Local business gives home buying tours high in the sky
Kevin Potter touched down on Los Angeles on Monday seeking a new place to call home, thoughts in mind of moving from his hometown of Johannesburg to communities like Santa Monica and Palos Verdes.
Rather than spending seemingly endless hours driving from prospective property to property, getting caught in traffic in transit, Potter did his real estate shopping high in the air on Tuesday, from the comfort of an aircraft.
Home buying from the friendly skies — it’s the new approach to real estate courtesy of 20-year pilot John Mowatt and licensed realtor W. Paul Markley, the owners of Air Concierge International, which frequently takes off at the Santa Monica Airport.
Also a licensed realtor, Mowatt, a native Briton, was seeking ways to combine his first two loves — flying and real estate — when he and his business partner decided to marry the two concepts into an innovative business model.
Starting at roughly $995 an hour, Mowatt and Markley take their clients on an aerial tour of properties in Southern California, covering more ground in a short period of time than possible if they were driving. Flying thousands of feet in the air presents several added advantages, including showing clients unfamiliar with the Los Angeles area just where each community lies in relationship to local landmarks, easily visualizing how far away the homes are from the ocean and major freeways.
“We can show them if it’s in close proximity to their place of business,” Markley said.
Potter, who is looking to expand business opportunities in the Los Angeles area, was the first client from out of the country, a result of efforts by Mowatt and Markley to tap into the international market. The South African native said he discovered the business, which has been featured in the entertainment news magazine Extra, online.
“The experience was superb,” Potter said after his hour-long flight Tuesday morning. “You can’t compare an aircraft with a car — you can’t hover with a car.”
The aerial real estate tours often include a stop at the property being viewed, though it depends on whether the property can accommodate an aircraft landing. Many of the properties listed in the business’ database are priced in the multi-million dollar range, catering to the clients that can afford the high-flying venture. The clientele list includes celebrities, who Mowatt wouldn’t name.
44F,“It’s something that is unique and different and there’s nothing else of this type around,” Mowatt said.
At the end of his flight on Tuesday, Potter was considering several properties, but seemed captivated by a home in Lake Sherwood near Westlake Village. Since there wasn’t enough space for the helicopter to land, Potter said he is planning to visit the home via car today.
The business leases several different aircrafts in varying sizes to accommodate a party ranging from one person to a small family. The most popular aircraft by far is the Robinson R44 helicopter, considered to be among the most reliable and speedy, flying at about 150 miles per hour. The chopper comes equipped with a GPS system, allowing the pilot to zero in on the property listed for sale.
“The business eliminates what it took days to do in a car,” Mowatt said.
Jump hedline: Local business gives home buying tours high in the sky
Suggested pullquote: “It’s something that is unique and different and there’s nothing else of this type around,”
John Mowatt
Co-founder, Air Concierge International
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 5, 2008. Read the original PDF.