Selling Local Properties To The World

Through an Engel & Voelkers franchise, a broker will bring overseas buyers to the Sarasota-Bradenton market

(Monday, May 05, 2008) - So you are a wealthy Saudi Arabian who wants to buy a few Gulf-front acres in a private compound on Longboat Key.

Ray J. Alexander might be on a short list of those who you would want to call.

Alexander has recently bought the rights to open an Engel & Voelkers office that will serve Anna Maria Island, Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton and Longboat Key.

The large German company specializes in connecting overseas buyers with homes in the United States. Its franchisees can tap a 26-country network of its Hamburg, Germany-based parent, which has offices in England, Ireland, Italy, Chile, Spain, Switzerland, South Africa and Thailand.

"A lot of people would be scared and fearful of getting involved in something like this," Alexander said. "I just took a leap of faith because you have to trust your hopes and not your fears."

Alexander's road to global real estate broker began at the University of Arizona, where he played quarterback for the Wildcats while earning a bachelor's degree in sociology.

For the next 25 years or so he held a number of real estate-related jobs, from developer to broker to seller of boutique properties and fractional ownerships in high-end homes.

Alexander worked as a broker sales executive and director of sales with ClubCorp. of America in Hilton Head, S.C. He also had an independent sales position with Melrose Development Corp.

He has managed start-up companies, product launches and performed change-management consultation. His licenses and certification include Florida real estate and mortgage broker and NASD series 7 and 63, and a private pilot's license.

In the future, Alexander will be selling exclusive properties to buyers with a worldwide and standardized system through Engel & Voelkers, which gives him and his clients access to high-end properties in more than 300 sites in 24 countries.

"You hear about all the gloom and doom, but with higher-end properties that niche is still quite active," he said. "Although the market is going through a rough cycle, when the market comes back it will come back strong, and I'm positioning myself to take advantage of that."

He already has three listings on Holmes Beach at more than $1 million each.

Alexander is leaning toward St. Armands Circle as the place to open his "property shop" with associates Jean Dunaway, Michele Jacobs, Dan Sack, Vicki Sack and Jackie Verdugo.

There he would display properties available all over the world, and greet clients from other countries sent here by other Engel & Voelkers agents looking for a vacation home or new residence.

"It is not as if they have to leave from Germany or England and deal with another Realtor they are unfamiliar with," Alexander said. "Coldwell Banker and Re/Max put themselves out there as international brokers but Engel & Voelkers exceeds the clients' expectations."

He likens the Engel & Voelkers experience to buying a Cadillac instead of a Chevy: "It is almost Ritz-Carlton-like. It provides a service that is very distinctive, comprehensive and consistent to buyers in Argentina, Spain and Chile. They aren't surprised, and they know what they are going to get."

A 54-year-old father of three children who have yet to hit their teenage years, Alexander commutes from Tampa as he increases his market in Southwest Florida.

"It's a buyers market in Florida, and the current exchange rate where the euro is increasing against the dollar only helps," Alexander said. "Longboat Key is very appealing to people in European countries."

Engel & Voelkers has 12 offices in Florida, including Bradenton, Sarasota and Punta Gorda. Company executives plan to open 315 more in the next decade across the nation.

"Ray's property investments, real estate sales achievements, executive management and consulting experience make him a perfect fit for Engel & Volkers in Florida," said Timo Khammash, managing partner of the firm's Florida operations. "We're proud to have him join our growing team of franchise owners."

Franchises also were recently sold in Clearwater and St. Petersburg.

Alexander, however, will be focusing south of Tampa Bay and has high hopes for his new venture.

"When you have the ability to connect with nearly 400 other offices and they have access to your properties, it creates a bridge that connects the Western and Eastern Hemispheres," he said. "That's great."

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