Chad Carroll Is Selling A Lifestyle With The Aid Of His Yacht

By: Robert Lovi By: Robert Lovi | June 3, 2022 | Home & Real Estate, People, Lifestyle,

Chad Carroll, Compass Florida's top agent, lives the lifestyle he sells -and he does it on the water with his million-dollar yacht. The former Million Dollar Listing star has turned his boating hobby into a networking tool to advance his successful business in real estate.

You may find him taking clients out to tour multi-million dollar listings on the water, yachting off to the Bahamas for leisure weekend trips, or leveraging his Sunseeker Manhattan 66 as a prop for listing shoots because boating has become an essential part of his business.

With over $850 million in sales in 2021 and $4 billion in career sales, Carroll is a force to be reckoned with within the luxury real estate industry. The Chad Carroll Group's founder made headlines throughout the year for his record-breaking and high-profile sales, including the sale of Marc Anthony's mansion, Don Francisco's Indian Creek estate, the record sale of 4 Tahiti Beach for $29 Million, the $29M sale of 870 S Ocean in Palm Beach, and so on.

Carroll consistently raises the industry standard by providing an unparalleled wealth of experience in real estate, finance, contracts, and negotiation. He expertly structures deals to place clients in their dream homes through expert guidance using abundant professional resources, setting an unrivaled standard among his peers.

He utilizes a variety of innovative tactics in his sales and marketing strategies, such as targeting international databases to find hard-to-reach buyers, partnering with influencers, and creative social media campaigns to engage with more than 1 million followers across his social platforms. Carroll understands how to balance traditional media with cutting-edge digital technology in a world and industry that is increasingly digital while remaining rooted in tradition.

What are you seeing as far as real estate trends in South Florida?

Chad Carroll: You know, people love to be on the water, and they're willing to pay huge premiums in some cases to be in the right location. Whether that's in close proximity to the beach, or schools, restaurants, etc. We've seen a huge growth in South Miami, which we hadn't seen before pre-pandemic. It's very community-oriented, similar to what people are accustomed to in the northern regions and the West Coast. People have shifted their focus to ammenity-driven properties and buildings. Many of these developers have included a lot more amenities than they typically would have in their buildings and homes. They've seen that trend and that shift and adapted to it.

Why did you begin doing showings by yacht?

Chad Carroll: I personally love the water. That's what drove me to South Florida. And it's changed my life dramatically, you know, from a sense of freedom you have out in the water and just the whole lifestyle component of it. And I wanted to share that with my my clients and let them experience that as well. If they weren't accustomed to that previously, now I think they really enjoy it. I've seen great results from it. Just from from business wise and just from changing the lives of the clients we represent. A lot of them end up buying a house and then buying a boat or renting boats on weekends or whatever it may be, but they really enjoy that part of the lifestyle. You know, what's better than going to see a beautiful house, going on the water, having a cocktail going to a restaurant, you know, anchoring and going for a swim in the bay or the ocean. I mean there's just a whole luxury aspect to it that most people don't get to experience.

What does a home tour on the yacht consist of?

Chad Carroll: It depends if it's a full day tour, you know, we'll pick the client up, we'll go see properties, we'll have lunch served either on the boat or at a restaurant, if we have time. And then you know, if we have time in the afternoon, go for a quick swim. It depends on on the schedule and the clients. Their wants and needs, but it varies.

Where are some of your favorite spots to take your clients?

Chad Carroll: We love to take clients to Key Biscayne before we're showing properties down south, there's crystal blue water and that makes it really calming to be down there. If we're in the more northern part of Miami, we like to go to Haulover or if we're in the downtown area we like to take clients up the Miami River, and in Fort Lauderdale to Sunrise Bay. It just it depends on what location we're at. But there's so many different places that we love to take clients on the water.

You sold $848 million worth of luxury homes last year, how does seeing South Florida from the water influence someone’s decision to buy on the water?

Chad Carroll: Well, we have sold so many homes on the water. Last year, a third of our sales came from waterfront showings or waterfront entertainment. Sometimes we show the property by land and then we'll go on the boat on the weekend and spend the whole day with pure enjoyment and then pass by the property, so they can show their friends or their family 'hey, you know this is the property we are at' and really get a feel for what it'd be like to go from your house to your to your yacht, to entertainment.

What’s your preference, oceanfront or bayfront?

Chad Carroll: Definitely, bayfront because in ocean front, you can't have a boat. And bayfront you have all the lights around you and it's really calming and relaxing. I mean there's parts of oceanfront where you will have ocean to bay . So you can have the best of both worlds you can have oceanfront and then you can park your boat in the back. But it's very limited on your choices. Most buyers want to be on the bayfront

What do you think are the main differences between Miami and Fort Lauderdale?

Chad Carroll: They're very similar. The differences are that Miami has a lot of areas where you can go where there's crystal blue water in Fort Lauderdale, not so much. But there are areas in Miami, whete it's a lot harder to have larger boats because the waters more shallow and it's harder to navigate throughout the channels. In Fort Lauderdale most everything is deep water, which is why you see a lot of the super yachts parked there. So people with 100 plus foot boats, prefer to keep their boats in the Fort Lauderdale area.

What makes your yacht so special?

Chad Carroll: My yacht is the perfect combination of luxury and versatility because you know, it's 68 feet so it's a good size, but it's also relatively shallow so you can go in out of waters. The draft, which is is how deep it goes, is only five foot two. So you can go anywhere. Pretty much throughout Miami, the Bahamas, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach area no problem.

What are must-have features or amenities for luxury waterfront buyers today?

Chad Carroll: I mean, must have features are a nice dock you know, people love to entertain outside.Also pool are becoming more extravagant. Outdoor kitchens are also becoming way more extravagant in terms of what they are, you know, putting their pizza ovens, flat top griddle those deep fryers stuff like that. In terms of water features, it just a lot of the they're beefing up the the outdoor amenities dramatically. They're taking a standard pool and making it a resort style pool; taking a standard summer kitchen and making it a chef's kitchen stuff like that.

Do you take part in the staging process?

Chad Carroll: So I'm very hands on with my clients and that's why a lot of them love to work with me becuase I'm not just selling the property but I'm also helping them through the whole process from start to finish. And years down the line after that, you know if they need something that they know they can call me and ask for help with a recommendation or they want me to give them my opinion on something. I'm always there to help them. That's one of the most fun parts of my job; I get to give them a full experience.

What is your favorite waterfront neighborhood?

Chad Carroll: So, that's a hard question because there's there's so many great ones out there. You know, in Fort Lauderdale I love Harbor Beach. In Miami. I've always been a big believer in Bay Point. I think it's super centrally located. Close proximity to Miami Beach, Design District, Brickell, Wynwood they've got great restaurants and nightlife all around there. And then if you go up to Palm Beach, obviously Palm Beach Island. So it just depends on what area because there's so many good ones.

You have a large social media presence, and share a lot from your personal lifestyle, how does this factor into your business?

Chad Carroll: I mean, my lifestyle is really, I'm always with my clients. So whether it's during the week or weekend, I'm always with my clients. They have become part of my life, my family. And you know, I like to share, you know what I'm doing with my extended family, as I call it.

How have you seen South Florida evolve over the last decade?

Chad Carroll: I mean, it used to be kind of like a vacation destination. Now, it's really a destination where people are wanting to live here full time. I'd say 40% was driven by international buyers, and now it's very domestic driven, which is great. And you know that it's not just one-sided. It's very domestic driven and people want to raise their families here and want to increase the value of the neighborhoods that are bringing new restaurants and luxury facilities.

Do you see the South Florida markets slowing down anytime soon?

Chad Carroll: So I've seen the South Florida market slowing down in certain areas. You know the prime neighborhoods will always have that demand moving forward. Just due to the fact that their inventory levels will remain low. There's only a select group of prime neighborhoods, and within those neighborhoods, there's a limited amount of properties available. So those neighborhoods will continue to grow. But you will see a slowdown you know and lesser price point as interest rates rise and stuff like that. But the demand is real; it's not an artificial demand. When people are buying for their primary home, it's very different than when people buy for investment. The first thing that goes when the market goes down are investment propertes, the last thing is your primary residence. It's very hard to pick up your family and say, hey, we're moving especially when they're saying oh, I'm moving out of state, you know, that transition is very difficult to make.