Florida Agenda

The numbers over the last year and a half paint a stark picture of South Florida’s real estate market, which bottomed out in October of 2009. As is inevitably the case, however, “what comes down must go back up.” Lower-end price point properties that sold for $40,000 to $50,000 last summer are now seeing healthy increases to $70,000 and $80,000.

I have been living is South Florida for over 20 years, and have been selling real estate for a dozen of those. It’s been a truism in real estate that once the bottom of the market starts climbing with price point increases, the middle and higher end markets will follow. What had been an anemic market has begun to show signs of life. Presently we have lowered our inventory of homes and condos to half of what they were from 2009. There are many Federal and local government programs that allow assistance and incentives to motivate people to buy.

One example is the “Home Path Program” that allows a consumer to buy a home with as little as 3%  down. On top of the assistance programs, we are also seeing historically low interest rates, hovering at just over 5%. The market has finally become affordable for many consumers. (By way of comparison, I remember when I bought my first home in Portland, Maine in the early 1980s, I paid 16.50%. To quote a familiar phrase, “We’ve come a long way, baby.”)

When we review this past season of sales, I am sure we will see that the “snow birds” took advantage of lower price points and amazing interest rates. It’s safe to say that most consumers would rather pay about half of what prices were just 6 years ago. With over 60 million “Baby Boomers” retiring, who wouldn’t want their own piece of the South Florida sunshine? My motto, “Your Life Partner In Real Estate” is more than a catch-phrase: it is a watch word of my business and the professional relationships I have developed through the years. Most of my clients have become my friends and I sincerely believe that finding someone a home is more than just selling a house. Put me to the test; you will be happy you did.

A native of Boston, Massachusetts. Robert Geary MacKilligan works with Galleria International Realty, on Fort Lauderdale’s Las Olas Blvd.

A Bank Certified Specialist, he works directly with Broward Country banks to help buyers own their piece of South Florida’s foreclosure inventory, as well as with investors from all over the world. MacKilligan also serves as sales director on a number of development projects, including locations in Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, and New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

MacKilligan has experience working with investors, contractors and building professions on projects from start to finish. Working with an international research statistical company, he follows real estate trends throughout the world, employing strategies that are invaluable when investors are looking to sell properties they own overseas.

Robert Geary MacKilligan, “Your Life Partner In Real Estate.” Cell: 954-234-8759 rgmsell@aol.com.

By Alex Vaughn

Robert Geary MacKilligan is a successful Realtor® and the owner of Florida Stage Hands, a home staging company based in Wilton Manors. His showroom-come-retail store is a veritable Aladdin’s cave of treasure. Striking lamps, tables and armoires are just the tip of the furniture iceberg available at the perfect price.

When and how did you come up with the concept of staging homes?

Just over 3-1/2 years ago I decided to create “Florida Stage Hands”. This was in response to the sluggish real estate market. I have been a Realtor® for 12 years with Galleria International Realty on Las Olas. The venture of staging a home gave an “Edge” to all of the other listed homes that were empty. The facts state that staged homes sell 46-50% faster than vacant homes.

How was your first job?

The first staging job involved a luxury condo building on Fort Lauderdale Beach called “Las Olas Beach Club”. The excitement built inside of me as I viewed the empty space; the condo had been vacant and on the market for almost two months, without any offers. Now it was time to shop for the best product at the best value. My partner is an artist, so I knew that his art would enhance the condo. My resources for the furniture were completed and the magic for staging was done! Within 26 days, the condo was sold!

Wow, so how quickly do you sell a property as a result of staging?

Florida Stage Hands’ average time to sell is currently 37 days.

Tell our readers more about the concept.

Well, Florida Stage Hands caters to the seller as well as the buyer. People live in their homes for years at a time and do not realize how a presentation of a home is extremely important to the buyer.
Therefore, the larger spaces become cluttered and smaller spaces become difficult to understand. By taking a fresh look, we optimize the homes’ potential. Highlighting the important features, but cleverly eliminating undesirable aspects of the home.

What prompted you to create a retail store and why did you choose Wilton Manors?

Initially, the reason for the retail store was because of issues with warehousing of the furniture. As the company grew, so did our warehouse space. Due to the fact that furniture styles change within the industry, I made the decision to start warehouse sales out of our Oakland Park location. Why wouldn’t the consumer want new and high quality current styles of furniture at a fraction of the price? As the lease of our warehouse in Oakland Park was coming to an end, it seemed like the perfect time to take the next step and create a highly viable and visible retail showroom for the staging company. My search ended when I found our present location in Wilton Manors in the Seafood Restaurant Plaza, where most of the shops had been for over 20 years. It was perfect! I chose Wilton Manors because of the atmosphere!

What are the advantages of being within the gay community?

The atmosphere within the gay community lends itself to the retail showroom. Our community has the gift of style and completely understands space and, of course, value.

What do you feel is lacking within the gay community?

One of my wishes is that our community could be more united in business. Networking is so important and the gay community is very powerful in that respect. If we worked closer together, it could only be a good thing. The area of Wilton Manors would only benefit from a tighter network.

How do you contribute to bettering the community?

Our plan to help jump start the idea of bringing unity back to

the gay community is to have quarterly fundraisers at our retail location for many of the local charities and some of the national not-for-profit organizations.

What other services do you offer at the store?

We invite people to come in and enjoy the store. In addition to offering accessories for you home at a fraction of the retail price and creating perfect homes to sell, we also offer a collectible consignment service.

Florida Stage Hands
1438 NE 26th Street
(At the Old Florida Seafood
House restaurant plaza)
(954) 530-6155 • Open 7 days a week