busier week with an increase in activity. It will be interesting to see the results from all the Realtors and businesses. I’m sure it has to be a very positive impact.”
- Josie Deal, Coldwell Banker Jasinsky & Associates
“No positive change noticed.”
- Paul Sandiford, Vanguard/GMAC Realty
“I noticed that all my customers were either going to the The Players Championship or were glued to their television sets and weren’t interested in real estate a bit. I believe the combination of Mother’s Day weekend and the new look of the tournament had people’s attention more so than real estate. I do believe, however, that with the success and increased coverage of this year’s TPC, we will see the results of sales in future months and years.”
- Thomas Rineberg, Watson Realty
“No. None.”
- Cammie Thomas, Keller Williams Realty
“I actually saw things slow down during The Players Championship. I think Mother’s Day also had something to do with activity because people were with their mothers and not looking for houses.”
- Mark Ryan, Sawgrass Group Realty
“Absolutely! Saturday was the best day in the history of my career, though I don’t think it had anything to do with the The Players Championship timing. While I was working out the details between my buyer and a seller with limited representation on a sale for $545,000 (my biggest sale so far,) I got in an offer on a listing for my sellers who had turned down two low-ball offers previously that would have closed earlier than they wanted to be out. My buyer, likewise, isn’t putting his house on the market until next week and doesn’t want to close until late July, so they were not ready to buy when I first showed two months ago. So while the TPC seemed to be irrelevant to my ‘sides’, it may have influenced the buyer of my listing, and my buyer’s and seller’s decision about when to put their house on the market, as it had only been up for 10 days when we saw it.”
- Bettye Cates, Coldwell Banker Walter Williams Realty
“We’re fortunate that the real estate traffic always seems to be steady and strong in our area, especially during that week. I live on Seven Mile Drive and currently have four listings there, which is in Sawgrass Players Club and right in the heart of the tournament. I did get a lot of activity during the week. I had over 12 showings just on those four listings, several of which were second showings! Golf is a great sport that contributes greatly to our community!”
- Kim Davis, Ponte Vedra Beach Realty, Inc.
“We just moved into our seven furnished models at Coastal Oaks at Nocatee and our traffic count increased on its own. We really did not notice that The Players Championship made a difference.”
- Bob Toback, Coastal Oaks at Nocatee, Toll Brothers Inc.
“Our office was extremely quiet during the week of the The Players Championship. In discussing the issue with members of the Ponte Vedra Beach Chamber of Commerce and other business owners in town, I think many of the businesses were slower than expected. Many of us feel that parking at University of North Florida had a negative effect on the Ponte Vedra Beach economy.”
- Lesley Vitel, The Vitel Group, Keller Williams Realty, Atlantic Partners
“No more business at TPC time this year.”
- Lydia Keohane, Team Village Realty
“I saw no difference. I did not have any properties for sale that were in the area. I sat on one open house in St. Johns Golf but no one came, even though it was advertised.”
- Michael Shurr, Watson Realty
“No, I have not found any difference since the Tournament Players Championship changed dates.”
- Joyce Connors, Sam Folds Inc. Realtors