I was born in the UK but am now an American citizen, I have resided in Naples since 1998 and been involved in real estate in one way or another pretty much since I purchased my first home here. My professional background is in sales and marketing, which has provided a very sound foundation for every business venture I have launched. Coming from the UK I am conscious of how different buying and selling real estate is here in Florida, and just how easy it is to make very costly mistakes. That brings me to the importance of utilizing a realtor once you decide to either list your house or join the every growing number of people wanting to own a home here. So how do you choose a realtor when there are just so many of us out there? I believe it isn’t my job to tell you what to buy, certainly you know better than me what you are looking for and what is a comfortable price range. A good realtor needs to be able to sit with you and talk about the lifestyle you are looking for, the type of home you have dreamed of and your family’s personal situation. If you have children the school district may be of upmost importance, if you like to play golf or tennis they are factors to consider, are you going to be a seasonal resident or just spend a few months here during season? These are the questions your realtor should be asking. I need to know whether your preference is for a brand new home or a re-sale, your time line becomes a very important part of this question as showing you resales available now may simply be frustrating if you are not in a position to buy for another six months. Do you have a home to sell? If so and its local then it makes the most sense to use the same realtor for both transactions, this will definitely limit the amount of time you will spend how do you I also believe the relationship between us is based on trust and loyalty.