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I've had this idea for a few years, haven't really explored it though. Would there be a feasible business in catering to wanna-be snowbirds who live in the Midwest/Northeast/Canada who are retired or close to retiring and want to be part of the snowbirding lifestyle? I'm talking sort of developing a business which would meet with these retirees either over-the-phone, through email, or videoconferencing and discuss various options to snowbirds and guide them through the process.
I have a real estate licence for Arizona which I guess would be my primary expertise but I know various other friends who I've met throughout the years with real estate practices in Florida/Texas/New Mexico/California which would take clients. I would want a much BROADER focus than just finding the right home but rather finding the right lifestyle as well as information about activities they're interested in, how to meet people, where snowbirds congregate, etc etc.
The reason I actually have this idea is because I've helped numerous family members transition into being snowbirds in Phoenix. They all said it's great to have someone to help find out about the area, find places to live, dining/shopping/ etc etc. I was always wondering if there would be profit in this type of business?
Obviously I can't give up my day job to delve into this more but as a side business perhaps?
Would any retirees on this forum be interested in such a service?
We hook up with realtors in the areas we're interested in so to me it seems redundant. A GOOD realtor should provide what you are talking about. If they don't I keep looking until I find one that does.
I've had this idea for a few years, haven't really explored it though. Would there be a feasible business in catering to wanna-be snowbirds who live in the Midwest/Northeast/Canada who are retired or close to retiring and want to be part of the snowbirding lifestyle? I'm talking sort of developing a business which would meet with these retirees either over-the-phone, through email, or videoconferencing and discuss various options to snowbirds and guide them through the process.
I have a real estate licence for Arizona which I guess would be my primary expertise but I know various other friends who I've met throughout the years with real estate practices in Florida/Texas/New Mexico/California which would take clients. I would want a much BROADER focus than just finding the right home but rather finding the right lifestyle as well as information about activities they're interested in, how to meet people, where snowbirds congregate, etc etc.
The reason I actually have this idea is because I've helped numerous family members transition into being snowbirds in Phoenix. They all said it's great to have someone to help find out about the area, find places to live, dining/shopping/ etc etc. I was always wondering if there would be profit in this type of business?
Obviously I can't give up my day job to delve into this more but as a side business perhaps?
Would any retirees on this forum be interested in such a service?
Not meaning to discourage you, but I expect many starving (as most are) real estate sales people already have this base covered one way or another.
As I said, the majority of real estate sales people are starving thus they are looking to "offer" anything/everything one will take them up on so it begs the questions: Why enter a business that most are starving at? Do you think many are not already working this angle?
Also as said, with the plethora of information available on the Internet I expect you may well be trying to "charge" for information readily available to the majority of people.
I've had this idea for a few years, haven't really explored it though. Would there be a feasible business in catering to wanna-be snowbirds who live in the Midwest/Northeast/Canada who are retired or close to retiring and want to be part of the snowbirding lifestyle? I'm talking sort of developing a business which would meet with these retirees either over-the-phone, through email, or videoconferencing and discuss various options to snowbirds and guide them through the process.
I have a real estate licence for Arizona which I guess would be my primary expertise but I know various other friends who I've met throughout the years with real estate practices in Florida/Texas/New Mexico/California which would take clients. I would want a much BROADER focus than just finding the right home but rather finding the right lifestyle as well as information about activities they're interested in, how to meet people, where snowbirds congregate, etc etc.
The reason I actually have this idea is because I've helped numerous family members transition into being snowbirds in Phoenix. They all said it's great to have someone to help find out about the area, find places to live, dining/shopping/ etc etc. I was always wondering if there would be profit in this type of business?
Obviously I can't give up my day job to delve into this more but as a side business perhaps?
Would any retirees on this forum be interested in such a service?
Make sure your boss on your day job knows about this, is OK with it, and make sure no one ever suspects you are doing your side gig on company time. Re-read that last phrase - I'm not just saying don't do it, I'm saying make sure everyone knows you are not doing it.
That said, it seems to me like your idea is essentially a specialized real-estate office. You and your compadres would cooperate to market select properties in your respective states to people who want to become snowbirds. Or you could be a buyer's agent. Need to talk to people who know real estate better than me as to which would work better.
Since you are one to want to own a later model and bigger vehicle, this might allow you to take a tax deduction on that expense.
I think you will find this a tough business. People don't want to rely on someone else to tell them how to live and they are not likely to want to pay for that advice. Help from a family member or friend is an entirely different matter. There are endless numbers of real estate schemes and shams. Most of us will stay clear of anything that sounds like another one.
You might want to consider writing an ebook and selling it thru amazon - and allow others who have websites on related topics sell it FOR you thru commission junction. The latter is defined as 'affiliate marketing' - essentially, those other website owners sell your product for a commission.
Don't give up your day job, but this could provide a decent extra income if you produce a quality ebook, with little work on your part after the ebook is completed.
An ebook might be an idea. I think the problem is marketing--there are people out there marketing to snowbirds in various ways. Up here in Canada, we have realtors specializing in foreclosures, for example. They use seminars in big hotels. There's the web, there's newspapers, there's online books, lots of different approaches. The trick is using lots of them, I think.
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It has merit
