Company Interview
The Story of How White Sands Realty Began
Question: Why did you start your business?
Mark Weber:
As a 30+ year resident of Naples, I’ve been involved in real estate and development since I was a youngster. My father was a developer of condos, homes and office buildings in California and Florida. He taught me the business and I learned construction and real estate development from the bottom up. I swept the floors and sent out mailers long before ever being allowed to set foot in a real estate sales office.
From this early background, I wanted to create a unique Naples real estate company that put the client first. I knew that if I concentrated on the quality of the relationships, the sales would take care of themselves. Our Mission Statement at White Sands Realty is a prime example of this client first mentality and continues to be the crucial factor behind our success: “To provide outstanding value to our clients and protect their best interests as buyers and sellers of Naples real estate. To be Your Realtor for Life.” In other words, we would rather sell you two homes over your lifetime than sell you one home today that you are unhappy with . Protecting our clients is the key. Our home buyers and sellers provide outstanding testimonials & reviews that are the best testament of our performance as Naples Realtors. They become our lifeline to new clients searching for Naples homes.
Question: What makes you different than other real estate companies in Naples?
Mark Weber:
Again, it’s our focus on protecting our client’s best interests at all times. We also remember to listen to our clients’ needs and get them what they want.
I suppose, White Sands Realty also stands out from the competition because of our in-depth knowledge of Naples neighborhoods and communities. We take the extra time to keep up on new developments and changes in existing ones. We also monitor the latest contract changes and how those changes impact our clients’ real estate purchases. People know they can trust us because we do our best to protect them.
I’ve always taught my agents that being a great Realtor is simple. You only need to keep one thought at the forefront of your mind: Your primary job is “To Protect the Public.” It’s that simple. Unfortunately, it’s also where most of our competition falls short. If we keep the goal of protecting the public in the forefront every time we meet a client and find them a home in Naples, we will have done our job to perfection.
We also shine in our philosophy of sharing all real estate information with our clients. We keep confidential what should be confidential, but we feel a well informed client is better able to make an educated decision when she has the full picture. Along these lines, we are constantly working on our internet presence and how we can provide detailed information on all Naples homes and condos available on the MLS in the most simple and easy-to-use way possible. We allow our clients to see and choose foreclosures and/or eliminate short sales. This service is much more expensive and simply not provided by other Realtors freely. We feel confident that anyone who uses our information will contact us when they are ready to move forward with their home purchase. After all, we have know the best areas to buy and negotiate the best deals possible for our buyers. The free flow of information gives the buyer or seller power and confidence that they are making the right choice for their family.
Plus we have amazing programs for sellers. We provide extremely detailed information bi-weekly to our homeowners who have their homes listed for sale with us. These updates include actual color computer screen shots of all the places where their home or condo is listed on the Internet, how many people have seen the home online and feedback from live showings. I’ve spoken to hundreds of clients and nobody provides such a comprehensive and detailed listing report as we do. It’s simply unsurpassed in the industry. Communication is vital to a seller and we do our best to overachieve and surpass our client’s expectations.
Question: What do you like most about Naples, Florida?
Mark Weber:
I suppose what I love most about Naples is that it’s a beautiful place to live and raise my family. I’ve traveled internationally and lived in Switzerland but have yet to find a more a more gorgeous and relaxing place that feels like home. Naples Florida on the Gulf of Mexico is simply paradise.
Southwest Florida is a truly amazing place to live, work, play and enjoy life. Whether you love golf, boating, fishing, shopping, dining or just a lazy day at the beach, Naples is heaven. We are consistently rated one of the top cities to live and our white sandy beaches (our namesake) make the most exclusive top 10 lists across the globe.
Another prime example of what sets Naples apart for me is the cleanliness and very low crime. Pristine is a word I find myself using often when I describe Naples to a person for the first time. We have a pristine community that values its beauty and prized location on the Gulf. You will always find clean streets free from litter and accented with seasonal flowers and lush, tropical growth. Collier County spends a large amount of tax dollars on beautification projects and it shows all around us. My fellow residents respect their piece of paradise by regulating high-rise buildings and keeping signage to a minimum. Look at the small McDonald’s sign on US 41. It’s on the ground! You won’t see that most places in the United States or even internationally.
Nature is allowed to flourish and, as a result, Naples real estate values tend to remain high over time. Of course, the current economic situation has created some amazing buying opportunities and people are taking advantage of these deals with the foresight that Naples homes may never be this low again.
Once you’ve experience Naples for yourself, I’m sure you will agree that it’s like no other place on earth. You may even decide to buy your own piece of paradise and become my neighbor and a fellow Neapolitan!