Luxury Real Estate

By Jim Walberg
From his blog: Some East Bay Real Estate Is On The Slippery Slide Of FEAR!

Once you get on the Slipper Slide of Fear, it is difficult to get off! Please stay off that slippery slide!

So, I picked up USA Today last Saturday on my flight to the Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference in Philadelphia where I was a presenter. The USA Today headline was, “FEAR is a slippery slide!” In some of my past comments I have used the sailor’s mantra, “Do not be fearful!” It still applies today, in spite of an almost 900-point recovery on the Dow Jones the past two days. Don’t forget… once you step on the “slippery slide” of fear, the momentum carries you away very quickly.

The voice of experience, the voice of the local authority, and the voice of credibility can still prevail. And we are the ones that need to be that voice. I just completed a walk from the Philadelphia Ritz Carlton to Constitution Hall, the Liberty Bell, and other reminders of the work our founding fathers did on our behalf 230+ years ago. What an inspiring day! (You may recall this is the organization that is the acknowledged authority of luxury real estate! It was founded by John Brian Losh with a vision of connecting the best luxury brokers and agents in the world – 1,900 members from 65 countries.)

Do you think they were afraid? Of course they were. But, the consequence of letting fear paralyze them from action was not acceptable. Instead of the “slippery slide” of fear taking them away from the liberty and freedom they so dearly wanted for our country, they discovered – step by step – the actions needed to create the most incredible democracy in our world’s history. It was very hard. Thousands of lives were lost as part of that payment for liberty. And, the founding fathers never lost site of end result that was required – FREEDOM!

There is a book I have enjoyed reading several times – “The Tipping Point.” They have a very insightful analysis of Paul Revere’s ride in Boston a few days before the Revolutionary War was officially declared. His ride was so effective that it mobilized the citizens along his route in a manner that called them to action in stopping the British from confiscating their arms stored in Concord. Did you know there was a second rider who was sent in a different direction to alert another section of Massachusetts to immediately prepare to defend Concord. Does anyone remember his name? In fact, I had never heard of him before I read “The Tipping Piont.” He was totally and utterly ineffective in his call to arms.

What was the difference between these two men with similar intentions? Paul Revere was one of the most respected local authorities on what was happening within the colonies which he believed required a liberation movement to break away from British rule – even if it meant war. I would like to be as effective as Paul Revere during these uncertain economic times. We are the local citizens calling our “citizens” to action in order to work through the financial crisis we are in. Will you join me as we serve our clients and communities, and help them off the “Slippery Slide of Fear?” (You get bonus points if you email me with the other freedom rider’s name whose ride was a waste of time.) Contact me with your thoughts. Until next time…


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 Luxury Real Estate 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. Simply marvelous. This is the last blog entry from Jim that I will have the privilege of editing and posting to the Luxury Real Estate Blog. I am always impressed by his enthusiasm, cheerful disposition and unparalleled kindness. Thank you, Jim, for being such a good person and being a light to a world of shadows and fear. You are amazing.

By Robert Lockard

Ilya Moshenskiy, the Principal Photographer of Ilya’s Photography, recently came home from an eventful trip to Cannes for the International Boat & Yacht Show. He arrived with a whole bunch of beautiful photos highlighting the celebration of luxurious watercraft of all shapes and sizes. Check out his collection of photos here:

http://ilyaluxury.com/gallery/luxury/Cannes%20International%20Show/expl.php?user=Cannes%20International%20Show

Ilya is no stranger to covering big events with his keen eye for small details. Near the end of summer this year, he took time to photograph beautiful images at Seafair in Seattle. He has also been present at many Luxury Real Estate conferences, and he will be at the 13^th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference on Oct. 11-14, 2008. He’s such a hard worker and we definitely appreciate all of his efforts here at Luxury Real Estate.

Enjoy some of his amazing work below. Be sure to contact him at Contact him at ilya (at) ilyaestate.com or 425.883.2246 for all of your photography needs, including luxury homes, events, food and more.

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 in this blog entry are the copyright of Ilya’s Photography.

By Las Villas de Mexico

Las Villas de Mexico, a newly announced collection of luxury resorts spread across Mexico’s top tourist locations, is sponsoring the 13th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference, which will be hosted in Philadelphia on October 11-14, 2008 at The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia.

Planners of Las Villas de Mexico are currently building 1,000 luxury properties in four locations: Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. Subsequent phases are expected to include other Mexican destinations such as San Miguel de Allende. The first pre-construction purchase opportunities are scheduled to be offered in the first week of December 2008.

“We have created a whole-ownership concept that is altogether different from anything else on the marketplace,” said Brett Sawyer, director of international sales at Las Villas de Mexico. “By purchasing a Las Villas de Mexico home, owners become part of a greater community of multiple locations throughout Mexico, all of them dedicated to the very best luxury experience, from world-class golf and spas to stunning beaches.”

A twist on the traditional vacation home, Las Villas de Mexico allows buyers to stay at a number of homes in other popular locations while still maintaining ownership of their own property. Maintenance and security are also handled by the resort while the owners are away. Within five years, Las Villas de Mexico planners hope to complete construction on a total of 10,000 resort residences in other well-known vacation spots across the country.

“Every home we build is designed to be inspirational,” Sawyer said. “Perfectly wrapped in the history of each region, Las Villas de Mexico showcases an ideal blend of modern amenities. Behind every wall, inside every cabinet, we have filled every home with state-of-the-art convenience.”

Las Villas de Mexico will sponsor the Opening Night Reception at the Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference. More than 250 LuxuryRealEstate.com members from around the world are expected to attend the conference. Niurka, a highly sought-after keynote speaker, consultant and peak-performance coach, will speak at this event.


Editor’s Note:
Hmmm… this blog post sounds kind of familiar. I figured I’d give credit to Las Villas de Mexico for this blog post since they sent it to me. I hope you enjoyed it!

By Brian Langhorst

We have over 200 members from around the world joining us for the 13^th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! The dates are October 12^th through 14^th at the historic Ritz-Carlton Hotel. We have members coming in from all across the United States and Canada, as well as Spain, Mexico, Australia, Argentina and Thailand! We very much hope you will join us as well! There are great room rates still available at the Ritz-Carlton.

Please contact me at 206.695.4846 or BLanghorst (at) LuxuryRealEstate.com to learn more about this industry-leading referral and networking event.

See you in Philly!

Editor’s Note:
Brian Langhorst is Luxury Real Estate‘s Membership Manager. He meets members’ unique needs through the dynamic services LuxuryRealEstate.com provides. Holy cow! Two blog entries about the Fall Conference on the same day. We must be getting close to that event. Be sure to save your spot soon.

By Michael Marquette
From his blog: Australian Real Estate Agent in Final Four for International Real Estate Award

Australian Michael Marquette, founder of Marquette Turner Luxury Homes, is one of only two non-American Award Nominees at the 13th Annual Luxury Real Estate Conference to be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA on Saturday, October 11th through Tuesday, October 14th, 2008!

One of only four international real estate agents nominated in the category of Outstanding Rookie, Michael Marquette will be joined at the award’s conference at the Ritz-Carlton by fellow agency founder Simon Turner.



The Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate network is the most prestigious luxury real estate organization in the world, and its website LuxuryRealEstate.com is the most-viewed luxury real estate portal in the world. The invitation-only industry peak body is made up of almost 6,000 offices worldwide.

Marquette comments that “It is such an honour to have been initially invited to be a part of the exclusive Who’s Who, so to have been nominated for an award is truly humbling.”

He continues, “As an Australian, I’m very proud to have been recognized. With around 120,000 luxury real estate agents in 65 countries, the Who’s Who is an amazing network and I’m thrilled and excited that our hard work has been noticed. What this nomination also demonstrates is what Simon Turner and myself have long believed, that Australian real estate deserves a forward-thinking, savvy luxury agency to showcase some of the stunning properties that our country has to offer to a worldwide audience.”

Furthermore, “The launch of our company and its success and recognition in just 18 months is testament to the belief of our clients and others important to us in what Marquette Turner Luxury Homes has to offer, and we look forward to further cementing our place in the market.”

Other top real estate industry awards to be awarded during the conference include the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Billionaires Club, Extraordinary Philanthropist, and the Biggest Sale in 2007.

Michael Marquette & Simon Turner are very much looking forward to meeting and learning from some of the world’s leading agents and the most influential people in real estate worldwide.

For more information, please contact Michael Marquette at +61 433 170 170 or via email michael (at) Marquetteturner.com.au.


Editor’s Note:
As he mentioned above, Michael Marquette is the co-Founder and Director of Marquette Turner Luxury Homes, a member of Luxury Real Estate in East Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded on Australia Day 2007 by Marquette and Simon Turner, Marquette Turner is a property consultancy company covering the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria. Marquette has a background in medicine and a large retail and wholesale business. It is so wonderful to hear the excitement and enthusiasm of these luxury experts about attending our conference and benefiting from the networking opportunities there. Marquette and Turner are busily establishing themselves as the go-to guys in their market. Last week, Turner was invited to a prestigious event celebrating the first A-380 aircraft in Australia. Keep up the great work!

By Cynthia Naumes

New York was fantastic! I’ve been kicking the idea around to go to New York after I declined to join my boyfriend in Boston for one of his conferences. Each time I heard commercials about “saying goodbye” to the coliseum I felt a strong sense of sadness.

The last time I was in New York the Yankees were away and it has been on my “bucket list” to get there to see a game. It was now or never so at 1 o’clock on Saturday I booked a flight to New York, went online and bought a game ticket, then proceeded to get a hotel the miles from the stadium. By 5:30 I was on a plane arriving at 8 o’clock the next morning. It was a blast. I hooked up with two police officers, a luxury home builder and his wife from Scottsdale, a purse sergeant – born and raised in the Bronx – and his girlfriend a travel agent and a couple other people.

The two officers and I hung out, then met back up with the group (amazingly, because there were so many people) in line and the builder had four extra free tickets... up from the third base FOUR ROWS UP!!!! Oh my gosh, it was amazing.

No stadium chair. But great memories!


Editor’s Note:
Cynthia Naumes is a Real Estate Broker with RE/MAX Realty Group, a member of Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate in Medford, Ore. She specializes in marketing luxury properties and rural ranches and farms in Southern Oregon. What an exciting trip! New York City is quite a special location because of its rich American history. If you would like to come and see this vibrant city with a group of fellow luxury brokers, Luxury Real Estate is offering a Post-Conference Networking Trip to New York City immediately after the 13th Annual Fall Conference in Philadelphia. Be sure to check it out! It’s sad to see the end of an era as Yankee Stadium will soon be demolished and replaced. What a great idea to put together a bucket list and do the things we are afraid of doing because we think there’s no time or they’re too difficult. I try to live my life so that I am prepared to die at any moment because I know that I have treated others with kindness and honesty and I am on the right path leading to constant improvement. I do as much good as possible so that I won’t have regrets about failing to do the most important things in life.

By Robert Lockard

Rosita Sarnoff, the Executive Vice President of Stribling & Associates, Ltd., recently shared some great activities her company is planning for Luxury Real Estate members who are attending the Post-Conference Networking Trip to New York City from Oct. 14-16, 2008. This Networking Trip will begin right after the 13^th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference in Philadelphia.

From 3-7 p.m. on Oct. 15, Rosita said that Luxury Real Estate members will enjoy tours of magnificent luxury properties and a cocktail dinner in a $38 million Penthouse and at the newly renovated Plaza Hotel. “We’re going to give them a terrific afternoon,” Rosita said.

The afternoon will begin in a full-floor condominium overlooking Central Park that was recently offered on the market by Stribling & Associates. It includes 4,400 square feet of living space, four bedrooms, 4.5 baths, a personal gym and library. After spending some time in that luxury home, they’ll head next door to the world-renowned Plaza Hotel. They’ll be given a grand tour of the hotel, eventually finding their way to the Rose Club restaurant, where they’ll enjoy gourmet food.

By the way, the Plaza Hotel was recently redesigned so that it now includes both hotel rooms and hotel condominiums. I wrote an article about hotel condos in the winter 2008 issue of LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine. Check it out if you’d like to know more about those interesting properties.

Only one Luxury Real Estate member from each geographic area will be able to attend this Networking Trip and reservations are sure to go fast, so be sure to sign up today! Brokers and agents will be able to speak freely and build relationships they otherwise might miss out on at both the Fall Conference and Post-Conference Networking Trip. We look forward to seeing you there.


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. Stribling & Associates is a member of the Board of Regents, an exclusive group of brokers that leads the Luxury Real Estate network. The photo of the Plaza Hotel is from www.flickr.com/photos/oquendo/2463578547 and it is the copyright of Oquendo.

By Brian Langhorst

As many of you know, our 13th Annual Fall Conference is being held this October 11th – 14th at the historic Ritz Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. But did you know that Philadelphia:

- Has 0% sales tax on certain items!
- Is the largest city in Pennsylvania.
- Is the sixth most populated city in the United States.
- Is home to famed Morimoto Restaurant, run by chef Masaharu Morimoto, one of the original Iron Chefs.
- Is the nation’s 4th largest consumer market.
- Has the oldest diamond district in the United States!
- Is home to luxury jewelry stores Lagos and Tiffany & Co.
- Was the nation’s first capital in 1774.
- Is home of the Rodin Museum and houses the second-largest collection of works outside of France.
- Is home to Comcast, Lincoln Financial Group, CIGNA, Sunoco and many more.

We are very excited to be traveling to Philadelphia this fall and hope that you will join us at this industry-leading event bringing together the best luxury real estate professionals from around the world.

To learn more about Philadelphia, visit helpful websites like www.GoPhila.com.

Contact me to register for the Fall Conference: BLanghorst (at) LuxuryRealEstate.com

I look forward to seeing you there!


Editor’s Note:
Brian Langhorst is LuxuryRealEstate.com’s Membership Manager. He meets members’ unique needs through the dynamic services LuxuryRealEstate.com provides. The Fall Conference is a great opportunity to meet with agents and brokers who specialize in luxury homes. Don’t miss out! The photo above is from www.flickr.com/photos/aymlis/20975366 and it is the copyright of aymlis.

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 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.