After the COVID building boom, 30A's $1.5 million segment is full of look-alike spec homes, and buyers can negotiate again. Kersten Bowman manages the Miramar Beach office of Christie's International Real Estate Emerald Coast and leads The Locals Group. She calls the current market "a breath of fresh air": stable, with room for both sides to get a win at the closing table.

Kersten explains why Florida's state-mandated condo engineering studies and the large special assessments that followed still make buyers wary of condos. She also covers how steady rental demand from military families, hospital staff and remote workers helps protect investors. For your own business, she walks through how her team runs monthly local events with partner businesses (including a Grinch and Mrs. Claus event that draws about 150 people) to build relationships and hear about off-market listings early. Her advice to newer agents: ask for the business, farm two or three neighborhoods and get really good at two or three marketing channels.

https://www.realestatetlg.com/

Epic Agents Podcast:
https://epicagentspodcast.com/

Hosted by:
Jeff Hamm, Real Estate Broker
Ivester Jackson | Christie’s International Real Estate
Lake Norman | Banner Elk
(980) 422-6069
https://lknreal.com/
https://bannerelkliving.com/

Jeff Hamm is a top North Carolina real estate broker serving two of the state's most sought-after markets: Lake Norman and the greater High Country region. He specializes in luxury and second-home property, from Lake Norman's waterfront and golf communities to High Country communities including The Lodges at Eagles Nest, Elk River Club, Farm at Banner Elk, Diamond Creek, Blue Ridge Mountain Club, and Echota. His focus is buyer representation, where his relationships with each region's top listing brokers, builders, and designers give his clients a measurable edge.

Jeff is also the founder and host of two local media platforms, The Best of LKN and Banner Elk Living. Each includes a podcast and newsletter that spotlights the area's most admired small businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs. He publishes the annual Lake Norman Visitors Guide and Banner Elk Guide, produces regular market reports for both regions, and hosts The Best of Lake Norman Business Network.