Brought to you by the Builder Realtor Relations Committee of the Sales and Marketing Council of the Northeast Florida Builders Association
Q. With the dismal unemployment figures we see in the news, are there still people relocating to the Jacksonville market? If so, who are they?
A. Yes, There are still businesses moving employees and executives. In addition, there are more independent contractors providing services on a contract basis that work 3-5 days and commute back to their home base. This has opened up my sales downtown and near the Town Center as 2nd home condo sales.
Q. How do we determine what geographical areas have the most untapped, upside potential for relocation to Florida?
A. It has always been important to me to track my internet and prospect traffic by zip code. When I notice a trend, I try to drill down and find out why. Additionally, nothing replaces news media announcing a business that will be moving people in or out of town. Relo companies I would think are tracking this as well.
Q. In today’s market, are you seeing more people in the military or some other profession relocating to Jacksonville?
A. I have not seen a recent uptick in military moves, it has been steady and very consistent for some time now. I have seen a steady incline in personnel for the medical and bio tech industries.
Q. What Florida statistics are most appealing to people moving to Florida? Are job numbers, school rankings, weather and climate information or population growth more important to those relocating?
A. In this economy maybe JOBS! However, when they move to Florida, they also get the rest of your list as a great BONUS!
Q. What are the best ways to locate buyers who may be relocating in the near future?
A. Over 87% of all buyers today are shopping and either selecting or deselecting communities and homes they want to see by shopping on the internet. Business moves, retirements and the military shift are going to make up the bulk of these moves. Networking, getting involved with SMC and professional groups are where you normally first hear of a shift in personnel.
Q. With the dismal unemployment figures we see in the news, are there still people relocating to the Jacksonville market? If so, who are they?
A. Yes, we are seeing a steady number of relocation people from the military and financial services sector of the market. Investors are also taking an interest in Jacksonville real estate opportunities made available with the influx of families relocating to the area.
Q. How do we determine what geographical areas have the most untapped, upside potential for relocation to Florida?
A. The Jacksonville areas that seem to be increasing in growth are the commercial and military sectors. With that growth, comes relocation and growth in the real estate market. There are three major priorities for all new home buyers which will inevitably determine where they relocate: 1) Employment, 2) Schools (if they have children), and 3) Purchase/Value of homes in that market. Therefore, we’ve found the areas of greatest potential for relocation are the areas which consistently employ the largest number of people, the areas with the highest rated schools, the areas with homes that are in the vicinity of work/school and have homes that are reasonably priced.
Q. In today’s market, are you seeing more people in the military or some other profession relocating to Jacksonville?
A. The military is still the number one relocation buyer we are seeing purchasing homes in Jacksonville.
Q. What Florida statistics are most appealing to people moving to Florida? Are job numbers, school rankings, weather and climate information or population growth more important to those relocating?
A. The unemployment rate in Florida is still higher then the national average. However, we are still seeing a large number of relocation buyers coming to Jacksonville specifically because of the great weather. Even buyers who first settled in the Carolinas are choosing to make the move to the sunshine state. Also, we have seen many buyers picking Clay and Saint John’s county because of the high ranking of their school systems.
Q. What are the best ways to locate buyers who may be relocating in the near future?
A. The number one source of relocation buyers we are seeing is being generated from our extensive online marketing campaigns where we are generating on average over 3,000 buyer leads a month. Many of these buyers are from outside of Florida.