Latest news with #Engel&Völkers
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Keys to the Kingdom at €650k developer's former home in Caherdaniel
HOUSING developers aren't known for living in modest homes. Given their stock-in-trade is putting roofs over people's heads, it wouldn't look great if their own properties were demonstrably shoddy. To build confidence in a product and in your own reputation, it's wise to make plain that you're happy to road test your own creation. The woman who bought this Caherdaniel home in Co Kerry eight or so years took it as a good sign that a developer had built it and was also happy to spend his downtime in it. 'I believe he was a developer in Dublin who built it as his own holiday home,' she says, adding that 'he didn't skimp on anything'. 'It was built at the height of the Celtic Tiger, but it wasn't one of those homes that was thrown up. It's a very high-quality build,' the owner says. As any developer worth his salt will tell you, location is everything, and the chap who picked his spot on the Iveragh Peninsula knew in his heart that it doesn't get much better. The holy trinity of mountains, coast and captivating views is hard to beat. Coad, Caherdaniel Moreover, the site had great privacy, in a cul-de-sac, just off the consistently busy, peerlessly scenic Ring of Kerry, and within a short drive of a handful of villages: Castlecove (c five mins), Caherdaniel (eight mins); Sneem (15 mins). Westcove Pier, ideal for swimming, is 15 minutes on foot. Westcove Pier The current owner of this home in the townland of Coad, Caherdaniel, Westcove, was well acquainted with the natural beauty of the landscape when she made the purchase. 'I bought in an area that I knew very well in my childhood and into my 20s. I grew up in London, but my mother was Irish and we always came here for our summer holidays. 'I bought the house very much as a holiday home, with lots of space for family and friends and for entertaining. Open plan kitchen with views of Kenmare Bay 'There was lots of room for people to stay over and even a separate games' room for the kids. It's been perfect,' the owner says. She's used it as a permanent home these past few years and says the area is very nice off-season too. 'It's a great community, and it's not just people coming on holiday. There's lots to do, like books clubs and coffee mornings. I've been living here full-time but it's time now for a new family to enjoy it,' she says. If a family was to buy it as a permanent home, there's a national school in Caherdaniel village and a secondary school in Caherciveen. At almost 2,700 sq ft, it's a fairly capacious home, laid out in a way that seaviews are on display from all the main daytime living accommodation and from two of the four upstairs bedrooms. Open plan dining/living/kitchen Selling agent Ron Krueger of Engel & Völkers says the main open-plan living area is a 'wonderful space, ideal for entertaining' — which it patently is. Natural light floods through floor-to-ceiling windows which frame radiant Kenmare Bay. Across the water is the beautiful Beara Peninsula, cleaved by the Caha Mountain range. Two sets of French doors lead to a terrace, which overlooks the lawn and down towards the bay. It's tailor-made for barbecues. Mr Krueger says the location is 'a haven for outdoor enthusiasts'. Beaches abound and there are Blue Flags everywhere: O'Carrolls Cove; White Strand; renowned Derrynane. Closer to home, Westcove Pier has a modern slipway and safe moorings for boats of all sizes in a tranquil harbour. Fishing opportunities are rife along the coastline. The peninsula has a trio of golf courses, including Waterville links, which attracts a global elite. The Kerry Way hiking path passes a few hundred meters from the front door. When you're done with all the activity, you can kick back in comfort, by the wood burning stove in the lounge area of the open plan space, or outside on the elevated terrace, or on the separate patio by the games room. Games road Lounge If you're too tired to venture upstairs — where two of four bedrooms are en suite with walk-in wardrobes — you can use the downstairs bedroom (there's also a downstairs wet room) — which a new owner may put to another use, such as a study or home office. The separate games room, on the opposite side of a feature arch in the grounds of the house (with storage on the other side), could also be adapted. It has running water. A home gym or artist's studio are other possible uses. As the Iveragh Peninsula is an internationally recognised beauty spot, favoured by visitors, the chances of this home going to an overseas buyer are high. Mr Krueger says they are expecting interest 'very much from within Ireland but also from overseas'. 'So far we've had both Irish interest and enquiries from the US, with showings due to start this week,' the agent says. His guide price for the impressive property is €650,000. Cork and Kerry airports are two hours and one-and-a-half hours away respectively, by car. Kenmare town is a 45-minute drive. VERDICT: Location and setting will get pulses racing among buyers searching for the ultimate holiday bolthole. Overseas interest is a given because of where it is. The quality of the build will also appeal to those looking for a permanent home.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida's pandemic housing boom is over. Are we headed toward a crash?
For a time, Tampa Bay was one of the hottest housing markets in the country. But falling prices and lagging sales across the Sunshine State signal a stark reversal from the pandemic-fueled home buying boom. 'People were getting used to making huge profits on their houses in a short period of time,' said Michael Wyckoff managing broker of Engel & Völkers Madeira Beach. 'That's slowing down.' The number of homes sold in the Tampa Bay metro area remained flat year over year, but dropped about 20% since 2022, from when the market was booming. That's according to preliminary April data from a subsidiary of the real estate firm, CoStar Group. Counties that were badly hit by Hurricanes Helene and Milton faced even greater losses. Since last year, sales decreased by 8% in Hillsborough County and almost 13% in Pinellas, according to April data from Suncoast Association of Realtors. Homes are taking longer to sell. The median time a home spends on market is now between 70 and 85 days. Though that's on par with what we've seen historically, Michelle Rumore, senior director of market analytics for CoStar said it's a far cry from the Covid-19 era, when homes stayed on the market for about 40-50 days. More available homes and fewer interested buyers has caused prices across Tampa Bay to decrease for four consecutive months. The median home price now hovers around $365,000, according to That's almost a 3% decrease from this time last year and about a 5% decrease from June 2024 when prices peaked at $385,000. Prices for the country as a whole are actually rising slightly. April saw a 1.3% year over year increase, marking four months of price growth, data shows. Florida's housing market is unique because so many people moved here during Covid-19, said Rumore. But now that migration has slowed down, 'the rubber band effect is just a little more apparent here than in other markets,' she said. Even though prices are coming down slightly, that's not enough to entice buyers who are facing higher mortgage rates, insurance costs and overall economic uncertainty, said Lei Wedge, professor of Finance at the University of South Florida's Muma College of Business. Wyckoff said during the pandemic, interest rates were artificially lowered to boost the economy. He believes that buyers will eventually adjust to the new normal. 'If you were to look over the last 50 years, 7% is not a terrible mortgage rate,' he said. Though the market has cooled, that doesn't necessarily mean a crash is on the horizon. What's unfolding now is a 'slow correction,' Wedge said. That's different from the major slashes in prices that took place after the 2008 financial crisis. She believes there may be a slight oversupply of housing in the local market right now. 'You had all the builders jumping in when the market was hot,' she said. 'By the time they're done building, we don't have as many people moving to Tampa.' The good news is, this gives buyers a bit more leverage. Wyckoff said he's seeing more sellers agree to cover closing costs, inspections, repairs and other concessions. 'We're in a more balanced market now,' he said.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida's pandemic housing boom is over. Are we headed toward a crash?
For a time, Tampa Bay was one of the hottest housing markets in the country. But falling prices and lagging sales across the Sunshine State signal a stark reversal from the pandemic-fueled home buying boom. 'People were getting used to making huge profits on their houses in a short period of time,' said Michael Wyckoff managing broker of Engel & Völkers Madeira Beach. 'That's slowing down.' The number of homes sold in the Tampa Bay metro area remained flat year over year, but dropped about 20% since 2022, from when the market was booming. That's according to preliminary April data from a subsidiary of the real estate firm, CoStar Group. Counties that were badly hit by Hurricanes Helene and Milton faced even greater losses. Since last year, sales decreased by 8% in Hillsborough County and almost 13% in Pinellas, according to April data from Suncoast Association of Realtors. Homes are taking longer to sell. The median time a home spends on market is now between 70 and 85 days. Though that's on par with what we've seen historically, Michelle Rumore, senior director of market analytics for CoStar said it's a far cry from the Covid-19 era, when homes stayed on the market for about 40-50 days. More available homes and fewer interested buyers has caused prices across Tampa Bay to decrease for four consecutive months. The median home price now hovers around $365,000, according to That's almost a 3% decrease from this time last year and about a 5% decrease from June 2024 when prices peaked at $385,000. Prices for the country as a whole are actually rising slightly. April saw a 1.3% year over year increase, marking four months of price growth, data shows. Florida's housing market is unique because so many people moved here during Covid-19, said Rumore. But now that migration has slowed down, 'the rubber band effect is just a little more apparent here than in other markets,' she said. Even though prices are coming down slightly, that's not enough to entice buyers who are facing higher mortgage rates, insurance costs and overall economic uncertainty, said Lei Wedge, professor of Finance at the University of South Florida's Muma College of Business. Wyckoff said during the pandemic, interest rates were artificially lowered to boost the economy. He believes that buyers will eventually adjust to the new normal. 'If you were to look over the last 50 years, 7% is not a terrible mortgage rate,' he said. Though the market has cooled, that doesn't necessarily mean a crash is on the horizon. What's unfolding now is a 'slow correction,' Wedge said. That's different from the major slashes in prices that took place after the 2008 financial crisis. She believes there may be a slight oversupply of housing in the local market right now. 'You had all the builders jumping in when the market was hot,' she said. 'By the time they're done building, we don't have as many people moving to Tampa.' The good news is, this gives buyers a bit more leverage. Wyckoff said he's seeing more sellers agree to cover closing costs, inspections, repairs and other concessions. 'We're in a more balanced market now,' he said.
Khaleej Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Dubai: Property brokerages trends revealed; offline has higher conversion
The majority of leads for property brokerages come from online sources, but offline sources are still important as they have higher conversation rates, industry executives said on Wednesday. While speaking during a panel discussion at a conference organised by the Khaleej Times, they highlighted the importance of both online and offline marketing and mixing the two in a balanced manner. 'Even though the majority of the leads are coming from online sources, we still have to mention the quality and importance of different offline touch points – referrals, events and networking. These are the leads that really have higher conversion rates,' said Diana Dzaka Bico, Marketing Director, Engel & Völkers. Speaking during a panel discussion at the TRIBE – The CMO Connect 2025 conference hosted by Khaleej Times on Wednesday, she said everything shifted towards digital platforms, not just in marketing during the pandemic. 'That's definitely reflected in real estate, especially on the brokerage side. The lead generation become very focused on online marketing. The majority of leads are coming from offline sources. For brokerage agencies, property portals, social media ads, Google ads, email and WhatsApp are online sources used to generate these leads,' she said during the panel discussion. On the other side, she noted that developers are quite heavily focused on the offline side of marketing such as billboards, events and project launch launches that are happening daily. 'However, in recent years, I've noticed a big shift in terms of their focus on digital marketing and that aspect of lead generation.' She added that offline is important and brokerages should not leave that out of the mix and balance online and offline marketing. Katie Allen, head of advertising and revenue at Khaleej Times, moderated the panel – Let's Talk Billboards, Algorithms & Buyers: Cracking the Code of Real Estate Marketing in 2025. Quoting Ipsos, she said that in 2024, UAE ad spending was Dh9.4 billion. 'Of that enormous amount, Dh1.4 5 billion was spent by the real estate and 79 per cent of Dh1.4 5 billion went towards outdoor advertising,' she added. Sevgi Gur, chief marketing officer of Property Finder, said research showed that there is a huge role of offline when it comes to real estate decisions from the consumer perspective. She pointed out that trust is key in real estate. 'When there is no trust, there is no trade. When consumers see someone spending a huge amount of money on high-impact media, they think that they have the pocket. If you are buying a developer who has that kind of marketing budget, your mind is going to believe that most probably it will deliver what it promised to you. Is outdoor advertising helping them to make the decision? Yes. I don't think that the shift from digital to outdoor is a function of Covid, per se. It is a function of real estate, started growing post-Covid and the ability of developers to launch new products,' she said during the panel discussion. Curtis Schmidt, CEO of RAPP for Mena, said authenticity is not just a campaign, but a commitment. 'Brands that consistently embody their values —especially in times of crisis — are the ones that earn lasting trust. Curtis highlighted how RAPP leverages CRM to help brands turn complex financial messages, such as rate changes or data sharing, into trust-building opportunities. From proactive communication to humanized automation, preparing in a way that is personal, swift, and customer-focused is key to maintaining trust when it matters most,' Schmidt said. Cluttered ads Ahmed El Sherbini, CEO of Think Human, said everything starts with strategy in the beginning, and if there is no clear strategy and a good understanding of the brand, then there will be challenges moving forward. 'It's a very transactional business. It's a very cluttered category. However, it's one of the highest spending categories in the UAE,' he said. 'We still believe in the integrated marketing communication approach. We can still rely on offline and online. Offline has its own kind of KPIs and parameters – the outdoor activation, print ad etc. Digital is more targeted communication for certain consumers with certain messages at a certain time through different platforms. You have to have the data and the insights to be able to reach that,' he said. Think Human's chief executive noted that unfortunately, a lot of ads are very cluttered, whether they're from brokers, developers or individuals. 'You feel that they do not even understand the brand, and the ad is only about price, price, price, price. It's very important to look at the brand whether you're a developer or a broker. By the end of the day, you work for a brand,' he said.
CTV News
05-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
A look inside a former CHEO Dream Home for sale in Ottawa
The 2012 CHEO Dream Home in Manotick is now for sale. The home has four bedrooms and five bathrooms. (Engel & Völkers/website)
