Luxury Real Estate

Our partner, 3RD HOME, is offering a free membership into their luxury second homeowners club for Luxury Real Estate clients. 3RD HOME, an exclusive private club for luxury second homeowners allows members to exchange time in their home for weeks at other properties located in over 55 countries. This luxury home exchange creates greater value for the second homeowner by not only getting more use of their vacation home but also being able to travel anywhere in the world staying in 5-star properties, without paying rent!

How does this program work? 3RD HOME offers a simple and easy online process that allows a second homeowner to join in minutes. The guidelines are simple for membership. The homeowner must have a second home worth over $750,000 in a desirable location, if so; membership into the club is almost complete. Through the Luxury Real Estate partnership a client’s 2-year membership fee of $495 will be waived compliments of Luxury Real Estate! Once the client is a member, with a completed profile, all they need to do to get started is deposit one desirable week at their property to earn keys and start traveling. 3RD HOME uses an easy key exchange process based off the value of the client’s home. If the client has a home worth $500,000 - $1,000,000 they will receive one key for every week they deposit with the largest number of keys being five, for second homes worth over $4,000,000. As a member you gain the ability to travel all over the world, book a week vacation for a fee of just $495.

If this is an opportunity that interests you or if you have further questions, please contact Lauren at Lauren@3rdhome.com or call (615) 810-8403 to get started. To learn more about 3RD HOME and the luxury exchange program you can also visit www.3rdhome.com.

Courtesy of Meghan Barry, President of Luxury Real Estate

San Miguel de Allende,in the state of Guanajuato in central Mexico is historically significant as the first municipality declared independent of Spanish rule. The buildings in its historic colonial center are of 17th and 18th century Baroque and Neoclassical architecture. Winding stone streets and breathtaking views of the surrounding valley add to the appeal of this mountain community. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and Condé Nast top ten travel destination, San Miguel is a center for intellectual, cultural and artistic life, with many galleries, schools and events to celebrate and encourage the arts.

While navigating through the peaceful streets of San Miguel or the lively historic core near the Plaza Allende, it’s difficult to see what lies behind the large exterior walls of the local residences. I had the opportunity to visit with long-time Luxury Real Estate member Joanie Barcal of Allende Properties on a recent visit, to hear about the local real estate market and get a better understanding of the type of property one might find in this idyllic mountain town. Luxury properties often include multi-level terraces to leverage views and private interior courtyards with lush gardens to accent the melding of traditional architecture and modern amenities.

While in San Miguel I was able to participate in the Dia de los Muertos celebrations, wander the Mercado de Artesanias, enjoy the local cuisine and visit the La Gruta Thermal Springs and local spas. A must-do is a horseback riding outing through the valley near the Cañón de la Virgen. Visit San Miguel de Allende and buy some real estate. You won’t be disappointed.

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!

Here at Luxury Real Estate, it’s nice to get a little feed back from our members. We were thrilled to see a Beacham & Company, Realtors blogger’s take on our 16^th Annual Fall Conference held in San Diego at the Grand Del Mar. Click here to see Blayne Beacham’s delightful post titled “The Billionaire’s Club + Best Print Marketing = AWESOME TRIP!”.

Courtesy of Luxury Real Estate

Now there is yet another reason to attend the 16^th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference in San Diego (Del Mar), California. Greg Moesser, Vice President of the Private Estates division of Rodeo Realty in Beverly Hills, will be hosting a break out session on the topic of ‘Attracting International Buyers and Foreign Investors’.

International Buyers are a powerful, exclusive and highly profitable Niche market. Learn how to attract Foreign Buyers seeking an accelerated Full-Time Residency status, often in as little as 4 months. The new EB-5 program is highly attractive to foreign investors and removes the time limitations of residing in the USA. This ideal demographic is also seeking to purchase luxury real estate.

To read more about Greg and his views on international business, click here to read an article by Katharine Angelo in Bel Air Magazine.

Don’t forget to join us at The Grand Del Mar in San Diego (Del Mar), CA for the 16th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference, October 10th – 12th. Contact us for more details.

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 Judy Sweetland of Private Trade Winds

Travel Agents have weathered the perfect storm of catastrophic events over the last few years – an economy that hit rock bottom collided with a wave of “book-it-yourself” internet sites, and I’m happy to say they have not only managed to survive through the wreckage, but rather to thrive.

I just returned from a training seminar in Scottsdale, Arizona where I had the privilege of speaking in depth with Travel Agents from all over the U.S. and Canada, and I have to tip my hat to them. What a great bunch of people to be surrounded by. Travel Agents illuminate customer service, and it’s evident even in short conversations. They’re friendly, helpful, and willing to go the extra mile. I’m the person that walks out of a store in the mall and can’t remember which way I just came from. I asked one of the Travel Agent attendees if he knew where the Starbucks was located inside the resort, and he not only told me how to get there, but walked me in and had a cup of coffee with me. That’s a Travel Agent.

While it is true that sites like Travelocity and Orbitz have cut into the business share of Agents, a steadfast client base has been maintained. Why, you ask? Because people want people. Travel Agents are service-oriented by nature, and they have that gene that makes you feel cared for and protected. They not only want to book a great trip for you, but they want to ensure a great experience. They care about your security and somehow manage to stay current on the ever changing policies at the airports. Try to get that from a computer booking!

So, I’d just like to take this opportunity to say, “thank you” to all the Travel Agents that weathered the storm and came out the other side with a smile on their face. I’d like also like to thank our own Travel Agents for representing Private Trade Winds with the best in service, integrity and care. You make me proud to work for this Company. And I’d also like to thank “Ed” for a great cup of coffee.

Times such as these need new ideas, new approaches, new collaborations, and in short, everything the Fractional Summit USA 2011 promises to deliver and more.

Luxury Real Estate is a proud sponsor of the conference and is delighted to offer our clients a limited $100 USD discount per ticket purchased. Click here and enter LRE as the discount code to secure your discounted tickets.

Here's some of the highlights this year:

• Fractional 101
• Press and PR (New for 2011)
• Selling to the new elite (New for 2011)
• Looking inwards: Realize your greatness (New for 2011)
• 'Fuzion networking' (New for 2011)
• Fractional hotspots (New for 2011)
• Future luxury fractional consumer (New for 2011)
• Rethinking marketing (New for 2011)
• Fractional owners panel
• Cocktail cruise (New for 2011)
• Meet the experts
• Live fractional practical exercises (New for 2011)
• For the first time ever! Fractional finance in today's world - FREE conference tickets for lenders
• Fractional exchange, resales and rentals
• Ultimate Q and A

Last year's inaugural event was an unqualified success - click here for a video review. So don't miss out on your 2011 tickets - visit www.fractionalsummitusa.com to book now.

And to encourage more developers - the lifeblood of the industry - to enter the fractional space, we are offering an exclusive Developer Special discount, with tickets at $499, a saving of $250 on the regular price. Visit www.fractionalsummitusa.com to take advantage of this great offer.

Courtesy of Ron & Alexandra Seigel of Napa Consultants, International

Diana Bull of  Sterling Properties and Rebecca Riskin of Villagge Properties, both Luxury Real Estate members, are mentioned in this article  on the Napa Consultants, International blog Language of Luxury.

Courtesy of Judy Sweetland of Private Trade Winds

That seems to be the nagging question 365 days a year, and there’s no reprieve while on vacation. In fact, it can be even more challenging when you have children of varying ages with specific likes and dislikes to deal with – and let’s face it, they all have likes and dislikes! While you and your spouse might be dying to try that fine dining Hawaiian Fusion restaurant that everyone has been raving about, you know that little Johnny will have no part of seafood, and keeping Sally entertained in the highchair will require nothing short of a live appearance from Elmo himself. This poses the ultimate vacation challenge, because it’s not a mere question of “What’s for Dinner tonight?” you need to know what’s for breakfast and lunch, too – times 7! So, on your typical week vacation this question will beg to be answered 21 times!

Let’s consider you have the stamina to repeatedly answer this question each day, and are equipped with the ingenuity to satisfy everyone’s palate. Now you have to take into consideration the expense of eating out 21 times. Let’s see, a family of four, three times a day (don’t forget to carry the 1), and Cha-Ching! – you could have stayed another night!

Ok, you see where I’m going with this. Finicky kids + Added Expense = Why are we doing this again?

Enter Private Trade Winds Villa Vacations (can you hear the hallelujah chorus?). Renting a villa as opposed to a hotel room has multiple advantages, but for Johnny and Sally’s parent’s sake, I’m just going to focus on meals. Private Trade Winds villas are equipped with either a complete or gourmet kitchen, with the former complete kitchen offering guests the ability to prepare a standard meal, and the gourmet kitchen is equipped with all the high-end appliances and cookware needed to prepare an entire Thanksgiving feast! With the added convenience of a kitchen, the need to dine out for every meal is eliminated and money and sanity are restored.

Another service provided by Private Trade Winds is the option of pre arrival grocery shopping. Families love this service, and our Travel Advisors coordinate this so groceries are conveniently stocked in the cupboards and refrigerator upon your arrival. The only thing you need to do is fill out the shopping list. The last thing you want to deal with after a long plane ride is a stop at the grocery store to stock your villa, and shopping at an unfamiliar store takes so much longer, because you’re not sure where everything is. Pre arrival grocery shopping takes that stress away and allows you to start enjoying your vacation immediately upon arrival.

Of course, going out to dinner is relaxing when you don’t have to go out for every single meal. Our Concierge will not only book your dinner reservations, but will arrange a babysitter so you can spend a nice romantic evening at that Hawaiian Fusion place for just you and your spouse.

The main concern most people have in booking a villa vacation is that they fear they will forfeit the service and amenities typically found only in high-end resorts. That is a valid concern, and you should avoid randomly booking a villa without doing your due diligence, but a company such as Private Trade Winds specializes in villa rentals, and we do our due diligence to guarantee a 5-star experience for you. Not only will you not sacrifice the service and amenities found in a hotel, but you will gain a place at the table for Johnny and Sally. And you know that when Johnny and Sally are happy –everybody’s happy!