Luxury Real Estate

By Jim Walberg of Caribbean Islands Realty

There is an increasing number of East Bay families at risk during these challenging times. The One Warm Coat project is a critical service provided to these families.

For the past 13 years we have organized our local real estate community to participate in the One Warm Coat project. We spent the last two weeks collecting any type of good warm clothing; coats, sweaters, blankets, sleeping bags, socks, hats, etc. This year there was over 15,000 pieces of clothing collected in the East Bay for this critical project. Giving back is critical for all of us who are alive.

What we have discovered is that people in our community want to help with the needs of those less fortunate. Often times the reason they don’t participate in giving is because they have not been given an easy way to do so. We passed out over 1,000 large plastic bags on the front porches of the neighborhoods for whom we serve their real estate needs. We made it very easy for individuals to help, and they did in overwhelming ways. You would not believe how many truck loads of pick-ups I made. It is as if the community as a whole are reordering their priorities and giving back even more during these difficult economic times. “If you have a loaf then at least share a slice.”

We even invited other friends of ours to take up the challenge to gather warm clothing. Dean Langston from Milestone Mortgage and Ashley Provost from ROI Home Services decide to through a Holiday party at Dean’s home as the “hook”. The ticket to the party was a warm coat. They collected over 660 coats the night of the party!!! They even involved our local community vendors to supply the party’s needs. For example, The Peasant & The Pear supplied all the food! And they passed out coupons for a free dessert the next time you go their restaurant. It was an inspiring result from two people dedicated to giving back to the community.

Several community organizations are benefiting from the collection of all these warm clothes. Two of them are Sheperd’s Gate, and Contra Costa Family Services. The impact these two organizations have in serving families at risk is unbelievable. Contact me if you would like to find out more information as to who you can help in serving the community needs of the East Bay. Until next time.

By Brian Langhorst

Each year some of the best tennis players in the region and country come to the Seattle Tennis Club on the shores of Lake Washington for the 118th Washington State Open.

John Brian Losh and the Ewing & Clark – Our Distinctive Home Shop team have been one of the headline sponsors for this notable event for over 10 years. Jane Powers, Betsy Losh and John Brian Losh all very much enjoy being a part of the Seattle and Madison Park communities. Together, they sponsor several key events throughout the year.

Editor’s Note:
Brian Langhorst is LuxuryRealEstate.com’s Membership Manager. He meets members’ unique needs through the dynamic services LuxuryRealEstate.com provides. There are so many positive events like this going on and I’m pleased to hear about all of them. Philanthropy should be an important part of every business that hopes to succeed. People recognize true kindness when they see it and I think it builds trust just as much trust and goodwill as successful track records and financial performance. Be sure to show how much you care!

By Brian Langhorst

On September 26th and 27th at the Stonestreet Alexander Mountain Estate the owners of Chalk Hill and Jackson Family Wines present a wonderful philanthropic event designed to raise money for children. This great event offers notable wines, priceless trips, dinners and much more. To learn more about this event, please visit: www.sonomaparadiso.com/index.html.

Editor’s Note:
Brian Langhorst is LuxuryRealEstate.com’s Membership Manager. He meets members’ unique needs through the dynamic services LuxuryRealEstate.com provides. There are so many positive events like this going on and I’m pleased to hear about all of them. I find truly remarkable the inherent sense of generosity and justice in many Americans who enjoy such abundant wealth. John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Bill Gates and many other incredibly rich Americans have given back to their fellow citizens in wonderful ways.

By Robert Lockard

On Saturday, April 25, 2008, my younger brother and I decided to make a rare visit to our local movie theater to watch a film we both felt a great desire to see. That movie was “Expelled,” a documentary starring and co-written by the great actor and economist Ben Stein. In addition to starring in this movie, Mr. Stein actually had some incredible insights that he shared on the current luxury real estate market at the 6th Annual Luxury Real Estate Spring Retreat in San Diego two weeks ago. He is an incredibly brilliant man in a variety of fields.

I really enjoyed this movie. It brings up so many interesting points that I’ve often considered. It basically encourages us to keep an open mind and not close our hearts to true concepts, even if they present new challenges. I highly recommend this film to everyone who would like a balanced perspective on life.

One key idea I took away from this film has to do with something said at the Spring Retreat, which Staci Colville quoted in her April 24, 2008 blog entry. Patricia Hoferkamp, President and CEO of Burgdorff, Realtors ERA, led a breakout session entitled “A Culture of Service." During this session, she said, “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”

How interesting. Selfishness is not as effective as we might think when it comes to being successful. Caring for those who are weaker than us is quite preferable to our consciences than taking advantage of them.

I find it ironic that we live in a society bombarded with the idea of “survival of the fittest” being the rule, and yet we go to great lengths to help our weak and lift up the downtrodden.

For example, yesterday morning I was on the bus going to work and at one stop, a woman in a wheelchair was waiting at the front of a long line of people waiting to get on the bus. I don’t think that she was the first to arrive, but no one cried foul when she went straight to the front of the line.

The bus driver lowered a lift so that the woman could roll onto it and then be lifted into the bus. The process took more than a minute. Then the bus driver, who was elderly, slowly rolled up five seats so that they would not be available for regular bus riders to use in order to make room for a single wheelchair. The bus driver took a few minutes to properly strap the woman in. She had trouble with the seatbelt and I was sitting nearby so I was able to get it loose for her and help a little.

While all of this was taking place, the people outside the bus patiently waited in the cold morning air, waiting to enter the warm bus and get to their destinations.

None of this was selfish. The scene was filled with inconvenience for dozens of people to offer this bit of kindness and convenience to one person. Despite the seeming injustice of this all, there is actually nothing unjust about it. There is something profoundly right about it.


Editor’s Note:
Robert Lockard is the Public Relations & Media Specialist with LuxuryRealEstate.com. I am Robert. I create all of LuxuryRealEstate.com’s newsletters, write the editorials in LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine and much more. Yesterday was my birthday and I started writing this blog then. I love kindness. I hope that we will all have soft hearts and be able to accept truth. Be sure to check out Ben Stein’s movie “Expelled”! The photo above is copyright of Ilya's Photography.

By Scott Rudolph

I speak with so many that I find myself often speaking with people in various stages of illness. Short- and long-term sickness is an unfortunate occurrence but it allows us to reassess and prioritize what matters most! Truth is, sick or not, we are writing our life story in each moment, with each decision. Is your story an adventure? Is the relationship with your spouse a love story?

Writing our story reminds me of some of the behind-the-scenes dialogue during our Fall Conference in Washington D.C. a month after the tragic events of 9/11. I flew into Ronald Reagan International Airport with jet escort, settled into a well-appointed bunker of a boardroom and appreciated conversation related to reprioritizing… purposefully booking travel, hotels, buying real estate for family, etc. We rallied to support personal and economic health, strength, vitality.

So, what would you do differently if this were your last year? Each time I ask the question I hear:  spend more time traveling, build experiences, start a company, more philanthropy, etc. If your answer is, “exactly what I’m doing now” then kudos to you! If not, let’s get to it… now… today… in this moment.

Book your trips; buy a dozen homes; fill these new homes with the homeless; adopt a dozen children; start a company to right wrongs; write a song; speak out against injustice; call people and reconcile hurt feelings; fill a food bank for a year… I could go on. Make it significant. Keep it low-key. Here’s to your personal and economic health!! Email me your ideas and success stories.


Editor’s Note:
Scott Rudolph is the Director of Business Development for LuxuryRealEstate.com. He works with a variety of luxury-focused companies to expand the LuxuryRealEstate.com influence. Carpe diem! What a wonderful blog entry. I hope that we will all take Scott’s words to heart as we go about our daily lives. What would we do differently if we really believed that our time on earth is limited and fragile? I definitely second Scott’s sentiments, and I hope to be a better person in all of my seemingly small decisions and relationships.

 By Meghan Barry

Congratulations to Betsy & Brian Losh, of Ewing & Clark Inc. in Seattle, WA. Yesterday, March 11th, at the Kerry Oliver Guild Luncheon Brian and Betsy were honored by the Seattle Children’s Home for their years of service and support.

Since 1884, Seattle Children’s Home (SCH) has been taking care of the special needs of children and their families. At SCH, a full spectrum of care is offered. Services range from residential treatment with 24-hour nursing and psychiatric services to less-intensive counseling visits. Many LuxuryRealEstate.com members give back to their communities throughout the year. It is always wonderful to see recognition for these tireless efforts.


Editor’s Note:
Meghan Barry is the Executive Vice President of LuxuryRealEstate.com. She works closely with CEO John Brian Losh to organize a variety of Luxury Real Estate programs, events and services. This is a wonderful honor for Mr. and Mrs. Losh to receive. Giving your time and talents to a worthy cause in an excellent way to forget about yourself and remember what is really important in life. Obtaining positive publicity, while a definite plus, should not be the only goal of doing good, and Mr. and Mrs. Losh have shown that they are mainly focused on other people in this endeavor because of their low-key kindness.

By Brian Langhorst

Philanthropy, community-based giving, social justice, and volunteering are all ways you as a luxury agent can make a difference and set yourself apart from your competition. Find a cause near to your heart and get involved. The benefits are more powerful than any magazine or newspaper advertisement. We would love to help you to speak about your passions to the end audience.

Let us know how you get involved with your community. You can contact me at BLanghorst@luxuryrealestate.com.


Editor’s Note:
Brian Langhorst is an Account Manager with LuxuryRealEstate.com. He meets members’ unique needs through the dynamic services LuxuryRealEstate.com provides. I agree with Brian. Giving one’s time, skills and strength to people in need not only blesses the recipients but also the giver. You feel it in your heart and you see it in the faces of those you help. I encourage you to follow Brian’s advice and seek out worthy causes to support. You will surely receive more than you give.

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.

Most of Charities for Children’s funds come from Mr. Thomson himself, although his fellow brokers and other members of the community also donate money and toys. All of the money is spent on gifts for children, with none taken for any other consideration. It’s so nice to hear about good news like this. I hope I can share at least a few other inspiring stories I’ve heard about brokers and agents giving back to their communities.


Editor’s Note:
Robert Lockard is the Public Relations & Media Specialist with LuxuryRealEstate.com. I am Robert. I create all of Luxury Real Estate’s newsletters, write the editorials in LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine and much more.

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.

Brad Pitt’s “Make it Right” campaign is ambitious in scope. He wants to build hundreds, maybe even thousands, of homes for people in some of the hardest-hit districts of this city. One person, even a celebrity, can’t bring about these great changes by himself, but he can certainly point the spotlight on the need to do so and hopefully inspire more people to join this fine cause and take care of the least of these our brethren. I’m currently working on a City Spotlight on New Orleans in the spring 2008 issue of LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine, and I look forward to sharing stories of hope like this one.


Editor’s Note:
Robert Lockard is the Public Relations & Media Specialist with LuxuryRealEstate.com. I am Robert. I create all of Luxury Real Estate’s newsletters, write the editorials in LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine and much more.