I was a bit worried and frustrated since the attendance of our last condo tour (May 10th) only had about 18 attendees. Afterall, previous tours had garnered as many as 48 attendees. I wondered if I did a poor job of getting the message out, if it was because the tour was scheduled on mother’s day weekend, if folks were just bored with the tours, or some other unknown reason.
I have not yet figured out the reason for the lower attendance but I will say that I think that this last tour was our best one yet!
With fewer people on the bus the logistics of the tour flowed a heck of a lot easier. Elevators and communities in general were easier to navigate. We did not have to wait nearly as long for people to board and disembark the bus. It was just easier. And even better, we all had a lot more time to talk and share our thoughts and opinions of which high rise or loft community we liked the most. We had a lot of time to discuss the state of today’s market, and the impact of short sales and foreclosures, and how and what to do in light of current conditions.
Which community was the most popular between Optima Biltmore, Biltmore Jewel, Fairway Lodges and George? The tour was split about 50/50 between Optima Biltmore and Fairway Lodges.
Half of our urban enthusiasts loved the finishes, location, style and amenities offered at Optima Biltmore with its contemporary lines and European style kitchens. The other half preferred the tradtional elegance of Fairway Lodges with its spectacular location on the golf course of the beautiful and famous Biltmore. Almost everyone loved the interior finishes of George (aka Christensen Court) with its smooth finish stained concrete floors, heavily upgraded European kitchens and bathrooms, extra high ceilings, walls of glass, architectural highlights and surprise nooks and finishes but almost everyone was resistant to the area. Frankly, I don’t agree but when you compare George’s location to the Biltmore or 24th Street and Camelback then you have a point. But one couldn’t replicate George in either of those locations…period. So, it’s not a fair comparison in my book.
Nevertheless, I was once again reminded that “to each his own” and that is why it is so important that a real estate agent does not allow his or her own personal taste to determine which properties to show to a client. Instead we must listen intently to what the buyer wants and show them every home that meets those criteria so that the future home owner can make an informed decision as to what is best for them.
There is some discussion whether or not to hold a tour in June since it’s starting to get hot. We believe that we will tour downtown Scottsdale on the second Saturday of June (the 14th) and then shut down July, August and maybe September. We’ll keep you posted. I should have photos of the tour up this week. Call or e-mail us with questions.
