History of Southern Real Estate

Southern Real Estate in Winter Park, Florida comes under the tutelage of the Southern Group in Kimball, Tennessee. We’re part of Southern Real Estate Surveying and Development LLC, a family-owned and operated business, founded in 1975 by Tommy Dobson, a Georgia Tech Alumni with a degree in Engineering.

Mr. Dobson, a licensed Real Estate broker, surveyor & contractor in numerous states, started the company with the idea of gaining all of the required tools necessary to take a piece of raw land from the infant stages to the finished product. When Mr. Dobson first told a group of influential Marion County residents about his idea to develop the property on top of South Pittsburg Mountain, they said he would go broke.

Josh Dobson, his son, and a principal in the company, said, “They told my dad he would be bankrupt in a year if he bought the property.” When Josh asked his father if they were “messing up,” Tom replied, “The only mistake we made is not being able to buy it ourselves.” Tommy’s wife and Josh’s mother, Cissy Dobson is the company’s number one Real Estate agent. With 37 years in the Cumberland Plateau as a surveyor, road builder and Community/Real Estate Developer, Tommy Dobson has participated in the building of about 50 housing developments, and this project is the largest he’s ever been involved with.

Over the past 10 years Southern Real Estate Surveying & Development LLC, has developed over 20,000 acres of land ranging from small subdivision lots to large acreage tracts.

The company opened the Florida office so they could offer Tennessee mountain land—an excellent opportunity for those seeking a great investment, weekend getaway, retirement location or family home—to what Tommy Dobson calls “half-backs.” These are people who moved to Florida from the North years ago, but still want four seasons and a friendly, safe place to live without going all the way back up North. Thus many of these people go half (way) back!