Luxury Real Estate

By Scott Rudolph

Sometimes it is just a simple message that sparks a wildfire.

Watch the video. Share the video. Catch the message. Make it happen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOrKLs0QJkA

For sellers, I want to say: birds find new nests and so shall you. Your trusted real estate professional is key to helping you find another home which you’re bound to grow to love as much as what your leaving.


Editor’s Note:
Scott Rudolph is the Director of Business Development for LuxuryRealEstate.com. He works with a variety of luxury-focused companies to expand the LuxuryRealEstate.com influence. The video in this blog entry was made by RealEstateZebra. After watching this humorous video, I feel like holding up a piece of paper that simply says, “Amen.” Changing market conditions demand flexibility and sometimes drastic measures like reducing the price on your home. For better or worse, it’s a buyer’s market right now.

By Robert Lockard

I would like to share a confusation with you. What’s a confusation? It’s a mixture of confusion and conversation. I’m all for preserving the English language and avoiding the addition of new and pointless slang terms. But, at the same time, I enjoy having a little bit of fun with ideas and rules because of my playful nature. I would like to share some of my thoughts in an open, possibly random, way. So, without further ado, let’s begin our confusation.

According to a CNN article entitled “Majority not buying homes, poll shows,” an Associated Press-AOL Money & Finance poll found that 60 percent of their respondents have no plans to buy a home in the next two years. However, the same poll also found that “59 percent think now is a good time to buy.” So let’s get this straight. Sixty percent of the people in this poll said they won’t buy a home in the next two years, even though nearly the same number of people thought that right now is a good time to buy.

That seems odd to me.

I generally don’t give much credence to surveys because I understand all about the standard deviation, margin of error and, of course, the fact that one out of every 20 surveys is completely wrong. Plus, with the advent of cell phones and Do Not Call lists, surveys reach a smaller and smaller group of people and leave out many key groups. Because of all this I try not to take surveys too seriously.

Having said that, this survey does shed some light on an interesting, if confusing, situation. People realize that there are great deals to be had in the current market with prices easing in some markets, but they are either unable or unwilling to take advantage of these deals. Why? Perhaps it is because current homeowners would have to sell their homes to buy another primary residence at a great price.

This might not be especially applicable to buyers and sellers in the luxury market, but it might affect people trading up into the higher echelons of luxury properties. Unless they’ve owned their home since 2001 or earlier, many homeowners face the problem of having to sell their homes for less than they would like.

Now that is a conundrum.

I’ve had my say. Feel free to share your thoughts with me on this. What can we do to let people know when the benefits outweigh the costs of buying a new home?


Editor’s Note:
Robert Lockard is the Public Relations & Media Specialist with LuxuryRealEstate.com. I am Robert. I create all of LuxuryRealEstate.com’s newsletters, write the editorials in LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine and much more. I appreciate your comments and insights into this topic.

By John Brian Losh

Meghan Barry and I just did a 5-day sweep through Central Florida, visiting several of our prominent members on both the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Coast. The prevailing feeling is that prices have stabilized and there are, at this time, homes in all categories to be purchased. If you or any of your customers have ever even thought of owning a home in Florida, the time to visit and purchase is now. I believe that the next selling season will bring increased prices and less inventory. I cannot emphasize enough that the time to view and purchase real estate in Florida is now. We are in a very unique time in history where we have low prices, low interest rate and diverse inventory. The perfect opportunity. Visit the Florida Regional Section (www.luxuryrealestate.com/florida) to view property.

Editor’s Note:
John Brian Losh is the CEO/Publisher of LuxuryRealEstate.com and the President, CEO and Broker of Ewing & Clark, Inc. in Seattle. He tirelessly trots the globe meeting with members of LuxuryRealEstate.com and getting the scoop on industry trends. Great stuff.