By Carole Hawkins, [email protected]
Why would someone from Jacksonville want to go to Brazil? For Carnivale! To Great Britain? For kings, queens, castles and the Beatles.
Scotland has bagpipes and the Loch Ness Monster, and Canada has the Northern Lights, whale watching and quite possibly, Sasquatch.
On the other hand, what would make people from other countries want to come to Jacksonville?
The Jacksonville Women’s Council of Realtors asked the question at its September business meeting. Answers varied, but the idea was to help members get inside the mindset of global customers.
Argentina shares Jacksonville’s climate and its homebuyers are used to a predominantly urban lifestyle. Scottish buyers might appreciate Jacksonville’s 173 golf courses, the most per capita of any city. And, most foreign buyers would enjoy Northeast Florida’s sunshine and beaches, affordable lifestyle and top-rated schools.
Did they get close to how foreign buyers view Jacksonville?
A little, said Missi Howell, a WCR member.
She is also chairwoman of the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors’ Global Business Council, an avid traveler and a global specialist.
Unlike its peer cities to the South, the primary reason people move to Jacksonville is for business, she said.
That’s different from Orlando or Miami, which have garnered reputations worldwide via entertainment offerings like Disney World and Southbeach.
In South Florida, internationals come for vacation homes.
Jacksonville’s international community most of the time is coming because of the Navy, Howell said.
Military personnel marry overseas and bring their foreign-born spouses — and sometimes other family members — to the U.S. Since a good number of Navy personnel retire in Mayport, the mixed-culture families often become a permanent part of the Jacksonville fabric.
Also JAXUSA Partnership, the economic development arm of the JAX Chamber, actively promotes Northeast Florida to international companies as a place to open an office. Jacksonville competes internationally as a center for finance, health care and aviation.
The international buyer’s relationship with Jacksonville may begin with work. But Northeast Florida’s lifestyle is what closes the deal, Howell said.
“They find people here to be very hospitable and friendly. It’s that Southern charm,” Howell said.
Jacksonville’s hardwood trees and four seasons come as a welcome surprise to people from Canada, Great Britain and Western Europe, who enjoy its similarity to their native countries.
In South Florida, international buyers are largely Latino. In Jacksonville it’s more diverse, said Howell, with homebuyers originating from India, China, Asia and various Latin counties.
Would immigrants from Scotland be sold on Jacksonville for its golf courses? Not likely, Howell said. Golf is not unique to Northeast Florida. On the other hand, The Players Championship is.
Many Jacksonville Realtors may not see themselves as someone who works with international buyers, Howell said.
But, it’s impossible to live in Jacksonville and not do business with people of other ethnicities. So, it’s important to become familiar with traditions of other countries.
“What about the people from Mexico and Vietnam who already live here and who are buying their second house?” Howell said. “If you don’t work with them according to their custom, you’ll lose that customer. You won’t know why, they just won’t call you back.”