Blog contributions are provided exclusively from Luxury Real Estate members throughout the world.
Courtesy of Scott Maizlish of Summit Sotheby's International Realty
Park City Real Estate is a great investment when it is acquired at a great price!
Park City is unequivocally the easiest ski town to get to in the West. While others are spending full days, and multiple sky high air fares trying to reach every other ski town, Park City vacationers are skiing in the afternoon of their arrival and in the morning of their departure.
Park City is the only ski town in the west where you can take a Thursday to Sunday vacation and ski all four days!
Park City represents the absolute best real estate value in North America!
This is a statistical fact, not an opinion. Park City was largely undiscovered before it was hoisted onto the worldwide stage by hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics. In the past nine years, the popularity of our town has skyrocketed, but prices are still a fraction of those found at other popular resorts such as Aspen, Vail and Telluride.
Compare us to Colorado, your dollar stretches almost twice as far, and you have a major international airport 30 minutes away!
Watch this short video, and you will know why Park City is the best!
28
I Don't Ask For Much
Courtesy of Frederick Peters, President of Warburg Realty
Last week The Real Deal held its annual forum at Avery Fisher Hall. I found myself in the surprising position of debating Lockhart Steele, the founder of curbed.com, on the topic of whether social media is good or bad for real estate. In theory, I was debating on the “bad” side, which, considering that I am both a blogger (quod erat demonstrandum) and a big Facebook fan, seems ironic. Nonetheless, there are a number of things about the media in 2011 which frustrate me, and I made those the focus of my debating points.
Here, in somewhat random order, they are:
1. I really hate the anonymous comments. Lockhart argues that the comments are an integral part of blog sites, and that they both expand and enrich the discussion. I get that, but why do they have to be anonymous? In my experience, not needing to identify yourself leads to egregious breaches of even the most basic politeness or relevance. A business story turns into a trashfest; respect-worthy individuals have irrelevant and off color sexual innuendo thrown at them, all because the writer doesn’t need to sign his/her name. My feeling is, have the courage to identify yourself or don’t participate!
2. The Internet has enlarged, facilitated, and diminished reporting, all at the same time.
· Enlarged, in that the vast database resources of the world are available at a keystroke, so creating connectivity between regions, ideas, and people is easier than ever.
· Facilitated because the sort of shoe leather reporting which was still the norm early in my career has mostly become obsolete. It’s easy to get the information you need.
· Diminished, for exactly the same reason: it is TOO easy to get the information you need. During the early years of my career, the reporters who covered real estate knew the business cold. They had done lots of research, cultivated sources, done analysis in order to draw conclusions based on facts. I see less and less of that today. With few exceptions, reporters DON’T tend to know the business cold any more, and they somehow mistake data representation for reporting.
· I was struck recently by the similarity between a good reporter’s work and that of a skilled agent. The Internet provides both (and both their audiences as well) with access to information. What separates excellence from mediocrity is the ability to make distinctions, draw conclusions, bring the data to life in a way which illuminates and contextualizes that information for the benefit of the user. Analysis, a balanced perspective giving both sides of the equation: these old fashioned virtues are increasingly hard to come by.
3. I spoke at the forum about the “Kardashianization” of residential real estate reporting. Residential real estate is the biggest asset many Americans own. Why then is it increasingly covered like “soft” news? Why is it more about bold faced names, decorating, and amenities than about the significant business trends on which the markets rise and fall? I suppose I am as interested as the next person in where Snooki’s hideaway is (on second thought, maybe not) or the distress caused by bedbugs, but can anyone imagine commercial real estate being covered this way!?
I don’t ask for much. I want blog commenters to have the courage to identify themselves. I want to deal with reporters who know my industry and actually analyze data to arrive at conclusions. And I want to read more about the complex trends which drive our market and less about Gaga’s new loft. OK?
You can read more on www.warburgrealty.com/blog.
Courtesy of Rimontgó
As one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions, Barcelona is a terrific place to buy property. Choose the right location and close to proximity to one of Europe’s greatest cities, plus a wide choice of fabulous beaches, can be yours.
Now add to this appealing mixture a castle of almost phantasmagorical attractiveness with a history that stretches back to Roman times and grounds that encompass exquisite gardens and a private vineyard and you are well on the way to describing the perfect property.
The Castillo de Santa Florentina–Casa Nova offers not just a fabulously expansive and comfortable lifestyle, but a pedigree that not many other historical buildings can match. King Alfonso XIII stayed here in 1908 and it has been mentioned in the influential publication, Architectural Digest, as one of its ‘Most Beautiful Homes in the World’. It certainly lives up to its name, with an entrance hall that sets the tone for the whole house; the sense of space, the enormous chandeliers and magnificent stone features surrounding the fireplace lending this room a feeling of ‘olde worlde’ grandeur.
The current appearance of the Castillo de Santa Florentina can be attributed to one of the more recent lords of the manor, Ramón Montaner, who employed the services of his cousin, the famed architect Lluis Domènech i Montaner, to transform the stern old castle into a country residence fit for a king. As experts of interior design will quickly realise, the building’s myriad neo-medieval touches date specifically from the late 19th century and reflect the traditions being adopted throughout Europe.
Apart from the magnificent living and sleeping areas in the main house, this property also includes a caretaker’s house complete with four bedrooms and two bathrooms that would make perfect guest accommodation.
The castle stands in beautifully maintained gardens, which surround the relaxing pool area. A stable block will encourage the castle’s new owners to enjoy the surrounding countryside on horseback, while the vineyards offer a moneymaking opportunity for lovers of fine wine.
If you’ve been looking for a large slice of the Spanish good life, then the Castillo de Santa Florentina-Casa Nova delivers on every front.
Courtesy of Rimontgó
Rimontgó is delighted to be able to offer its Italian clients their own website in Italian. This new addition to the online family joins the Spanish, English, German, French and Russian sites and will hopefully increase the company’s international profile still further.
The world of international property is fascinating and rewarding, but it faces those who work within it with extraordinary challenges, the most important of which is to offer a truly first class service to its valued clients.
Being able to access details about properties and services in their own language is the very least that any prospective client should expect, so the addition of Italian to `Rimontgó’s range of websites aims to cater to Italian-speakers buyers and investors in a personalized manner.
The era of the global village, identified decades ago by Marshall McLuhan, is now truly upon us, and businesses – particularly those who wish to maintain an international profile – are obliged to act decisively in order to stay ahead of the field.
Rimontgó always aims to serve its numerous international clients in a truly international manner and hopes that its Italian website will be of considerable assistance.
Courtesy of Ron & Alexandra Seigel of Napa Consultants, International
Utah is getting some exposure thanks to Deer Valley’s ranking as the #1 ski resort in North America by Ski Magazine. Luxury Real Estate members interviewed in this article are Diane Rinehart and Kelly Rogers of Slifer Smith & Frampton Park City, and Karen Keating of Summit Sotheby’s International Realty.
“Robert Redford founded the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah in 1979. Since then it has grown to become the largest film festival for independent film makers in the world. Two years later Deer Valley opened. This grand ski resort was destined to became a 2002 Winter Olympics venue site. It was also honored by Ski Magazine as the #1 ski resort in North America for an unprecedented five straight years including 2012. For this article, we asked the top agents here why the Park City/ Deer Valley resort town has emerged not only as a great place to vacation but also to live.”
The article in its entirety is on the Napa Consultants, International blog ‘Language of Luxury’.
22
Kauai - The Garden Island
Courtesy of Ron & Alexandra Seigel of Napa Consultants, International
As Fall continues to bring colder weather for some, we take a look at a warmer part of the world—Kauai, Hawaii. Luxury Real Estate member Yvonne Summerfield of Premier Kauai Real Estate is interviewed.
“Elvis was married here in Blue Hawaii. Spielberg filmed Jurassic Park here. The magnificent scenery of the Garden Island of Kauai has been the backdrop for countless other famous films including South Pacific, King Kong and even Avatar. We asked the top luxury real estate marketing professionals who live and work here what is most beautiful about their island. Invariably, they said that the scenery was breathtaking, but it is the people of Kauai and the strong sense of community they create together, that is the true beauty of the island.”
The article in its entirety is on the Napa Consultants, International blog ‘Language of Luxury’.
Courtesy of Kathy Mears of Summit Sotheby’s International Realty
Utah resorts are dominating popular polls this winter. Deer Valley, Park City, Canyons and Snowbird rank in the top 20 ski resorts in a survey conducted by Ski Magazine.
Mike Gorrell of The Salt Lake Tribune reports:
“For the fifth straight year, Deer Valley Resort has been rated the top ski resort in North America by the affluent readers of Ski magazine.”
To read the rest of the article, click here.
Courtesy of Kirsty Bryson of Luxury Homes by VAPF
The 13th edition of the prestigious “The Best of the Gastronomy” Congress took place in Alicante over the weekend, with dishes to delight the most demanding taste buds.
Held for the third consecutive time in the buzzing coastal city, this edition combined the elite cuisine congress with an exhibition of local produce in a format that offered free lectures, tastings and competitions.
Alicante city has now been baptised “The Gastronomic City of the Year” as a consequence of the success of the exhibitions held so far, which will be repeated for many years to come.
The formula for this year was to turn the congress into an open project where the general public could have the chance to try all kinds of delicacies from A to Z: Spanish cured ham, oysters, black truffles and champagne, not forgetting the best local black pudding sausages or numerous variations on the traditional Spanish omelette.
Nearly 150 exhibitors and 300 stands distributed throughout 4 main themes (Haute Cuisine, Workshops, Rice dishes and Salted meat and fish) make the event one of the most relevant for promoting the Costa Blanca as an international gastronomic resort, in addition to its well know offer of beautiful beaches and gorgeous weather.
15
Toto’s Here To Stay
Courtesy of Frederick Peters, President of Warburg Realty
Over the weekend the New York Times revealed a profoundly interesting trend: last year, for the first time in decades, more people moved INTO the city than out of it.
What I found amusing about the article was the disjunction between those interviewed about why they stayed in (or returned to) New York and the statements from the talking heads who were asked to opine about the trend overall. While the actual people said their decision to remain or come back to New York was all about the quality of life, the demographer from the Brookings Institute seemed to think it was all about the inability of people to sell their homes. Speaking for myself, I don’t buy that line of reasoning.
Don’t get me wrong; we as real estate agents understand as well as anyone how hard it can be for some consumers to sell their properties in the current environment. But is that really the factor most profoundly impeding an exodus from the city? I don’t think so. The fact is, in most of the city as a whole there is a marketplace. Properties will sell. They may not sell at the numbers sellers hope to achieve, but if these same sellers are planning a move to other parts of the country, where the markets are often far more depressed than they are here, they will still get plenty of bang for their buck. I truly believe that the reduction in people leaving New York, especially to move to the suburbs, is less about home value than about satisfaction and convenience. As I have noted in this blog before, the notion of suburban/commuter life was built around two realities of ‘50’s and ‘60’s life: the 9 to 5 workday and the one-working-parent family. In today’s world in which both members of the couple work ten hours a day, who wants to add two train rides to those already long hours? And for those with kids, when do you see them?
What about the people moving INTO the city? As the article notes, many who leave are drawn back. They find they miss the energy, the vitality, and the it’s-11 PM-the-night-is-young-what-shall-we-do-now sense of endless possibility. Young people are drawn here in huge numbers simply because the city is so exciting and (relatively speaking in this very challenging economic environment) replete with opportunity. It seems that, more than ever, people are drawn to New York not only from all over the world but also from all over the country. Of course, some of this is to be expected. We all know that globally populations are tending increasingly to gravitate away from rural and towards urban environments . And with 7 BILLION people now in the world, it also seems inevitable that there will simply be more people in all of the world’s cities as time goes by.
That said, so many converts to our city arrive like the dazzled Dorothy Gale to Oz, murmuring “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” No Dorothy, you’re not, and probably, based on the data, you won’t be going back there any time soon.
Read The New York Times article here:
You can read more on www.warburgrealty.com/blog
Courtesy of Allende Properties
November 16-20, 2011 San Miguel de Allende, one of the most popular and historic cities in Mexico, is preparing once again to host the International Festival of Jazz and Blues, now in its seventeenth year. Celebrated musicians from around the world will gather in San Miguel to concertize from the 16th to the 20th of November.
The Festival has grown in stature over the years, and is now ranked among the best of its kind in all Latin America. It has the additional appeal of being set in one of the most beautiful, historic cities in Mexico.
For more info on the Jazz Festival, click here.
Submit Your Blog
To submit a blog entry for consideration on this web page for FREE, please send your materials to our PR Department: pr@luxuryrealestate.com
