PUNTA GORDA -- Premier Sotheby's International Realty is holding a "power summit" at the Charlotte Event and Conference Center today that is part pep rally, part musical, part video extravaganza.
Opened by Audrey Bedinghaus, daughter of a PSIR agent, who belted out a stirring rendition of the National Anthem, and followed by a dance troupe, the full-day event is intended to inspire the 400 agents in attendance to reach a lofty 2015 production goal: 5,800 closed transactions and $4.5 billion in sales volume.
PSIR broker Judy Green said the goals reflect the continued growth in the Florida luxury and international markets.
The 2014 goal of 4,500 transactions and $3.3 billion in volume was virtually met. The actual numbers were 4,441 deals and $3.4 billion in volume.
The company's website was visited by potential buyers in 179 countries. In Southwest Florida from Naples to Sarasota, the company served 314 buyers from Canada, 49 from Germany, 53 from Brazil and 35 from the Czech Republic. Thirty-five percent were buying vacation homes, and 25 percent rentals.
"We have an opportunity," said Green, to expand the company's global reach.
Sotheby International Realty's senior vice president of global operations, Fran Santangelo, based in New Jersey, noted that Premier Sotheby's is the No. 1 independently owned brokerage in Sotheby's worldwide network.
