  arty
Donovan's been in real estate
for a few years. In fact, he got
into it in the first grade.
His
father, John C. Donovan, Sr.,
got out of the Marine Corps as
an aviator in 1956. A few years
later, he and his wife worked as
a team at Baars Realty for 15
years; he as a Realtor, she as
an office manager. Then, in
1976, John Donovan, Sr., founded
Donovan Realty.
When
Marty Donovan got out of college
in 1975, he took a slightly
different route into the family
business; he became a real
estate appraiser, which he touts
as a diverse experience that no
one in the family ever had
before. "I'm proud to be a
second generation Realtor,"
he says.
Donovan
spent more than five years in
the real estate appraisal field,
seeking professional training
and taking courses along the
way. He worked throughout
Escambia and Santa Rosa
counties. He believes this
background has helped him in
real estate.
"There
are about 1,500 agents in the
Pensacola Association of
Realtors, which is an all-time
high record number. There's
about a 30% annual turnover.
People get into and out of real
estate every year. But there's
also a core group of Realtors
here who have been in the
business 20 years of more,"
he says.
 He's
also a member of the Florida
Association of Realtors and the
National Association of
Realtors. He and his 15
associates handle commercial and
residential property in Escambia
and Santa Rosa counties.
Donovan
says his brother runs Donovan
Realty of Alabama and is working
on a Styx River development in
Seminole, Alabama. "The
Baldwin county market is very
active. I think its one of the
fastest growing counties in the
nation."
One
trend that Donovan cites in the
real estate industry is the
merger. "People sell out to
franchises. One company owns
Coldwell Banker, Century 21 and
ERA, which somewhat concerns me.
They control about 26-28 percent
of the licensed real estate
agents nationally."
"To
us, it's always been a
one-on-one personal business. We
represent our individual
clients. We serve our friends in
the local community. We know
them better and know more about
our community. I think that's
our strength."
With
the Internet, Donovan says
independent brokers can provide
the same services as the large
franchises. All listings are on
the Net. And every Realtor has
his or her own realtor.com home
page.
Visit
Donovan's office in the Seville
Historical District, where his
father still comes in everyday.
Or click
here to contact us.
Reprinted
from Pensacola News Journal
-
Janice Ryan Hall
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