Kim Martin-Fisher and Jennifer Martin Faulkner have done their part to change the landscape of luxury real estate in Ponte Vedra Beach.
They have been able to do it thanks to the resources and support of Douglas Elliman, which is an international real estate company the two decided to join in 2020.
“We called Douglas Elliman and talked to them for nine months, asking ‘Why aren’t you here?’ because they are huge in South Florida, New York and California,” Martin-Fisher said. “They came to Ponte Vedra and fell in love and wanted to open an office.”
Douglas Elliman has an affiliation with Knight Frank, which is a global real estate consultant firm based in London.
“They provide marketing and also do studies on wealth and how the wealthy spend their money,” Martin-Fisher said.
According to Martin-Fisher, just being part of Douglas Elliman does not guarantee use of the Knight Frank services, and instead there was a vetting process that they had to go through before eventually being accepted.
“They are very selective, and we are honored that they chose us,” Martin-Fisher said.
Kim and Jennifer are mother and daughter, which makes real estate the family business, but it goes even deeper than that, as Kim’s husband Jan shoots the video and takes photos of the properties up for sale and Jennifer’s husband is a real estate attorney.
“We tell everyone that if we don’t sell real estate, we don’t eat,” Martin-Fisher chuckled.
Martin-Fisher got her start as a realtor in 1996 when the family moved to Ponte Vedra Beach.
Martin Faulkner followed in her mom’s footsteps and dove into real estate as well, after graduating from the University of Central Florida.
Throughout their years selling real estate locally, they always had a feeling that the Ponte Vedra Beach area was not properly being evaluated.
“We’ve always felt that Ponte Vedra was really underpriced,” Martin-Fisher said. “If you travel anywhere in Florida and you see what we have to offer with the lifestyle, it makes you wonder why Ponte Vedra is so affordable.”
However, that is changing, and it has begun to take place in a roughly short period of time.
“When Douglas Elliman moves in, things start to change,” Martin-Fisher said.
Although they are not a franchise and instead are part of the larger corporation of Douglas Elliman, it is something that is a positive in their eyes, because having been a part of a franchise in the past they saw where the franchises do not share information with each other, and it can feel like you’re on an island by yourself at times.
They have found that not to be the case at Douglas Elliman, where they have an abundance of resources from across the world at their fingertips.
“If you look at the national rankings, as far as volume and units sold, Douglas Elliman is always at the top,” Martin Faulkner said. “That tells us that they have a well-oiled machine with people who are dedicated to real estate. The network will blow you away,” Martin Faulkner said.
As a result, they made the highest sale in St. Johns County last year with their sale of a $10 million house on Ponte Vedra Boulevard.
“It was on the market for a little while, but once the Douglas Elliman marketing campaign began, it was like the skies opened,” Martin-Fisher said.
One of the major challenges they are faced with in the current market is working with potential buyers who are looking at homes in the area without ever having been to Northeast Florida.
However, Martin Faulkner has also noticed that many of the buyers from other states are knowledgeable and have done their homework ahead of time.
“By the time people call us, they’ve already pretty much narrowed it down, which shows you how much information is out there,” Martin Faulkner said.
Anyone interested in buying or selling a house can go to www.kmfandjmf.com or by calling Kim at 904-699-9993 or Jennifer at 904-524-6000 to get started.
Kim and Jennifer have been named the No. 1 real estate team by Jacksonville Business Journal in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Their sales volume in 2021 was $119 million.
