REALTY~BUILDER FEBRUARY 2017 C O N N E C T I O N
Vol. 17 • No. 2
Inside Builders Care had successful 2016, looking to help more in 2017. Page 27
Married couples find working together is good for them, good for business. Page 2 Carlotta Landschoot is the oldest of William Watson Jr.’s three children. But that didn’t give her an automatic job in his real estate firm. She proved herself at an accounting firm before joining Watson Realty Corp.
Building a career before joining family business
Did you make your company’s list of top producers? Page 10
Landschoot proved herself elsewhere before joining Watson By Clifford Davis, Contributing Writer With her soft-spoken, almost meek manner, it seems unlikely Carlotta Landschoot would become a driving force behind a sprawling real estate corporation. But her outer deference belies an inner tenacity, fondness for number-crunching and keen business sense. “I’m so glad she’s on my team,” said her brother, Bill Watson III. “When it comes right down to looking at the details, she’s a grinder and she’s going to win. I can’t imagine having to compete against her.”
A 1980 graduate of The Bolles School who is executive vice president of Watson Realty Corp., she began life as an admittedly dutiful child who made her bed every morning and caused few problems for her parents. “From a parental standpoint, the rules were a little more stringent for me,” she said, alluding to her position as the oldest of three children of William Watson Jr., the founder of the company. “Mom and Dad wouldn’t let me go to a concert. They would drive Bill to them. I guess they were tired by then.” But the eldest Watson was tireless in his See Landschoot, Page 8
Landschoot holding the Diamond Award the company received in 2014.
Cornerstone of strategy: customer service
Downturn spurred new business philosophy
By Wesley LeBlanc Contributing Writer
Mark Downing’s CornerStone Homes evolved into a semi-custom homebuilder.
Before the recession of 2008, CornerStone Homes was like most homebuilders in Florida. They built homes in subdivisions, often 60, 70 or even 100 lots at a time. It wasn’t until after the recession that CornerStone grew into the business it is today. Founded by Mark Downing, CornerStone Homes now offers customers a unique homebuilding process. Downing refers to CornerStone Homes as a semi-custom homebuilder, which means it designs the plan but allows cus-
tomers to make changes as they see fit. While not completely custom, this environment offers customers the opportunity to be a part of the building process. When the market corrected itself following the 2008 crash, CornerStone Homes positioned its model to be a process that can operate on a lot less cash, according to Downing. “This method revolves around a construction-perm loan, which means the bank pays us directly as we’re building the house,” said Downing. “This means we don’t have to fund everything up front.”
Downing said the model allows CornerStone Homes to be a flexible homebuilder, and subsequently, a success with customers. But that’s not the only reason Downing believes CornerStone Homes is effective in the eyes of customers. In fact, he attributes a lot of the success to the company’s customer service and has the awards to prove it. The company has won five consecutive Golden Laurel Service awards from the Northeast Florida Builders Association. “These are the awards I’m most proud of,” said Downing. See CornerStone, Page 7
NEFAR course gives agents tips on little-known loans for distressed sites. Page 16 Watson Realty expanding into Ocala market. Page 22
New leadership installed for NEFBA. Page 24