Robert's Luxury Real Estate Blog

Farewell... and thanks for your good words

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:38:58 -0500

This is my last blog entry in this luxury real estate blog. After more than a year of blogging on my ActiveRain blog, I'm afraid my time has come to an end. I'm about to move on to something new and scary, but I suppose change always involves some degree of fear and discomfort.

Thank you very much, everyone who has taken the time to share their thoughts on this blog. I'm sorry if I wasn't able to respond to all of your comments, but I definitely read them all and tried to incorporate what I learned into future posts. I have grown a lot in the past year and a half and I think you can definitely see that by going back through my many blog entries and seeing me try to articulate my feelings and ideas.

I don't know if I'll be able to respond to your comments on this blog entry, so I hope you won't be offended if you write me something and I am unable to respond for some time. Thank you again for sharing a wonderful discussion with me. I would say more, but once again I feel compelled to hold my tongue and simply encourage you to keep holding to hope in these perilous times. Don't put your trust in men, but build your foundation on something sure.

Farewell, my friends.

Sincerely,
Robert Lockard

New Cuba Gooding Jr. movie films at Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan estate

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:00:55 -0500

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.

The photo of Cuba Gooding Jr. is from www.flickr.com/photos/rafamado/2635448556 and it is the copyright of Rafael Amado Deras.

Credit lenders suffering from withdrawal

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:17:59 -0500

I am sorry to keep talking about sad things in my luxury real estate blog entries, but I just read an article in CNN entitled "Ex-bankers on pushing customers to rack up debt" and it once again brought up many familiar concerns to my mind on the topic of consumer debt. I wish that I could talk about happy topics. I would much prefer to discuss luxury properties or any other topic, including how getting adequate sleep can lead to more success, but, alas, I feel it much more pressing to focus on the problems upon us.

I am absolutely disgusted by the state of our financial markets. It seems to me that dishonesty is rampant and the very people who are responsible for this mess are asking for a great deal of money to supposedly solve the problem. But I care about people much more than institutions. And, based upon the testimony of the two honest women in the CNN article, who both have good consciences, I see little difference between the practices of certain banks and lenders and the practices of drug pushers. Many lenders trick people into taking more money than they need, they strive to get young people addicted and they keep people in a state of dependency for extended periods of time. All of that adds up to trouble.

Debt is a plague that, when handled unwisely, can lead to all sorts of problems that I think are even worse than the horrible effects of drug abuse. People can at least stop taking drugs and eventually go through a process of withdrawal and recovery. But with debt, even if a person stops going into more debt, they still have interest building up on the money they owe and they face all sorts of roadblocks on the way to recovery.

The very institutions that have pushed so many people to get addicted to debt are now suffering from a major withdrawal (pardon the banking pun) and seem on the verge of collapse... wait a minute - collapse? How is this possible? It starts with how good people are treated. We have not been treated fairly and now those who have been engaging in dishonest practices are reaping the bitter fruit. We have become a nation of debtors, instead of a nation of wealth.

Perhaps our financial market, as it currently stands, should not be saved. Perhaps we must soon create an entirely new and honest way of working with our money. Whatever we choose, we cannot keep doing what we have been doing.

I feel like I've been ending every blog entry with an apology for being so negative. I just don't want to leave my readers with a sense of anger or hopelessness. I think that there is much to hope about. There are plenty of good people in this world and in our wonderful nation, the United States. I am confident we will make it through this sad time. I just want to make sure this never happens again.

The photo of the parrot biting a credit card is from www.flickr.com/photos/djkbird214/2695122732 and it is the copyright of dj-squared.

Fear of falling

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:35:26 -0500

As promised in my last luxury real estate blog entry, here is my discussion of some meaty topics I've wanted to talk about for a little while. The past few weeks have been pretty thrilling, wouldn't you say? Wall Street dropped an incredible 504 points on Monday and 449 points on Wednesday. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, organizations designed to create stability, have failed. Other financial institutions, once seemingly healthy and sound, are facing bankruptcy and other troubles. Think that's bad enough? Russia's stock market is doing considerably worse.

Okay, that's the bad news. Now let's take a step back and switch gears a little. I am an optimist. I believe that good wins in the end. I think that right now many bad companies and practices are facing the fact that they have built upon a sandy foundation and they are in danger of falling. All of the companies that are failing are doing so because of their own greed and recklessness. Home loans were turned into investment packages and many other bad ideas were allowed to come about because of greed.

If these companies had built upon solid foundations and principles that were put into place to safeguard the country after the Great Depression, we would probably be all right. It comes back to greed and pride. There is safety in old wisdom.

I cannot say a hundredth part of what I desire to say right now because this might not be the most appropriate forum to share the most treasured things in my heart. However, I can say that we need not fear what people can do or what problems may arise if we can see how temporary they are. We should be patient, long-suffering, forgiving and kind, especially when times are tough. Anyone who knows me knows that I definitely try to practice what I preach, so I hope you won't think that I'm giving this advice lightly.

Let these organizations tremble because of their fear of falling. We will not fall if we are firmly planted on truth and honesty.

The photo of the Grand Canyon is from www.flickr.com/photos/raindog/2838872767 and it is the copyright of raindog.

Luxury Real Estate Networking Trip offers exclusive tour of Plaza Hotel

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:48:58 -0500

This is a plug for the the upcoming 13th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference. I thought I'd just say that at the start. I hope to talk about some more meaty things soon, since there is so much trouble going on because of foolish greed, but today I'll focus on this positive opportunity to network with fellow luxury brokers.

Rosita Sarnoff, the Executive Vice President of Stribling & Associates, Ltd., recently shared some great activities her company is planning for Luxury Real Estate members who are attending the Post-Conference Networking Trip to New York City from Oct. 14-16, 2008. This Networking Trip will begin right after the Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference in Philadelphia.

From 3-7 p.m. on Oct. 15, Rosita said that Luxury Real Estate members will enjoy tours of magnificent luxury properties and a cocktail dinner in a $38 million Penthouse and the newly renovated Plaza Hotel. "We're going to give them a terrific afternoon," Rosita said.

The afternoon will begin in a full-floor condominium overlooking Central Park that was recently offered on the market by Stribling & Associates. It includes 4,400 square feet of living space, four bedrooms, 4.5 baths, a personal gym and library. After spending some time in that luxury home, they'll head next door to the world-renowned Plaza Hotel. They'll be given a grand tour of the hotel, eventually finding their way to the Rose Club restaurant, where they'll enjoy gourmet food.

By the way, the Plaza Hotel was recently redesigned so that it now includes both hotel rooms and hotel condominiums. I wrote an article about hotel condos in the winter 2008 issue of LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine. Check it out if you'd like to know more about those interesting properties.

Only one Luxury Real Estate member from each geographic area will be able to attend this Networking Trip and reservations are sure to go fast, so be sure to sign up today! Brokers and agents will be able to speak freely and build relationships they otherwise might miss out on at both the Fall Conference and Post-Conference Networking Trip. We look forward to seeing you there.

By the way, Stribling & Associates is a member of the Board of Regents, an exclusive group of brokers that leads the Luxury Real Estate network. The photo of the Plaza Hotel is from www.flickr.com/photos/oquendo/2463578547 and it is the copyright of Oquendo.

Luxury vacations are a steal right now

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:37:17 -0500

I don't have a whole lot of time today, but I just wanted to share an interesting CNN article entitled "The staycation effect: 5 reasons to travel now." Because people have been very wise with their money this summer and have not gone on as many vacations, right now is a great time to take a vacation. Many hotels and luxury resorts are offering special discounts to entice people to get out of their homes and into a luxury community.

As soon as I saw this story I thought of Andrew Harper. They're the experts on luxury hotels and travel, and they've posted some great blog entries in the Luxury Real Estate Blog on scoring free hotel upgrades and 10 places in the U.S. to see before you die. Plus, I just finished writing a City Spotlight on Nassau, Bahamas for the winter 2009 issue of LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine. That definitely seems like an excellent getaway in the Caribbean. I can't wait until the magazine comes out so you can read my fun take on the islands.

I wish I had more time to talk about this topic, but I highly recommend reading the whole CNN article. It's quite concise and informative. Enjoy!

By the way, I had mixed feelings about writing this blog entry today. I just don't know if it's super appropriate to share on September 11, when feelings of melancholy and seriousness should prevail in my heart. I hope you don't mind.

Manmade global warming a costly deception

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:19:18 -0500

I recently finished writing an interesting article for the winter 2009 issue of LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine. The article is on "green" homes, and it was a challenge to write, mainly because I have a number of concerns about the current global-warming scare. I was able to find a lot of good in "green" homes, especially their energy savings and positive health effects on residents. I shied away from discussing their environmental effects, since I am unconvinced that they will have any real ones, and saying that they will might give people a false sense of security.

To be sure, I am all for conservation and avoiding the waste or misuse of our resources. But something is very wrong with the current debate, or lack thereof, on global warming. I bring this up, not only because of my magazine article, but also because I read a very informative article entitled "Hot air over global warming" by Jerome Delvin in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer this morning. I highly recommend checking it out.

As I noted in the Editor's Note of a July 31, 2008 post to the Luxury Real Estate Blog by Jean-Yves Piton entitled "Green luxury real estate," many climatologists and other scientists are speaking out about the fallacy of manmade global warming. You can find a great deal of accurate information from top scientists who spoke at the 2008 International Conference on Climate Change. It is clear that the Earth's atmosphere is warming, but there is actually little evidence to suggest that human activity is the main cause.

The data simply does not support the idea that the Earth's temperature has increased at a steady pace along with the increase in carbon emissions during the past century or so. In fact, in the 1970s global cooling was touted as a major problem facing the world, not global warming. The fact that there was cooling going on during a period of steadily increasing carbon emissions seems to point to the fact that the relationship between manmade greenhouse gases and the temperature of the atmosphere is much more complex than we're being told.

The people who are calling for conservation are often the most guilty of wasteful living. It's been well-publicized that Al Gore, a supposed environmental advocate, does not practice what he preaches. When it was revealed that his Tennessee home used more energy in a month than the average U.S. home uses in a year in 2007, he said he would make some changes to improve his efficiency. But a year later, Mr. Gore's energy use increased 10 percent. Obviously, most Americans are doing a better job at living moderately so it seems like we should listen to someone other than Mr. Gore when it comes to energy advice.

I know, I know - don't kill the messenger. But seriously, if you thought that the most terrible disasters in the world were increasing in number and strength directly because of your energy use, wouldn't you feel a pressing need to cut back immediately? I just don't see how this double standard can be ignored. I cannot take a person seriously who does not at least try to practice what he or she preaches. We're all human and we all make mistakes, but we should at least be trying to do what we believe is right.

I believe that regular people can make a difference in the world, often by raising strong families and focusing on the most important things in life. However, it seems to me like this good idea (one person being able to have a positive effect on the world) has been twisted and used inappropriately when it comes to global warming in order to take advantage of well-intentioned people.

I often feel barraged with messages saying that I need to be more responsible and consume less in order to lessen my "carbon footprint" on the environment. I am wary of the rationale behind this argument for a number of reasons. Don't carbon credits sort of sound like indulgences? And, besides that, there is little evidence that paying money to plant trees or somehow offset our emissions has a significant effect on the environment. In fact, an interesting study in Reportonbusiness.com found that our return on investment from putting money into the fight against global warming is so low that it's really not even worth it. The fact is that, despite good intentions, one person, or even 6 billion people, can't make much of a difference when it comes to global warming.

Returning to the "green" article I wrote, I tried to focus on "green" homes from the perspective of why a person would choose to purchase one. After all, they are more expensive to build, so there must be a promise of future rewards rather than a vague promise of being better for the environment. "Green" homes appear to be very sound investments because they cost less to maintain, contain fewer toxic materials and thus promote the financial and physical health of their inhabitants. I believe that "green" homes can be very good. But I do not think that they are good simply because they have some sort of positive effect on the environment that is, in reality, overrated and insignificant.

I have much more to say on this topic, but I'm afraid I just don't have time to cover everything. I apologize if I have offended you. I am very passionate when I see injustice, and I wish to put an end to it. I think we need much more information before making changes that might have little or no effect on the problem we think we're solving.

If you disagree with me, which is perfectly all right, I encourage you to look closely at the data before posting comments. I enjoy healthy discussions in search of truth, but I do not approve of name calling or unkindness.

Higher education is becoming worthless

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:26:15 -0500

A while ago I stepped back from writing about luxury real estate to discuss a terribly destructive force that threatens to destroy families and make people miserable: debt. I would like to discuss something that I find to be just as dangerous as addiction to debt - the illogically high cost of earning a college degree.

I read a potentially explosive story on CNN yesterday about a bubble in the cost of higher education that makes the real-estate bubble or the tech crash in 2000 look tame in comparison.

I'd like to start by talking about my experience in college. When I attended college not too long ago, tuition and book costs were already getting out of hand, although they were manageable. I attended a community college in Washington state for my first two years to obtain my Associate's degree. I had hoped to transfer to the University of Washington to complete my Bachelor of Arts in Communications, but the cost was prohibitive and, even though I graduated with honors and on the Dean's list, I still had to wait a long time to enter that college.

Instead, I decided to accept a scholarship at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah and that turned out to be a very smart decision. In addition to the positive environment that beautiful campus offered, the cost of attending there was relatively low compared to my other options and I was able to pay for my entire education without going into hardly any debt. I am one of nine children, and my parents wisely told me that I would have to find a way to pay for my education by myself. Through a great deal of hard work and tight budgeting, I made it through without having to burden my family members.

During my time in college, I kept my mind focused on why I was there. I wasn't there to waste time or take frivolous classes; I was there to finish my degree as quickly and as meaningfully as possible so that I could put my skills to use. I am grateful for the opportunities my college degree has opened for me. However, education costs are rising so fast that there might not be much reason for people to attend college in the future.

I would probably be sympathetic to colleges if the reason for the rise in education costs was because they were improving their education techniques or doing other things that would warrant such cost increases. But the truth is that this is not the case. Many colleges are increasing tuition costs for no other reason than because they want more students to apply. It seems to defy logic, but it's true. Colleges appear to be playing a game that they will eventually lose. When they raise prices, people assume that they must have done so because they are more prestigious or offer better learning opportunities and so the colleges usually receive an increase in applications. This pattern cannot last forever.

Education is extremely important. It allows people to rise from humble circumstances and it also helps them make informed decisions about where they want to go in life. By making education worthless, colleges are doing a great disservice to their students. By worthless, I mean that the cost far exceeds the rewards. Greater cost does not always mean greater return on investment.

Increases in healthcare, energy and real-estate costs don't even come close to touching the rise in education costs, as you can see in the graph in the CNN article. Knowledge is power, and if the cost of education becomes so high that that the benefits of earning it become small in comparison then we will be in big trouble. I am not suggesting that college degrees be easier to obtain or that unqualified people should receive an education without working hard. I am suggesting that colleges are in danger. They spend much of their increasing amount of money on frivolous amenities that do not improve their educational services or make their students' diplomas any more valuable. Posh restaurants, nicer dorms and other foolish perks are unimportant for students who are simply hoping to receive the education they need to progress in life.

At some point people are going to realize that an education is not worth living under such an extreme amount of debt to obtain. When that day comes and colleges must cut their tuitions drastically, many cherished institutions will most certainly be unable to cope with this dramatic shift and they will come crashing down. Destroyed by their own pride and haughtiness. They will discover that they have spent their money on things that have no value and they are unable to offer students what they promised: an honest education.

I dislike focusing on something so negative as this, but I think it deserves special attention. Thank you very much for your comments. Feel free to let me know what you think of the state of higher education.

The photo of the bleeding wallet is from www.flickr.com/photos/adobemac/161319144 and it is the copyright of adobemac. The photo of the door is from www.flickr.com/photos/ben-zvan-photography/468487548 and it is the copyright of Ben Zvan.

Ed McMahon and Donald Trump: Is this justice?

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:15:44 -0500

Nick Antonicello, Director of Sales for Unique Homes, pointed out an interesting story to me last week in the Los Angeles Times Blog. You might have already heard about it, but I just want to put in my two cents about the whole affair.

Peter Viles, Senior Producer for Real Estate at LATimes.com, wrote in his blog entry that Donald Trump, possibly the best-known real-estate developer in the world, is seeking to buy Ed McMahon's mansion to save him from foreclosure.

In an even more bizarre turn of events, Mr. Trump now might be having some competition for buying Mr. McMahon's luxury home. That's according to a new blog post today by Ann Brenoff, author of the Los Angeles Times' weekly "Hot Property" feature.

As Mr. Spock would say, "Fascinating."

To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of this story. I mean, Mr. McMahon certainly seems like a good man who simply let his finances get out of control until he went from delivering oversized million-dollar checks to being unable to pay for his multimillion-dollar luxury property. His story just seems remarkable and bitterly ironic.

Since he went public with his mortgage troubles, it appears that Mr. McMahon will now be able to make it through this difficult experience fairly well. Competing offers on a house that's about to be short sold is pretty impressive, I think.

I guess, in the end, my point is: Is this justice? I mean, not everyone can be helped like this. Is Ed McMahon's celebrity status the main reason why he is receiving this attention and assistance? I'm uncertain of the answer to these questions. I hate to see anyone suffer, but is some suffering just while other suffering should be alleviated, and how do we judge that?

I believe that life is generally good, although it is difficult and filled with perils. Mr. McMahon seems to have had a very good life, gaining much more success and fame than most people will ever know. I feel bad that he is facing failure near the end of his life, but perhaps that is a lesson he needed to learn. I am sure we all must face failure and seek to succeed afterwards. Hopefully we will learn to be better people in the process.

The photo of Mr. Spock is from www.flickr.com/photos/cultureculte/2306916969 and it is the copyright of culture.culte.

Live like the king: Elvis Presley estate now for sale

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:34:50 -0500

There are so many fun one-liners I could use to sum up this story, it's hard to pick just one. I'll go ahead and try this one: Elvis has left the building, and now that building can be yours! Yeah, that'll work.

Elvis Presley's "Graceland West" estate in Palm Springs, Calif. is now for sale. Talk about a house with some history, this two-acre estate, nestled in the foothills of the San Jacinto Mountains, is where Elvis (the king of Rock and Roll) lived for almost eight years, recorded eight songs in the living room in 1973 and spent his last birthday. He died on Aug. 16, 1977 at the age of 42.

The seller of the estate is being represented by Honey Brooks of Pacific Union GMAC Real Estate, a member of Luxury Real Estate in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you'd like more information about this historic luxury property, email Honey Brooks or call her at 415.435.2585. You can also read more about this property in a news release by Karen Monroe on LuxuryRealEstate.com.

By the way, whenever I think of Elvis Presley, the first thing that comes into my mind is the scene from "Top Secret" (1984), one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, where Val Kilmer sings his hilarious rendition of Elvis' famous song "Are you Lonesome Tonight?" Thanks to the magic of YouTube, you can watch Val Kilmer's version and Elvis' original below. Toward the end of his parody of the song, Val Kilmer sings so well that it's hard to distinguish him from the king!

Also, I was really tempted to call this blog entry "Wake up with the King." Luckily, I refrained.

Bloggers love helping other bloggers succeed

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:26:29 -0500

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 more than 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.

The photo of Rosie the Blogger is from www.flickr.com/photos/notionscapital/2493066577 and it is the copyright of Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com.

Ilya’s Photography captures stunning images of Seafair 2008

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:49:40 -0500

"Photography is not about cameras, gadgets and gismos. Photography is about photographers. A camera didn't make a great picture any more than a typewriter wrote a great novel."

So says Ilya Moshenskiy, the Principal Photographer of Ilya's Photography in Washington state. I love that quote because, as a writer, I can definitely relate to his point about great works being written by people and not by keyboards or computers.

Ilya is an amazing photographer in a variety of fields, including luxury homes, weddings, events and cuisine. He has been the Official Photographer of the past nine Luxury Real Estate conferences and he always produces the finest photographic masterpieces. Just ask Jim Walberg, a LuxuryRealEstate.com member in the Caribbean.

Check out these amazing photos that Ilya took at this year's Seafair, Seattle's big summer festival.

To see more of Ilya's photos from Seafair 2008, click here!

I'll end with one more quote from Ilya. He uses only the finest photographic tools in his work, but he also notes, "It doesn't matter what kind of camera you are shooting with; the real issue is who is behind the camera. Great photography requires perfect lighting and composition. It will always be a human behind the viewfinder. High-end photography demands exceptional skill and not every photographer is up to the task."

Ilya is certainly up to the task. Contact him at ilya at ilyaestate.com or 425.883.2246 today!

Luxury Real Estate Blog on the rise on Google

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:23:29 -0500

Thanks in large part to all of the wonderful contributors within the global Who's Who in Luxury Real Estate network, the Luxury Real Estate Blog is making a tremendous ascent in its ranking on major search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN.

www.LuxuryRealEstate.com is the most-viewed luxury real estate Web site in the world and it comes up first on most searches for luxury properties, luxury homes and luxury real estate. But the Luxury Real Estate Blog is fairly new and we're building it up to the heights of our main Web site. We owe much of our success to Jim Walberg, John Brian Losh and many other bloggers who consistently contribute their fun work

Like my personal written works, I take pride in the writing found on the Luxury Real Estate Blog. As the blog's editor, I feel particularly responsible for its quality and success. So it pleases me to no end to add so much great content almost daily and to find more comments from our fantastic readers. I also like seeing our blog climb in popularity with a number of search terms.

I've thought a lot about how best to organize the information on the Luxury Real Estate Blog's ranking in the big three search engines. I've finally decided to simply put the same search terms in each row for easy comparison purposes and to roughly put them in order, from highest lowest, in terms of their placement on search engines.

The following search terms and rankings were recorded on the morning of Thursday, July 31, 2008, and they'll surely change in the coming days and weeks. At least this will give us a good reference for future searches so we can see how they improve, hopefully.

Google	Yahoo	MSN
Luxury real estate blog 1	Luxury real estate blog 1	Luxury real estate blog 1
Luxury realty blog 1	Luxury realty blog 7	Luxury realty blog 1
Luxury real estate 9	Luxury real estate 7	Luxury real estate 6
Luxury property blog 1	Luxury property blog 9	Luxury property blog 28
Luxury blog 16	Luxury blog 18	Luxury blog 3
Luxury homes blog 2	Luxury homes blog 52	Luxury homes blog 94
Real estate blog 53	Real estate blog 399	Real estate blog 135

The photo of the Blue Angels above is from www.flickr.com/photos/l1v32r1d3bmx/2506752403 and it is the copyright of Pablo Cocito Photography.

Malta attracts top designers at international fashion show

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:20:27 -0500

I have a fun bit of news I'd like to share today.

Malta, a lovely island just south of Italy in the Mediterranean, was the site of the Malta International Fashion Show on July 5, 2008. This impressive show attracted top Italian designers who submitted their work for display by top models. These high-profile designers included Giorgio Armani, Versace, Salvatore Ferragamo, Enrico Coveri and many others.

You can read the full article by Fiona Galea Debono entitled "Gozo on the catwalk in international fashion show" in the Times of Malta. Dr. Carl Peralta, founder and President of 77 Great Estates, pointed this story out to me. 77 Great Estates is a member of the global LuxuryRealEstate.com network.

Malta is becoming known as a great getaway for luxury seekers. Its world-class events and luxury properties bring a diverse crowd of vacationers and new residents. The photo above is from www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080523/local/international-fashion-goes-to-gozo and it is the copyright of Darrin Zammit Lupi with Times of Malta.

Turning an average news release into a great one

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:13:03 -0500

I hope this doesn't sound too prideful, but I really like what I write. And I do a lot of writing as the Public Relations & Media Specialist for LuxuryRealEstate.com.

While my blogs on ActiveRain and the LuxuryRealEstate.com Blog are sometimes quickly written and they don't have the benefit of as much outside editing as I usually receive for my other work, I think they give you a taste of my writing skill and style.

My mind is constantly working before, during and after the writing process. I think about what is interesting about the story I am currently writing about. I ponder why my target readers would bother to read what I've written. I try to decide which points are most important and how best to convey them. I only have a limited amount of time to create my news releases, newsletters, magazine articles and other works, so I need to make quick decisions.

For the Week in Review newsletter I create each week, I receive a lot of news releases from members of the LuxuryRealEstate.com network. I am very grateful for that fact because it helps me keep our newsletter filled with great material. Many of the stories I receive are really interesting while others are about new employees, anniversaries and other topics that don't seem too interesting at first. However, once I go through a news story, I can usually find something remarkable in it and I usually rewrite the headline so it's much more eye-catching.

With these thoughts in mind, I'd like to talk about my recent experience writing a news release on a seemingly average topic: a Ewing & Clark, Inc. broker celebrating her 20^th anniversary. I don't mean that the broker, Jane Powers, is average; I'm just saying that I've read many stories similar to hers. As I approached this story I tried to remember that this is an important moment for her, and she has many great stories to tell after 20 successful years in the Seattle luxury market.

So I sat down to write about her story. Many times when I write I have a sudden inspiration that I know did not come from me. This time was no different. I suddenly had a thought that I should look up remarkable events that occurred in July 1988, when Powers started with her company. As it turned out, I discovered that a little movie called "Die Hard" debuted in theaters the same day that Powers began working at Ewing & Clark.

I was ecstatic by the creative opportunities opened up by this coincidence.

I am a big movie buff and I couldn't pass up this chance to add some really unique flavor to Powers' story. So that's exactly what I did. You can see the final product here. I wrote the first and second-to-last paragraphs first and then worked on the rest of it. I had a blast writing this story.

I got butterflies of nervous excitement when I showed it to Powers herself for approval. Luckily, she liked my take on her story and I got to distribute it through my usual PR sources.

I believe any story can be interesting to read. I could have written Powers' news release in a really boring, run-of-the-mill way, but I found that little something special that turned it into a great story. I hope that you can find the greatness in your stories and, as long as you're a LuxuryRealEstate.com member, I'd love to post them in the Week in Review!

The copy of the "Die Hard" movie poster is from www.flickr.com/photos/nickslidepics/442646618 and it is the copyright of Nick Slide.

Expert Blogger Jim Walberg lifts Luxury Real Estate Blog

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:18:05 -0500

For the past several months I've had the pleasure of posting content to the LuxuryRealEstate.com Blog from Jim Walberg, an experienced blogger and the co-Broker/Owner of The Bay Area Team, the most-successful team at Keller Williams Realty-Danville, Calif. Jim's Caribbean Islands Realty Blog is very well-established and fun to read so I'm always glad to include his work on our blog, with his permission, of course.

Jim took the time to point out something awesome to me in an email on June 11, 2008. I have read about blogs helping with search-engine optimization, but Jim's message really drove this idea home to me (The links weren't in his message originally. I added them):

"You may notice when you use my blog postings that LuxuryRealEstate.com jumps up on the Google search engine. I have "owned" Aruba Fractionals on Google for months! LuxuryRealEstate.com just jumped to the top of page one with the posting of my article on your blog site. It is so fun to see how this blogging game works. It is my pleasure to support LuxuryRealEstate.com in any way I can."

One other comment Jim made also impressed me: "The power of blogging is based on one's understanding the ‘rules' that Google and Yahoo have set up for search-engine optimization. The next is to understand the ‘strategies'. Don't forget, strategies always beat out rules. What I have found among the blogging world is that all of us are constantly sharing strategies. We all want each other to ‘win'. That is one of the fun cultural experiences you will find in the blogosphere. I am always available to share."

Thanks for the great message and for all of your help, Jim.

I still feel like I'm learning the ropes when it comes to blogs, trackbacks and all of these inventive ways to provide great content and be rewarded by search engines. I think it's very important to write about important topics first and worry about good placement and all that other stuff second. It's nice to know that Jim Walberg, who has found a great balance between the two, is on our side!

Cora Bett Thomas Realty’s own “Forrest Gump” swims incredible distance

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:37:04 -0500

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 mention that the photo of McIntosh above is the copyright of Cora Bett Thomas Realty, which is a member of LuxuryRealEstate.com and the Board of Regents.

Bloggers beware! Copyright battle might be coming

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:58:14 -0500

Here's a helpful warning to bloggers: "Be prepared." It's the Boy Scout motto and it's also good advice for people in all walks of life. It appears that many bloggers, myself included, are a little unprepared for the possibility of close scrutiny of blogging. What if we were told that we had used too much of someone else's news article in our blog entry or that we got our facts wrong and are guilty of negligence or even defamation? It's a scary thought, but that's the risk we take in offering our work in a public environment.

Have you noticed that, as bloggers, our responsibilities and rules seem to be a little hazy and hard to define? It sometimes does to me. Luckily, in college I studied media law, fair-use doctrine and other libel laws, so I have a pretty good understanding of what is allowed and forbidden when writing content.

The rules can get pretty complex, but they boil down to the fact that writers need to respect others' rights by not stealing their work, spreading lies about them or being unfairly critical of people we disagree with. I don't believe I've witnessed any of that in the discussions I have seen on ActiveRain and the LuxuryRealEstate.com Blog, but it's still important to keep in mind. Kindness and honesty are generally essential for free speech and democracy to thrive. I have no desire to defame anyone because my goal is to uplift by exercising the Golden Rule as much as possible.

When you use a news story or another person's blog in your work, make sure to give credit to the person you borrow from. I always strive to do that when I write a blog entry, since much of my inspiration for writing about specific topics comes from news sources and other bloggers. Actually, this blog was inspired by two news articles: a Seattle Times article by Brier Dudley entitled "Battle of the day: AP vs. blogs," and Marcie Geffner's article in Inman News entitled "Is your blog a lawsuit magnet?" I highly recommend reading them both so you can make sure you're aware of some potential pitfalls.

The one thing I don't know too much about is the fair use of photos in blogs. I almost always provide a link to the source of the photos I use, and I try to include the photographer/artist when it's available. Maybe someone can help me out on this aspect of fair use because I'm unsure what the rule is there. Is it okay as long as we give credit to the person responsible for the work or do we need to obtain written permission? Speaking of which, the photo above is from www.flickr.com/photos/katiegail/1344714672, and it is the copyright of rakastajatar on Flickr.

In closing, I strongly advise you to pay close attention to Ms. Geffner's 17 questions in her Inman News article. I won't reprint them here because I wouldn't want to use too much of her work or remove the incentive to visit her site. As I read them, I went over in my mind the times when I had encountered these different situations or at least considered them. I hope this helps you be a little better-prepared in case anything like this might come up as you blog.

Happy blogging!

Author's Note: The photo above is different than the one I originally used. The reason for the change is because I wasn't sure if I was allowed to use the first photo, which was a painting by Norman Rockwell. I got the idea to check Flickr for a safer photo to use thanks to Ms. Geffner's comment below.

New LuxuryRealEstate.com member listed among top RE/MAX brokers

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:45:06 -0500

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.

I would have liked to include a link to the RE/MAX list of top international brokers, but I'm afraid I might not be able to. Oh well. By the way, the above picture is from: www.beachcastles.com/home/team.php?id=0.

John Brian Losh interview on Lakefront Radio a big success

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:03:52 -0500

As a follow-up to my last blog entry, I'd like to report on the interview LuxuryRealEstate.com Publisher/CEO John Brian Losh enjoyed on Lakefront Radio on Friday, June 20, 2008. It went very well, and I have to give a lot of credit to hosts Mary Thompson, Chuck Thompson and Lee Kantor for asking great questions and being a lot of fun on air. They sound like they really enjoy their work.

You can listen to the full 38-minute radio show online.

Mr. Losh discussed the recent sale of Donald Trump's $100 million estate and some other great news items. He also went into great detail about LuxuryRealEstate.com, the most-viewed luxury real estate website in the world, and several aspects of the Who's Who in Luxury Real Estate network, including membership requirements. He specifically focused on Atlanta, naming Harry Norman, Realtors, the Board of Regents member in Atlanta, and Jenny Pruitt & Associates, REALTORS® as two prominent members in the area.

As I mentioned earlier, I was really impressed by Lakefront Radio hosts Mary, Chuck and Lee. They were all so easygoing and patient in their approach at the microphone, something I found very refreshing in talk radio. Some shows sound like the speakers are constantly interrupting each other, but these hosts found a great balance in their style. Great job!

Mr. Losh said that some of the finest luxury locations in the world are in South America and East Europe. He also mentioned that his favorite city in the world is Venice, Italy because it's so quiet, with no cars or motorbikes to disrupt the peace. His favorite city in the United States (besides his hometown of Seattle, of course) is Carmel, Calif., near Pebble Beach, because it's "popular, but not too popular" and very relaxing.

All in all, it was a great radio show. I hope you'll enjoy listening to it if you have the time. Be sure to check it out every Friday because the hosts are dedicated to talking about positive real-estate news that can sometimes fall by the way when large media outlets focus so much on negative news. Truly an admirable endeavor!

LuxuryRealEstate.com CEO John Brian Losh in the news

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:04:23 -0500

I have some fun news to share about John Brian Losh, Publisher/CEO of LuxuryRealEstate.com and Broker/CEO of Ewing & Clark, Inc., Seattle's oldest real-estate brokerage.

Mr. Losh will appear on Lakefront Radio, an Atlanta radio show on Friday, June 20, 2008. He will discuss the luxury real estate market and high-tech trends with hosts Mary Thompson, Chuck Thompson and Lee Kantor.

The radio show is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Pacific Time. You can listen to the show live by visiting the Lakefront Radio website. That will be great. I'm sure Mr. Losh will have some great insights to share.

In addition to this radio show, Mr. Losh also appeared in the April/May issue of Unique Homes magazine. He was the focus of Ken Weingartner's "Unique Personalities" section. Nick Antonicello, Director of Sales at Unique Homes, gave Mr. Losh a copy of that magazine issue at the 13th Annual Luxury Real Estate Spring Retreat this past April. Excellent stuff!

Estate of the art: Combine art and luxury real estate

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:54:20 -0500

Check out this great article I recently read in the Arizona Daily Star, entitled "Home, art inside are both for sale." I think the sellers in this article are onto something pretty smart by joining forces with a local art museum to sell their property.

Author Christie Smythe points out that showing art in a home can be beneficial for both the artists and the home sellers. Beautiful paintings, sculptures and other pieces of art can add something special to a home that makes it more memorable to potential buyers. Plus, the artists receive exposure to new viewers and their works of art are sold with the house.

This takes home staging to a whole new level. Ordinarily, a staged home isn't sold in the condition in which it is first shown to buyers. But in this case, all of the art will stay with the house when it is purchased. That's a pretty novel idea, I think. This is a smart solution because both art and real-estate markets in many parts of the United States are falling on hard times at the moment. Perhaps by joining forces, these two industries can prove that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

The photo above is courtesy of Ilya Estate Photography.

Barbara Stahura, a talented freelance writer, brought this article to my attention. She recently interviewed John Brian Losh, the CEO/Publisher of LuxuryRealEstate.com, for an article she's writing on "green" luxury homes for an upcoming issue of Steinway & Sons Magazine.

Drowning in debt

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:42:03 -0500

I'd like to talk about a topic that is not necessarily a pressing matter for people buying luxury real estate, but which I still find very important: Debt. It is very sad to me to see so many people struggling with the enormous burden of debt.

I recently read a wonderful editorial in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer entitled "The great seduction," in which author David Brooks points out the astonishing truth about debt. Brooks notes that for the past 30 years Americans have forgotten our noble heritage of frugality and living within our means. We have even forgotten the lessons of the Great Depression that we should not overextend ourselves on credit.

I have heard people argue that easy credit is a good thing because it leads to additional economic growth and a wealth of new capital to expand business operations and ventures. I politely disagree. Yes, debt gives us more money in the short term to grow, but it is a false growth based upon a false sense of stability.

Debt has a way of perpetuating itself. Years ago, homebuyers paid off their home loans as quickly as possible because they understood the disadvantages of being indebted and paying interest. However, now we are encouraged to stay in debt and use our unpaid-for assets as leverage to go into even more debt.

I am not desirous to abolish all debt because it serves a useful purpose in moderation. But I would like to see debt portrayed as less of a convenience and more of an obligation and hardship that should not be undertaken lightly.

Many people who declare bankruptcy do so after facing unexpected medical issues, job loss or other life-changing events. I think that people are smart and that they can make it through these tough times if they are prepared. But many of us are not saving money and we are drowning in ever-growing debt.

I want to see this change. No matter if you are rich, poor or somewhere in between, simply living within your means will help you avoid the unhappiness and stress of living in debt.

The above picture is from www.anxietyculture.com/debt.htm.

Good news and a good question about the media

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:38:34 -0500

I just have a quick thought to share today. I wish I had more time to write more about this topic, but I'll just do the best I can in a short space. I read a wonderfully informative Inman News article today entitled "Media create foreclosure hysteria." As you can tell by the headline, this article is trying to explain what various media sources are currently saying and not saying to make our current real-estate troubles seem even worse than they actually are.

Perhaps there is not a concerted effort to cause a panic by inflating numbers. Maybe the reporters who are striving to meet their deadlines and report this important story to their readers simply don't have enough time to fully analyze all the facts they're reporting. Whatever the case is, author Bernice Ross points out some excellent facts in her article that have failed to be reported correctly or been lost in the editing process.

I especially like how she ends her article. She says, "The question I would like answered: Why isn't this positive news being reported elsewhere?" Now that's a good question. This question has been raised many times and the answer is often simply that news distributors are in the business of selling news to readers and viewers and so they want to make their stories eye-grabbing and ear-catching. A story about foreclosure rates increasing slightly isn't big news unless it's spiced up a bit.

Ross points out that there's plenty of good news happening in a variety of markets. I try to get the word out about these stories by publishing a weekly newsletter called the Week in Review with Who's Who in Luxury Real Estate members' positive news stories. I also try to keep the LuxuryRealEstate.com Blog filled with great content from our members and employees.

Feel free to share your thoughts on what we can do to share the good news happening in our markets.

Do you EVER stop smiling?

Robert Lockard (Luxury Real Estate) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:49:06 -0500

"Do you ever stop smiling?" One of my neighbors asked me that question on Monday, June 2, 2008 while I was walking back home from my mailbox after I got home from my job at LuxuryRealEstate.com. I was pleasantly startled by the question because it was asked by the young woman before me in a slightly exasperated way, as though it had been building inside of her for some time. She said that she has seen me on numerous occasions walking nearby and I always have a smile on my face. She found herself worrying that I was either hiding something or crazy.

I assured her that neither is the case and that I most assuredly do stop smiling from time to time. Looking back, I wish that next I would have pointed out that I find much to smile about in life and I try to just prepare for hard times and then not let bad things or hurtful words cause me to be unhappy, bitter or unforgiving. But what actually came out of my mouth was, "I guess I'm just a happy-go-lucky kind of guy." That's not strictly true because I do strive to plan and live wisely instead of just throwing caution to the wind, but I am most certainly happy.

Despite my less-than-profound answer, the young woman said that she was glad that I was happy because when she sees me smiling she often feels a desire to smile, as well. I like sharing happiness with other people, even if it's completely by accident, so I was filled with joy to hear that and I smiled even more. I thanked her for stopping me and telling me all of this. Then I introduced myself so I wouldn't be a stranger and she introduced herself. I love making new friends.

I bring this up because I read an interesting article in CNN on the same day as this experience, entitled "Want to be rich? Don't get too happy." I was fascinated by this article because, according to its findings, people who claim to be perfectly happy and content are not usually as successful as people who are somewhat less happy. I personally find it a bit questionable to try to quantify happiness since everyone's definition is probably slightly different and there's no clear way to delineate between the different numbers on a 1-10 scale. Also, I'm sure that a person's answer would change on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis.

For the purposes at hand, though, I'll just push these objections aside for the moment and talk about something interesting I find from the results. People who rated their happiness as 10 out of 10 on the scale were less likely to be as successful as moderately happy people. Also, perfectly happy people were less likely to save money or plan ahead for hard times, while less-happy people exercised a bit more protectiveness and foresightedness. I think that if the survey takers were to check up in the next few months or years on the people who claimed to be perfectly happy, they would find that their happiness wouldn't always last.

Life has a way of pulling the rug out from under us when we get too comfortable. I apologize if I sound too pessimistic. I just want people to be wise and not be too unhappy all the time or too happy if their happiness is based upon a false hope. I recommend living wisely so that we can be very happy but never perfectly content to stay the way we are. I want to always grow and so I do not intend to be perfectly happy in my current state. However, if I worry too much about my imperfections or desire to grow too quickly, I will probably waste time and energy being miserable or sorry for myself. I prefer being happy for a long period of time by making small improvements each day. Out of small and simple things are great things brought to pass.

Do I ever stop smiling? Of course I do. But the trick is that I start smiling again and again.