Luxury Real Estate Marketing Techniques - “Outside the box”

An Amtrak train in New Buffalo, Mich

Anyone who has not been living in a cave in Afghanistan for the past year will likely have noticed a “slowdown,” in the real estate market, and the high-end luxury market is not completely immune. So, it is refreshing to see a developer doing something to encourage sales that is not strictly limited to price-cutting. Realistic pricing of luxury real estate is, of course, important, but added value may be the key.

Jimmy Gierczyk, a real estate developer in New Buffalo, Michigan has taken an “outside the box,” approach and feels that of you want to get ahead in luxury real estate marketing…………

You need a train station.

Not content to wait for the sloth-like development approach of Amtrak, Mr. Gierczyk has taken the unusual step of building his own train station in the center of his luxury townhouse development. Ground was broken on October 31, and the plans are to have the station complete before Christmas. Total cost of the 250-foot platform along with 250 parking lots is around $1.5 million.

You can walk out the door of my condominium and you can catch the train.

It has taken five years to finally get the platform started, and Mr. Gierczyk ran into a few difficulties along the way when money had to be refunded to buyers after interminable delays by Amtrak meant they had bought luxury condos but there was no station. In the end, he made the sensible decision to build the thing himself.

Once fully operational, the station will see four stops a day, in and out of Chicago, with the commute taking just over an hour.

I personally think this is a fantastic attitude, and one likely to ensure the developer’s continued success even through the tough times facing the industry. A swift visit to the Gierczyk Development website also suggests a sense of humor. Another must as far as I am concerned at the moment.

Gierczyk Development