We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bonnie Heatzig. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bonnie below.

Bonnie, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry.

We are seeing a trend of buyers flocking from all over the country looking to reside in Florida as full-time residents. In the past, the large majority of buyers coming to Florida purchased vacation homes, as opposed to full-time residences, and while there are many who still choose to purchase homes here as a vacation destination, buyers are now moving down with the intention of calling Florida their new home. The impetus for this swing are the myriad of opportunities that have developed in Florida on business, cultural, educational and culinary fronts. Florida offers so much more than sandy beaches and year-round sunshine and the secret is out!

Bonnie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Bonnie Heatzig, The Luxury Real Estate Authority, is the Executive Director of Luxury Sales for Douglas Elliman. Bonnie leads the South Florida ultra-luxury real estate market. She is widely recognized as a high caliber, well-educated professional with record breaking sales in the region’s upper echelon of waterfront properties. Her dedication to her clients is unwavering, and she invariably demonstrates her skilled capabilities by delivering optimal results and exceptional professional services.

Since becoming a realtor in 2004, Bonnie has sold more than $1 billion in real estate and counting. She is a member of Florida Association of Realtors and Realtors of the Palm Beaches. She was recognized as the Top ½ of 1% of all realtors in Florida based on sales volume by Real Trends/Wall Street Journal in 2020 and in 2022. Bonnie’s unique skill set and nuanced experience representing clients, including A-list actors, entrepreneurs, business managers, and Fortune 100 executives, gives her the professional edge when working with ultra-high net worth clients from around the world.

Bonnie has appeared on WABC, WBPF, WPEC, and WPTV several times and is featured on the cover of the June 2021 issue of Florida Realtor magazine. She has been quoted by Today.com, Daily Business Review, The Real Deal, Apartment Therapy, Authority Magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Bankrate, Synchrony Bank, Woman’s Day, South Florida Business & Wealth, City & Shore Magazine, Country Living, Inman, and more.

Bonnie received her bachelors degree in economics from Boston College and Juris Doctor degree from University of Connecticut Law School. She is a member of the Bar Associations in Florida, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Upon graduating from law school, she practiced with one of New England’s largest law firms, Robinson & Cole. After transferring to Miami, Bonnie became an attorney for South Florida Water Management District. She then served as General Counsel for one of the nation’s leading advertising agencies, Directional Ad-Vantage Holdings, LLC (d/b/a Smartlite), doing business in 48 states. She continues to advise them as an “Of Counsel” attorney.

Please follow her on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube and visit her website, www.bonnieheatzig.com.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of the most notable pivots in my career came when my former real estate firm, where I had started my career and grew my business for over 15 years, was bought out by a national real estate firm that was on a fast-growth path acquiring multitudes of boutique firms, like my firm, across the country. I was given a one-week notice of this merger and was put in the untenable position of being forced to either fold my practice and my livelihood in lockstep with this new company or find a better immediate alternative. This merger forced me to pause, evaluate my business options and choose a firm that had a forward thinking culture that would be the best platform to propel my business into future years. After much thought and reflection, I am so pleased that I made the absolute right decision to move and join Douglas Elliman Real Estate. Not only does Douglas Elliman best fit the luxury brand that I had worked so hard for over many years, they have an incredible luxury network across the country that has proven to be an incredible asset to my client base. I have found an incredible extended family in the realtors and management at Douglas Elliman Real Estate that is extremely supportive and incredibly resourceful.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I’m a strong advocate of staying in touch with my clients by calling and through emails. I text to communicate information that requires immediate attention, but personal telephone calls and emails are a great way to stay in touch. I always find it important to keep my past and active clients apprised of new listings that I have, landmark properties that I have sold in their neighborhood, and clips of my televised Market Updates that appear on national and local news networks.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.bonnieheatzig.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bonnieheatzig/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/BonnieHeatzigLuxuryRealEstate
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bonnie-heatzig-the-luxury-real-estate-authority/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BonnieHeatzig