Donovan Realty

Information may not be reliable

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.