Luxury Real Estate

By Yvonne Harvey

LuxuryRealEstate.com is planning a post-conference networking trip to New York for those attending the 13th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference, October 11-14, 2008. This trip is not just any networking trip … oh no. We have added some great entertainment!

Of my years in event planning, one of my most memorable trips was to New York City. Since the group I was taking included sports advertisers and die-hard Seattle Mariners fans, we went to Yankee Stadium to see the Mariners womp the Yankees! Hopefully there aren’t too many Yankee fans out there!

I decided in their trip package to add a Broadway musical … Tarzan. I got everyone together to go to the play, and I felt it was like pulling teeth from some of these sports fanatics to go to a musical. It never came to mind that it may not be cool to see a musical! So picture this, as we are leaving the play, I have all these people saying this was the highlight of the whole trip! Well hello! I’m guessing it’s cool now!

That’s why it wasn’t even a second thought … I had to add a Broadway musical into the post trip to New York, October 14-16, 2008. The play is Billy Elliot and it is getting RAVE reviews! An unprecedented smash in the West End, where it has won 9 Best Musical awards, broken U.K. box office records and continues to sell out nightly. Among the creative team is the music legend Elton John. You will not want to miss this play!

To confirm your participation, please contact Luxury Real Estate at 1.800.488.4066. Join us!


Editor’s Note:
Yvonne Harvey is the Events Coordinator for Luxury Real Estate. So when you come and enjoy the wonderful presentations, discussions and networking opportunities at Luxury Real Estate conferences, you know who to thank. You definitely don’t want to miss out on the Fall Conference or the networking trip.

By Jim Walberg
From his blog: East Bay Real Estate Community Supports “Stand Down”!

2008 “Stand Down” serves 600 homeless veterans at the Alameda County Fairgrounds August 7th - 10th!

Another example as to how your real-estate community and its service providers continue to give back to the needs of the Bay Area was demonstrated on Friday, Aug. 8 at 5:30 a.m. at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Members of the REALTORS® Marketing Association served breakfast to a “village” of war veterans.

Every two years the Diablo Valley Vietnam Veterans Association arranges for an entire “tent city” to be set up in the East Bay so homeless veterans can be served. “Stand Down” is a term used during war to describe the practice of removing combat troops from the field and take care of their basic needs in a safe place. That is exactly what has been created for 600 homeless veterans this week. The RMA contracts Ruggie’s Restaurant in San Ramon to supply ALL the food they serve.

REALTOR® Mike Weber, a member of the Diablo Valley Vietnam Veterans, is the person who continues to invite the real-estate community to be a participant in supporting this important project. They always say YES! Some of the services available for these lost, but not forgotten, veterans are:

- Medical facilities to serve their health needs – including dental, plus a follow-up care program.

- A “field court” with county judges to fast-track clearing up legal issues that may be preventing these veterans from securing employment.

- Job-placement services that also assists them in having DMV re-issued driver’s licenses.

- Assisting with identifying residential opportunities.

- A complete barber shop, new clothing, shoes and other basic clothing needs.

Members of the Diablo Valley Vietnam Veterans were inspired to create the first East Bay Stand Down in 1999 in order to provide a respite from the “streets.” In the midst of all the services provided, their commitment is to treat each of these veterans with respect and dignity. Most of us are unaware, and maybe don’t want to know, that there are about 154,000 homeless veterans on the streets of our cities on any given night. Just in our Bay Area there are over 7,000 homeless veterans! An even sadder statistic is that a BIG number of these veterans have little or no contact with Veteran Administration for either medial or financial aid. Stand Down directly addresses the issue that cannot be ignored any longer - aiding and assisting veterans in need to improve their lives, no matter how difficult it may be to do so.

The first Stand Down was held in San Diego in 1988. It has now been integrated into over 200 cities around the country with over 200,000 veterans and their families being served. A key objective is to break the cycle of the homeless epidemic within the veteran community. These are the men and women who have served our country, and we need to make sure they are not forgotten.

A quote that is appropriate for their mission is, “A community is often judged by how well it takes care of its own.” Serving the needs of those who have served to protect and create Freedom in the world is a worth activity for all of us to consider. Please contact Stand Down or Jim Walberg if you want to personally get involved, or to make financial contributions. Also, contact me any time to find out about other service opportunities for Bay Area community projects. Until next time… your East Bay real estate detective remains on duty.


Editor’s Note:
Jim Walberg is the co-Broker/Owner of The Bay Area Team, the most-successful team at Keller Williams Realty-Danville. He is also a member of the global LuxuryRealEstate.com network. Jim is an exceptional blogger, as you can see by visiting his blogs, East Bay Real Estate and Caribbean Islands Realty, and reading his great blog entries like the one above. He is the master of fractionals and other luxury homes in the Bay Area and the Caribbean, and he always has a lot of great opportunities to share. Philanthropy is awesome. We should all follow the Golden Rule as we go about our many activities in this life. Great people aren’t those who leave behind the most wealth when they die, but those who bless others’ lives and seek to lift their brothers and sisters on their shoulders. Luxury properties are what we sell, but people are who we serve.

By Robert Lockard

Jim Walberg, the co-Owner/Broker of The Bay Area Team in San Francisco, told me something really cool a few days ago. He said, “Bloggers are the most open and sharing community I have found on the Internet. They want every blogger to win!” I have definitely found that to be true.

As a blogger, I often find myself learning a great deal about what is effective and what is not from other bloggers with more experience than me. I have received a lot of positive feedback and support in my blogging from Eric Kodner, a luxury homes Broker with Wayzata Lakes Realty and Madeline Island Realty. Eric is an awesome blogger, and he has more than 110,000 points on ActiveRain.

In addition, I just did a simple search on ActiveRain for “blog tip” and I found a whole bunch of great ideas for improving my own blog posts. I particularly like Ronnie Roach’s Blog Tip of the Week. He confirmed my suspicion that I should use a different term than “blog” to describe each post I write. Another great resource is the Daily Blog Tips Web site.

There are many other examples out there, but these show how helpful and open the blogging community is. Jim is right! He’s been blogging for two years and he currently has two blogs, one called Caribbean Islands Realty and another called East Bay Real Estate. He also contributes many of his blog posts to the Luxury Real Estate Blog, which I appreciate very much.

I appreciate all the people who take the time to let me know when they agree with what I write and those who share their disagreements, too. Feedback is very helpful, and bloggers are often happy to give it. In fact, I hope you feel free to let me know if you think I’m a little naïve on this topic or to share your own experiences with helping fellow bloggers or receiving help from them.

By the way, Jim shared this quote with me as I was writing a news release about his upcoming presentation at the 13^th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference on effective blog strategies and tactics and the positive effects that can come from blogging. This event will be in Philadelphia on October 11-14, 2008 and you're welcome to attend.


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. You can share your blog entries on the Luxury Real Estate Blog by emailing them to me. Thank you very much! The photo of Rosie the Blogger is from www.flickr.com/photos/notionscapital/2493066577 and it is the copyright of Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com.

By Robert Lockard

“Photography is not about cameras, gadgets and gismos. Photography is about photographers. A camera didn't make a great picture any more than a typewriter wrote a great novel.”

So says Ilya Moshenskiy, the Principal Photographer of Ilya’s Photography in Washington state. I love that quote because, as a writer, I can definitely relate to his point about great works being written by people and not by keyboards or computers.

Ilya is an amazing photographer in a variety of fields, including luxury homes, weddings, events and cuisine. He has been the Official Photographer of the past nine Luxury Real Estate conferences and he always produces the finest photographic masterpieces. Just ask Jim Walberg, a LuxuryRealEstate.com member in the Caribbean.

Check out these amazing photos that Ilya took at this year’s Seafair, Seattle’s big summer festival.

To see more of Ilya’s photos from Seafair 2008, click here!

I’ll end with one more quote from Ilya. He uses only the finest photographic tools in his work, but he also notes, “It doesn’t matter what kind of camera you are shooting with; the real issue is who is behind the camera. Great photography requires perfect lighting and composition. It will always be a human behind the viewfinder. High-end photography demands exceptional skill and not every photographer is up to the task.”

Ilya certainly is up to the task. Contact him at ilya at ilyaestate.com or 425.883.2246 today!


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. All of the photos above are the copyright of Ilya’s Photography.

By Yvonne Harvey

I was surprised to see a copy of US Airways Magazine on my desk this week with a sticky note on it saying “Info for Conference.” I was perplexed on what that would have to do with our conference in Philadelphia. Then I saw it. In the top right-hand corner in small letters are the words “Philly’s Best-Kept Secrets.” Well, hello!

I thought I would list them out for you, and maybe you can guess which one really jumped out at me.

1) Center City – It’s dynamic and diverse, but also compact and walkable – offering something for everyone.

2) America’s Most Historic Square Mile – The Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, The National Constitution Center.

3) A Lively Arts Scene – Music, dance, theater – whatever calls to you, Philadelphia has it.

4) Tax-Free Shopping for Apparel and Shoes – Enough said.

5) Entertainment & Nightlife – With dozens of trendy nightclubs and other up-to-the-minute hot spots, you’ll be able to party ‘til the wee hours.

6) Great Eats – From cheese steaks to five-star dining, Philadelphia has culinary offerings to satisfy every palette.

7) Room to Roam – Even though Philadelphia is a big city, it also has some great outdoors. Run wild in one of America’s largest urban parks.

8) Easy Access – Philadelphia is a quick Amtrak train ride from Washington, D.C. and New York. The airport offers 1,600 daily departures and arrivals to 122 domestic and international destinations.

9) Rooms for Everyone – We have lots of hotel rooms, meeting spaces, and the Convention Center all in the heart of Center City.

10) Historic Service – The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau sales and service team is one of the most critically acclaimed in the industry.

So, did you guess which one jumped out at me? Wait for it …. TAX-FREE SHOPPING! Can we say Neiman Marcus, Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors and Juicy Couture!

As it says above… enough said.

See you in Philly!


Editor’s Note:
Yvonne Harvey is the Events Coordinator for LuxuryRealEstate.com. So when you come and enjoy the wonderful presentations, discussions and networking opportunities at Luxury Real Estate conferences, you know who to thank. It looks like there are now 13 great reasons to attend the Fall Conference in Philadelphia – besides, of course, the networking opportunities, knowledge waiting to be shared, etc. The photo above is from www.flickr.com/photos/vic15/15082596 and it is the copyright of vic15.

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 John Brian Losh

I am currently watching John Adams on DVD, it is a seven-part biopic miniseries about John Adams and the story of the first fifty years of the United States. The miniseries is based on the book “John Adams” by American historian David McCullough. It is one of best history films I have ever seen, and has received lots of critical acclaim.

It has given me a whole new appreciation for our founding fathers, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of the United States of America. Many of the scenes from this miniseries were filmed in historical sites throughout Philadelphia, like Constitution Hall. Join us this fall in Philadelphia for our conference in October, and see for yourself! It’s a real-life history lesson!


Editor’s Note:
John Brian Losh is the CEO/Publisher of LuxuryRealEstate.com and the President, CEO and Broker of Ewing & Clark, Inc. in Seattle. He tirelessly trots the globe meeting with members of LuxuryRealEstate.com and getting the scoop on industry trends. The Founding Fathers are some of the best people who ever lived. They are some of my biggest heroes, especially George Washington. There’s a great movie about the creation of the Constitution called “A More Perfect Union,” which I highly recommend.

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 Yvonne Harvey

You are in for some wonderful treats at the 13th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference. We are honored to have Niurka speak at the conference. You know those times when you just feel something is right…? That is how I feel about Niurka speaking to all our members. I know she will empower and entertain all of our conference attendees, and I hope that you will be one of them. Be prepared to be inspired!

An important part of the Fall Conference is the presentation of top industry awards. We are honored to be presenting Lois Schneider, founder and President of Lois Schneider Realtor the Lifetime Achievement Award. We are also introducing several new awards this year to those deserving members on Monday, October 13, 2008.



Making its mark in a spectacular historic building in Center City, The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia will host this year’s conference. Walk in the footsteps of America’s forefathers and become a part of history. Stay in one of America’ most venerable cities and absorb the character of American landmarks such as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

To sign up for the 13th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference, click here.


Editor’s Note:
Yvonne Harvey is the Events Coordinator for LuxuryRealEstate.com. So when you come and enjoy the wonderful presentations, discussions and networking opportunities at Luxury Real Estate conferences, you know who to thank. This will be an event to remember! It’s not too late to sign up for the Fall Conference, so if you’re a Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate member, contact Yvonne Harvey today to reserve your space.

By Yvonne Harvey

LuxuryRealEstate.com is pleased to announce a key contributor and speaker at the 13th Annual Fall Conference on October 11-14, 2008 in Philadelphia – Niurka. Her name might not sound familiar, but her clients certainly are: Mercedes-Benz, Century 21, Coldwell Banker, Keller Williams, World Financial Group and many others. She has also received the prestigious Wall Street Journal Award for her excellence in Business and Finance.

Since 1994, Niurka has devoted herself to mastering effective communication and influence for the purpose of producing immediate and lasting results. She is a highly sought-after keynote speaker, consultant and peak-performance coach. As an entrepreneur, Niurka founded Niurka, Inc. in 1999 to serve the growing demand for customized training, consulting and results coaching solutions.

When Niurka speaks, her audiences are inspired, empowered and entertained. Her style combines step-by-step tactical teachings with humor and vivid storytelling. Her energy and warmth will intimately engage each conference attendee. Participants will not merely observe and listen; they will enthusiastically participate and be driven to action. To view a YouTube video from Mercedes-Benz describing their positive results from working with Niurka, click here. For more information on Niurka, visit her Web site: www.niurkainc.com.

We invite you to join us at the Fall Conference to enjoy Niurka’s contributions, as well as many other breakout groups and top industry panels. Reserve your spot today for the conference.


Editor’s Note:
Yvonne Harvey is the Events Coordinator for LuxuryRealEstate.com. So when you come and enjoy the wonderful presentations, discussions and networking opportunities at Luxury Real Estate conferences, you know who to thank. Niurka sounds like an awesome person, and I’m looking forward to hearing her inspiring words at the Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference in Philadelphia this October. Yvonne has done a great job keeping us posted on this conference. We hope to see you there!