Real Estate In Florida And In The UK Is Like Apples And Oranges

I do most of my business with international investors who want to invest in Central Florida vacation rentals. The other day I had a buyer from Ireland looking at properties. Spending the afternoon with her reminded me that there are some big differences in how real estate is sold in the United Kingdom and how it’s sold in Florida.
The first major difference is how buyer’s agents in Florida have access to see any property due to the Multiple Listing Service. In the UK, a buyer has to go to the listing agent of a property in order to view it. This can lead to a home buyer working with multiple agents during their search. Here in Florida all properties sold by a Realtor® are inputted into the MLS. This gives other Realtors® the ability to gain access to and show all of the properties in the MLS.

In short, this enables a buyer to pick one Realtor® they trust to help them find a home and stick with them. Working with just one agent also has some benefits. I’ve found that after looking at homes with a buyer a few times I get a pretty good sense of what it is that a buyer is looking for. There is also more opportunity for me to help educate buyers about the market and the buying process here in Florida.

It is important to me that my buyers feel like I’m treating them with respect and giving them as much attention as they deserve. Having a good working relationship between me and a prospective buyer goes a long way towards making the search for a Central Florida investment home a success. And building that relationship takes time and effort.

The best thing to do as an international buyer looking for a Florida vacation home is to do some research and find a Realtor® you like and trust and then stick with them and let them find you a great investment.



Image courtesy of TheBusyBrain at Flickr