PET PROJECTS OFFER MARKET NICHES

The housing downturn has prompted many real estate professionals to focus on a particular niche to gain a competitive edge. Agents now specialize in specific neighborhoods or architectural styles, remodeling, rezoning and single women, among other categories. Some of these markets appear to be very specialized, such as Florida agent Jackie Youngblood's focus on nudists in the Tampa Bay area. Her catch phrase is "Skip the outfit, wear the lifestyle." One popular, emerging niche market involves dog-friendly housing. Djuna Woods of Menlo Park, Calif.-based Coldwell Banker helps homebuyers with dogs find properties with hardwood floors, fenced yards and other features important to dog owners. This is especially important when house-hunters are looking for a condo, as these properties often restrict pets but do not necessarily advertise this in their literature. According to Woods, who also guides sellers on how to prep their home for the market when a dog or other pet is still occupying space in the property, "it's really about understanding your clients and how they live."

Source: San Francisco Chronicle (03/02/08) Lloyd, Carol
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