EP# 174 - Donna Marcotte on Navigating the Realities of Luxury Real Estate

Is the real estate life as glamorous as it seems? Join us in episode 174 of the Good Neighbor Podcast Estero as we uncover the truth with Donna Marcotte from Premier Sotheby's International Realty. Donna, who transitioned from a secure career in hospitality and country club management to excelling in luxury real estate, shares her incredible journey and the bold leap she took to pursue her passion. Discover how she navigated the challenges of this major career switch and why she believes choosing the right community is just as important as finding the perfect property.

Donna's journey is filled with insights and real-world experiences that challenge common misconceptions about the real estate industry. From navigating muddy terrains to handling the not-so-glamorous aspects of the job, she offers a candid look into what it truly takes to succeed in selling homes in gated golf course communities from Fort Myers to Naples. Tune in to learn about her philosophy on lifestyle-first real estate and gain valuable advice on how to thrive in this competitive field. If you’re curious about what it takes to make it in luxury real estate, this episode is a must-listen!

Premier Sotheby's International Realty
Donna Marcotte
23421 WALDEN CENTER DRIVE
BONITA SPRINGS, FL 34134
239-851-1964
donna.marcotte@premiersir.com
WEBSITE

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Cabo Jim.

Speaker 2: 0:08

Schaller. Welcome Good Neighbors to episode number 174 of the Good Neighbor Podcast Estero. Today we have Good Neighbor Donna Marcotte from Premier Sotheby's International Realty Welcome.

Speaker 3: 0:21

Good morning, Jim. Thank you for having me. This is exciting.

Speaker 2: 0:24

Yeah, pleasure to get to know people in the community and share what they do with our residents. So without further ado, let's jump right in. Obviously you're in real estate, but share a little bit about what you do.

Speaker 3: 0:38

Well, let's see, I'm here with Premier Sotheby's International Realty and I sell homes in gated golf course communities from Fort Myers to Naples, and I specialize in the luxury lifestyle because here in this area we have a lot of second homeowners and when people come to the area they're not just looking for the sticks and bricks of a house, not like you do up north where you're looking for that right school district or you know being close to something. Here you want to be in a community that suits your lifestyle needs and folks have to think about how they're going to be living their lifestyle here in southwest Florida and then they pick their community as a result of that, because you can find similar properties in every community. But you want to really concentrate on that lifestyle first and how you're going to be enjoying your time here in Southwest Florida.

Speaker 2: 1:26

And that's the important thing you have to be able to enjoy everything that we have to offer down here, exactly. So how did you get involved in real estate?

Speaker 3: 1:34

So I have a hospitality background. I was in hotels for a number of years and when my husband and I moved to Southwest Florida oh, 27 years ago now I started in the golf club industry. So I worked for a developer, wci Communities. I worked for them for 19 years and I did country club management and marketing as well as on-site sales. So I just really developed a passion for that lifestyle type community and six years ago I decided to start into general real estate and I've been doing that ever since.

Speaker 2: 2:10

That is great. That is great. I come from the hospitality industry as well. So it's a very interesting industry, like any industry, everything's always changing.

Speaker 3: 2:16

It's a good basis for the real estate business because we bring a lot of customer service Absolutely, and a high level of that, to this business.

Speaker 2: 2:24

So yes, and that's what we need more of nowadays. It seems like a lot of people have forgotten a lot about that. So are there any? You've had a journey where it leads you now and you're into real estate. Is there something that happened, maybe a challenge or obstacle along your journey, that you can look back at now and say you know what? I'm in a better place now because of it.

Speaker 3: 2:43

You know, I struggled for a long time to make the move because I was very secure with what I did, and I did it for a long time. But I've got a pretty good, I think, a pretty good outlook on life. And you know, I think that you have to sometimes jump and take a chance, and I did that. And it was difficult at first because you're leaving what you know, you know for so long and I could do my job with my blindfolded and my hands tied behind my back, right. So getting into something different was was difficult and and I didn't want to look back and I haven't it's been wonderful and, and once you do that, once you just make that decision and jump in, I think it's a it's a terrific journey and we have to challenge ourselves. So I did that. I did a little bit later in life, but I'm enjoying it tremendously.

Speaker 2: 3:26

And that's the important part. Challenging yourself is how you grow, otherwise you stay. You know what's the state where they are. Everybody wants to grow and become a better person each day, so congrats for having the courage to do so. So are there any myths, or maybe misconceptions surrounding the real estate industry that we could clear up for our listeners?

Speaker 3: 3:47

That it's glamorous, because it isn't always glamorous, let me tell you, on a Sunday afternoon, when I'm putting open house signs on and we have one of our afternoon showers, it's not glamorous. Or when I'm trying to find a lockbox and I'm walking through the dirt and the mud behind a house. So it is enjoyable, it is fulfilling, but it is not always glamorous.

Speaker 2: 4:08

Yeah, and I don't think people appreciate everything that real estate agents do.

Speaker 3: 4:12

I would say, the ones who are really focused on their business and this is a business for me. They work very hard, so I think that's another misconception. The majority of us work very, very hard.

Speaker 2: 4:22

Absolutely so. Being in Southwest Florida, we've seen a lot of changes over the years. Do you notice anything trending lately?

Speaker 3: 4:31

You know, I would say that it's not 2022, right, so it's. People just have to set their expectation a little bit. Prices have softened but they haven't dropped, if that makes any sense. So basically, when we look at 2022 and everything just skyrocketed, we're in more of a normal market right now. So it's nothing to the sky isn't falling, it's nothing to be concerned about. People are still moving to southwest Florida. I think the other misconception sometimes is that it's dead in the summer, and it's not. We don't have as many folks around as we do in the winter months. We're certainly busier, but we still have buyers here.

Speaker 2: 5:10

So prices have softened, it's a little quieter, but people are still moving to Southwest Florida and wanting to live here. Absolutely yeah, I moved here in 1989, and it's changed a lot, but back then it was very, very seasonal it was a ghost town in the summer, but now it's more year-round and you're seeing more people here on a regular basis. So, speaking of Southwest Florida, what brought you to Southwest Florida?

Speaker 3: 5:33

My husband's job actually brought us here again in the hotel industry we were. We were transferred down here and I have to tell you I didn't like it at first. We moved here from Atlanta and you know, 27 years ago there wasn't a lot going on here. We absolutely love it now and it's our home. We've been here for a long time and we wouldn't consider living anyplace else. But at the time, you know, there just wasn't a lot going on and this area has grown so much over those 27 years I'm sure you've seen it as well since 1989.

Speaker 2: 6:02

Quite a lot back in the back in the day, not that I'm old or anything, but you know it was Fort Myers and it was Naples and Benita was literally a trailer park in between. There was nothing here nothing at all. And now it's grown so much and now East of 75 has grown, but it's great to see you know bringing great people it is and it offers a lot for folks to do now.

Speaker 3: 6:25

You know we always had the beaches, but now we have so much more.

Speaker 2: 6:33

Absolutely. Speaking of that, I know you probably have very little free time running your own business and being on real estate, but what do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Speaker 3: 6:37

My husband and I love to go to the North Carolina mountains. We just got back a week or so ago. It's an area that we visited for over 30 years. It's a great place for folks even in this area to go and get away from the heat in the summer and we absolutely love to travel up there and just take some downtime and enjoy ourselves and enjoy our little dog, and that's kind of as much as we get to do. We enjoy traveling.

Speaker 2: 7:00

That's good and that's important get out and seeing new places and enjoying that, but knowing we get to come back to Southwest Florida, absolutely, absolutely. So. Is there one thing you wish our listeners knew about, what you do that maybe they're not aware of?

Speaker 3: 7:14

Well, we work hard. You know we work hard. Definitely we um, it's kind of a 24 seven business where we're constantly on call and it's, let me say it's a privilege for me to do what I do and to have people entrust me with the sale and the purchase of one of their largest investments, so that I take that very seriously. So I think that you know it's it is a business, I take it seriously, we work hard, all of us work hard, and maybe that's something that people don't necessarily see, but but also we enjoy what we do very much. We really enjoy providing this service and helping people, especially when they come down here and they get to enjoy this beautiful area and to see their faces, when they get to enjoy what they've worked their whole lives for.

Speaker 2: 7:59

Absolutely. That's got to be the best feeling in the world we love that it really is. So how would our listeners go about contacting you if they wanted to learn more?

Speaker 3: 8:08

Sure Well, they can reach me on my cell phone Again. The 24-7 part 239-851-1964. We are located at the southwest corner of 41 and Coconut Road, just across from Coconut Point Mall. That's where our offices are located. But they can reach me at my phone number and they can find me on my website at l lhttps://luxurylivingdonnamarcotte. com.

Speaker 2: 8:37

Perfect Donna. It's been a pleasure getting to know you. Thank you for being such a great person in the community and I hope to see you out here soon.

Speaker 3: 8:46

Thank you so much. It was really a pleasure. Thank you for the opportunity.

Speaker 1: 8:50

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast E Astero. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpestero. com. That's gnpestero. com, or call 239-296-2621.