Luxury Real Estate

By John Brian Losh of LuxuryRealEstate.com

Passion: If you surround yourself with colleagues with equal passion for real estate, your power and abilities will far exceed a factor of ten. Surround yourself with success to achieve success.

By Andy Fang of LuxuryRealEstate.com

SEATTLE (March 2009) – Shari Chase, President and CEO of Chase International Distinctive Properties, will be recognized at LuxuryRealEstate.com’s annual Spring Retreat (April 26-29). She is the winner of the Luxury Real Estate Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be presented to her at the 7th Annual Luxury Real Estate Spring Retreat in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Earning this award is no small achievement. The Luxury Real Estate Lifetime Achievement Award is an award based on peer recognition, hard work and acknowledgement. This prestigious award is given twice annually to the Luxury Real Estate member who has set an example for the real estate industry, displayed excellence throughout their career and is truly a legend.

Over the past 23 years, Chase’s company has earned a reputation as one of the nation’s leaders in luxury real estate with a network of real estate professionals and loyal buyers, making Chase a master in her field. Since 1986, Chase International has proven itself as a leader of distinction in the industry, with their reputation standing alone. Constantly evolving, their winning philosophy equates to a history of success. Chase International is committed to offering exemplary knowledge and a superior level of creative services and hard work for clients throughout the world. Shari helps Chase International achieve its goals.

As one of the country’s most successful brokers, Shari Chase brings something very special to Lake Tahoe and Reno. In founding Chase International over 22 years ago, she established the notion of finding exceptional properties for exceptional people. “Satisfying people’s needs is easy”, says Shari, “we listen to our clients and use the most effective resources for marketing luxury real estate.”

Shari Chase has created one of the most well known brands for luxury real estate in the nation. Her vision and reputation as a trendsetter influences the way luxury properties are marketed today. Chase’s newest innovation is a social network, ChaseNation, the first of its kind launched in the real estate industry. Chase continues to incorporate new ideas into all facets of her business, whether it’s taking advantage of high tech gadgetry, the latest in social media networking and communication or the bundling of services for asset solutions, which is the company’s newest department. Her company is highly energized, even in today’s environment, tapping into a vibration and awareness that attracts good things into the lives of her entire company. It’s called Heart Centered Real Estate. “Embracing these messages of abundance, awareness and positive energy is a vital ingredient for success,” says Chase.

In naming the 35 most influential people in luxury real estate, Unique Homes stated, “No list would be complete without this Tahoe broker, who always has been a bit ahead of the rest. In the mid-1990s, when a $10 million or $12 million residence was considered the ultra high end, Shari Chase had landmark sales of $30 million and $50 million – a record that would stand for nearly ten years. Known for high-profile properties and clients, her firm continues as one of the industry’s pace setters. What others talk about, Chase does.”

As CEO of Chase International, her leadership has attracted some of the finest professionals in the business, and a clientele second to none. Her 160 sales associates and skilled leadership team are strongly committed to providing legendary client services with an unparalleled standard of integrity and expertise. The Chase way is contagious for all who work and play at Chase International.

For more information on Chase International Distinctive Properties, please visit http://www.chaseinternational.com. For more information on the 7^th Annual Luxury Real Estate Spring Conference, visit www.luxuryrealestate.com/conference.

About Shari Chase
Shari is President and CEO of Chase International Distinctive Properties. "We bring buyers and sellers together by using the most effective resources for marketing luxury real estate," says Chase, who was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal. "Whether we're marketing a vacation home, a working ranch, even the multi-million dollar Thunderbird Lodge, our legendary service results in satisfied customers."

About LuxuryRealEstate.com
www.luxuryrealestate.com is the most-viewed luxury real estate Web site in the world. The Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate network includes 1,813 of the world’s finest real-estate companies with properties in 100 countries. Participation is strictly invitation-only by CEO/Publisher John Brian Losh. In Ultimate Homes’ 2008 issue, the network represented more than twice the number of top 1,000 most-expensive properties in the country than any other network. The Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate network is governed by the Board of Regents.

By Joanna Ripard of The Sunday Times with 77 Great Estates

Valletta-based real estate firm 77 Great Estates (www.77greatestates.com) has been appointed Malta and Sicily partner for US premier property auction marketing firm J.P. King.

Established in 1915, J.P. King (www.jpking.com) is the oldest real estate auction company in the US and boasts a track record of sales exceeding €1.6 billion. Its portfolio of sales includes more than 10,000 high end properties, including a Ritz Carlton Residence penthouse which sold for €2.4 million and South Carolina's Kaiwah Island which raised $27 million at auction.

The current climate fails to dampen J.P. King's spirits - its corporate profile says the company has, "for nearly a century, successfully marketed and sold property at auction through two world wars, the Great Depression, the boom of the 1990s, and everything in between".

Real estate guru Donald Trump once went on record describing J.P. King as "the US' most successful auction company marketing real estate".

Based in Gadsden, Alabama, J.P. King has an extensive database of 200,000 serious cash buyers - including blue chip companies and high net worth individuals listed on Fortune 500 - which is continuously reviewed and updated.

It offers a diversified array of services and divisions to market and auction the most desirable properties in the world from luxury homes to high end ranches and hunting land, from waterfront land to superyachts.

It claims to have a 100 per cent success record for selling property at auction above €3 million every 90 days for the past 15 years - owners are usually able to recoup all of the marketing investment using the J.P. King method of auction.

77 Great Estates director Carl Peralta says he was particularly attracted to J.P. King's cost-effective, accelerated marketing methodology which ensures the property is sold successfully at the eventual auction, at the highest market value.

Dr Peralta, a lawyer by profession who knew he would venture into business long before he graduated, says J.P. King have a comprehensive, three-tiered marketing strategy - 'Exposure, Education, Closure' - that is tailor-made for every property that is earmarked for auction: the strategy centres on engaging the market and delivering results.

J.P. King, he explains, have a team of marketing experts, graphic designers and web specialists to draw up a mail and online campaign aimed at the buyers on the database who indicated their interest in a specific property type or location. The campaign is designed by project managers after meeting the seller or the seller's representatives to agree on a strategy. The auction company, a family business to this day, has sold property in 49 US states and in a growing number of countries around the world.

Dr Peralta says the marketing campaign is meticulously fine-tuned to ensure the property receives maximum exposure among the people who are seriously interested in buying that particular type of home. The buyers are potential home-owners, he points out, not investors or speculators.

So geared is J.P. King to conclusive sales at auction, he says, that the company refuses more property to market than it accepts, particularly to safeguard its renowned track record at this end of the market and among a ever-growing number of repeat clients.

As with most auctions, there are a number of conditions: most properties are put up for auction depending on the reserve price, if any, and bidders may be required to register against a deposit before auction in order to obtain a discount. There is a variable buyer's premium which is added to the winning bid price to arrive at the total contract price paid by the purchaser. A tour of the property is usually held for a fortnight before the auction date.

Dr Peralta says auctions for Maltese property are mostly to be held in Malta; J. Craig King, president of J.P. King for almost 20 years, may be the appointed auctioneer. J.P. King experts will travel to Malta to carry out the due diligence on the property or development, the strategy is mapped out with sellers and local partners, and a date is set for auction.

J.P. King advocate their method of selling property is successful because by specifying a date on which owners intend to sell, a sense of urgency is created among potential buyers. Besides, there is a strategic focus on showcasing a single property. And all the potential that comes with putting one property on a high pedestal, globally.

By Robert Lockard

I have some very fun news to share. A new TNT movie starring Oscar® winner Cuba Gooding Jr. is currently filming in the Detroit area, and part of the filming is being done at a waterfront luxury home on Windmill Point Drive in Grosse Pointe Park. This property is being represented by Higbie Maxon Agney, Inc. Realtors, a member of Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate and the Board of Regents.

Check out this wonderful story in the Grosse Pointe News that I received earlier this week. Sorry I don’t have a link to the story online. Apparently, that newspaper doesn’t post some of their stories on their Web site, but luckily I have a PDF version of the printed article.

The movie is called “Gifted Hands: The Story of Ben Carson” and it follows the life of Ben Carson, born into poor conditions, who was able to lift himself up and become a famed pediatric neurosurgeon. It’s scheduled to debut on TNT on Feb. 7, 2009. I love inspirational stories about good people triumphing over difficult circumstances. Actually, this discussion reminds of a blog entry that Jim Walberg, the co-Owner/Broker of The Bay Area Team, just wrote about not giving in to fear despite our difficult financial market.

The luxury property on Windmill Pointe Drive is quite remarkable. It includes near two acres of land, its own private dock and 12,000 square feet of living space for $7.3 million. If you’d like more information, you can contact Heather Adragna Ulku or check out this brochure on the property.


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. Feel free to share your good news like this with us, as well. I love reading and writing good stories for the Luxury Real Estate Blog. The photo of Cuba Gooding Jr. is from www.flickr.com/photos/rafamado/2635448556 and it is the copyright of Rafael Amado Deras.

By Robert Lockard

Jim Walberg, the co-Owner/Broker of The Bay Area Team in San Francisco, told me something really cool a few days ago. He said, “Bloggers are the most open and sharing community I have found on the Internet. They want every blogger to win!” I have definitely found that to be true.

As a blogger, I often find myself learning a great deal about what is effective and what is not from other bloggers with more experience than me. I have received a lot of positive feedback and support in my blogging from Eric Kodner, a luxury homes Broker with Wayzata Lakes Realty and Madeline Island Realty. Eric is an awesome blogger, and he has more than 110,000 points on ActiveRain.

In addition, I just did a simple search on ActiveRain for “blog tip” and I found a whole bunch of great ideas for improving my own blog posts. I particularly like Ronnie Roach’s Blog Tip of the Week. He confirmed my suspicion that I should use a different term than “blog” to describe each post I write. Another great resource is the Daily Blog Tips Web site.

There are many other examples out there, but these show how helpful and open the blogging community is. Jim is right! He’s been blogging for two years and he currently has two blogs, one called Caribbean Islands Realty and another called East Bay Real Estate. He also contributes many of his blog posts to the Luxury Real Estate Blog, which I appreciate very much.

I appreciate all the people who take the time to let me know when they agree with what I write and those who share their disagreements, too. Feedback is very helpful, and bloggers are often happy to give it. In fact, I hope you feel free to let me know if you think I’m a little naïve on this topic or to share your own experiences with helping fellow bloggers or receiving help from them.

By the way, Jim shared this quote with me as I was writing a news release about his upcoming presentation at the 13^th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference on effective blog strategies and tactics and the positive effects that can come from blogging. This event will be in Philadelphia on October 11-14, 2008 and you're welcome to attend.


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. You can share your blog entries on the Luxury Real Estate Blog by emailing them to me. Thank you very much! The photo of Rosie the Blogger is from www.flickr.com/photos/notionscapital/2493066577 and it is the copyright of Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com.

By Robert Lockard

I have some good news and some even better news. The good news is that RE/MAX Cayman Islands just joined LuxuryRealEstate.com, expanding our global network even further into the Caribbean. The even better news is that Kass Canada Coleman, the Broker/Owner of Beachcastles and an agent with RE/MAX Cayman Islands is No. 6 on the list of top international RE/MAX brokers, based on residential commissions paid from January through April 2008.

It’s always nice to hear good news like this. Apparently the Cayman Islands are enjoying a very healthy real-estate market right now. Check out Kass’ website www.beachcastles.com for some in-depth information about the Cayman Islands, in case you’d like to go visit.


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. Good job, Kass, and welcome to the network! I’d like to include the actual list to back up this claim, but I’m not sure if I’m allowed to yet. I hope you don’t mind. The above picture is from: www.beachcastles.com/home/team.php?id=0.

By Robert Lockard

The 13th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference is coming up on October 11-14, 2008 in Philadelphia. That’s right – Rocky Balboa’s old stomping grounds. I love the character of Rocky because he’s such an archetypal underdog, fighting against all odds to do something special. His triumphant run up the many stairs to the Philadelphia Museum of Art is a wonderful cinematic scene that speaks volumes about striving against all odds.

I hope you’ll join us at this event where hundreds of luxury real estate agents will come together to boost the underdogs and help everyone triumph in the face of tough markets. Contact Events Coordinator Yvonne Harvey for more information and to sign up.


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. I welcome your input on this story.

By Charlene Meenan

Great success should always inspire people to achieve more in their lives and professional careers. At Chase International, success is praised and shared with the entire company. It does not matter if it is your first sale, just a sale or a company best. I think that lays the groundwork to make you want to be your best and to understand that there are no limits on what you can achieve unless you put them there.
 

When you see your fellow agents achieve what you are just dreaming of it wakes up the dream inside you and makes you say, “I can do that.” The best part is that Chase International believes in each of their agents and knows that through hard work, dedication and focus the sky is the limit for each of us. As for me, I am inspired by success. I want to be around successful people who give back to society and are thankful for their abundance. Successful people attract success therefore I know that even greater success is coming to me today and every day.

I firmly believe there is lots of room at the top if you just go for it!