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 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 Brian Langhorst

Each year some of the best tennis players in the region and country come to the Seattle Tennis Club on the shores of Lake Washington for the 118th Washington State Open.

John Brian Losh and the Ewing & Clark – Our Distinctive Home Shop team have been one of the headline sponsors for this notable event for over 10 years. Jane Powers, Betsy Losh and John Brian Losh all very much enjoy being a part of the Seattle and Madison Park communities. Together, they sponsor several key events throughout the year.

Editor’s Note:
Brian Langhorst is LuxuryRealEstate.com’s Membership Manager. He meets members’ unique needs through the dynamic services LuxuryRealEstate.com provides. There are so many positive events like this going on and I’m pleased to hear about all of them. Philanthropy should be an important part of every business that hopes to succeed. People recognize true kindness when they see it and I think it builds trust just as much trust and goodwill as successful track records and financial performance. Be sure to show how much you care!

By Jennifer Schuyler

Seattle is the international headquarters for LuxuryRealEstate.com and best known for its cloudy skies and rain. What many people don’t know is how beautiful our city is during the spring and summer months.

In the spring, the cherry blossom trees and rhododendrons are in full bloom throughout the city. During the summer months, the city is abuzz with outdoor festivals, concerts at the pier, community farmers’ markets, pick-up volleyball games at Golden Gardens and Alki Beach, boating, sailing… you name it, we’ve got it!

If you are visiting Seattle this summer, please stop by LuxuryRealEstate.com’s international headquarters and say hello. Our staff would love to see you!

The following poem sums up many of my feelings. It is by Miles Christian Barth:

Summer
When water flows, and the wind blows.
You can feel the summer breeze,
playing with the autumn leaves.
When clouds are white, and the sun is bright.
You can see the grass grow tall,
next to the river's water fall.
When roses are red, and the weeds are dead.
You can taste the gold, sweet honey,
while the earth is warm and sunny.
When trees are green, and they can't be seen.
You can hear the church boys singing,
while the morning bells are ringing.
When morning turns to night, and the moon's your only light.
You can smell the honeysuckle,
as you stroll along and chuckle.
When summer comes around,
fun and mischief sure abound.

- Miles Christian Barth, USA


Editor’s Note:
Jennifer Schuyler is the Senior Membership Manager with LuxuryRealEstate.com. She has a remarkable history of meeting and exceeding luxury brokers’ marketing needs. Summer is definitely awesome, isn’t it? I can’t wait until the summer issue of LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine arrives later this month, I believe. The photo above of the cherry blossoms on the University of Washington campus is from www.flickr.com/photos/mystereys/438434552 and it is the copyright of mystereys on Flickr.

By Robert Lockard

I recently read a wonderful story I would like to share. It’s about a 70-year-old Cora Bett Thomas Realty sales associate named Nash McIntosh, who swam for five hours from Tybee Island, Ga. to Hilton Head Island, S.C. I’m about one-third of his age and I can’t imagine swimming that kind of distance. In May, I ran for a little over two hours in my first half-marathon and that left me sore and unable to walk for several days. So five hours of physical exertion seems nearly impossible to me.

I found this story on the Cora Bett Thomas Realty Blog, and they got the story from an article in Savannah Now in the Savannah Morning News entitled “’Forrest Gump’ swims from Tybee to Hilton Head Island.”

The reason why they used Forrest Gump in the title of the article is because McIntosh compared himself to that fictional character who kept working at everything he did, even when it seemed hopeless. McIntosh is just as dedicated and he actually attempted this long swim three times before he finally accomplished it last week. He turned 70 in May, and that apparently motivated him to finally take the plunge and make it the whole way.

He had quite a few adventures along the way, as you can imagine. He bumped into a few not-so-friendly animals during his swim, including a small shark. Yikes! Luckily, nothing bad came of that dangerous encounter. Check out the full story for all of the amazing details about his journey.

To follow my own blogging advice, I’ll point out that the photo of McIntosh above is the copyright of Cora Bett Thomas Realty.


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. This story is also found in the July 8, 2008 Week in Review. Cora Bett Thomas Realty is a member of the Luxury Real Estate Board of Regents.

By Brian Langhorst

As in luxury real estate, sometimes selling and parting with something close to your family is tough. This example easily extends over to the situation of the Seattle Supersonics, a National Basketball Association team, being sold and now moving to Oklahoma City, as you can read in this Seattle Times article.

Unfortunately a deal has been struck and the Seattle Supersonics are no longer going to be playing in Seattle. The former Sonics ownership group sold the team a few years ago to another group based out of Oklahoma City. The new ownership group has decided to move the team to Oklahoma City to play as a new team.

It is frustrating to see something that has been a large part of the Seattle culture and community just packed up and shipped to the Midwest. The final decision came yesterday as the City of Seattle agreed to settle out of court with the new ownership group on the move to Oklahoma City. The city did receive a substantial payout, but money does not replace what is being lost.

R.I.P. Sonics Basketball


Editor’s Note:
Brian Langhorst is LuxuryRealEstate.com’s Membership Manager. He meets members’ unique needs through the dynamic services LuxuryRealEstate.com provides. This whole situation is quite silly, in my opinion. It could have been easily avoided if everyone involved had simply been honest about their intentions from the start. The photo above is from www.flickr.com/photos/yannickcarer/426046468 and it is the copyright of Yannick Carer

By Joey Pauley

This weekend I went snowboarding. I know most of you who are reading this will say “Snowboarding? It’s May. Ski season was over months ago.” But here in the Pacific Northwest, we are blessed to be able to backcountry ski and snowboard all year long. We even have websites for those of us dedicated to make Turns All Year.

I have a split board, a snowboard that splits in two so you can skin up the mountain. It is much better than trying to snowshoe but it has it’s downfalls at times. I have figured out how to cope in powder, but this weekend was my first time out in spring conditions.

I went up with five buddies of which I knew two from teaching backcountry travel courses. The first day was unbelievable. We did a well-traveled tour called the Birthday tour. It was over two passes and some beautiful snow was to be had.

The second day was a whole different story. On the steepest portions of the slope on the way up, I broke right out of the skin track only to careen down the hill losing precious height every time. And this is what I do for fun! I must have done it 25 to 30 times on the way up the hill. My friends were way past me at this point. I was all alone. So what did I do . . . I took even more time. After every step I took a few breaths and figured out what I could do better. I was losing ground but gaining experience in tough times.

By the end of the day I made it to the top of our ski route while my friends went to check out the summit, a few hundred feet higher on poor skiing terrain. I was about an hour behind, but they waited. Very nice.

To make a long story short (I hate it when people say that. It means you are only halfway through) we had an unbelievable ski down. The turns through this area were gorgeous, the snow was just right. I forgot about all my troubles on the way up.

You may ask what this has to do with Luxury Real Estate. I like to take lessons I learn in sports and apply them to other areas of my life and vice-versa. It is a life lesson that we all struggle in hard times. We all struggle, whether it be climbing a mountain in shifting snow or changing our business model and budget during varying economic conditions.

It is going to happen from time to time. Things are not going to go your way. Just assess the situation at every step, make the changes, and rise to the challenge. Soon you will forget about the hard times you endured, but you will always remember the lessons learned.


Editor’s Note:
As a Technical Account Manager with LuxuryRealEstate.com, Joey Pauley helps members with their Web and technology needs. He does a phenomenal job in all of his projects, as you can see by visiting the many websites he has helped design. Mountains are such wonderful for metaphors. They can represent the heights of accomplishment, tests of courage and strength, sites of sacrifice and much more. By pushing forward and learning from our mistakes, we are sure to succeed.