Is food the way to a person's heart? The real estate industry seems to be saying "Yes!" with its catered caravan events and frothy made-to-order frappuccino home tours. What better way to bring a community together than to offer a fresh luncheon spread in the gloriously-landscaped yard you want the agents to really get the feel of! It appears that the old caravan featuring a bowl of M&M's on the coffee table and Maxwell House coffee sitting on a warmer are a thing of the past.
Although there is no documentation as to when exactly the food offerings at the real estate caravan scaled upwards, the weekly caravan sheet in the Malibu area actually lists the refreshments offered house-by-house as clearly as the asking price and number of bedrooms. In a particular MLS Guide, listings are actually marked with a knife-and-fork icon that alerts the agents as to which house serves lunch, while a wine glass signifies a beverage-only showing. Some of the more noteworthy offerings have been a made-to-order omelet bar, frozen latte drinks, freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies (with special white chocolate macadamia editions for those who travel winding roads in hard-to-reach canyons), and a Mexican-themed backyard buffet.
Catering a caravan at some of the higher-ticket listings in Malibu and comparable communities may seem justifiable, but it is really up to the broker to determine where to allocate his or her marketing funds. Perhaps some may find that the expense is better reserved for advertising and direct networking. A result of this new trend of Caravan Cuisine is certainly higher attendance, proving that "if you feed them, they will come." Of course, there are the few who oppose the concept, citing that it draws the less-serious businesspeople and more serious lunchers, or that it is off-putting to see a $20M home buzzing with people carrying plates and sodas throughout rooms that have never been eaten in. In any case, the caravan cuisine is one of the more recent industry trends to crop up, and perhaps a soothing, "comfort" approach in a challenging market.