Across Central Florida, luxury homes priced above $1.5 million are sitting on the market for 200, 300, even 400 days, according to MLS data. While many agents blame interest rates and economic uncertainty, one Orlando-area broker argues the real culprit is a lack of targeted marketing.
Bent Danholm, broker-owner of Danholm Collection, a luxury-focused brokerage, starts every listing by building a detailed buyer avatar—a profile of the most likely purchaser covering family structure, income, net worth, commute patterns, and lifestyle preferences. "Who would be the most likely person to want to live in this property?" Danholm asks. Only after this research does his team create marketing assets, targeting a specific demographic rather than broadcasting to everyone.
The results in one Winter Garden luxury community illustrate the method's impact. While the average days-to-contract was 120, Danholm Collection sold three of the five homes that transacted. The first closed in 22 days, the second in 28, and the third—listed above market value—took 72 days, still well below the average. The combined effect pulled the community's average down to 78 days.
Danholm attributes this to targeted marketing generating fewer total showings but a higher share of qualified buyers. "That's what our sellers actually want," he says. "They want their home sold, but they don't want 50 people walking through their home every week."
However, targeted marketing only works with realistic pricing. Danholm is blunt: he won't take a listing if the seller won't agree to a market-aligned price. "If your price is off, they're not going to buy anyway," he says. Upfront costs for staging, marketing materials, and data lists can reach $15,000–$20,000, making mispriced listings an expensive gamble.
Danholm caps listing agreements at three months. "If we can't sell it in three months, we're doing something wrong," he says. His longest transaction in the past 18 months took 94 days—including a collapsed deal from buyer financing issues. For context, luxury listings across the broader Orlando market routinely exceed 200 days.
As inventory in the $1 million-plus range continues to climb, driven by overpriced and poorly targeted properties, agents relying on MLS placement and broad advertising may fall further behind. For sellers evaluating agents, the key questions aren't about photography or social media followers—they're about process: Does the agent know who the buyer is before spending a dollar on marketing? Can they articulate a buyer profile beyond "someone who can afford it"? The listings that move quickly aren't necessarily the best properties—they're the ones where someone did the homework first.
