Luxury Real Estate

By: Weichert Realtors Points East Properties

The city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire is at its best as it hosts a notable celebration of Independence Day with great events spanning the week leading up to the 4^th of July. This annual historical celebration has a parade, fireworks, living history reenactments, music, and great food.

Portsmouth or Strawbery Banke as it is historical known is well known for its great shopping, fine dining, historical landmarks, and seaport. The intimate community offers a full array of luxury real estate options allowing savvy investors, second home owners, retirees, and even primary home owners a chance to take in this beautiful town and experience the great amenities first hand.

Happy 4^th of July! Don’t hesitate to come visit us in Portsmouth this summer.

Perry & Co. Vice President Jon Larrance has been nominated for the Denver Board of Realtors‘ 2009 Director Election. Denver Board of Realtors’ members, primary or secondary, in good standing will elect three Directors for three year terms, which run from October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2012. The DBR Director election will take place July 15, 2009.

The following candidates have been selected by the Nominating Committee and approved by the current Board of Directors.

• Jetta Brouker, ZipRealty
• Tony Cline, Cliffdwellers
• Greg Geller, Vision Real Estate
• Jon Larrance, Perry & Co.
• Charles Roberts, Your Castle
• Ellen Smirnoff, Keller Williams DTC
• Vafa Sohi, Luxe Group

Congratulations to all the candidates! Candidate bios and photos will be included in the July 2009 issue of The Denver REALTOR® newsletter. Ballots will be mailed and emailed at the end of June 2009.

Campaign Statement: "I joined Perry & Co. in 2002 as the Director of Technologies, which was a perfect fit after 14 years as Owner of a video and web production business during which I wrote and produced over 100 real estate training videos and dozens of real estate company websites. I am a second generation Denver native and a second generation Realtor®.

"In my current position at Perry & Co. as Vice President, my responsibilities include staff management, relocation, training, and IT. I am active in Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate as an Executive Director on the Board of Regents, and the Denver Board of Realtors’ Ethics Committee. I routinely teach technology classes to the Who's Who members. I am also an active blogger - my "Information For Realtors" articles can be read at 3033997777.com.

"My goals as a DBR Director are to uphold the highest standard of Realtor® ethics, foster the greater use of technology, and promote Denver in the international markets.

"I hope you take the opportunity to introduce yourself to, or Google, your candidates to learn more about each of us."

By Stephen Pugh of Alain Pinel Realtors

SAN FRANCISCO, (May 20, 2009) – Alain Pinel Realtors (APR) is pleased to announce its appointment by the Lembi Group for the sale of a 232-unit San Francisco apartment portfolio. The portfolio is valued at approximately $43 million and contains 12 buildings located in many prominent neighborhoods of San Francisco, including the Marina, Twin Peaks and Russian Hill. Stephen Pugh and Mark Bonn of APR’s San Francisco Investment Group will be marketing the properties.

“We are thrilled to bring this exciting investment opportunity to the market at a time when buyers are eager to acquire quality properties that generate attractive cash yields last seen more than five years ago,” said Stephen Pugh, Managing Director of APR’s Investment Group. “Buyers have been waiting for an apartment property offering of this kind that’s value-priced relative to current and future income potential.”

The properties will be marketed on a coordinated basis, but will be sold to either individual buyers or one buyer. Many of the properties are fully occupied, yet offer significant upside potential. “San Francisco remains one of the strongest rental markets in the Bay Area and it offers significant future growth potential as economic conditions improve,” said Mark Bonn, Senior Director of APR’s Investment Group. “The properties are located in supply constrained areas of San Francisco that will not be overly impacted by new development, contains dedicated parking stalls and offer financeable value.”

Tim Murray, APR’s Vice President and Regional Manager of San Francisco and the North Bay said, “We are proud to be entrusted with this important sales assignment and I expect to see a very good response from potential buyers that will more than satisfy our client’s expectations.” In addition to Pugh and Bonn, the sales team includes senior sales associates Mirella Webb and James Murphy.

About Alain Pinel Realtors

Alain Pinel Realtors is the largest privately-owned and independent residential real estate company in California. The firm had a sales volume of $5.7 billion in 2008 ($1.1 million per transaction) and has been consistently ranked in the Top 10 firms in the United States. It was founded in 1990 by Paul Hulme, current Chairman and CEO, and is based in Saratoga, Calif. Alain Pinel Realtors served 5,300+ clients in 2008 through its 30 offices in Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. Alain Pinel Realtors is a founding member of Luxury Portfolio, an operating unit of The Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. The firm also has a joint venture partnership in the mortgage lending institution Private Mortgage Advisors, which is an affiliate of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. For a complete listing of Alain Pinel Realtors offices, services and agents, please visit our website at apr.com.

From theFrontSteps

Vote for our LuxuryRealEstate.com members from Alain Pinel Realtors, Zephyr Real Estate, Hill & Company, Paragon Real Estate Group, and McGuire Real Estate!

The moment we've been waiting for all year - the San Francisco's Sexiest Realtor Contest 2008. What's at stake? Of course, the title of San Francisco's Sexiest Realtor, and this year, the grand prize of a "Real Estate Sucks" t-shirt (and for the losers, a "Real Estate Sucks" t-shirt ).

This year, Poll Daddy will be used for voting. Voters can check back to view how the competition is unfolding by clicking on the "view results" link within the poll, and voting privacy is absolutely 100% guaranteed. To build a little suspense, the "view results" feature will be disabled on Thursday. Voting will be open all week until Saturday 12/20 at 11:59 pm, and the winner will be announced Monday 12/22.

To vote for your favorite (sexiest) female/male Realtor : http://thefrontsteps.com/2008/12/15/vote-now-san-franciscos-sexiest-realtor-contest-2008-is-on/

By Meghan Barry

Someone has to be the one to mention that today is Valentine’s Day, right?

I noticed this article, simply entitled Happy Valentine’s Day, on Boston.com (I am a Seattle transplant… one of the many).

The National Association of REALTORS® suggests "If you can’t fly to Paris, France this Valentine’s Day, take your sweetheart to Paris, Texas" in a press release, entitled Explore American Towns Sharing Names With the World’s Most Romantic Cities.

Paris, Texas (average home price $84,000); Rome, Georgia (average home price $95,000); Seville, Ohio (average home price $122,000); Venice, California (average home price is a bit higher, $1.3 million… it’s California after all).

There may not be much luxury real estate in these versions of Paris, Rome and Seville, but think of the investment possibilities!


Editor’s Note:
Meghan Barry is the Executive Vice President of LuxuryRealEstate.com. She works closely with CEO John Brian Losh to organize a variety of Luxury Real Estate programs, events and services. What’s in a name, anyway? It might be even more unique an experience to seek luxurious opportunities in little-known areas than looking in the obvious spots. You might even fall in love with these smaller versions of great European cities. Happy Valentine’s Day, indeed.