In the competitive luxury real estate market, staging and broad marketing are common tactics, but Bent Danholm, founder of Danholm Collection, advocates for a more data-driven approach: building a detailed buyer avatar before any marketing begins. Danholm argues that many agents focus on finances and income but neglect two crucial data points: interests and occupation.
“Everybody looks at finances and income,” Danholm says. “But they might not pay too much attention to what kind of interests these people might have, unless it’s pretty obvious, like a golf course or lakefront property.” He emphasizes that understanding a buyer's hobbies, dining habits, social patterns, and weekend activities can determine whether they connect with a property before viewing it.
Danholm's process starts with studying the property and its community to construct a buyer avatar, mapping out likely family structure, net worth, income, professional background, and lifestyle preferences. Occupation is a key factor he believes most agents overlook. “Which also influences what they might want to buy,” he notes. A tech executive relocating from out of state has different priorities than a medical professional or an investor, affecting both where to market and how to frame the property.
Once the avatar is built, Danholm's team purchases targeted demographic data lists, typically costing $2,000 to $4,000, to reach specific profiles directly rather than broadcasting into general real estate channels. This targeted approach results in fewer showings but a higher proportion of qualified buyers. “That’s what our sellers actually want,” Danholm says. “They want their home sold, but they don’t want 50 people walking through their home every week.”
Danholm estimates that roughly 90% of his business comes from expired or canceled listings—homes that failed to sell due to poor pricing or broad marketing. “You would be surprised to see how many million-dollar homes are marketed with pictures taken from a phone, with no video,” he says. “And if you can’t be bothered to get the marketing assets right, you’re probably not bothered to figure out who you should market it to.”
Even with his method, Danholm acknowledges it's not infallible. When a well-priced, well-located home isn't moving, he asks whether the buyer profile was built correctly. “Did we make a mistake in the buyer avatar? Are we actually approaching the right people for this property?” If showings occur but no offers come, that signals a pricing issue. If interest is low overall, the avatar may need revisiting. Pricing remains non-negotiable: “You can target and market as much as you like to the right buyer, if your price is off, they’re not going to buy anyway.” His listing agreements are capped at three months, and his longest transaction in the past 18 months took 94 days.
In a market where luxury inventory is growing due to overpricing and under-marketing, Danholm's approach addresses a specific problem: homes sitting for 200 to 400 days not because buyers are absent, but because agents failed to identify who the buyers are. For sellers evaluating agents, the critical question is whether they can articulate who will buy the home and what evidence supports that answer.
Danholm Collection is a luxury real estate brokerage based in Central Florida, specializing in properties above $1.5 million. Learn more about their approach at danholmcollection.com.
