Artesana Rosewood Residences®  San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, México

The Situation:   The Developer was completing the construction of a boutique hotel with a luxury real estate component in Central Mexico for U.S. second home buyers in the middle of swine flu hysteria, a drug war featured in media across North America and a depressed economy throughout the region.

DMBRN Solution: Pivot on a dime is our philosophy … or in this case on a Mexican Peso.  While U.S. and Canadian markets struggled and hesitated when it came to purchasing or visiting Mexico, DMBRN developed and executed a strategy tailored to the affluent Mexican market, focusing our efforts on raising awareness at the domestic level.

Our understanding and appreciation for the cultural intricacies of the affluent Mexican market and how to reach them through penetration into their tightknit social circles, allowed us to move forward and achieve pre-sales of 30% of Phase I despite negative publicity.

Additionally, our understanding of the U.S. and Canadian affluent market allowed us to finely position to the right buyer, achieving a balance of buyers 62% Mexican, 25% U.S. and 13% Canadian.

“The DMBRN team was able to adjust quickly to a changing market and implemented a strategy that focused on the affluent Mexican Buyer and the  diverse local ex-patriot market. Their understanding of the importance of community involvement was also paramount to our success; we sold 30% of first phase prior to completion.”   Victor Cortes, Director General, Bald Mountain de México

Forest Highlands  Flagstaff, Arizona

The Situation: Nestled in the Ponderosa Pines of Flagstaff, Arizona, the community of Forest Highlands wanted to launch the addition of a new golf course and clubhouse community called “The Meadow” as a compliment to their existing phase, called “The Canyon”.  Leading this venture, the  Homeowner’s Association turned to DMB Associates as a development partner in creating The Meadow.  At the same time, the HOA wanted to maintain control of real estate sales within the community – from initial launch of new product through the long-term resale cycles.

DMBRN Solution:    The client knows where they want to go; our job is to get them there.  Forest Highlands engaged our team, to sell the new estate homesite golf community within The Meadow, as well as to provide resale coverage for the entire community, including The Canyon.  Not only did DMBRN complete sales in the new phase in record time, the brokerage took leadership of the majority of resale activity.

Our commitment to Forest Highlands and to the HOA is based on our business model of dedication to a community; our team exclusively represents Forest Highlands. The strength of our representation comes from  our understanding of the community.  Forest Highlands is a destination community and therefore lifestyle is paramount. Our team understands the value of being a member in this fine community.  We build relationships, which transcends generations, enabling us to develop a robust  database of both sellers and buyers.

Sellers recognize our understanding of the market, the competition and uniqueness of the community.  Buyers look to us to share insights into the lifestyle of Forest Highlands and the value of living in a community where all residents have access to both clubhouses, Award Winning Golf Courses and other amenities.

The client puts it better than we can:

“DMB Realty Network is our partner, they are an extension of Forest Highlands.  Their commitment  to the community and understanding of the lifestyle has been key to the continued real estate health of our community.”    Larry Appleby,  General Manager / COO – Forest Highlands H.O.A.

Over the past years, DMBRN has represented almost 90 percent of the sales in Forest Highlands, which is a testament to our success.  As ambassadors at the gates of this breathtaking community, we continue to attract interested buyers.  The dedicated model remains successful well beyond the developer’s launch and serves to maintain a skilled real estate team committed to its community, the brand and everlasting value.

This weekend, the Arizona Republic ran features highlighting DMB Associates’ California projects and their “evolving focus.”   DMB Associates, which has expertly weathered the recent real estate downturn, is poised for the future; from Arizona’s East Valley to Lake Tahoe.

 The developer of some of Arizona’s most outstanding communities such as Silverleaf, DC Ranch  and Verrado – has been instrumental in setting the pace of development – the story notes, “Many developers watch DMB’s moves closely to chart where growth is headed and what homebuyers want …”

DMB Realty Network is proud of our partnership with DMB Associates and congratulates the entire organization on their history of excellence, leadership and success.

 The Arizona Republic tells the story of “Home. Town. Arizona.” – DMB Associates’  Verrado development in Buckeye.  From a Caterpillar testing ground to one of the fastest growing communities in Arizona to the recession to a promising and beautiful future.

DMB Realty Network salutes our partners at DMB Associates for their vision and legacy.

Maybe it is the sunshine and great weather … MainStreet.com reports that the farther west you go, the better credit scores you’ll find.  Good to know.

February 14^th is right around the corner, a “holiday” generally associated with giving women – a wife, sweetheart, fiancé, etc. – flowers, chocolates or some bauble … but the fact is gentlemen – and I’m sure the ladies will agree with me – we can buy our own.  Not that we won’t appreciate the gesture, we most certainly will!  However, today, women wield more buying power than at any time in history.  In fact, women are starting their own businesses at twice the rate of men, and in 31% of the marriages where women work, women now out-earn their husbands . 

This is great information to learn about my working sisters out there, but as an industry professional it also begs the question … are we giving women what they want?

Recently at an Urban Land Institute (ULI) conference, a reference was made that 91% of the time women make the decision to buy a new home.   This comes as no surprise given that: 1) women account for $7 trillion in consumer and business spending; 2) women control more than 60% of all personal wealth in the United States; and 3) women comprise 51.4% of the U.S. population and make or influence 85% of all purchasing decisions.  This really comes as no surprise to anyone who has ever sold a home. 

It usually works like this … the man asks the questions while the woman tours the space feeling things out.  When it comes time to make the final decision, the man asks the woman what she wants.  So it is critical that we ask:  are developers designing to what women want?  Do our marketing efforts resonate with women?  Are our sales teams trained to sell to women?

I invite you to download our White Paper, Sales 101: Give Women What They Want and learn more about what the DMB Realty Network team suggests about appealing to a very powerful demographic.

And don’t believe for a moment any of this information excuses either gender from the traditional fare.

Angelina Kirkpatrick

Deborah leads The Silverleaf Group in sales with over $95 million in closed transactions in 2010 & 2011, making her one of the top producing sales agents in The Valley.  She has sold one-third of the homes that have closed in the Phoenix Metro area over $5 million. 

Learn more about Deborah Beardsley or contact Deborah directly at DBeardsely@Silverleaf.com

Women definitely know what they want, there is no question about that … and so do men.   However, men and women differ greatly in one area; women are less about a view or dramatic elements and more about style.  Women want great spaces that look and feel good.  Women want spaces for their kids and grandkids; women are all about how the home lives.  My experience has been that women are moved by the emotions they feel as it relates to lifestyle. When they see great gathering spaces they envision themselves in the space.  How does it feel?  How does it look?  Can they really see themselves living in the space?  This is especially true for kitchens.  We are the nation of Food Network, Top Chef and Giada de Laurentiis, the kitchen is the heart and soul of house.

In the recent economy value has been top of mind for all buyers.   Women, like everyone else, care about value– we’re as financially savvy as the next guy – we want to make sure our investment is financially sound in the long run and the best decision for our family.  The amenities of a community such as golf, walking paths and entertainment options are also important to women.  When it comes to the sale, the relationship is very important.  Women want to connect with their agent – after all, you’re helping them find their next home.  That is something very personal.

We know the primary motivating factors can vary between men and women, but the most important thing any agent needs to remember is that in order to serve your clients you must really understand what your Buyers are looking for and what your Sellers are offering.  It sounds simple, but it is that thorough understanding of our Buyers and knowledge of our inventory that has helped The Silverleaf Group achieve success year after year.  Our experience with most buyers – both men and women – is that they want their partner to be equally thrilled about their decision – even when the greatest selling point is different for each.  We succeed when we give women (and men) what they want.

Deborah Beardsley

Our company is often asked, what differentiates DMB Realty Network? Our Clients know the answer – it is our team of professionals and how we do things.  Decades of experience in the range of disciplines that positively impact sales help ensure our proven systems and processes consistently deliver better than expected revenue results.  Whether the DMBRN team is launching a Community, re-launching it or managing the Brokerage Operations, we start with a complete evaluation, or what we call The Network 360˚ Evaluation, TN360˚E for short.  The results of our evaluation process guides strategic planning addressing every twist and turn in the creation of a high performance sales capability regardless of the economic environment.

Get the answers and solutions you need for 2012; learn more about the DMBRN Team and how we create high performance results.   Contact Ben Jenkins, VP of Sales Development or Don Kent, CEO & President of DMB Realty Network.

Will 2012 be the end of the world or did the Mayans just run out of space? Many theories  exist about the Mayan Calendar and a 2012 doomsday but the fact is  … “doomsday” or  September 29, 2008, is behind us.  As we enter 2012 it is with a positive outlook for the future.  Early economic indicators are positive, consumer confidence is up as are new home starts, mortgage interest rates are at an all-time low and the luxury market continues to see growth.  2012 will be a Happier New Year as we continue to see all markets rebound. 

Happy New Year!