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 Dr. Carl Peralta

Giorgio Armani, together with his super yacht “Main”, spent a lovely holiday in Malta. For more information on his visit, read the article in the Times of Malta.



Although Malta is not like the Greek islands, St. Tropez, Sardinia & Monte Carlo, it is a unique, picturesque place set right bang in the middle of the clean Mediterranean Sea.

Other famous personalities come along together with their super yachts, such as Roman Abramovich (Chelsea FC owner) with his 114-metre “Pelorus” and Tom Perkins (Danielle Steele’s ex-husband) with his 88-metre “Maltese Falcon” built by Perini Navi!


Editor’s Note:
Dr. Carl Peralta founded 77 Great Estates in 2003. He is a member of the global Luxury Real Estate network. Business being his chief interest, Dr. Peralta has successfully co-organized many large-scale entertainment events since 1995. It sounds like Giorgio Armani couldn’t stay away from Malta. Actually, I wrote an editorial on luxury yachting communities in the spring 2008 issue of LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine. Very cool! The size of these yachts Carl mentions in this blog entry is incredible. You’d need a huge dock at your luxury home or a nice luxury marina to park them.

By Michael Marquette

From his blog: Australian Auction Clearance Rates Crash!

Auction Clearance rates for the week ending July 27, 2008 indicate a property market in crisis. Sydney’s Clearance rate of just 36.5 percent is indicative of the disparity between vendors and buyers, with some real-estate agents caught in the middle.

Luxury real estate agents’ skills in both marketing and negotiating homes are being put to the test and many are being found short. Agents with reputations for overpricing properties (the practice of overpricing is used by some agents to win listings) are struggling to match the prices offered by buyers with the price expectations of vendors. Agents with the ability to communicate the best strategy at the time of listing are best placed to negotiate the highest price for vendors in the current market – well before a property is seen to become “stale.”

Getting the right agent is the key to successfully selling your home. Given that the total number of sales is down and the list of unsold properties is increasing, it is more important than ever to ensure that your luxury home is in safe hands. Given that spring, and the usual seasonal increase in the number of listings, is beckoning I stress the importance of making the right decisions the first time!



Editor’s Note:
Michael Marquette is the co-Founder and Director of Marquette Turner Luxury Homes 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. Some markets are facing tough times, and it’s good to be aware of potential issues as well as opportunities. The photo of the crashing wave is from www.flickr.com/photos/victorgeere/24539591 and it is the copyright of Victor Geere.

By Janice Ridge

An historic luxury home has come on the market in Piedmont, Calif., USA. Listed at $3.5 million by Prudential California Realty Fine Homes Specialist and Top-Producing Broker Vickie Robinson, the house is the very oldest house built in the community of Piedmont. It’s located in an enclave of homes in the Oakland Hills known for its excellent public school system, its small-town atmosphere, low crime rate and desirable views of the entire Bay Area.

How old is old? Well that depends. In Piedmont, that is 130 years old or 130 years new, depending on your perspective. Built in 1878, the home is old by Bay Area standards, where the average “older” home was built in the 1920s. This is a vintage luxury home that needs a lot of TLC, so for the price, what you get is a historically significant property in a central Piedmont location with all the amenities that Piedmont has to offer. What you don’t get is a remodeled kitchen and bathrooms!

For more information on this little piece of Piedmont history, contact Vickie Robinson at vickie.robinson at prurealty.com or call her at 510-703-8207.


Editor’s Note:
As the Director of Membership & Relocation at LuxuryRealEstate.com, and herself a licensed REALTOR®, Janice Ridge is devoted to coordinating the efforts of all of the LuxuryRealEstate.com membership and Account Managers, so that each of our members is given superior service. This is a great luxury home for sale. Thanks for pointing it out, Janice! I’d like to know more about this home’s history, like who lived in it, what famous events it’s been through and things like that. Old things fascinate me.

By Iain Stewart

As recently reported by Nadine Hawa in her CNBC article “International Brands Eye Dubai Real Estate,” all eyes are on Dubai at this moment. In her article, Hawa notes that world-famous real-estate developer Donald Trump is particularly interested in “The Palm Jumeirah.” While many other international luxury brands are also seeking to build new luxury developments in Dubai, current new constructions, such as Verde Residences and Offices, are going totally green and present the most innovative eco-friendly technologies and amenities.

The Power of Green
Spanish for the color green, Verde symbolizes the very essence of life and all things living in perfect harmony with the elements. An expression that conjures up a sense of wellness and optimism for the future of our planet, Verde reinforces the eternal belief that making peace with nature is prerequisite to making peace in the world and finding peace within VERDE.

Verde – The Project
The next big thing in contemporary lifestyle, Verde elevates environmental consciousness to a whole new level. Towering over the clear blue skies of the world’s first purpose-built maritime centre that is Dubai Maritime City, Verde Residences and Offices are designed to achieve Gold Standard rating (LEED). It combines the best of luxury and green engineering to offer you a new investment opportunity in the most exciting freehold waterfront community in the heart of Dubai.

Like the prow of a ship, the elegantly curved glass tower that is Verde Residences points directly towards the harbor, enhancing its relationship to the ocean and marina, and its prominence within Dubai Maritime City. Masterfully designed to open up panoramic views to the ocean, Verde’s orientation and shape allows it to shield itself from the strongest solar gain yet harness the wind, and features an integrated wind turbine at its top, where wind speeds are the greatest.



Verde Residences
The 40-story residence tower includes luxurious 2- & 3-bedroom residential units and 4-bedroom deluxe harbor-side townhomes. With a swimming pool, kids’ pool, gymnasium and world-class retail and leisure facilities, Verde Residences offer a plethora of amenities that bring day and night alive.

Verde Offices
At the heart of Dubai Maritime City, the world’s first purpose-built maritime centre, Verde Offices set a new international standard for a high-performance building. Shaped to harness the power of natural forces, Verde Offices utilize advanced technologies and climate appropriate building systems to offer tenant profitability through increased productivity. With podium offices and the unique sky garden, Verde Offices offer various exercise and leisure spaces that are embellished with trees, plants and generous water features; an oasis that promises a respite within the confines of the high-end business experience.

The Location
Dubai Maritime City, the world’s first purpose-built maritime centre, is a 227-hectare, fully-equipped, iconic and multi-dimensional maritime centre providing a world-class infrastructure and environment for the global maritime industry and related sectors. Dubai Maritime City is driven by the needs of both local and international marine and maritime communities for a dedicated hub.

Located at the heart of Dubai, next to Port Rashid, Dubai Maritime City capitalizes on the strengths of Dubai as a regional and international hub for trade and commerce, redefining the global maritime industry. It will provide a strategic location for the maritime industry sectors across the full spectrum of maritime business, maritime management, maritime services, maritime retail and recreation, maritime education and research, ship and yacht repair and maintenance.

Green Technology
Buildings can have a profound effect on the environment, and the way we live our everyday lives. And Green Building brings to life the philosophy that architecture must strike a balance with its environment. It is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources – energy, water and materials, while reducing the building’s impact on the environment through better site planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance. Verde, like a classic Green Building, takes advantage of renewable resources, through solar hot water, photovoltaic cells, a grey water system, and an efficient glass facade with integral shading devices, to name a few of the techniques to achieve not only ecological but aesthetic harmony between a structure and its surrounding environment, natural and constructed. The triumph of Green Building practices and sustainable systems in Verde can reduce electricity usage and carbon emissions to such an extent that it is as good as planting over 300,000 trees or taking 340 cars off the road.


Editor’s Note:
Iain Stewart is the Luxury Specialist at Whole World of Property. He is a highly respected figure in the international property industry, specializing mostly in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, London, Berlin, Caribbean, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and India. He can be contacted at +44 (0)207 788 7994 or +44 07910 891 917. This is great – a blog entry on Dubai just after we heard from an expert on another city rising in international importance, Marrakech, Morocco. It’s great to see so many Luxury Real Estate members enjoying success in their global markets

By Jawad Tackoen

In the same way that Dubai is the jewel in the crown of the Middle East, Marrakech is the jewel in the crown of Morocco – Africa. It already has much of the infrastructure in place, a recently developed airport and sustainable tourist numbers.

People have been buying property in Morocco for years. However at this moment in time Morocco is expected to become one of the world’s most sought-after areas for property investment.

Morocco benefits from over 300 days of sunshine per year – the country has a climate comparable to the Mediterranean climate. The summers are hot and the winters are mild, making Morocco a perfect year-round destination.


Even the world's rich and famous are buying properties in Morocco. This is not only due to the fact that buying property in Morocco is a sound investment, but also because they can continue living in the same luxurious lifestyle in Morocco as they can enjoy in traditional locations like St. Tropez or Monaco. Marrakech is becoming the Saint-Tropez of the Maghreb.

Marrakech has a recently modernised airport, lots of beautiful golf courses, restaurants, supermarkets, exclusive clubs and bars such as Nikki Beach & La Plage Rouge…


Expect the unexpected…
Morocco has it all: Art galleries, boutiques, museums, gardens, snow-capped mountain views, golf courses, opera houses, American schools, restaurants, supermarkets, theatres, etc.

Golf
Year-round sunshine, high-quality greens and an easy airport commute; Marrakech has everything the avid golfer could care for. With five courses to be completed by 2009, Marrakech will take a prominent spot in a golfer’s diary.


Skiing
It’s not what you would expect from Africa, but Morocco does have a successful ski season. The high Atlas Mountains are the most popular destination and the ski season usually lasts from December to March.

Where should you buy your property?

Medina
Best buys are close to the gates, called “babs,” as these are near to parking and Gueliz (new city). If you are renting out your property, then close to the famous Jmaa el Fna appeals.


The Palm Grove / Palmeraie
Suburban Marrakech is anywhere outside of Gueliz or Hivernage and the Medina. The best suburban neighbourhood is the Palm Grove, around 10 kilometres out of the city off the Route de Fes. The Palm Grove is where the rich and famous build their pads. Other popular spots include the Route de Ouarzazate, Route d’Amizmiz and the Route de l’Ourika south of the city.

Gueliz and Hivernage (New city).
Newest part of the city also called ‘Nouvelle ville.’


We achieve our results through hard work and we are constantly examining our services and the market to achieve the highest professional and ethical standard.

By Courtney Jackson

Make sure to check out our latest Wall Street Journal ad. It hit newsstands on Friday, Aug. 1, 2008! If you weren't able to pick up a copy you can view it online.

Editor’s Note:
Courtney Jackson is the Print Director for LuxuryRealEstate.com. She works closely with The Wall Street Journal, Unique Homes and a variety of other publications to help luxury brokers gain domestic and international exposure for their properties. Print and online advertising go great together. They both have certain weaknesses and strengths that can be overcome by using both in moderation. Keep taking advantage of this great offer through LuxuryRealEstate.com!

By Michael Edlund

The Luxury Lounge is an exciting project we’ve been busy working on over here at Luxury Real Estate.

The Luxury Lounge is a gated social-networking community for professionals within the LuxuryRealEstate.com affiliate network to make connections with quality peers all over the world. Initially, you will be able to search and connect to people, send private messages and write public comments to others, write and comment on blog posts and discuss topics in forums.

We’ve also implemented online purchasing of Luxury Real Estate conference tickets and the Luxury Lounge will over time grow in to a hub for everything related to Luxury Real Estate. From managing your listings and exposure on LuxuryRealEstate.com to tracking your leads and much more. Rain or shine, noon or midnight. In the lounge, luxury professionals can utilize the full power of their Luxury Real Estate affiliation at the time and convenience of their choosing.

We have already started sending out invitations to a limited number of members, but will expand their reach over the coming weeks to the whole LuxuryRealEstate.com network. When you see an email with the subject “Invitation to Luxury Real Estate’s VIP Lounge” you know what it is all about. It is about embracing and empowering your interaction with the global Luxury Real Estate network.

Thank you for your participation!


Editor’s Note:
Michael Edlund is the Director of Technology with LuxuryRealEstate.com. He is in charge of all of LuxuryRealEstate.com’s Web projects, including website creation, software updates and implementation, and much more. Big changes are afoot here at Luxury Real Estate. The Luxury Real Estate Blog is gaining in popularity on Google, Yahoo and MSN searches, and now the Luxury Lounge is gaining momentum! With the rise of social-networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Naymz, many people are starting to see the possibilities opened up through them. This is a great chance to build relationships in creative ways online. Happy networking!

By Robert Lockard

Malta, a lovely island just south of Italy in the Mediterranean, was the site of the Malta International Fashion Show on July 5, 2008. This impressive show attracted top Italian designers who submitted their work for display by top models. These high-profile designers included Giorgio Armani, Versace, Salvatore Ferragamo, Enrico Coveri and many others.

You can read the full article by Fiona Galea Debono entitled “Gozo on the catwalk in international fashion show” in the Times of Malta. Dr. Carl Peralta, founder and President of 77 Great Estates, pointed this story out to me. 77 Great Estates is a member of the global LuxuryRealEstate.com network.

Malta is becoming known as a great getaway for luxury seekers. Its world-class events and luxury properties bring a diverse crowd of vacationers and new residents. Opportunities abound on this pleasant island!


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. Dr. Carl Peralta founded 77 Great Estates in 2003. Business being his chief interest, Dr. Peralta has successfully co-organized many large-scale entertainment events since 1995. Feel free to share your ideas and blog entries for inclusion on the LuxuryRealEstate.com Blog. The photo above is from www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080523/local/international-fashion-goes-to-gozo and it is the copyright of Darrin Zammit Lupi.

By Jim Walberg

From his blog: Caribbean Real Estate Photos Instantly Take You There Wherever Your Computer Is!

Ilya Moshensky is one of the finest real-estate photographers that I have met!

I first met Ilya at the Luxury Real Estate conference in Del Mar, Calif. several months ago. He seemed to be everywhere during the conference taking photos of the participants and various events. I final asked one of the Luxury Real Estate staff people who was this guy! She smiled and said that he is the finest photographer they had found for capturing the essence of luxury real estate homes and estates. I began some homework after the conference to see some examples of this work since we always need a top photographer’s services for the luxury properties we represent - both in the Caribbean and the San Francisco Bay Area. Boy, was I impressed with what I discovered.

My experience is that Ilya’s Photography sets one of the highest standards for quality in the industry with over 30 years of experience. Ilya is the principal photographer of Ilya’s Photography, and he has enjoyed a lifelong passion his work with the camera. His reputation for excellence has spread both in the U.S. and internationally. Ilya has shot luxury estates in France, Spain, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Miami, Chicago, the Seattle area, plus many other locations in the States and the world. After checking out his work, my next question was, “How much does this type of quality photography cost for shooting a luxury home or estate?” Well, I discovered that he has VERY competitive rates that are negotiated flat-rate prices for any project. He is even willing to offer long-term budgeted photo-shoot contracts. His flat-rate policy is greatly appreciated within our industry because it is THE rate no matter how much time it takes to complete the project. Again, I don’t think you will find a better value for your marketing dollar if you decide on Ilya’s photo services.

In further discussions with the staff at Luxury Real Estate their consensus was that Ilya consistently produces quality work and can make a home or an estate look amazing. They said he has the ability to capture on digital film the best aspects of the luxury property. As promised, I am always on the look out for the best professional services I can find, whether it is a photographer or a painter. It takes a “village” to sell and buy a home - from the preparation of the marketing program to the signing of the closing documents, hiring a professional real-estate company is critical. Until next time….fair winds!


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 experienced blogger, as you can see by visiting his blog, Caribbean Islands Realty. Feel free to submit your blog entries and comments to the LuxuryRealEstate.com Blog. Also, you can contact Ilya Moshenskiy to take advantage of his amazing photographic services at ilya at ilyaphoto.com. I highly recommend him, as well.