Luxury Real Estate

By Robert Lockard

I hope this doesn’t sound too prideful, but I really like what I write. And I do a lot of writing as the Public Relations & Media Specialist for LuxuryRealEstate.com.

While my blogs on ActiveRain and the LuxuryRealEstate.com Blog are sometimes quickly written and they don’t have the benefit of as much outside editing as I usually receive for my other work, I think they give you a taste of my writing skill and style.

My mind is constantly working before, during and after the writing process. I think about what is interesting about the story I am currently writing about. I ponder why my target readers would bother to read what I’ve written. I try to decide which points are most important and how best to convey them. I only have a limited amount of time to create my news releases, newsletters, magazine articles and other works, so I need to make quick decisions.

For the Week in Review newsletter I create each week, I receive a lot of news releases from members of the LuxuryRealEstate.com network. I am very grateful for that fact because it helps me keep our newsletters filled with great material. Many of the stories I receive are really interesting while others are about new employees, anniversaries and other topics that don’t seem too interesting at first. However, once I go through a news story, I can usually find something remarkable in it and I usually rewrite the headline so it’s much more eye-catching.

With these thoughts in mind, I’d like to talk about my recent experience writing a news release on a seemingly average topic: a Ewing & Clark, Inc. broker celebrating her 20^th anniversary. I don’t mean that the broker, Jane Powers, is average; I’m just saying that I’ve read many stories similar to hers. As I approached this story I tried to remember that this is an important moment for her, and she has many great stories to tell after 20 successful years in the Seattle luxury market.

So I sat down to write about her story. Many times when I write I have a sudden inspiration that I know did not come from me. This time was no different. I suddenly had a thought that I should look up remarkable events that occurred in July 1988, when Powers started with her company. As it turned out, I discovered that a little movie called “Die Hard” debuted in theaters the same day that Powers began working at Ewing & Clark.

I was ecstatic by the creative opportunities opened up by this coincidence.

I am a big movie buff and I couldn’t pass up this chance to add some really unique flavor to Powers’ story. So that’s exactly what I did. You can see the final product here. I wrote the first and second-to-last paragraphs first and then worked on the rest of it. I had a blast writing this story.

I got butterflies of nervous excitement when I showed it to Powers herself for approval. Luckily, she liked my take on her story and I got to distribute it through my usual PR sources.

I believe any story can be interesting to read. I could have written Powers’ news release in a really boring, run-of-the-mill way, but I found that little something special that turned it into a great story. I hope that you can find the greatness in your stories and, as long as you’re a LuxuryRealEstate.com member, I’d love to post them in the Week in Review!


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 the way, John Brian Losh is the Chairman/CEO of Ewing & Clark, which is a member of the Luxury Real Estate Board of Regents. The copy of the “Die Hard” movie poster is from www.flickr.com/photos/nickslidepics/442646618 and it is the copyright of Nick Slide.

By Robert Lockard

Check out this great article I recently read in the Arizona Daily Star, entitled “Home, art inside are both for sale.” I think the sellers in this article are onto something pretty smart by joining forces with a local art museum to sell their property.

Author Christie Smythe points out that showing art in a home can be beneficial for both the artists and the home sellers. Beautiful paintings, sculptures and other pieces of art can add something special to a home that makes it more memorable to potential buyers. Plus, the artists receive exposure to new viewers and their works of art are sold with the house.

This takes home staging to a whole new level. Ordinarily, a staged home isn’t sold in the condition in which it is first shown to buyers. But in this case, all of the art will stay with the house when it is purchased. That’s a pretty novel idea, I think. This is a smart solution because both art and real-estate markets in many parts of the United States are falling on hard times at the moment. Perhaps by joining forces, these two industries can prove that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

The photo above is courtesy of Ilya Estate Photography.

Barbara Stahura, a talented freelance writer, brought this article to my attention. She recently interviewed John Brian Losh, the CEO/Publisher of LuxuryRealEstate.com, for an article she’s writing on “green” luxury homes for an upcoming issue of Steinway & Sons Magazine.


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. What do you think about this creative idea? What are some other ways brokers and agents can attract luxury real estate buyers in tough markets?

By Jason LeMoine

WADSWORTH
One of us slipped through the same secret passage—

PEACOCK
Again...?

WADSWORTH
Of course! Back to the study!

As a child, “Clue” was one of my favorite movies, and back then I could think of few things more essential to a home than a series of secret passageways. I would design elaborate floor plans of mansions with square footage rivaling the Louvre (modest for an eight-year-old), and be sure I had easy access from my palatial bedroom to my 1,000-seat movie theater.

However, despite their frequent appearance in fiction (and eight-year-olds’ imaginations), secret passages have a very real history. Since ancient times, secret passages and rooms have been used for everything from evading persecution to smuggling to playing key roles in revolutions. Secret passageways were used in Egyptian pyramids to deter grave robbers. Pope Clement VII used the Passetto di Borgo to escape the Vatican City during the Sack of Rome in 1527. Anne Frank and her family evaded capture for two years during World War II by using a hidden room in her father’s office building.

These days, whether you want to escape intruders or tiresome dinner conversation, secret passages and rooms are making a big—albeit, less grand—comeback. Several companies such as Creative Home Engineering provide the chance for home owners to install and customize their own passages and rooms. Store game room accessories out of the way, protect your family and other valuables in case of emergency, or just get away for awhile—the possibilities are nearly limitless, and they’re almost certain to raise the resale value of your home.

Whether for convenience or security, a secret passage or room could be a valuable addition to your home—and your kids will think it’s cool.


Editor’s Note:
Jason LeMoine is a Technical Account Manager with LuxuryRealEstate.com. His ideas and hard work have helped create many innovative and effective Web sites for LuxuryRealEstate.com and its members. By the way, can you imagine how cool it would be during an open house to turn a candlestick in the study and see the fireplace twist, revealing a secret passage to the kitchen? Now I’m starting to feel like an eight-year-old.

By Allyson Metters

My favorite football team (which shall remain nameless to avoid upsetting my LuxuryRealEstate.com co-workers and the whole city of Seattle) did not make it far in the playoffs this year. My family and I will be watching the Super Bowl from home. But, according to a recent article in The New York Times, fans making the trip to Arizona can enjoy not only the biggest football game of the year, but also the finest luxury services during their stay.

Phoenix-area luxury homeowners are offering their homes for the weeks surrounding the February 3rd game. Spacious properties in exclusive valley communities, complete with plasma televisions, heated pool, and gourmet kitchen, are being rented for as much as $250,000 per week. Of course, with a price like that, you know there are world-class perks that go along with these stays. Some homeowners are offering housekeeping, chef service, airport transportation or the use of a private golf club and golf cart. One owner is even allowing renters to use his 2007 H2 or Cadillac STS for the week.

Even if your favorite team didn’t make to the Super Bowl, you can certainly make it there in style!


Editor’s Note:
Allyson Metters is the Relocation Manager with LuxuryRealEstate.com. She helps people who are moving to find a perfect broker to meet their needs in their new area. This is a great example of an interesting idea that I probably wouldn’t have thought of adding to the blog. Thank goodness for Allyson’s unique perspective!