Luxury Real Estate

By Matthew Woon

A slice of the tropical paradise which inspired James A Michener’s iconic Tales of the South Pacific is up for grabs with Vanuatu’s groundbreaking luxury development, the Lapita Plantation.

The vision of plantation owners Matthew Woon and his mother Sheryn von Schwerin, Lapita is an ecologically sustainable lifestyle development with a French colonial theme. Set on 328 hectares of land and fringed by 6 kilometres of coastline, the five-stage luxury lifestyle resort development called Lapita Plantation will feature 205 plantation villas, two luxury resort complexes, a large outdoor pool, restaurants, cocktail bar, Balinese-style day spa, golf practice range, specialty shops, and facilities for scuba diving, horse riding, kayaking and sailing.

In order to promote ecologically sustainable development of the site, land and villa allotments will be offered strictly as limited “staged” or “precinct” releases over the next 5 to 7 years. Each precinct will be identified by landscaping designed to create individuality and ensure harmony with the local environment and architectural features, and positioned to take full advantage of their natural surroundings and magnificent water views. Crushed coral pathways for pedestrians, private buggies and bicycles mean that no villa is more than 10 minutes from one of the resort centers.

The high-vaulted ceilings and wide, shaded wraparound verandas define the interior space while inviting spectacular water and distant mountain views into the heart of each residence.

High-speed internet, voiceover IP and satellite television will also be available in each villa, enabling busy professionals to take a much-needed break in one of the world’s most idyllic tropical locations while still keeping a hand on the pulse of their business. At Lapita, you get the best of both worlds – a tropical retreat just a mouse click away from the real-time outside world.

Tastefully selected interior furnishing packages will be available to add the finishing touch to these superb luxury villas offering the ultimate in resort style living in superb tropical surrounds.


Editor’s Note:
Matthew Woon is the Developer of the Lapita Plantation in Vanuatu, located in the South Pacific Ocean east of Australia. He is a new member of the international Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate network. It’s difficult to add more to what’s already been said about this marvelous luxury property. I’d just like to point out what a fascinating place Vanuatu appears to be. From the few photos above, you can certainly get a taste for some of the beauty awaiting you if you want to invest in a luxury home on the Lapita Plantation.

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 Benjamin Pradel
From his blog: [Technologie] Des agences toujours à la pointe

C'est toujours avec le même souci d'innovation et de conserver une longueur d'avance que Rodolphe a fait équiper les 5 agences d'un système d'écrans plats dans les bureaux.

L'équipe commerciale dispose maintenant d'un outil performant et unique pour la présentation des biens; un diaporama prenant le relais lorsque l'écran n'est pas utilisé.

Parallèlement, des écrans transflectifs ont vu le jour dans les vitrines du Siège Social, le procédé est simple, plus la luminosité extérieure est importante et plus l’écran est lumineux!


Pour ne pas s'arrêter en si bon chemin, les supports d'affiches vitrine ont été remplacé par des modèles innovants avec un rétro éclairage à LED du plus bel effet.



Editor’s Note:
Don’t speak French? Click here for an English version of this blog entry. Benjamin Pradel is an Information and Technology Specialist with R. CHAYLA Immobilier in Carcassonne, France. Founded in 1991, R. CHAYLA has a multilingual team, agencies with cutting-edge technology and exposure on dozens of Web sites. They are known across France, and their international exposure grows daily. Be sure to keep checking back at the Luxury Real Estate Blog for interesting international content like this.

By Michael Marquette
From his blog: The arrival of the luxurious Qantas A380 aircraft

On Sunday, September 21, Australian airline Qantas will welcome to Australia the first of 20 of its luxurious A380 aircraft, having flown via Singapore from the Airbus factory in Toulouse, France.


Affectionately referred to as the Super Jumbo, the A380 will be welcomed into the Qantas fleet at a ceremony in Sydney, which Simon Turner, founder of Marquette Turner Luxury Homes, has been invited to attend.

Marquette Turner Luxury Homes certainly recognizes the luxurious credentials of this amazing aircraft, and we are very excited at the prospect of viewing the best cabin design in the sky, which has been overseen throughout by world-renowned industrial designer Marc Newson.

Simon will have the honour of being one of the first proud Australians to view first-hand Marc’s stunning creative touch to all four classes on board the aircraft, First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy, which will no doubt truly reflect “the Spirit of Australia.” To view the interiors and take an interactive tour of the aircraft from the comfort of your chair, simply click here.

Qantas will operate its first A380 commercial passenger service from Melbourne to Los Angeles on October 20, 2008, and its first Sydney-Los Angeles service on October 24. Two additional A380s will be delivered by the end of 2008.

Simon will report back to you post-ceremony on Sunday.


Editor’s Note:
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. While some airlines falter in changing times, others thrive, like in this example. That’s wonderful that Turner was invited to attend this event. I look forward to hearing how it goes.

By Benjamin Pradel
From his blog: R. CHAYLA rejoint le réseau Luxury Real Estate (n°1 mondial)

Déjà membres depuis janvier 2008 du réseau Châteaux & Co., regroupant des agences immobilières indépendantes spécialisées dans les transactions de charme et de prestige en France, nous franchissons un nouveau cap en rejoignant le réseau international LuxuryRealEstate.com.

LuxuryRealEstate.com, n°1 mondial, est un réseau indépendant regroupant 2120 agences immobilières dans le monde dont 7 agences pour la France. Notre agence obtient donc l'exclusivité régionale de Luxury Real Estate.

Outre une fréquentation record du site internet à plus de 62 000 000 de visiteurs / mois, le site www.luxuryrealestate.com est classé n°1 mondial pour les recherches en immobilier de luxe (source: alexa.com). Il est également qualifié en tant que le "meilleur du Web" par le magazine Forbes et le quotidien international Wall Street Journal depuis les sept dernières années.

Notre agence fait donc partie maintenant du plus important réseau d'immobilier de luxe, ce qui devrait nous permettre de renforcer notre image et notre position auprès d'une clientèle à fort pouvoir d'achat.



Editor’s Note:
Don’t speak French? Click here for an English version of this blog entry. It's funny to see what the translator does to the parts already in English. Benjamin Pradel is an Information and Technology Specialist with R. CHAYLA Immobilier in Carcassonne, France. Founded in 1991, R. CHAYLA has a multilingual team, agencies with cutting-edge technology and exposure on dozens of Web sites. They are known across France, and their international exposure grows daily. It’s great to get so much global news and flavor in the Luxury Real Estate Blog. Whether you’re looking for information on luxury homes or luxury markets, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for on www.LuxuryRealEstate.com.

By Brian Langhorst

Photosynth is one of the latest projects from Microsoft to come out of their Live Labs group and development business.

This unique program will take photos that you specify from your camera or computer desktop and find the similarities in each photo and create a visual presentation piecing these photos together. It might be hard to see what the big deal is based on this short description, but I encourage you to visit the Photosynth site and you will better understand just how fascinating this new tool is.

I feel this tool will be great for luxury real estate agent and brokerages. How many times have homebuyers or sellers commented that photos do not properly capture a unique or special high-end listing? This new tool from Microsoft could be a great way to create more eye-catching presentations to allow potential buyers to see the luxury property in its true form.

Our team here will be sure to continue to present our members with the most innovative tools and opportunities, such as Photosynth, for their business.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback on this new tool!


Editor’s Note:
Brian Langhorst is LuxuryRealEstate.com’s Membership Manager. He meets members’ unique needs through the dynamic services LuxuryRealEstate.com provides. It seems like there are endless possibilities and new technologies being created all the time. It will be very exciting to keep an eye on this Photosynth program and other innovative Web tools coming out. Thanks for the heads-up, Brian! The photo above is from www.flickr.com/photos/tommybart2000/2688931093 and it is the copyright of Thomas Barthelet.

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 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 Jean-Yves Piton

The classic marketing mix, with its 4 Ps (Product, Price, Promotion and Place), is evolving to meet current global business needs. It now includes 3 more Ps: Positioning, Packaging and People.

Keep in mind that Positioning should not be confused with Promotion. Although advertising efforts are inherently part of both Promotion and Positioning, the latter P mainly focuses on your competitive position within the marketplace and image amongst consumers.

Are you and your firm positioned as “the luxury real estate expert” in the marketplace? You must ask yourself this question to better compete in the global struggle for differentiated products, services and brands.

How are you and your firm’s products and services perceived by your prospects and clients? In essence, your positioning strategy should assist you with your brand recognition in the marketplace.

Your advertising efforts support your positioning strategy, which, in turn, builds your brand equity.

For instance, BMW has used the slogan “Ultimate Driving Machine” for over three decades now, positioning this tagline as the ultimate one in the automotive industry. BMW clearly advertises its passion and talent for top innovation and engineering, which positions its brand as one of the finest amongst luxury consumers.

In fact, Jack Pitney, Vice President of Marketing, BMW North America clearly articulated that: “BMW has carved out a unique niche in the industry by placing a premium on constant innovation and inspiration and this campaign will reveal the company behind The Ultimate Driving Machine.”

To that effect, while crafting your marketing plan you should carefully select your advertising initiatives to reach and appeal to your targeted audience. Your advertisements should unmistakably position you and your firm not just as “a luxury real estate expert” (one amongst many others), but as “the luxury real estate expert” (the best).


Editor’s Note:
Jean-Yves Piton is the Global Services Membership Manager for LuxuryRealEstate.com. He assists Bente Madtsen, the Director of Global Services, in expanding the LuxuryRealEstate.com brand into even more countries around the world. What a great discussion. It’s definitely important to position yourself, through word and deed, as a standout performer. The photo of the blog apartment building is from www.flickr.com/photos/paytonc/925383449 and it is the copyright of Payton Chung.