Watson Realty Corp. marked the first anniversary of its Nocatee office last week, celebrating a year that has seen the real estate firm become part of the growing Nocatee Town Center business community.
Company founder and Chairman William Watson, Jr. and President Ed Forman were both on hand April 11 for the celebration, which featured a brunch and a presentation on the future of Nocatee, which for the past several years has ranked as the third best-selling master planned community in the nation.
“The (real estate) market is fabulous,” said Phil Lamb, managing broker of the Watson Nocatee office. “One thing we sell the best is the Nocatee lifestyle. You’re not just buying a house – you’re buying a lifestyle.”
Lamb noted that all 33 of the Realtors in his office are “Nocatee Certified” real estate agents – a designation that requires agents to complete specialized training on selling homes in the Nocatee community and then renew their certification each quarter.
Both sales of new and existing homes continue to be strong in Nocatee, he added, with most buyers falling into two groups. “We get a lot of people from the Northeast – New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – moving here,” Lamb said, “but in the last three months we’re seeing more people come from California.”The reason?
“(Nocatee) is a great place to live and prices are half what people are paying in San Diego or San Francisco,” Lamb observed.
Another growing trend, he added, is home resales by people moving within Nocatee.
“A lot of people who moved down here bought a two or three bedroom home, thinking they wanted to downsize,” he said. “Now they’re moving to a bigger house – but they’re selling and staying in Nocatee.”
Also contributing to Nocatee’s popularity is the burgeoning Nocatee Town Center.
“There’s a lot of excitement in Nocatee about the new businesses opening up,” Lamb said. “And our office is very much trying to be a huge part of the community.”
In addition to allowing local groups to use his office’s training room for meetings at no charge, Lamb said, the Watson office has both participated in community fundraisers benefiting such causes as breast cancer and organized community activities, such as a pumpkin party.
“We’re trying to be as involved as we can,” he said, “and the community has really welcomed us.”
