Luxury Real Estate

Courtesy of Ron & Alexandra Seigel of Napa Consultants, International

Maui—the Valley Isle is featured in the latest article on the Language of Luxury blog. Luxury Real Estate member Betty Sakamoto of Sakamoto Properties was interviewed.

“Sure, Oprah and many other celebs own homes here. But, top celebrity status on Maui belongs to Laird Hamilton, often referred to as the “greatest big wave surfer to have lived”. He is also credited for igniting the popularity of stand up paddling (SUP), a sport that Hamilton says is a return to the traditional Hawaiian way of surfing, as practiced by King Kamehameha almost three hundred years ago.”

The article in its entirety is on the Napa Consultants, International blog ‘Language of Luxury’.

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 Barbara Gardner of Luxurious Destinations

Each year in January the best golfers in the world converge on the Maui to compete in the PGA season-opening event at Kapalua Resort's Plantation Course. Only champions from the previous year's PGA Tour are eligible to play, so this tournament features golfing's elite. Kapalua's par 73 Plantation course, designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, spreads across luxuriant terrain and offers breath-taking ocean views. The record for this 7,411-yard course of 62, was set by K.J. Choi in 2003 at the Mercedes-Benz Championship. In 2012 the winner will walk away with a purse of over $1 million. Come to Kapalua and see whether last year's tournament winner, Jonathan Byrd, will succeed in defending his title in 2012.

Luxurious Destinations specializes in deluxe vacation rental homes in gorgeous locations from Hawaii to Mexico and other tropical destinations, like Belize, we have a superb location for you. We provide the ultimate luxury in private vacation home rentals and enhance your stay with professional personal concierge services. Let us know how we can assist you.

Courtesy of Michael Edlund, Director of Technology at Luxury Real Estate

Here at Luxury Real Estate, we are constantly updating our website to make it more useful for you, our members. We like to hear what features you like and could use, so due to popular member feedback, we recently added new functionality in the Luxury Lounge.

Each second home market has feeder markets—the areas that buyers most often come from. For example, Seattle is a feeder market for second homes in Idaho. It's of great value for brokers in a market to network well with brokers from their feeder markets so that they can pass referrals to people they know and trust. Previously as an agent in the Luxury Lounge, you could only display your particular service areas, but you can also now add your Feeder Markets. If you’re an agent in Hawaii, you may wish to add Seattle as one of your feeder markets—or if you’re in Brazil, Florida may be a lucrative feeder market for you.

When you log into the Luxury Lounge, click on the blue “My Lounge” button in the top right hand corner. Then click “Profile” to edit your personal profile. From this page, you will notice a horizontal line of tabs, one of which says “Feeder Markets”. We’d like you to be among the first to take advantage of this new tool in the Luxury Lounge—so go ahead, fill it out. I’ll wait.

Done? Good. Very soon, we will make it possible to match service areas and feeder markets between different members and suggest who you ought to network with based on this information. We are excited for the new business opportunities within the LRE® network this will enable!

So please, keep trying out all the features in the Luxury Lounge, and as always, let us know what you think—we are here to work for you!

Courtesy of Ron & Alexandra Seigel of Napa Consultants, International

Now it’s the Big Island’s turn to praise their many features. Luxury Real Estate members interviewed in this article include Rebecca Keliihoomalu and Brodie Callender of MacArthur & Company Sotheby’s International Realty, Rob Kildow of Hualalai Realty.

“On the West Coast you have the Beverly Hills “Golden Triangle” with Rodeo Drive running through it. Across the Pacific Ocean, on Hawaii’s largest and geologically youngest island, you can find the Kohala Coast, also known as the “Gold Coast”. You may not find extensive high-end shopping there, but you can find an active, luxurious lifestyle that is defined first and foremost by its sun-drenched climate, tempered by soothing, tranquil trade winds. With temperatures that vary only slightly between 70-85 degrees the Gold Coast has only 8 inches of rain all year, on average.”

The article in its entirety is on the Napa Consultants, International blog ‘Language of Luxury’.

Courtesy of Ron & Alexandra Seigel of Napa Consultants, International

Hawaii knows 'Luxury'.  Luxury Real Estate members Patricia Choi of Choi International, Patricia Case of Case Properties, International, and Sachi Braden of Sachi Hawaii were all interviewed for an article extolling the riches and appeal of Hawaii's island of Oahu.

“Many people associate luxury real estate with the extravagant lifestyles of the rich and famous, with conspicuous consumption, creature comforts and sheer opulence. Although, this side of luxury can definitely be found on the Hawaiian Islands, there is a deeper, transcendent story of affluence to be discovered here. It can be found in the richness of cultural diversity that is honored and championed on the Islands combined with a true sense of community, sharing and giving that is expressed in the Aloha spirit.”

The article in its entirety is on the Napa Consultants, International blog ‘Language of Luxury’.

Courtesy of Judy Sweetland of Private Trade Winds

If you’re a regular Private Trade Winds blog reader or if you follow us on Facebook and Twitter, then you’re probably already aware of our new “Spotlight Destination” promotion. The promotion launched in June with our Spotlight shining on Hawaii where we featured villas on the Big Island, Oahu, Maui and Kauai. The weeks following brought us to the coastal communities and wine country of South Africa; the desert, mountains and beaches of California; and lastly the laid-back beauty of Mexico! It’s been a blast, and I’m happy to report that people are loving it!

Each week we’re shining our Spotlight on a new destination which will be announced on our blog, facebook and Twitter. Don’t worry, if social media isn’t your thing you can also email jsweetland@privatetradewinds.com and let us know that you would like to receive our weekly Spotlight Destination announcement in your email.

So, what’s it all about? In the interest of full disclosure – we want to spoil you! We’re giving you the opportunity to travel like a Private Trade Winds client. It’s our version of a try before you buy program. Just book any villa featured in our weekly Spotlight Destination and you will receive all the value added inclusions normally reserved for clients of Private Trade Winds. That would be services like daily housekeeping and roundtrip airport transportation; the personal assistance of our dedicated Travel Advisors and Concierge for all your air and ground transportation, and a welcome gift will be waiting for you at your chosen destination, along with something special from Private Trade Winds to make your trip more enjoyable. It could be a decadent spa treatment, a round of golf or perhaps a personal chef credit. Each destination has its own unique offering which is gifted to you by Private Trade Winds. Other amenities await your arrival like luxurious spa robes, high-end bath amenities, and bottled water and coffee replenished daily.

Why are we doing this? We’re giving you the opportunity to try before you buy. We’re confident that once you take your first Private Trade Winds Villa Vacation you won’t want to travel any other way. So be sure to check in daily on our blog, and follow us on facebook and twitter to see where our Spotlight will be shining next. Remember you can also email Judy Sweetland at jsweetland@privatetradewinds.com or call 866.PTW.4LUX Ext. 804 to receive your announcements and updates. Spoiler Alert - this week . . . Costa Rica!

Courtesy of Anika Anand of Msnbc.com

Luxury Real Estate member MacArthur & Company Sotheby’s International Realty was featured in a recent msnbc.com article. Written by Anika Anand, the article features a $13.9 million home in Kukio, Hawaii.

“Its Japanese gardens, meditative shrine and separate painting studio are likely to instill a deep sense of tranquility to visitors of this Hawaiian home that offers a full, 360-degree view of the ocean.”

To read the full article by Anika Anand, click here.

Courtesy of Luxury Real Estate

Luxury Real Estate is pleased to announce the inclusion of MacArthur & Company Sotheby’s International Realty in its prestigious network of fine high-end estate brokers and firms. MacArthur & Company Sotheby’s International Realty was selected to represent the island of Hawaii at the invitation of Chairman/Publisher John Brian Losh. Mr. Losh extends membership invitations to brokers and firms throughout the world who consistently demonstrate expertise in the marketing of luxury properties. Currently, Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate includes more than 1,400 members with properties in 67 countries and nearly every state in the U.S.

This exclusive group’s properties can be viewed on the network’s award-winning Web site LuxuryRealEstate.com, the most-viewed real estate Web site expressly dedicated to luxury properties. The site features more than 60,000 of the world’s finest for-sale listings with an average price of more than $2 million. According to the Web information service Google Analytics, LuxuryRealEstate.com receives more than 2.6 million unique page views per month coming in from 197 countries around the world.

The 2011 edition of Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate’s annual membership directory is available by calling MacArthur & Company Sotheby’s International Realty or writing to: Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate, 2110 Western Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98121.

Hualalai Realty and Rob Kildow has sold Tim Boyle of Columbia Sportswear a $8.3 million dollar golf course home in the Four Seasons' Hualalai Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii. The 5,900 square feet home has spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, immaculate fairways, and mountains. The home is located in the Hualalai Resort which offers residents the five star luxury services of the the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai.

For more information on Hualalai Resort and Hualalai real estate offerings, please contact Rob Kildow.

More about Hualalai Resort:
On the Big Island of Hawaii's Kona-Kohala Coast, Hualalai recaptures the spirit of another time. Swaying palms hide the rooftops of the beachfront bungalows and authentic Hawaiian homes. Dramatic green fairways cut through the lava and drop to the coast to hug the sea.

Pathways wind through open dunes, by ancient Hawaiian fishponds, through flowering gardens that perfume the air. Gentle hosts welcome all to their ‘ohana, family, with a heightened level of hospitality that is called ho‘okipa. Experience the Hualalai lifestyle from the comfort of a private villa, residence or homesite. Welcome to Hualalai. In this serene paradise, the dream of Hawai‘i that everyone holds in their hearts is fulfilled.

More about Hualalai Realty:
Hualalai Realty has been part of Hualalai Resort’s development team since 1995 and is committed exclusively to property transactions at what continues to be one of the most sought after residential resort communities in the world. We are the only on-site real estate office at Hualalai, and are uniquely positioned to share the “Hualalai Story” in an insightful and comprehensive manner. Rob Kildow and his expert luxury real estate team have been selected to exclusively represent the Luxury Real Estate Board of Regents for the Island of Hawaii also known as the Big Island.