Chris Leavitt, one of the agents involved in the sale of Tarpon Island, is synonymous with high-end real estate in Palm Beach. Along with his partner Ashley McIntosh, he is a founder of the Leavitt McIntosh Team at Douglas Elliman, currently ranked the number two team in Florida and the number six team in the entire country.
After selling real estate in New York City for 15 years, he relocated to Palm Beach County, using his connections from the Northeast to make a splash in Florida. Over the years, they have sold some of the esteemed estates on Palm Beach Island, Manalapan and the surrounding areas.
This year, in addition to the $152 million deal, they have also represented the sellers in another one of the country’s biggest deals this year, 740 Hi Mount Road in Palm Beach, an estate that sold for $74.25 million.
So, Leavitt knows a thing or two about what attracts ultra-high-net-worth individuals and gets them to spend big bucks. We chatted with him about today’s market:
Q: Palm Beach is one of the world’s most desired luxury markets, attracting the highest concentration of billionaires. Why do you think that is?
CL: First and foremost, Palm Beach Island is one of the most aesthetically beautiful destinations in the world. Secondly, where else can you live in paradise with a world-class city right over the bridge with the best class A office towers to house your business and be 10 minutes from your aircraft?
Q: What is the state of the market as we enter the summer season?
CL: We have had one of the most robust record-breaking seasons to date. It was late, short and incredibly powerful with some of the world’s largest sales. We are closing out many of the deals done this season and are seeing some significant activity even now are the tail end of June.
Q: What do you expect for the upcoming selling season?
CL: We will have another season of low inventory which will continue to drive prices. Each season we see new faces coming into the market. This will continue to be the case as I feel Palm Beach is still at the tip of the iceberg.
This article appeared in the Behind The Hedges Fourth of July issue in Dan’s Papers. Read the full digital edition here.
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