Luxury Real Estate

By Robert Lockard

Predicting the future is a tricky game, as you can easily see from the failure of many experts last year to predict the problems this year in this Inman News article, entitled “2007 real estate forecaster report card.” I don’t expect people to be perfect and so it’s completely understandable even for experts to make mistakes from time to time. But here’s my question: Why do these experts spend time trying to predict things that they ultimately have little ability to control? Why not devote more time to simply suggesting good courses of action for regular people to take? That would definitely be more helpful to you, me and other homebuyers and sellers.

By Robert Lockard

Check out this excellent article from Forbes.com, entitled “Priciest home sales of 2007.” After conducting extensive research, Forbes.com discovered that the top five most expensive U.S. home sales this past year were in Manhattan. In fact, two real-estate sales records were broken in New York City: the priciest apartment with the $60 million purchase of almost an entire floor of the renowned Plaza Hotel, and the highest price per square foot ($6,287) at another property in Central Park West. It’s safe to say that the luxury real estate market is alive and well in New York and other places.

By Robert Lockard

I like talking about good people and the examples they set for others to follow. One particularly noteworthy person is Rob Thomson, the president of Waterfront Properties, which is the exclusive member of the Luxury Real Estate Board of Regents in Jupiter, Fla. About six years ago, this charitable man founded Charities for Children to pick up and deliver gifts for children who have little means of their own. In each of the past several years, this charity has delivered tens of thousands of gifts to local children.

By Robert Lockard

Open houses are excellent opportunities to bring potential buyers into a home and let them gain insights that are difficult to convey through written descriptions or even virtual tours. However, there is a potential risk for luxury real estate agents and others to be aware of, according to a recent article in The Chronicle Herald – stealing. Apparently, two women managed to steal $73,000 worth of jewelry and other valuables during several open houses in New York and New Jersey. Thankfully, they were caught and hopefully the belongings were returned to their rightful owners.

By Robert Lockard

It’s been more than two years since Hurricane Katrina. The water has receded and hundreds of thousands of people have returned to their homes in New Orleans, but much more effort is needed to resurrect this city to its past greatness. Actor Brad Pitt is doing his best to lend a hand to this recovery process, according to this article on The Times-Picayune. Pitt and Angelina Jolie bought a palace in the French Quarter of New Orleans earlier this year with the help of their broker, Eleanor Farnsworth, the president of Prudential Gardner, Realtors. Farnsworth is an exclusive member of the Luxury Real Estate Board of Regents.

By Robert Lockard

Thank you, Bernice Ross, for your profound and eye-opening article entitled "Real Estate hurt by media spin" in Inman News. Sometimes one person can give the rest of us permission to speak up, inspiring us to combat half-truths with positive, accurate information. Ms. Ross focused her remarks on the fact that media outlets are not giving readers and viewers the whole view of the real-estate industry - they are simply shining their spotlight on a few bad markets.