In Central Florida's luxury real estate market, homes priced above $1.5 million often remain on the market for 200 to 400 days, even with professional staging and photography. While many attribute this to market conditions, one broker says the root cause is a lack of targeted marketing.
Bent Danholm, broker-owner of Danholm Collection, a luxury-focused brokerage in Central Florida, begins each listing with research rather than marketing. His team constructs a "buyer avatar" — a detailed profile of the most likely buyer for that specific property, covering family structure, income, net worth, professional background, commute patterns, and lifestyle preferences. "Who would be the most likely person to want to live in this property?" Danholm asks. "What are their interests? What does their family structure look like?"
Only after building this profile does the team create marketing assets. This approach targets a specific demographic rather than broadcasting to everyone, resulting in fewer but more qualified showings. In one Winter Garden luxury community, the average days-to-contract was 120 days. Danholm Collection sold three of the five homes that transacted: the first in 22 days, the second in 28, and the third in 72 days, despite being listed above market price. Their sales lowered the community average to 78 days.
Danholm emphasizes that targeted marketing only works with realistic pricing. He refuses listings if sellers won't agree to a market-aligned price. "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," he says. His firm allocates 20 to 25 percent of the listing commission to marketing, with upfront costs reaching $15,000 to $20,000 for staging, materials, and data lists. Mispriced listings make this investment a gamble.
Danholm caps listing agreements at three months. "If we can't sell it in three months, we're doing something wrong," he says. His longest transaction in 18 months took 94 days, including a collapsed deal from financing issues. Meanwhile, luxury listings in the broader Orlando market often exceed 200 days, suggesting the problem is methodology, not demand.
As inventory in the $1 million-plus range climbs, driven by overpriced and poorly targeted properties, agents relying on MLS placement and broad advertising may fall behind. For sellers, the key question is whether an agent can identify the buyer before spending on marketing. The listings that sell quickly are those where the homework is done first.
